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At random: "The Navy is not a job, it's not a career. It's a way of life.” -- MMCM (SS) "Grump" Barrie

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Coyote

Posted 2023-11-08 4:27 PM (#104312)

Master and Commander

Posts: 1005

Location: NE Florida

Subject: Tuesday Obits

JEWETT .. .. Paul C. Jewett, 73, of Murfreesboro, TN (formerly of Plainfield and Braceville, IL) passed away unexpectedly On November 2, 2023. Survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Nancy, and children Jim Jewett, Debbie (Steve) Boult, Jim (Bekah) Hlavin, Kristin (Brad) Neumann, and David (Michelle) Hlavin. One of his greatest joys were his 10 grandchildren: Jon, Curtis, Nicole, Kylee, Kaitlyn, Bo, Logan, Blake, Katarina and Carter. He loved attending their sporting events and playing games with them. He served in the US Navy Submarine Service and was a proud veteran. He loved fishing, hunting, travels with his wife (just completing a 2 week trip to Alaska), family time, his friends at the gun range, reading historical books, and watching old westerns and military movies and documentaries. Paul was preceded in death by his parents, John and Millicent Jewett and his sister, Donna. Services will be private. A celebration of life will be held in December. Donations can be made in his name to Wounded Warrior, St. Jude Hospital, or the NRA. in MURFREESBORO , TN in MURFREESBORO ,

BAKER .. .. Charles “Sonny/Papa” Sexton Baker, 97, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. He was born March 9, 1926, in Laurel.
He had lived with his loving granddaughter/caregiver Angela Marie Vaughn Knight and husband Chris Knight for more than 10 years in Chapmansboro, Tenn. Charles lived a full life, was loved by many and respected by all.
A World War II Navy veteran, he enlisted with his best friends in 1944. In 1947, he worked on the Navy’s first successful guided-missile launch from a submarine while stationed in San Diego. He also served on the USS Beaver, a submarine tender ship, and was later honorably discharged in 1950. He was an active member of the Masons and the VFW.
He was a general contractor, master carpenter, brick mason, roofer and plumber at different times in life. He enjoyed sailing, hunting, fishing, cooking and, most of all, spending time with his family. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Ellisville. Charles had a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. For several years, he was able to live in his Ellisville home with the loving support of his great-niece, her husband and son Krisha and Eric Yelverton and Casey Yelverton.He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 58 years Annie Lois “Sue” Baker; son Larry Sexton Baker; granddaughter Carla Michele Vaughn; mother Ina Windham Baker; father Claude Devall Baker; brothers Louis Baker and Archie Baker; sisters and their husbands Beatrice Nix (O.L.), Louise Aultman (James), Doris Cooper (Nolan “Cotton” Brown and Moyle Cooper), Lois Gaskin (J. R.), Claudine Tanner (Jim), Barbara Gaskin (Lavon) and Carolyn Rogers (Scott); and son-in-law Donald Murphy.
Survivors include his daughters Carla Baker Cotton (Danny) and Mary Ann Baker Murphy; grandchildren Angela Marie Vaughn Knight (Chris), Sean Thomas Cotton, Bryan Murphy (Jessica) and Michelle Murphy; great-granddaughter Molly Knight Lacey (Shawn); great-great-grandchildren Everly Lacey, Tripp Lacey, Giuliana Lacey, Amelia Murphy, Dawson Murphy and Weston Murphy; brother Sherrill Baker (Charlotte); sister-in-law Gail Baker; and a host of nieces and nephews. The funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Ellisville Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Memorial Gardens of Laurel. Visitation will be from noon to 2 p.m.

