Year 2006

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February 2006

Virginia Martin Aanstoos, 82, of Fayetteville, Ga. died of probable heart failure at home on December 28, 2005
She went to the Canal Zone as a young girl with her parents and married Edward Aanstoos in 1947. She was an active member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ancon and worked as a secretary in Quarry Heights for the Caribbean Command.

Louis J. Barbier Sr., 90, of Largo, Fla. died January 4, 2006 at Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater. He served in the Army from 1935 to 1944 and later worked as a civilian in the Panama Canal Zone for the Quartermaster Corps and the Navy, retiring in 1958.

Edwin “Ed” Baumbach, 79, of Winter Haven, Fla. died November 24, 2005 of heart failure. He moved to the Canal Zone when he was 12 years old and graduated from Balboa High School in 1947. He retired in 1979 from the Panama Canal cold storage in the Commissary Division.

Mary Jane Cole, 89, died on December 5, 2005 in Tempe, Ariz. She was a registered nurse and went to work at Coco Solo Hospital. She was a Pediatric Nurse until her retirement in 1977.

Margaret W. Diehl, 85, of Hendersonville, N.C. died December 3, 2005 after a short battle with cancer. She was born in the Canal Zone where her father was an engineer for the Panama Canal. She left the Canal Zone in 1935.

Naomi Figueroa, 73, of Clermont, Fla. died in November 2005 after a five-year battle with cancer. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society. No further information is available.

Ralph David “Dave” Furlong, 56, of the Canal Zone and Tampa, Fla. died December 24, 2005. He was raised in the Canal Zone and lived in several states and Guam as an adult. He was a gifted writer, talented webmaster, skilled photographer and grourmet cook.

Warren “Pat” Gerhart died March 19, 2005, in Panama City., Panama. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society. No further information is available.

Era L. Greene, 90, of Anniston, Ala. died November 14, 2005. She married Clarence Greene, an employee of Gatun Locks, in 1954 and moved to the Canal Zone at that time. She taught school in Cristobal and North Margarita Elementary until his retirement in 1963.

Otto Haengel, 77, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died January 13, 2006 in Morristown, N.J. after a battle with pancreatric cancer. He moved to Hialeah, Fla. in 1960 from Panama. 

Lawrence David Hedman, 52, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died December 21, 2005 at home. He was born in Colon, Panama and came to Florida in 1980 from Memphis.

Don Rue Hickman, Brig. Gen. USA (Ret.), 87, passed away September 24, 2005 in Birmingham, Ala. He served two tours of duty in the Panama Canal Zone.

Alison C. Hightower died November 28, 2005 in Seattle, Wash. As a member of a military family Alison grew up in various locations. She graduated with honors in 1970 from Balboa High School in the Canal Zone.

Russell E. Hoogland, 84, a resident of Pensacola, Fla. since 1985 died December 6, 2005. He was a former conductor for more than ten years on the Panama Railroad. He later retired from civil service with the Department of Labor.

Josephine Victoria Johnson, 82, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died January 17, 2006 at home. She lived in Panama for many years and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Patricia Bathmann Jones, 83, died on October 28, 2005 of congestive heart failure in California. She married Robert O’Connell in 1945 while teaching at Balboa High School. She was a long-time resident of Corona del Mar, Calif. and taught in local schools for many years.

Lee Kariger, 93, of Sarasota, Fla. died December 27, 2005. He went to Panama at the age of two when the canal opened. He lived and worked there until 1968, retiring from the Panama Canal Company as Administrative Officer for the Locks Division.

William (Bill) Adams Lang, 73, of Portland, Ore. died at home on December 20, 2005 after a brief illness. He attended schools in the Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School as President of the class of 1950. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society and made certain all of his children visited the wonderful place where he grew up.

Mary Patricia (Pat) Ridge, 83, of Columbus, Ohio, died July 13, 2005. She met and married her husband Robert L. Ridge in August 1945 in New York City and returned to the Canal Zone where they lived until Bob’s retirement in 1973.

John C. Schmidt Jr., 68, of Arab, Ala. died suddenly on November 7, 2005 of a heart attack. He was born in Gorgas Hospital and graduated from Balboa High School in 1955. He was a member of the famous Schmidt fishing family in the Canal Zone and a member of the Panama Canal Society

Clifford Kleen Shumate, 56, of Foley, Ala. died October 20, 2005 from injuries sustained when the bicycle he was riding was struck by a Foley police car. He was born in Colon, Republic of Panama.

