Year 2007

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February - March - May - July - September - November - December

February 2007

Joan Delores Bender, 72, of Seabrook, Texas, died October 13, 2006. She married Merritt J. Bender (BHS’48) and traveled to the Canal Zone in 1952. Between 1953 and 1967, Merritt worked various assignments with IAGS. In 1967, they moved to Texas for eleven years; and in 1978, they returned to Panama until her husband’s retirement in 1989. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Melvin Bierman, 79, of Juno Beach, Fla., died October 5, 2006. He went to the Canal Zone in the early 1950s. He retired as the Deputy Director of the Engineering & Construction Bureau after 34 years of service in 1984. Upon his retirement, he moved to Ft. Worth, Texas, where he worked as a project engineer for the city until the mid-1990s.

Edward Carter Blount Sr., 93, died February 6, 2007, in Mobile, Ala. He was a former sergeant with the Canal Zone Police and retired in 1975. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Peter Bolton, 84, of Osprey, Fla., died December 25, 2006. He was a pilot on the Panama Canal from 1954 to 1979. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Adamary Anderson Bright, 96, of Jacksonville, Fla., died May 31, 2006. She taught in the Panama Canal Zone and retired with 35 years of service in 1971. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Genevieve June Burns, 90, of Austin, Texas, died November 5, 2006. She worked as a public health nurse and accepted a position in the Canal Zone. She married John “Jack” Burns in 1942 and returned to the Canal Zone until Jack’s retirement in 1966. June worked as a nurse at Ft. Gulick Dispensary for the Army, and Jack was a tugboat engineer. They retired to Kerrville, Texas, and she eventually retired from the VA Hospital in 1989.

Alma Symonds Burrow, 87, of Gulfport, Fla., died November 29, 2006. She lived in the Panama Canal Zone from 1926 to 1965. She was a homemaker. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Hallis F. Chase, 83, of Foley, Ala., died July 2, 2006. He retired from the Panama Canal as a shift supervisor with the Locks Division after 30 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society

Marie (Kempher) Corrigan, 95, of Deltona, Fla., died October 20, 2006. She enlisted as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy’s Nursing Corps from 1941-1946. Then she went to work with the Panama Canal Company as a nurse at Gorgas Hospital. She worked at both Coco Solo and Gorgas Hospitals until retiring in 1966. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Alice Maxine Daly, 84, died December 16, 2006, at Cape Canaveral Hospital. She was married to Ken Daly and they lived in the Panama Canal Zone where her husband was Chief of the Fire Division and she worked as a police dispatcher. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Camille Rhyne Eastham, 53, of Kerrville, Texas, died January 4, 2007. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1971. She was a management analyst for the Department of Defense, and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Carmen “Molly” Edmondson, 95, of Jupiter, Fla., died December 1, 2006. She was born in David, Republic of Panama, married her husband William in Panama. William retired from the Electrical Division in 1965, and they moved to Orlando, Fla., where they lived for 28 years until 1993. 

Joseph S. Farland, 92, died January 28, 2007, in Winchester, Va. Mr. Farland was ambassador to Panama from 1960 to 1963 As ambassador to Panama, he pushed for direct American aid and for the construction of rural roads and housing for the poor.

Edward P. Filo Jr., 55, of Stuart, Fla., died December 11, 2006. He was born in Balboa, Canal Zone, graduated from Balboa High School and attended Canal Zone Junior College. He graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Helene H. Flagg, 93, died January 20, 2007, in Bangor, Maine. She was born in Balboa, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School and the Wilfred Academy of Boston. She lived in the Bangor area since 1932.

Catherine Garner, 87, died December 11, 2006, in McKinney, Texas. She moved to the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal Zone with her husband and children in 1955. She spent the 30 years living in New Cristobal, Coco Solo, and Margarita.

Edward “Poppa” Hamilton Halsall, 105, of Gainesville, Fla., died December 20, 2006. He was employed by the Canal Zone Police in 1928. Later he transferred to the Quartermaster Division, and then to the Housing Division. During 1952 he organized a Security Force for the Locks Division and retired from that assignment in 1963. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Herbert “Junior” Joubert Jr., 72, of Baton Rouge, La., died December 4, 2006. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1952-1956, stationed in the Canal Zone. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Patricia (King) Klath, 50, died December 23, 2006, at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut. She was the daughter of members, Frank and Lori King, of Largo, Fla.

