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At random: "Tenacity Dick, stay with the bastard till he's on the bottom.” -- Mush Morton to Dick O'Kane

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Pig

Posted 2023-06-04 3:11 PM (#103647)

Plankowner

Posts: 5024

Location: Gulfport, MS

Subject: Sunday Obits

McGANN William H. III, CDR, USN. Ret., 79, of Gales Ferry, died peacefully of natural causes at Yale New Haven Hospital May 30, 2023. He was visited in his final hours by his daughters, Sarah and Amy, and was attended by a Catholic chaplain. Bill was born March 20, 1944, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to William H. McGann Jr. and Mary Ann Fritz McGann. A graduate of Saint Augustine High School in San Diego, Calif., Bill went on to matriculate in the Class of 1966, at the University of Notre Dame, where he had a distinguished academic career in the School of Engineering and trained as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC). In his final week at Notre Dame, Bill began dating Sheila Claire Brennan, a student at the neighboring St. Mary's College in South Bend. They were married on the Notre Dame campus in Sacred Heart Church. Bill and Sheila have been married for almost 56 years; she survives him. Bill served with distinction in the United States Navy for 26 years, earning the rank of commander and the respect of all who served with him. Early in his career, he interviewed successfully with the legendary Admiral Rickover, the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," and was admitted to the nuclear submarine force, serving on and eventually commanding Fleet Ballistic Missile class submarines after graduating from Nuclear Power School. He served his first tour on the USS George C. Marshall (Blue), continuing on to the USS Tullabee, as navigator on the USS Cavalla, as the executive officer of the USS Skipjack, and finally as the commander of the USS George Washington. At the end of his naval career, Bill calculated that he had spent a full six years of his life submerged. Based for most of Bill's career in the Navy town of Gales Ferry, Bill and Sheila both played important roles locally during his time in uniform, caring for Navy families in need and setting an unimpeachable example of leadership and service to their country and their community. Bill's life was defined by service, as much after his career as in the course of it. He studied to become a deacon in the Diocese of Norwich, was ordained in 2005, and served the congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes and the wider communities of Gales Ferry and Ledyard with a kind, thoughtful and faithful approach to his work. Bill was a scholar at heart, and his deep understanding of the Catholic faith combined with his unrivaled experiences of life and leadership made him an exceptional deacon. He brought this same scriptural knowledge and deft human touch to his work as a Catholic chaplain at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, offering hope, solace, kindness and consolation to countless patients and families. Bill retired for a second time from his volunteer duties in order to care full time for his daughter Jenny, in partnership as always with his beloved wife, Bill was also proud to be an active member with 30 years of continued service with the Knights of Columbus. He was a fourth-degree knight with an honorary life membership and served as grand knight and district deputy. He also was a life member of Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine Council #7054. Besides his loving wife Sheila, he is survived by daughters, Jenny McGann, Commander Sarah McGann (USN) and her husband Scott Bell, and Amy Geddes and her husband Tom Geddes; grandchildren: Nathalia, Isaac, Lauren, Elizabeth and Evelyn; as well as siblings, Patricia McGann, Geraldine McGann, Timothy McGann and his wife Kathy and Dr. Kathleen McGann. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Monday June 5, immediately followed by an 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1650 CT 12 in Gales Ferry. Full military honors will be rendered after Mass. Interment will be in Buffalo, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's honor to Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Attention: Development, PO Box 25, Building 83, Submarine Base New London, Groton, CT 06349 or Diocese of Norwich Catholic Charities, 331 Main Street, Norwich CT 06360. Please visit www.byles.com to sign the online register or to share a memory. Published by The Day on Jun. 4, 2023.

JACKSON, Daniel Edward, died in League City, TX Monday, May 29, 2023. Born in Wiesbaden, West Germany on May 25, 1958, Mr. Jackson had been a resident of League City since 2017, previously of Texas City. He proudly retired from the United States Navy [USS Shark (SSN-591), USS Plunger SSN-595, USS Tinosa (SSN-606), USS San Lance (SSN-660), USS Sea Devil (SSN-664)] and was a computer engineer with Mayo Clinic and MD Anderson. Daniel was a member of the NRA, an active docent with the Galveston Navel Museum and a member of the Toastmasters Speech Organization. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Britton and Carole (Dowdle) Jackson; brother, Hank Jackson. Survivors include his sons, Christian Kopeck of League City, Britton Edward Jackson of League City; daughters, Holly Kelly and husband, Paul of League City, Haley Berg and husband, Brian of League City; Katherine Danielle Jackson of El Paso; brother, Stephen Jackson of Houston; grandchildren, Ricky Herod, Skylar DeCarlis, Hannah Berg, Kailin Berg, Penelope Berg, Hudson Berg and Kinzley Kopeck. Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 7, 2023, in the chapel of Hayes Funeral Home, with Reverend Stephanie Hughes officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, 10412 Highway 6, Hitchcock, TX (409) 925-3501. Memorials in the form of donations may be made in Daniel’s name to the Galveston Naval Museum, 100 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, Texas 77554.