Captain Gerald H. Smith, 80, died December 25, 2005 at his home in Pensacola, Fla. In 1959, Captain Smith accepted a position in the Panama Canal. During his 20-plus y ear career with the Canal, he was a Pilot and Port Captain until his retirement in 1980.

Taylor Spurlock, 76, of North Port, Fla. died March 15, 2005. He served in the Army during the Korean War and retired from the Panama Canal Company as a water systems specialist in 1984. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society. 

Winifred Beeman Strider, 77, of Viera, Fla. died January 18, 2006 as a result of liver cancer. In 1970, she was offered the position of Chief of the Audiology Clinic at Gorgas Hospital where she worked for 20 years, plus 5 years after her retirement in Playa Coronado, Panama.

Robert John Suisman, 77, died December 5, 2005 in his Sun City Center, Fla. home. He moved to the Canal Zone at the age of 12 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1945. After college, he returned to the Canal Zone where he worked in the intelligence field until his retirement in 1979.

Joan Norma Thurber, 74, died January 4, 2006. No further information is available.

Sally Morland Williams died on November 23, 2005 in Southern Pines, N.C. She was born and raised in the Canal Zone and graduated with top honors from Cristobal High School in 1956. She went on to receive a Bachelors Degree in Education, a Masters Degree in Special Education and taught until retiring in 1997.

March 2006

Charles Wallace Adair Jr., 91, a former U.S. ambassador to Panama and Uruguay, died January 22, 2006 of heart disease in Falls Church, Va. A longtime Foreign Service officer, Mr. Adair was ambassador to Panama from 1965 to 1969. After retiring from the Foreign Service in 1972, Mr. Adair lived in Stuart, Fla. until 1966, when he moved to Northern Virginia.

Colleen “Connie” Pritt Baldwin, 82, of Waldo, Fla. passed away on February 3, 2006. She was a former 25-year resident of the Panama Canal Zone and was married to the late William J. Baldwin.

John R. Barrett passed away February 15, 2006. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone on March 22, 1946, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1964. 

Dorothy Dugas Broadbent, 87, passed away February 4, 2006. She was a longtime resident of Baton Rouge, La. She was born and raised in the Canal Zone. She graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1940 and returned to the Canal Zone where she lived and worked until she married.

Jo Ann Carr, 69, a resident of Headland, Ark. died May 25, 2005 in a Dothan hospital. She formerly lived in the Panama Canal Zone where she was employed as a mathematics teacher. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and the Canal Zone Social Group in Dothan.

Lucia Goodwin, 71, of Glen Mills, Pa. passed away January 29, 2006. She lived in the Canal Zone for 12 years and served as a translator with the U.S. Army and later worked for the Accounting Division of the Panama Canal Company before leaving in 1977.

Veta M. Hatchett, 94, of Boca Raton, Fla. passed away February 3, 2006. She was married to the late Willie Joe Hatchett for 57 years. They went to Panama in 1940 where he worked with the Locks Division and she was very active in the Eastern Star. In 1960, they returned to Georgia where they remained for many years. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Edward S. Mack, 82, of Sun City Center, Fla. died January 23, 2006 in Sun City Center. He was a retired ship pilot on the Panama Canal with 24 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert Hugh Orr Sr., 81, passed away on January 10, 2006. He was born June 9, 1924 in Ancon, Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School. He served during World War II in the U.S. Army and graduated from the University of Houston in 1949.

Lorrain A. Spencer, 84, died January 17, 2006, and her husband, Thomas E. Spencer, 85, died January 19, 2006. They married on April 17, 1947 in the Panama Canal Zone and lived there until moving to Tallahassee 25 years ago. He was chief of the claims branch of the Panama Canal Co. and she was clinical head nurse of the U.S. Army Health Clinic at Fort Clayton.

May 2006

Florence S. Atwell died November 24, 2005. She was an elementary teacher in the Canal Zone until retirement in 1979, and the widow of the late Howell W. Atwell.

Jacob Baker, 73, of Largo, Fla. died March 28, 2006. He went to the Canal Zone at the age of five and graduated from Balboa High School in 1949. He retired as Chief Admeasurer in 1981 and moved to Dothan, Ala. and later to Largo. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Audrey Cheryl (Duncan) Bailey, 57, of Tampa, Fla. died January 21, 2006. She was born in Panama and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1966. She lived in Tampa for many years and was a previous resident of Dothan, Ala. and a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Eldridge N. (Mike) Burton, 60, died March 2, 2006 in Fayetteville, Ark. He grew up in the Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1963. 