Robert W. Lawyer, 87, of Dothan, Ala., died January 29, 2007. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone. He was a police officer in the Canal Zone from 1940 until 1976, retiring as a Police Captain. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Capt. John “Jack” Frederick McKeen, 80, of Verona Island, Maine, died December 24, 2006. From July 1961 to May 1986, he had a distinguished career piloting ships in the Panama Canal.

Gordon R. Million Sr., 54, died December 29, 2006, in Tampa, Fla. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, attended Canal Zone schools and was active in sports, scouting, and social activities. 

Bess L. Morton, 87, died November 23, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nev. She grew up in the Canal Zone where she met her husband of 67 years. She worked for the Navy Department before moving to Southern California in 1954. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Phillip C. Olsen, 89, died September 18, 2006, in Reno, Nev. He went to the Canal Zone with his wife in 1953, and lived in Ft. Gulick and Ft. Clayton. They moved back to California and then moved back to the Canal Zone until 1982. He worked at Gorgas Hospital as a psychiatric social worker for almost 30 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Phyllis Jean (Albritton) Peniche, 76, died recently. She went to the Canal Zone with her parents where her father worked for the Railroad. She attended Canal Zone schools, graduated from Balboa High School in 1948, and married Bill Peniche in Panama. 

Manual Michael “Mike” Prograna, 81, died November 4, 2006. He was a member of the Panama Canal Lodge #1414 for 56 years. He was Exalted Ruler for 1988-89, District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for ten years, and Chairman of the Community Activities Committee for 46 years.

Elizabeth Irvin Brown Quintero, 82, died December 27, 2006. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1940. She was the Admitting Department Supervisor at Gorgas Hospital for many years; Outpatient Clinic Supervisor of the new outpatient section; and retired in 1979 as Hospital Administrator at Palo Seco Hospital with 32 years service. She moved to Hendersonville, N.C., in 1983. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Peter Nathan Riley, 90, of Springfield, Mo., died November 24, 2006. He was employed by the Panama Canal Marine Bureau and worked in the Port Captain’s Building in Balboa. 

Robert Daniel Valentine, 82, of Palm Harbor, Fla, died January 7, 2007. He was a pilot and ship captain. He served as chief of the pilot training union for the Panama Canal Commission and was formerly a towboat master from 1957-1981. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Eleanor Sullivan Wainstein, 82, died December 11, 2006, in Alexandria, Va. She went to the Canal Zone in 1924, grew up in Balboa, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1941, Canal Zone Junior College in 1943, and Mount Holyoke College in 1945.

Howard Thompson Whipple, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died January 26, 2007. He was a port representative of the War Shipping Administration in Cristobal, Canal Zone, during World War II. 

March 2007

Lawrence “Larry” Barca, Jr., 82, of Largo, Fla., died February 24, 2007 at Hospice House Woodside, Pinellas Park, Fla. He graduated from Balboa High School in 1942. He retired in 1986 from the Locks Division of the Panama Canal Company with 41 years of government service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Edward Carter Blount, Sr., 93, died February 6, 2007, in Mobile, Ala. He was a former sergeant with the Canal Zone Police and retired in 1975 with 32 years of government service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Nellie C. (Berger) Brown, 94, died November 4, 2006, in Lansing, Ill. She was raised in the Panama Canal Zone; moved to Sebring, Fla., in the mid-1950s; and to Lansing in 1985.

Camille Rhyne Eastham, 53, of Kerrville, Texas, died January 4, 2007. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1971. She was a management analyst for the Department of Defense, and was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Joseph S. Farland, 92, died January 28, 2007, in Winchester, Va. Mr. Farland was ambassador to Panama from 1960 to 1963. As ambassador to Panama, he pushed for direct American aid and for the construction of rural roads and housing for the poor.

Helene H. Flagg, 93, died January 20, 2007, in Bango, Maine. She was born in Balboa, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School and the Wilfred Academy of Boston. She lived in the Bangor area since 1932.

Robert W. Lawyer, 87, of Dothan, Ala., died January 29, 2007. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone. He was a police officer in the Canal Zone from 1940 until 1976, retiring as a Police Captain. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Phyllis Jean (Albritton) Peniche, 76, died recently. She went to the Canal with her parents where her father worked for the railroad. She attended Canal Zone schools, graduated from Balboa High School in 1948, and married Bill Peniche in Panama.