HENCKEL, Randy Allen, 61, of Ingram, TX, died at Peterson Regional Medical Center in Kerrville, TX with his wife, Whitney by his side on May 24, 2023. Randy was born to William Clayton Henckel and Barbara Mae (Wall) Henckel in Pomona, CA on November 9, 1961. He graduated from Tivy High School, Kerrville, TX with the class of 1979. Following graduation Randy began his career with the United States Navy in the submarine service before receiving an honorable discharge in 1993 and was currently an employee of Hill Country Telephone Cooperative. Randy is survived by his wife of 32 years, Whitney (Fonda); his children, Caitlyn, Jeremy (Miranda), Andrew and Kori; his 5 grandchildren; his mother, Barbara; and sister, Lori. He was predeceased by his father, William Clayton; and grandson, Dayvid. Family requests those wishing can donate in Randy's memory to Tunnel 2 Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org) or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org). There will be a celebration of Randy's life at a later date.

MATTOX, Michael James, died on the morning of Friday May 26, 2023 at 11:53 am. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Boyd Mitchell Mattox (also known as Ruben) and Howardyne Croswell, he began his life as a Hawaiian island boy in Honolulu. He attended the Kamehameha schools (KAM), a private system, open only to native Hawaiians. In his teenage years, Mike left his parents and siblings Lindsay, Lindy, and Bobby to join the US Navy as a submariner on a diesel powered boat, but also spent time around some of America’s first nuclear powered submarines and had intimate knowledge of the Skipjack class boats. As the quintessential sailor, Mike traveled the world extensively during his service to his country and wore the badges of his Navy time proudly, which are evidenced by the many tattoos he acquired in his younger days. He met his first wife Carol in Seattle in the bar that she tended which helped her pay her own way through college. Together, they had a son, the oldest of the Mattox family. Jeff was nearly born in Honolulu like his father, however when Carol went home to Washington State, Jeff would be born there instead. Mike left the service of the Navy and had a brief stint with the Merchant Marine before obtaining employment in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard where he worked closely with Carol’s stepfather, Chuck. After things didn’t work out with Carol, he met and wedded his second wife Bonney in a marriage that proved to be short lived. Moving to Idaho so that he could be closer to his mother, Mike obtained employment with Aerojet, a contractor at the DOE/INEL site refueling and maintaining nuclear reactors. It was in this time that he met Shawna at the Paris Cafe in Idaho Falls on June 3, 1973, where he asked for some of her tuna sandwich. Between his son Jeff, and her son Shawn they became a readymade family as he began his railroad career. Their daughter April soon followed. Mike would the join the Union Pacific brotherhood in 1976 after April was born and took much pride in his accomplishments as he advanced both in through the ranks of the railroad as a Fireman and Engineer as well as became a prominent member of the United Transportation of Workers Union (UTU). He gave invaluable service to a multitude of individuals throughout his tenure in both organizations. Ryan, Casey, and Toulon later joined the family during their time in Idaho Falls. Soon thereafter, the family would move to Dillon, Montana where Mike could reliably “hold a turn” and provide a stable family life for his wife and kids. Ultimately after some relocating, the Mattox family would wind up in Pocatello where Mike would finish his railroad career. Mike occasionally enjoyed hunting, but was more passionate about fishing. Another pastime was regaling others with his “tales of Ike”, one of his rambunctious grandchildren from Ryan and his wife Tina. While settling down with Shawna in Pocatello, he was re-introduced to God and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mike grew up a Baptist under the care of his mother Howardyne and Stepfather Larry. Faith was instilled in him growing up. Things would change for him over time that would cause him to inquire about his personal relationship with God. After supporting his son Casey as he served a mission in the church and seeing his wife Shawna desire to go to church as well, Mike decided to figure it out for himself. He was baptized in April of 1999 at the hands of two Elders, one of them being from Hawaii coincidentally. With a new heart, Mike would give several years of his time serving in his ward in many capacities from the top all the way down. Many would characterize Mike as a great helper who made sure everyone was taken care of. Mike fearlessly went to people’s aid at home, at work, at church, and wherever he went. He gave the shirts off his back, lifted the spirits of the youth and elderly alike, and fought for the worker at his side. Highly skilled, Mike was old school tough and made sure that everyone felt that they had a place in his life. If it is true that the same spirit that occupies the body in this life will be the same in the next, then there is no doubt that Mike the worker, the husband, the brother, the friend, the father, the grandpa, and the son is gonna get to work when we are done here celebrating his life by preparing the way for us all on the other side in the way only he knows how. Mike is preceded in death by his first wife, Carol Ann Mattox. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family under the "Tribute Wall" tab above.

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