Frederick R. Call, 77, of Colrain, Me. died September 24, 2005. He worked for the Panama Railroad in various positions until his retirement in 1994. He was a member of the Masons, the board of directors of the Panama Canal College, the Panama Canal Society, and past president of the Panama chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Jamie Laurayn Fealey, 20, died as the result of an automobile accident on March 28, 2006 near Oak Harbor, Wash. while on her way to school. She grew up in Oak Harbor and was the daughter of Guy and Mary Fealey and the granddaughter of Fred and Marion Wells and Florence “Honey” Fealey, of Kerrville, Texas.

Edwin George Fehrenbach II, 90, died in Austin, Texas on March 18, 2006. He moved to Panama in 1944 from San Antonio to work for the Army at I.A.G.S. in the P.A.D. area. He retired in 1976 and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Ada Flumach, 95, widow of the late Frank Flumach who worked in the Electrical Division, died March 28, 2006 in Lubbock, Texas. She was a long-time resident of the Canal Zone and was actively involved in St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Norman Gillis, 75, of Las Vegas, Nev. died April 8, 2006. He was career Navy for 21 years and worked as head of the Navy Transportation branch and public works department in the Canal Zone until he retired and went to work for the Panama Canal Company as a supervisor for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Service. He was active in the Scottish Rite and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Virginia Thompson Hellmund, 93, died on March 11, 2006. She was the widow of Russel Hellmund. She lived in the Canal Zone from 1948 until Russel retired from the Balboa Post Office in 1972.

Gladys Portales Hudgins, 69, died on January 3, 2006 following complications from a broken hip. She and her husband George K. Hudgins lived for 35 years in Margarita on the Atlantic Side.

Janet (Spencer) Jeffrey, wife of the late Bob Jeffrey, died February 19, 2006 in Bisbee, Ariz. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert Lewis Johnson, 80, died February 6, 2006 in Carlsbad, N.M. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1939 and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1943. He worked for the Panama Canal Company and retired in 1980 as Senior Lock Master at the Gatun Locks. He was past President of the Panama Canal Society, a member of Elks Lodge 1542 and a district deputy of Panama, and an avid golfer.

Betty L. Kelleher, 77, of Seminole, Fla. died March 4, 2006. She graduated from Cristobal High School in 1947.
She was a registered nurse and moved to Florida from Dothan, Ala. in 1988. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Doris Lacey, 92, of Seminole, Fla. died March 10, 2006. She was the mother-in-law of William J. McKeown, Jr., a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Kenneth George Lantry, 46, of Orlando, Fla. died April 13, 2006 of congestive heart failure. He performed in theater in the Canal Zone for Bruce Quinn’s plays and also at the Panama Canal Society reunion musical luncheons. His was a long and illustrious career in show business with various organizations, performers, and aboard cruise lines. 

Gregg Allen Lawrance died May 20, 2004 in Dallas, Texas after a motorcycle accident. He was born in Panama and graduated from high school in 1976. He was active in scouts in the Canal Zone and in 1975 his team and boat Due Process won the 22nd Annual Ocean to Ocean Cayuco Race. 

Emily B. McCullum, 85, died February 19, 2006 in Tucson, Ariz. She was married to the late Charles H. McCullum and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dorothy Gladys “Gladdie” McLain, 81, of Columbia, Md. and formerly of Sarasota, Fla. died April 15, 2006. She went to the Canal Zone in 1941 to work for the Navy and later married John “Johnny” McLain. They retired in 1976 to Sarasota, and she was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Kathryn (Kitty) McNamee, 96, died February 18, 2006 in Crossville, Tenn. She and her late husband Warren went to the Canal Zone in 1946 where she worked as a registered nurse at Cristobal Hospital, Coco Solo Hospital, and later Gorgas Hospital until her retirement in 1972. 

Patricia Michel, 84, of Spring Hill, Fla. died December 18, 2005. She went to the Canal Zone in 1950 with her late husband Roger and resided there until 1980 when they retired to Spring Hill.

Edna Million, 92, died February 15, 2006 in Sarasota, Fla. She went to the Canal Zone in 1918 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1932. She married Harold Jim Million and worked at the Canal Zone Credit Union and the Canal Zone Pilots Association until Harold’s retirement in 1970.