Howard Thompson Whipple, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died January 26, 2007. He was a port representative of the War Shipping Administration in Cristobal, Canal Zone, during World War II.

May 2007

Lena Mary Asbury, 91, died March 21, 2007, in Tallahassee, Fla. She was born in 1916, obtained a BA in elementary education in 1937, and married Clifford Asbury in 1939. They moved to Panama and she taught for 26 years in the Canal Zone until retiring in 1979.

Kate Belok, 100, of Sarasota, Fla., died February 18, 2007. No further information is available.

Captain Justin J. Bonanno, 82, died March 29, 2007, in Bradenton, Fla. He retired after 30 years with the Panama Canal Commission mostly as a ship pilot and at retirement was Deputy Marine Director. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Lynn Marie Braswell, 55, of Venice, Fla., died March 1, 2007. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

John (Jack) Kenneth Brayton, 83, died April 3, 2007, in Lecanto, Fla. He worked for the Transportation Division of the Panama Canal on the piers. PUS, as his close friends knew him was a lifetime member of BPOE 1414 in Balboa and a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Ruth Bristol of Dunnellon, Fla., died March 25, 2007. She moved with her family to the Canal Zone in 1929 and attended Canal Zone schools. She was married to the late “Tex” Bristol in Balboa, Canal Zone, in 1946, and lived for many years in various towns. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Charles William “Charlie” Brown Sr., 74, of Joplin, Mo., died April 19, 2007. He lived many years in the Panama Canal Zone and was a management analyst for the Panama Canal Locks Division. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Hermine Canham, 95, died March 25, 2007, in El Paso, Texas. She was born in Colon, Panama. She was married to the late Milton W. Canham Sr., who retired in 1967 as Chief Electrical Engineer for the Panama Canal Engineering Division.

Gary P. Dunsmoor, 71, died January 29, 2007, in Novato, Calif. He was born in Colon, Panama, attended Canal Zone schools, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1953. He began his career with the Panama Canal in 1959, working in the Supply and Community Services Bureau, the Personnel Bureau, and as a member of the Executive Planning Staff. He retired as Deputy Director, Office of Executive Planning, in 1982. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Steven Darrell Goodman, 56, died March 6, 2007, in Stuart, Fla. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, attended Canal Zone schools, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1970. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.


Robert “Bob” L. Griffin, 75, died in Daytona, Fla., on February 27, 2007. He arrived in Panama in 1954 where after a year he got a plumbing position with the Navy, and then transferred to the Panama Canal Company in 1956. 

William “Bill” Haas, 83, of Kennebunk, Maine, died April 18, 2007. He graduated from Balboa High School in the Canal Zone, and in 1941 began his service with the U.S. Navy. 

William S. Hall, 79, of White Sands Missile Range, N.M., died March 24, 2007. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and was a senior lock master for many years with the Panama Canal Commission. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margaret Moore Hern, 86, of Zephyrhills, Fla., died April 3, 2007. She was born in the Panama Canal Zone and worked several years for the Canal Zone Government as a Physical Education Teacher. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Peter N. Leone II, 75, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died March 7, 2007. He retired as an Army Lieutenant Colonel in 1975 after serving in Germany, Venezuela, Panama, Korea, and Vietnam.

Gerald “Jerry” Joseph LePage, 79, of Manchaca, Texas, died February 27, 2007. He served in the U.S. Army for 22 years and retired in 1968 in the Panama Canal Zone. He taught history at Balboa High School before retiring to Austin, Texas. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Captain Dewey E. Mann, Jr., 81, died April 19, 2007. He retired from the Panama Canal Pilot Force after 31 years of service in the Canal Zone. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Bernice Mullins, 82, of Dothan, Ala., died March 19, 2007. In 1935 she moved to the Panama Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1942. She married her husband, Earl, in the Canal Zone in 1944. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Earl Edward Mullins, 86, of Dothan, Ala., died March 25, 2007. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1924, and attended school there. He worked on the Panama Canal as a heavy equipment operator and then became Master of the Dipper Dredge Cascadas. He retired as Senior Dredge Master after 42 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Joseph W. Peddrick, 61, died on June 24, 2006. He spent most of his early years in the Canal Zone living in Curundu Heights, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1963. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Joe Max Sims, Jr., 43, of Pinellas Park, Fla., died February 26, 2007. He was born in the Panama Canal Zone.