WASS .. .. Retired U.S. Navy Captain Len Wass lived a fascinating career, serving aboard submarines and later as a successful management consultant in civilian life.
This Navy veteran grew up in Chicago, surrounded by veterans. Most notably, his father served in World War II. Wass became intrigued with the Navy through watching television shows, and he decided that if he enlisted he wanted to command a submarine out of Pearl Harbor.
Wass took his oath of office at the Naval Academy as a midshipmen in 1960, and in 1964 he was officially commissioned to the Navy’s Nuclear Submarine Force. Getting into the force was no easy task. Although Wass was top of his congressman’s list of appointees at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he had to prove to Admiral Hyman Rickover, father of nuclear propulsion in the Navy, that he was right for the submarine force.
Wass had three different interviews with Admiral Rickover – the first two he got thrown out of, Wass said. “I learned a great deal from him,” Wass said. “The minimum standard he set for the submarine force was excellence, not satisfactory. If you’re operating below excellence and slacking, you’re fired.”
The training needed for the submarine force was intensive. The training entailed six months of nuclear power training, six months of engineering operator qualifications and six months of submarine school.
Directly after training in 1964, Wass was assigned to the USS Runner (SS-476), a diesel submarine that operated out of Norfolk, Virginia and cruised the St. Lawrence Seaway and through the Great Lakes for a reserve and publications tour. In 1966, he had the opportunity to pick what submarine he wanted to serve on, so he reached his goal of working out of Pearl Harbor by picking the USS Sterlet (SS-392). On this diesel submarine, Wass provided direct support to U.S. operations during the Vietnam War.
“[In 1966], the Vietnam War was really building up,” Wass said. “When I arrived at Pearl Harbor, I was sent to the Philippines for an eight-month deployment. I was very quickly qualified as the underway officer of the deck. The Sterlet was completely submerged for 84 days to support the Vietnam War.”
Wass’ deployment was one of his scariest times in the military. The operations conducted involved direct confrontations with China and the Soviet Union. The Sterlet’s diesel engine made it difficult for the sub to escape these dangerous situations.
“If we thought we were detected or in confrontation with bad guys, if you will, we had to find a way to sit there and get it over with,” Wass said.
Historically, death was a common occurrence in the submarine force. Wass said that almost 22% submarine personnel were killed during World War II, mainly in the Pacific fighting the Japanese.
Following his five years of active duty that culminated with being assigned to the nuclear-powered USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) out of Pearl Harbor and forward deployed out of Guam, Wass completed active duty as a lieutenant. He went on to serve 20 years active-duty training in submarine units while on reserves, finishing his Navy career as a captain.
In 1969, Wass had left active duty and began his career in management consulting. He attended a University of Chicago graduate school of business program and went on to consult for the boards and CEOs of large companies. Wass eventually went on to start his own consulting firm.
“I started my own little firm,” Wass said. “It was for the boards of energy companies and it operated throughout the U.S. and overseas to Australia. In 2009, I retired from getting paid, not from working. It’s all volunteer work. Since retiring, Wass has stayed close to the military and now resides in Oswego. He is a chairman of the 786 Club, a club that supports the USS Illinois (SSN-786) out of Chicago. The USS Illinois is a nuclear-powered submarine commissioned in 2016.
Wass has a strong friendship with the president of the 786 Club and leader of the Navy League Aurora Council 247, Rick Todas. Todas is a Marine Corps veteran who enlisted in 1964, and joined the National Guard in 1974. He retired from the military in 2005 reaching the rank of colonel.
Wass and Todas met more than a decade ago, and when Todas received an email from the Department of the Navy asking if a local Navy league would support the USS Illinois, Wass suggested that supporting it should be done.
I received an email from the Department of the Navy saying, ‘we need somebody to create a commissioning committee for the USS Illinois,’” Todas said. “Len said, ‘We have to do this.’ The Aurora League did sponsor the Navy committee.”
The 786 Club’s mission is to create, “A Lifetime Alliance Between Crew and Citizens.” This is done through periodic lunch-ins, admirals and other veterans coming in as speakers, and by showing an overall sense of gratitude toward veterans.
“I remember when I came back from the Vietnam War, people were pointing at me and calling me a baby killer,” Wass said. “I wasn’t the only one. A lot of Vietnam War vets have that happen to them. It’s a real pleasure to see America change, and I’m glad to see change. This personally stimulated me to establish the 786 Club to thank young sailors for what they’re doing.”
Through the club, Wass and Todas have retained a close relationship by attending lunch-ins together and speaking on a frequent basis. They even go on trips together.
“Sometimes we talk daily, sometimes we take a two-day break,” Todas said. “There’s always something going on. I conversed with him yesterday, and we’re meeting downtown for the 786 Club, so we’ll be together all day. We have a hunting trip planned soon.”
Both veterans admire one another for their unique military careers, and their close relationship has allowed them to get a solid understanding of each one’s morals and values.
“Len is a very intelligent guy in the first place,” Todas said. “He’s loyal to his principles, reverent to God and persistent in his business and community affairs. He’s active in the community and respects others.”