Harold Jim Million, 94, died April 23, 2006. He was born in Gatun during the construction days. He married Edna May Smith in 1932 and worked for 30 years for the Panama Canal Company. He retired in 1970 as Assistant Chief of the Meteorological and Hydrographic Division. 

John W. R. Muller, 91, died February 23, 2006 in DeLand, Fla. He was born in Pedro Miguel and graduated from Balboa High School in 1932 and CZJC in 1935. He worked for the Panama Canal Company as a Civil Engineer with the Survey Branch until he retired in 1970. He was a member of the Masons, Eastern Star, Panama Canal Society, and treasurer for four different lodges in the DeLand area.

Helen Halvorson Daniel Munson, 95, died January 29, 2006 in Duluth, Minn. She went to the Canal Zone in 1938 and worked as a nurse at Gorgas Hospital from 1938-1945 and from 1952-1970 at Rodman Dispensary until her retirement in 1970. She was President of the C.Z. Nurses Association in 1953-54, a member of the Eastern Star and Balboa Union Church.

Jean M. Quinn, 75, died March 17, 2006 in Antioch, Calif. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and is survived by her husband, William P. Quinn, Jr.

Ralph Reccia of Orange, Calif. died February 19, 2006 of lung cancer. He moved to Margarita at the age of nine and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1954. He spent most of his adult life in California working for North American Aircraft.

Eleanor A. (Lee) Small, 83, of Port Saint Lucie, Fla. died March 26, 2006. She met her husband Howard Small in Buenos Aires in 1948, married in 1949, and moved to Panama in 1960. She was a translator/simultaneous interpreter with IAGS in Fort Clayton until retiring in 1986. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Daniel W. Smith of Champaign, Ill. died December 13, 2005. He graduated from Cristobal High School in 1961 and later served in the U.S. Air Force and attended the University of Illinois. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Adelaide S. Thomas, 92, died March 20, 2006 in Tampa, Fla. She was born in Ancon and moved to Tampa in 1989 where she worked for many years as a greeter at a Publix grocery store. 

July 2006

Marguerite “Babe” Arens, 87, died October 25, 2004 in Des Moines, Iowa. Margaret moved to the Canal Zone in 1947 with her late husband Herbert T. Arens. There she worked with the Canal Zone libraries. Following retirement in 1968, they built a home in Balsam, N.C.

Edward Capp, 89, of Largo, Fla. died May 3, 2006 He was an Army veteran of WWII and served in Taiwan, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal Zone, and Vietnam. He later worked for the federal government in Hawaii and California.

Roland C. Casanova, 81, of Brooksville, Fla. died April 22, 2006. He was born in Panama and was an Army veteran of WWII. He was a carpenter for the Panama Canal Company and managed the Cristobal Gun Club after retiring from the Maintenance Division in 1980. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Ellen P. Castles, 88, died February 23, 2006 in Falmouth, Mass. She was the widow of Francis A. Castles, who retired from the Schools Division in 1976. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Amos W. DeRaps, 85, died May 20, 2006 in Austin, Texas. He worked for the Canal Zone Police Force and later transferred to the U.S. Customs Division. He retired in 1980 as Acting Chief Inspector of Customs of the Balboa Office. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dorothy McGann Dorn, 83, of Palo Alto, Calif. died on or about May 16, 2006. She was born in Colon, Panama on May 2, 1923. Her father was an engineer who worked on the Panama Canal.

Brian L. Felps, 60, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died May 26, 2006. He was born in Panama and came to Florida in 1967 from the Panama Canal Zone. 

Richmond “George” Fryer, 49, died May 9, 2006. He arrived in the Canal Zone with his family in 1969 and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1975. He worked in the Marine industry and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Jacquelyn Bowen Hall, 77, of Clearwater, Fla. died June 21, 2006. She was born in Panama and graduated from Balboa High School in 1946. She came to Florida in 1984 and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Laura Phyllis Hummer, 81, of Greer, S.C. died May 6, 2006. She was married to the late Charles “Tuck” Hummer, a former resident of St. Petersburg, Fla. and the Panama Canal Zone. 

Charles “Larry” Jones, 80, of Gulfport, Fla. died May 23, 2006. He graduated from Balboa High School in 1943. He retired in 1980 as a chief financial comptroller for the U.S. government after more than 33 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marilyn Laverty, 74, of Odessa, Fla. died May 21, 2006. She was married to the late Raymond Laverty who worked for the Panama Canal Company until 12 years ago. 