Frank Charles Smith, Jr., 64, of The Woodlands, Texas, died March 3, 2007. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, grew up in Curundu, graduated from Balboa High School in 1961, and the Canal Zone College in 1963. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Joanne (Jay) Key Lowe Stewart, 79, died March 4, 2007. She moved to Panama in 1959 and accepted a job with the Panama Canal Company as a geologist. She worked with and married Robert (Bob) H. Stewart, and retired to the Tampa area in 1984. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Rebecca Thompson, 52, of Foley, Ala., died April 3, 2007. She was a resident of the Republic of Panama for many years before living in Foley for the past 15 years.

Cornelia “Nealie” E. Van Siclen, 84, of Clearwater, Fla., died March 27, 2007. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, grew up in Balboa and graduated from BHS in 1939. After college, she returned to Panama and worked for the U.S. Embassy until 1944 when she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Dorothy Anne “Dottie” West, 63, of Sarasota, Fla., died February 15, 2007. She was formerly from the Panama Canal Zone. No further information is available.

July 2007

Fay Sutherland Bell, 89, died May 9, 2007. She moved to the Canal Zone after college, residing in Gamboa and was employed at Fort Clayton. Upon the retirement of her late husband, Paul, from the Gamboa Penitentiary in 1986, they relocated to Gastonia, N.C. She moved to Dothan, Ala., in 2005.

Byron James Boeckel, 65, died May 31, 2007, in Friendswood, Texas. He was married to June (Foster) (BHS’70) Boeckel and was a member of the Panama Canal Society. He was a Vietnam veteran and worked at the Johnson Space Center for 29 years.

Norman E. Demers, 92, of Largo, Fla., died May 22, 2007, at Hospice House Woodside, Pinellas Park. He retired in 1973 after 33 years with the Transportation and Terminals Bureau of the Panama Canal Company where he was deputy director. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Lillian “Jean” (Coleman) Dombrowsky, 87, of Asheboro, N.C., died April 3, 2007. She went to the Canal Zone in 1933 and graduated from Balboa High School in 1935. She married the late Jack Dombrowsky in 1939 and they lived on the Pacific side where Jack was employed by the Locks Division until 1972. She was a former reporter for North Carolina for the Canal Record. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Barbara Morris Frissell died June 11, 2007, in Portland, Maine. She married a West Point graduate, Lt. Thomas Flynn, and they were posted to the Canal Zone where two of her children were born. 

Diane (Nightingale) Hardie, 58, died May 28, 2007, in Bangor, Maine. She graduated from nursing training at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor, where her lengthy nursing career began. She married Edd Hardie in 1969 and his military career led them to be posted in the Panama Canal Zone. While there, their two children were born. She was an emergency room nurse for many years in numerous locations.

Virginia N. Lyons, 85, died in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 21, 2007. In 1953 she was employed by the Panama Canal Company where she worked in the Personnel Bureau and Balboa Port Captain’s Office until her retirement in 1976. 
She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Alfhild (Petie) Maedl, 91, died May 13, 2007, in Fayetteville, Ark. She taught English and social studies in Minnesota until her marriage to fellow teacher, Carl F. Maedl, in 1938. They then went to the Panama Canal Zone where they lived for the next 32 years. She worked for the Air Force at France Field and later taught at Cristobal Junior-Senior High School and Margarita Elementary School. After retiring in 1970, they moved to Arkansas where she was a former reporter for the Canal Record. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Emily (Wilkinson) McLean, 68, died April 22, 2007, in Dothan, Ala. She was born in the Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1956. She worked for the Panama Canal Supply Division, and the Storehouse Division where she was the Institutional Buyer until transferring to the military in October 1979. She retired in 1985 as Chief of Purchasing for the 193rd Inf. Brigade in Corozal. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Melvin L. Menges, 95, of Aiken, S.C., died June 5, 2007. He went to the Panama Canal Zone in 1950 and worked at the Maintenance Division in Mt. Hope before he retired from the Panama Canal Company in 1980. He was an avid Ham Radio Operator for over 50 years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Bette “Bootsie” (Farrell) Swearingen, 75, died May 24, 2007. She was born in Panama City, Republic of Panama, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1949. In 1952 she married Richard “Buckeye” Swearingen and they raised three healthy boys in the Canal Zone. In 1980 they moved to Colorado where she worked at the Western Area Power Authority as an administrative assistant until she retired in 1992. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Janet Mendenhall Whitaker of Williamston, N.C., died April 18, 2007, of cancer. She went to Panama at the age of three where her father was a Panama Canal Pilot. She graduated from Balboa High School in 1976. She attended Canal Zone College for one year and graduated from USC in 1979 with a degree in Banking & Finance. 