GALLOWAY .. .. James "Jim" Bruce Galloway shuffled off this mortal coil on November 6, 2023, following a brief illness. Family and friends gathered for goodbyes in the few days preceding Jim's gentle transition. Loving stories of adventures and a life well-lived were shared amongst tears and laughter.
Jim was born to William "Bill" Stewart Galloway and Minnie Mae Galloway (Haygood) on June 25, 1941, in Memphis, Tennessee, the second of three children. Bill and Minnie Mae were married in 1938 in Austin, Texas. Bill worked for Gulf Oil for most of his life moving his family from Memphis to New Orleans to St. Louis as he was promoted up the corporate ladder. Bill passed away in 1952 and Minnie Mae moved the family back to Texas settling in Lubbock to be near her family. Jim graduated from Monterrey High School then attended Texas Tech University earning a degree in Animal Husbandry.
Jim met his first wife, Frances Carol George, at Texas Tech University. Although they soon discovered that they were not as compatible as they thought, they did bring two daughters into the world - Debbie and Kitty. Jim's dreams of owning and running a ranch were deferred when the war in Vietnam needed aid. Jim joined the Navy and entered Officer Candidate School. Carol and their girls moved with Jim to his different tour stops including San Francisco, Pensacola, San Diego and Naples, Italy.
Jim's recruitment to the Navy became a life-long commitment and love. Jim advanced from submarines to surface to AirPAC retiring as a Lieutenant Commander with the USS Kitty Hawk after 21 years of steadfast service.
After Jim and Carol chose to follow different paths, he met, fell in love with and married Gail Eveleth Bender in 1979. Gail brought two daughters to the new family - Kate and Julie. Jim, Gail, Kate, and Julie settled in San Diego until Jim's retirement in 1987. He accepted a position with TRW as a Project Manager and moved the family to Oakton, Virginia. Jim retired from professional life in 2007 to follow a new path - travel, grandkids and making repairs at St. Thomas. Jim never made it back to that ranching life; however, he never regretted his life choices, and we all were made better in the knowing of our 'Cowboy' Jim.
Jim is preceded in death by both Gail (2020) and Carol (2023) as well as his daughter Julie (2023) and her son, James. He is survived by daughters Debbie, Kitty and Kate as well as his brother Bill, sister Pat, 3 sons-in-law (Joe, Jason and Andrew), 6 grandchildren (Morgan, Abby, Jordyn, Matthew, Ella and Alex), nieces, nephews and a multitude of friends.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in McLean, Virginia will host a Celebration of Life for Jim on Friday, November 10, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. followed by a brief reception. The church will live stream the service for those unable to attend. Burial services at Arlington National Cemetery will be announced later. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to March of Dimes.

SPARGER .. .. Richard "Rick" Sparger - Richard "Rick" K. Sparger, 80, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2023, in his own home. A Remembrance Service will be held on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 2 o'clock at Parks Funeral Home,130 West 1st North Street, Summerville, SC 29483. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Admiral Osborne Memorial Scholarship fund, 217 Brailsford Rd., Summerville, SC 29485. For over 32 years he served his country proudly and eventually retired from the US Navy in 1993. Rick enjoyed various hobbies including hunting, fishing, and bird watching and passionately following Oklahoma Sooners as well as the Carolina Gamecocks Football Teams. Rick is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Katherine "Kit" Sparger of Ladson, SC; son, Rick (Eve) Sparger of Moncks Corner, SC; brothers, Howard (Stella) Sparger of St. Mary's, GA, Joe (Sherrie) Sparger of Midwest City, OK; grandchildren, Jonathon (Caroline) Johnson and Sarah Elizabeth Sparger. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sisters, Harryette Lee Craig and Rita Anne Tanner. Painfully predeceased by his son- Johnny in 2015 Arrangements by PARKS FUNERAL HOME, 130 W. 1st North Street, Summerville, SC 29483.

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