Quelda Mae Lazzari, 89, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died May 6, 2006. She moved to Florida in 1947 from the Panama Canal Zone.

Norine A. (Rathgeber) Lucas, 80, of Bricktown, N.J. died June 18, 2006. Born in the Panama Canal Zone, she later moved to Charlotte, N.C., before settling in Bricktown where she had lived for more than 45 years. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marjorie M. Martin, 89, of Clearwater, Fla. died May 22, 2006. She was born in Ancon, Panama and moved to Florida in 1970. She retired as an executive secretary from the Panama Canal Authority. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Frances Baldwin Mink, 85, of Atlantic Beach, Fla. died May 3, 2006. She was married to Captain Robert O. Mink, the past Marine Director for the Panama Canal Company.

Jacqueline Lee Munro, 75, died on March 24, 2006 in San Pedro, Calif. She was raised in Gatun and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1949. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Major General Harold R. Parfitt (USA-Ret.), 84, died in Dallas, Texas on May 21, 2006. He was career Army after graduation from West Point in 1943 and retired as a Major General. He was the last Governor of the Panama Canal Zone after the 1979 treaty returning it to Panama.

Jeanne C. Sanders, 87, of Inverness, Fla. died June 15, 2006. She lived in the Canal Zone from the age of five until her late husband’s retirement in 1972. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Kenneth Pat Scanlon, Jr., died June 14, 2006 in Bangor, Maine. He was a graduate of Balboa High School class of 1975.

Marjorie (Burns) Shanard, 92, of Wayzata, Minn. died May 8, 2006. She served multiple terms on the Republican State Central Committee before and after living in Panama. She was a Nixon and Ford appointee to the Panama Canal Board from 1969-1977. She was a feature writer for Panama This Month.

Virginia L. Starke, 84, of Sarasota, Fla. died June 14, 2006. She retired as an accountant for the Panama Canal Company 35 years ago. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and the widow of past President Carl H. Starke.

Oscar “O.Y.” Thomas, 61, died May 29, 2006. He was the official photographer for the Panama Canal Society Reunions since 1990 and until the time of his demise.

Roger W. Wells, 67, of Lutz, Fla. died May 10, 2006. He was hired by the Canal Zone Police Department and served mostly in the Gamboa town site. He retired in 1981 and moved to Florida in 1985. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Virginia Krueger Whaler, 84, died in March 2005 in Chesapeake, Va. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1939 and was the widow of George R. Whaler, who was in the Army. They were assigned several times to the Canal Zone, living in Ft. Clayton and Ft. Davis. 

Patricia Susan Cotton died July 24, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. Sue graduated from Balboa High School in 1965 and married George H. Cotton on April 15, 1966. She worked for MEDDAC in Panama and continued her government career with the Army after moving to San Antonio. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Marsha Nell (Webster) Green died June 20, 2006 in Austin, Texas. In 1941, at the age of three, she moved with her parents to the Panama Canal Zone. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1955 and from the Canal Zone College in 1957. 

Robert K. Hanna, 94, of Clearwater, Fla. died July 28, 2006 at Manor Care of Palm Harbor. He came to Florida in 1972 from the Panama Canal Zone after retiring from the Accounting Division with 38 years of Government service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Rita (Cryan) Lade, 83, died December 12, 2004 in Fountain Valley, Calif. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1939. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Warren Edmond LeDoux, 79, of DeLand, Fla. died June 10, 2006. He was employed for most of his career by the Panama Canal Company in the former Canal Zone, retiring in 1979. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Jeanne C. Townsend, 88, of El Cajon, Calif. died May 25, 2006. She traveled to the Panama Canal Zone to work as a nurse just before WWII where she met her late husband, Harry Townsend. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

September 2006

Roger W. Adams, 87, died January 24, 2006 in Kirkland, Wash. He was born in Ancon and graduated from BHS in 1936. After serving as an Air Force pilot in WWII, he was employed by the Panama Canal Co. He retired as Superintendent, Motor Transportation Division in 1972. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society

Kaiser Bazan, former 2nd Vice President of Panama, was killed on August 8, 2006 in an auto accident. He was a graduate of the CHS Class of 1956 and the West Point Military Academy.