Irene Mildred Will, 86, died May 27, 2007, in Ormond Beach, Fla. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1939. She worked as an Admissions Clerk at Coco Solo Hospital until her retirement in 1972, when she and her late husband, Raymond Will, moved to Laguna Niguel, Calif. She moved to Florida in 2001 to be near her children. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

September 2007

Katherine Withers Burns, 95, died August 18, 2007, in Fairfax, Va. She was an Army wife and accompanied her husband, Colonel George Kenyon Withers, to the Panama Canal Zone. Colonel Withers was Engineering and Construction Director from 1949-1952.

Richard “Dick” L. Cahill, 70, of Sun City Center, Fla., died May 7, 2007. He went to the Canal Zone in 1977 and worked most of his career in personnel. He retired in 1987 as Executive Director of the Panama Area Personnel Board. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Robert Diaz, 82, of Clearwater, Fla., died March 28, 2007. He moved to Florida in 1979 from the Panama Canal Zone. He was retired from the Air Force and worked as a personnel administrator for the Army. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Elton E. Foster, 82, of Diamondhead, Miss., died September 2, 2007. Elton grew up in the Canal Zone where his father was a sea captain. He graduated from Cristobal High School in 1943 and served in the U.S. Navy based out of Panama during World War II. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Michael P. Gordon, 67, of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., died July 4, 2007. He was born in New York and joined the U.S. Marine Corps and moved to Panama. He was a Canal Zone policeman for many years and a coach for the Balboa Rams. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Harlan D. Holmswood, 79, born in 1928 in the Panama Canal Zone, died recently in Hawaii. No further information is available.

Harvey M. Johnson, 79, died April 8, 2007, in Leesburg, Va. He was married to the former Vickie Violet van’t Veld on August 16, 1986, who graduated from Balboa High School in 1949. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Captain Frank V. Kerley, 87, died April 12, 2007. He married his late wife Nena on July 5, 1947, and they went to the Canal Zone in 1949. He retired in 1982. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Thomas M. “Tom” McGinn, 78, of Alamogordo, N.M., died August 4, 2007. He was born in Colon, R.P., and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1947. He graduated in 1951 from the University of Califoria and joined the Air Force in 1952. He worked for United Fruit Co. in Guatemala, Columbia, and Honduras until 1964. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Frederick A. Mohl, 91, died August 4, 2007, in Elk Grove, Calif. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, shortly after the opening of the Panama Canal. In 1921, he moved to New York City until his marriage in 1939. At that time, they returned to the Canal Zone where they lived for the next 32 years until he retired from the Canal Zone Fire Department. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society. 

Robert L. Muse, 70, died June 23, 2007, in DeBary, Fla. He married Shirley Million (BHS’54) in 1958. He served in the Air Force and spent the remainder of his career in government service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Captain Louis M. Pascavage, 79, of Panama City, Panama, died July 20, 2007. He served in the U.S. Navy and sailed with Sun Oil Company. He went to Panama in 1962 and worked until he retired in 1999 after a long career as a Panama Canal pilot.

James “Jim” E. Phelan, 64, died in Wichita, Kan. He was born in the Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1960. After a tour of duty in the Navy, he was a police officer in Balboa, Canal Zone, then worked for many years for Continental Airlines before retiring. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Jimmy Ray Ransom, 67, died August 7, 2007, in Houston, Texas. He was a member of the Canal Zone police force for a number of years.

Mary Combs Schwindeman, 91, of Rupert, Idaho, died June 19, 2007. In 1962 she met her husband George B. Schwindeman (BHS’35) and they were married on August 30, 1962. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Gerald D. “Gerry” Stroop, 80, of Sarasota, Fla., died July 1, 2007. He was born in the Canal Zone and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1946. He married Leneve Dough (CHS’52) in 1955 and they moved to Sarasota, Fla., in 1958. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

John R. Tawes, of Newport Beach, Calif., died August 21, 2007. He grew up in the Canal Zone and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1942. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and graduated from Virginia Tech in 1949.

Arlene McKeown Tochterman, 73, of Seminole, Fla., died July 10, 2007. She moved to the Canal Zone at the age of five and graduated from Balboa High School in 1951. She was employed as a secretary with the Joint Military Command at Quarry Heights. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

R. Trendon “Tex” Vestal, 97, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died July 12, 2007. He married Juliana Garrett in 1935 and they moved to the Canal Zone where her father was employed. He began his federal career with the Panama Canal Company and held various positions until his retirement in 1972. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Rita France Washabaugh, 88, died July 5, 2007, in Dubuque, Iowa. She was the daughter of Panama Canal Construction worker John Jacob Kotalik. While a young girl she moved to the Panama Canal Zone where she graduated from Cristobal High School in 1937. She married Francis P. Washabaugh on October 17, 1938, at Miraculous Medal Church in Cristobal, Canal Zone. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Ruth Curtis Wright Zelnick, 86, died June 19, 2007. She was born, raised and resided in the Panama Canal Zone until 1974. She worked for IAGS and was a gifted pianist and organist who taught piano in the Canal Zone.

November 2007

Sue Rauld Barca, 79, a former teacher and school administrator at schools in Bolivia and the Canal Zone, died September 28, 2007. In 1971 she moved to the Canal Zone where she taught at Curundu Junior High School and Panama Canal College. She was also a language coordinator for DoDD Schools, and a translator and interpreter for accident investigations and hearings on ships transiting the Canal. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Edith “Edie” (Smith) Cotton, 54, died September 13, 2007, in Montgomery, Ala. She was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, graduated from Cristobal High School in 1970, and attended community college in Alexander City, Ala. She was married to Allen Cotton in 2001 and was a co-reporter with Allen for the Canal Record. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Brian G. DeRaps, 53, died April 25, 2007. He was born in Coco Solo Hospital, graduated from Cristobal High School in 1973, and attended the University of Tampa. He worked for the cable industry in Tampa for 27 years and was Senior Service Manager covering Hillsborough County. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

George G. Dilfer, 93, died August 9, 2007, in Boca Raton, Fla. He went to work for the Navy in the Canal Zone and eventually took a job with the Cerveceria Nacional in Public Relations and Sales for the Atlas Brewery. He was active in business and community life in Panama and the Canal Zone, the Masons, the Shriners, the local Little League teams and golf tournaments. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary B. Egolf, 92, died October 30, 2007, in St. Petersburg, Fla. She was born in the Canal Zone a few months after the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. She worked for 20 years in the Canal Zone Government’s Health Bureau until retiring to Seminole, Fla., in 1975. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

William W. Forsstrom, 87, of North Kingstown, R.I., died October 28, 2007. He was born in Colon, graduated from Cristobal High School in 1938, and attended R.I. State College. In 1943, he joined the Seabees in the Canal Zone. He was a Mason and a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Richard “Gabby” M. Gadbois, 69, of Marietta, Ga., died September 4, 2007. He was stationed in the Canal Zone as a Marine and married while stationed there. He remained there as a Canal Zone police officer on the Atlantic side until retiring in 1972.

Robert C. Herrington, 86, of Clearwater, Fla., died October 7, 2007. He was born in Ancon, Canal Zone, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1939. After 37 years of employment with the Panama Canal Company, he retired and moved to Clearwater in 1977. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Jack Briggs Hilliard, 76, of Crozet, Va., died September 29, 2007. He went to the Canal Zone in 1931 and left in 1953 to enter military flight training. He attended Brigham Young University where he received BS and MS degrees in history. He was a historian for the U.S. Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, Va., a curator at the U.S. Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, and senior curator of the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

C. William Homa, a former contractor in the Panama Canal Zone, died October 3, 2007, at Paitilla Hospital. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society and BPOE Elks Lodge 1414, Balboa.