Richard “Dick” J. Bjorneby, 74, of Estero, Fla. died August 8, 2006. Dick went to the Canal Zone in 1961 as a Rigger/Diver in Mt. Hope Shipyard. He transferred to the Marine Bureau in 1966 and was promoted to Supervisory Admeasurer in 1979. In 1984, he transferred to the position of Harbormaster, Atlantic in Gatun, was promoted to Superintendent, Launch/Linehandling Branch in 1985 and retired in 1995. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society. 

Thomas Burbine, 88, died August 7, 2006 in Littleton, Mass. He moved to Panama in 1960 after retiring from the Army. In Panama he initially managed the Balboa Clubhouse and eventually worked as the Internal Security Agent for the Atlantic side. He was active in the Little Theater and Holy Family Church. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Celina (Chely) Calviño de Dunnell died May 13, 2006 in Texas City, Texas. She married Vernon A. Dunnell in 1954 and they lived in different areas of the Canal Zone until 1982. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

S. C. “Grumpy” Eastwood, 93, of Inverness, Fla. died August 20, 2006. He was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone with the U.S. Army where he met and married his late wife, Agnes M. Coleman of Ancon.

James Fox, 82, of St. Petersburg, Fla. died September 3, 2006 at Bay Pines VA Medical Center. He moved to Florida in 1964 from Panama.

Rosemary Millett Gilead, 83, died March 11, 2006 in Arlington, Va. She moved to the Canal Zone in 1930 at the age of seven, graduated from BHS in 1941, and remained there until 1952. She returned to Panama in 1972 to work for the U.S. Army. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Henry K. Johnstone, 86, of Pinellas Park, Fla. died August 21, 2006. He was a master mariner in the Merchant Marines, a lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserve and a Panama Canal pilot for 25 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Milton Earl Law died March 12, 2006 at Fitzsimmons Veterans Home in Colorado. He worked in Corozal, Canal Zone as a civilian for the Army Audit Agency. 

Beatrice (Bea) E. Lee, 94, of Merritt Island, Fla. died July 24, 2006. She moved with her husband to the Canal Zone in 1934 where she worked in various positions including the lab at Gorgas Hospital. Her final years were spent in the Transportation Branch. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

James MacLaren, 91, died August 15, 2006. He had a very interesting life of adventures in Montana, Minnesota, Korea, Mexico, Peru, and the Panama Canal Zone. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Charles F. Magee Jr. (Buddy), 75, of Oceanside, Calif. died July 28, 2006. He was born in Gorgas Hospital and graduated from BHS in 1947. Both his parents and his maternal grandparents were longtime residents of the Canal Zone and his maternal grandfather was a Roosevelt Medal Holder. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Rose Florence “Flos” Munger, 89, died June 17, 2006 in Tampa, Fla. She worked in the Canal Zone in flight communications for the Federal Aviation Administration. She was a resident of Gamboa during her early years.

Steve Wayne Nellis, 52, of Clearwater, Fla. died August 8, 2006. He moved with his family to the Panama Canal Zone where he spent his childhood. He graduated from BHS in 1971. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Luke C. Palumbo, 94, of Fayetteville, Ark. died August 31, 2006. He was employed by the Panama Canal Zone schools as a teacher and a coach for 33 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Billy Perry of Gurley, Ala. died August 15, 2006. He spent 14 years in Panama drilling and blasting. He was Master of the Drill Boat THOR. 

Captain Ralph Crawford “Bud” Plummer, 79, died August 20, 2006. He came from a family tradition of life at sea, and made his first transit through the Panama Canal on the Maine Maritime Academy’s training ship in 1945. He worked as a Panama Canal pilot from 1960 until he retired in 1989. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Richard Russell Potter, 88, died April 24, 2006 in Lakewood, Colo. He graduated from BHS in 1934 and earned an electrical engineering degree in 1938 from the University of Iowa. He returned to the Canal Zone, worked for the Electrical Division and retired as Chief Electrical Engineer in 1972. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret E. (Barnard) Rankin died June 20, 2006 in Denver, Colo. Margaret went to Panama at an early age with her parents and attended Cristobal High School. She and her late husband lived on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides until 1951. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Abbie “Anne” Rocker died June 28, 2006 in Ferndale, Wash. She went to the Canal Zone in 1954 where she was a nurse at Gorgas Hospital. She married Jack W. Rocker and they lived in the Canal Zone until 1976.

Lillian F. (Ferry) Ryan, 97, of South Windsor, Conn. died August 12, 2006. She obtained her nursing degree from the Falkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain, Mass. and lived for 31 years in the Canal Zone working for the U.S. Government.