Margaret D. Klasovsky, 85, of Merritt Island, Fla., died July 30, 2007. She went to the Canal Zone in 1945 with her husband John. They remained in the Canal Zone until 1971 when he retired from the Gatun Locks. She was a substitute teacher at Cristobal High School from 1958 until 1971. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Martha (Marti) Frances Lohr, 78, of Sequim, Wash., died September 14, 2007. In 1958, Martha and her husband Bill sailed to Panama on their sailboat and decided to stay. She worked for the motion picture industry as an accountant until 1979. She belonged to the Pen Women, Canal Zone Chapter, in Panama where she entered some of her oil paintings and won several awards. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Richard Spencer Lombard, 79, of Tucson, Ariz., died October 18, 2007. He was born in the Canal Zone in 1928, attended Canal Zone schools, and received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1952. He spent three years with a New York law firm and then became a member of the law department of an affiliate of Exxon in 1955 for ten years. From 1965 to 1973 he worked in the law departments of Exxon and various affiliates, and was Exxon’s general counsel from 1973 until his retirement in 1993.

Ella Frances Norton, 77, of Santa Barbara, Calif., died October 27, 2007. Ella and her husband Joe Norton moved to the Canal Zone in 1963 to work in the Canal Zone School District. During the next 25 years, she was a science teacher mostly at Curundu Junior High School until retiring in 1988. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Margret Elizabeth Orvis, 93, died July 2, 2007, in Tulsa, Okla. She moved to the Canal Zone with her husband and sons in May 1951. While there she worked for the Navy at Rodman and then at the Panama Canal Company at the Administration Building.

Anna Barbara Petersen, 94, died October 8, 2007, in Sun City, Calif. She and her late husband, Capt. John T. Petersen, raised their two children in the Canal Zone. After he retired, they moved to California. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Mary Elizabeth (Irving) Richardson, 76, of Modesto, Calif., died October 27, 2007. She was born in Colon, grew up in the Canal Zone, and graduated from Cristobal High School in 1950.

Hua Willison Rigby, 87, died on September 12, 2007. Hua was a Canal Zone girl from the Atlantic side, and lived on both sides of the Ishmus. Although she spent 40 years in Tampa, Fla., her heart never left the Canal Zone.

Gerald Patrick Risberg, 57, of Fort Worth, Texas, died October 22, 2007. He was born in Colon. He worked for the Panama Canal Company until 1983. At that time he relocated to New Orleans where he managed the Panama Canal Commission’s Logistical Office. He retired in 1999.

Sydney F. Stevenson, 75, died September 8, 2007, in the Republic of Panama. He was born in Panama, and graduated from Balboa High School in 1950 and Mississippi State University in 1960. He worked for the Panama Canal Marine Bureau and then transferred to the Grounds Maintenance Branch of Corozal. He retired with more than 30 years of service. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

December 2007

Andrew David Arosemena,  22, died November 25, 2007, in Gainesville, Fla., after having been shot in a random act of violence earlier that morning. Andrew was proud of his Panamanian and Canal Zone heritage. He was the son of the late Angel Enrique Arosemena of Tallahassee and the R. of P. He is survived by his mother, Patricia Kelleher of Tallahassee; brother Kristopher Arosemena of Tallahassee, maternal grandfather, David I. Kelleher Sr. of Seminole; and paternal grandmother, Eduvigis Quintero of the R. of P.

Virginia Booth, 90, died November 17, 2007, in Ocala, Fla. She was born in the Republic of Panama and moved to Ocala in 1978 from the Canal Zone. She was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Thomas (Tomas) Joseph Carey, 55, died November 18, 2007, in David, Panama. He was born in Gorgas Hospital, grew up in the Canal Zone and graduated from Balboa High School in 1970. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Cecil Caudill, 76, of Port Orchard, Wash., died on October 10, 2007. He moved with his family to the Canal Zone in 1960 where he worked as a machinist and admeasurer. He was an avid fisherman, and enjoyed diving for lobster, boat racing, and photography. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Vern Hewit Christoph, 84, died in Sarasota, Fla., on October 18, 2007. He moved to the Canal Zone in 1946 and was employed as Chief Admeasurer and retired in August 1978. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Daniel L. Jenkins, 67, former Senator of Florida, died November 18, 2007. He was the son of missionaries who served in Panama, Costa Rica and Venezuela. He married his wife Molly Sharp in the Panama Canal Zone and during his time in Panama he served as a Canal Zone Police officer for four years. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.

Philip L. Judson, 65, died August 11, 2007, in Denver, Colo. He was an Army dependent and graduated in 1959 as valedictorian of Cristobal High School. He was a member of the Panama Canal Society.