Geraldine “Gerry” Schill, 78, of Valrico, Fla. died July 31, 2006. She graduated from BHS in 1947. She lived many years in the Canal Zone where her late husband, E. J. “Pete” Schill, worked for the Panama Railroad. 

Col. Kenneth R. Stow, USAF (Ret), 89, of Atlantic City, N.J. died July 22, 2006. Colonel Stow was married to Jo Frances McDonnell in 1977, and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Esperanza “Gloria” Terry, 75, of Las Vegas, Nev. died May 21, 2006. She was employed with the Panama Canal Company from 1965 through 1982 as a registered nurse at Gorgas Hospital.

Clarence R. Vosburgh, 94, died July 17, 2006 in West Melbourne, Fla. He taught at high school in Balboa Canal Zone and at the Canal Zone Junior College. He married E. Ines Rodriquez at the Balboa Union Church in 1938 and went into the Army in 1943. After discharge, he returned to Panama where he lived and taught for the next 46 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

William “Bill” E. Wall Jr., 77, of Morris Plains, N.J. died July 10, 2006. The son of Atlantic-side Pilot Capt. William E. and Marie J. Wall, he lived in New Cristobal from age seven until leaving the Canal Zone at the end of his junior year.

Wayne W. West, 51, of Marietta, S.C. died August 21, 2006. He attended Coco Solo grammar school and graduated from CHS in 1974. He was an Air Force veteran and Mason.

Ray William (Bill) Wheeler Sr., 90, died July 19, 2006 in Hudson, Fla. He was born in Ancon Canal Zone, graduated from CHS in 1934, and began a printing apprenticeship with the Printing Division in Cristobal. In 1942 he was employed by the Canal Zone Fire Department and retired in 1972 as District Fire Commander of the Atlantic side. He was past president of the Panama Canal Society from 1986-1987 and had been a member for many years.

October 2006

Ann D. Brennan of Hollywood, Calif. died March 24, 2006. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society. No further information is available.

David Allen Eberenz, 94, of Wayne, N.J. died September 9, 2006 at home. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and worked for the Public Works Department of the U.S. Naval Air Station in Coco Solo and Coco Solito for twenty-seven years before retiring in 1957. He was Exalted Ruler for Cristobal Lodge #1542 B.P.O.E. in the Canal Zone.

Ann V. Ehrman, 97, of Largo, Fla. died September 25, 2006. She was a homemaker and for many years wrote the social column for the Star & Herald in Gamboa, Canal Zone.

Annabelle (Lee) Grills, 72, of Poway, Calif. died July 29, 2006. She went to the Canal Zone to visit her mother, who was born in Panama, and returned there to live. She worked for the U.S. Army in the Canal Zone. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Maurice “Bud” Kelleher, 80, of Augusta, Ga. died September 17, 2006. He grew up in the Canal Zone and graduated in 1943 from Balboa High School, and retired from the Panama Canal Personnel Branch in 1980. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

George Edward Lowery, 78, of Floral City, Fla. died September 8, 2006. He went to the Canal Zone after WWII and worked for the Supply Division, Commissary Division. He later transferred to the Locks Division and was a Locks Towing Locomotive Operator until retiring in 1989. His love of fishing in Panama was his life. He was a member of the Floral City VFW Post, B.P.O.E. 1414, the Panama Canal Society, and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church.

Joan Horter Lundy, 75, died July 13, 2006 at home. She was born in Gorgas Hospital in Ancon and graduated in 1948 from Balboa High School and in 1950 from CZJC. She was married in 1951 to James Leroy Lundy, her fellow “Most All Around” classmate, whom she later divorced after their children were grown.

Marjorie Vanderslice Rosado, 97, of Bloomsburg, Pa. died September 1, 2006. Marjorie’s father was employed by Col. George Goethals during the building of the Panama Canal and she went there to live as an infant. She attended grade school in the Canal Zone and returned to the U.S. to finish her education. After college, she returned to the Canal Zone in 1937 and taught in the Canal Zone schools until retiring.

November 2006

Randolph E. Alberga, 66, of Riverside, Calif. died on September 19, 2006. He was born in Colon, Panama and attended elementary, middle and high school in the Canal Zone. He was voted Friendliest by his graduation class of CHS’59. He became an interior decorator and spent 30 years decorating homes all over Southern California. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Daniel S. Gressang III, 71, of Ormond Beach, Fla. died on October 21, 2006. He spent his high school years with his father and stepmother in the Panama Canal Zone.and graduated from Balboa High School in 1954. He spent 20 years in the Army flying straight-wing aircraft, but mainly all types of helicopters. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret Gorham Hardison, 91, of McMinnville, Ore. died October 18, 2006. At the end of World War II, she went to the Panama Canal Zone to teach. She met and married Grady Hardison and enjoyed 18 years of teaching in the Canal Zone until her husband’s retirement.

Gladys Bliss Humphrey, 92, of Valkaria, Fla., formerly of Sarasota, died September 28, 2006 in Valkaria. She was born in Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone and graduated from CHS. She married B. Donald Humphrey in 1938 and worked at Gatun Locks and taught Sunday school at Cristobal Union Church. In 1963, they relocated to Sarasota, Fla. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society and the Canal Record reporter for that area for more than 35 years.

Florence Klipper, 93, a resident of Florida since 1967, died October 2, 2006 at home. She moved to the Panama Canal Zone in 1940 with her late husband Murray Klipper, who was employed by the Electrical Division. They retired to Florida after more than 27+ years of service

Thomas C. Peterson, 75, of Sarasota, Fla. died October 20, 2006. Tom was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1949. He served in the U.S. Army in the mid-1950s. He retired from the Personnel Bureau in 1981 with 26 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society and Past President from 1998-1999, very active in various Masonic activities, and on the Board of Trustees of the Panama Canal Museum.

Margaret A. “Peggy” (Roddy) Pruett of Cape Girardeau, Mo. died on July 29, 2006. She went to the Canal Zone in 1941 with her family and attended Margarita Elementary School and Cristobal High School and graduated in 1956. She worked for the Panama Canal Co., IRS in Sarasota, Fla., Community Caring Council and the Cape Girardeau Police Department before retiring. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Gertrude M. Roberto, 84, of Clearwater, Fla. died September 21, 2006 at Highland Pines Nursing Home. She came to Clearwater in the mid-1970s after retiring as an accountant for the federal government. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Croft Sibley of Gloucester, Va. died September 30, 2006. Mary lived in Gatun from 1940-1960.

Angelica Spector, 96, of Seminole, Fla. died October 7, 2006. She was born in Panama and came to Florida in 1972 from the Canal Zone where she was a homemaker. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret F. Wiggin, 89, of Lake Wales, Fla. died September 20, 2006 in Winter Haven, Fla. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1934. She was a claims examiner in the Accounting Division of the Panama Canal Company when she retired in 1971. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

December 2006

Fred W. Chase, 62, died of cancer on September 2, 2006. He was born in Colon, R. of P., and graduated from Balboa High School in 1962 and Canal Zone Junior College in 1964. He served in the U.S. Army until 1967 and then had a long career with Lockhead in Palmdale, Calif., until he retired in 2004.

René H. Conlan, 92, died January 20, 2006, in Ocala, Fla. He was born in Panama and graduated from Balboa High School. He was employed by the Electrical Division as a Telephone Installer. In August 1951 he moved to Texas and then to California where he spent 45 years as an engineer with the telephone company. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Maxine C. Dixon, 86, of Sarasota, Fla., died October 26, 2006. She came to Sarasota from the Panama Canal Zone, where she retired in 1982 from the Schools Division. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Louise (Pozek) Elbertson, 60, formerly of Citrus County, Fla., died October 18, 2006, at her mother’s home in Overland Park, Kan. She was employed at Gorgas Hospital in the Canal Zone for more than 15 years, where she met and married her husband, Lowell Elbertson. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

SFC James Gordon Guhlin Sr., USA (Ret.), 79, of San Antonio, Texas, died October 7, 2006. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Francis E. “Chip” Purdy, 61, of Ft. Worth, Texas, died August 21, 2006. He attended Canal Zone schools, graduated from Balboa High School in 1962 and received his BA degree from East Tennessee State University. He was a district sales manager in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area for Roche Pharmaceuticals.

Diana M. Sheppard, 80, of Pensacola, Fla., formerly of Largo, Fla., died October 31, 2006. She was an Air Force wife and lived in the Canal Zone during her husband’s tour of duty. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert V. Whitehead, 53, died on November 27, 2006, in Bonaire, Ga. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1972. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973-1993, retired with the rank of Tech. Sgt., and was a helicopter mechanic. After retirement, he worked in Saudi Arabia with the Augusta SPA Royal Saudi Helicopter Company.