Capital Gazette

Jessica Ann Bennett, age 74 of Rootstown, and Burbank, California, and formerly of Gambrills, Maryland, died Friday, August 5, 2022. She was born November 8, 1947, and grew up in Ravenna, Ohio, to parents Dr. Walter and Ada Ann (Crafts) Webb. Jess graduated from Hiram College and then went on to earn Master's Degrees from Indiana University and Wesley Theological Seminary. Jess began her career in education as a teacher of third and fourth grades in Mantua and Shalersville for the Crestwood School System. When she moved to Maryland, Jess taught students in the home and hospital program for the Anne Arundel Public School District. She also edited the newsletter for the American Bed and...

Scott Blair Tarabour, a revered tuba player and veteran who was full of laughter and giving, passed away peacefully at home on July 31, 2022. Scott was born in Miami, FL on March 3, 1954. He is a graduate of the University of Miami with a Bachelor's of Music and soon after started his music career with the Miami Symphony. He toured the world playing with various artists, worked in a tuba factory in Germany, and was the life of the party with his infectious smile. In 1976, Scott joined the United States Navy, permanently attached to the Naval Academy Band as the Principal Tuba player for 20 years, where he played for five presidents, numerous celebrities, and received many accolades. He was...

Timothy D. "Tim" O'Brien, age 72, of Middletown, DE, formerly of, Crofton, MD, Summerville, SC, and Williston, VT, passed away on Thursday, July 21, 2022. To leave online condolences and view the full obituary, visit: spicermullikin.com SPICER-MULLIKIN FUNERAL HOMES & CREMATORY 302-378-0300

Joseph Martin Pickett Wright, Jr. Capt. USN (Ret), of Edenton, NC passed away on July 14, 2022 at the age of 88. He was born in Long Beach, CA on August 10, 1933, to Joseph M P Wright and Anne St. Clair Smith Wright. Pickett spent most of youth in Annapolis MD and attended St. Mary's High School in Annapolis and St. Andrews School in Middleton, DE. While in high school, he entered the US Navy as an enlisted person. He was later accepted into the United States Naval Academy (USNA) graduating with the Class of 1956. Capt. Wright's extensive sea experience included duty as Commanding Officer of an MSO, Executive Officer of a large LST (1173 Class)and Operations and Weapons Department...

Frederic N. "Fritz" Corey ,92 of Davis, WV, passed away on Wednesday July 6, 2022, at his home. He was born December 26, 1929, in Toledo, OH, a son of the late James Leslie DeWitt Corey and Norma Louise (Muth) Corey. Fritz attended grade schools in Maumee, OH, and Alliance, OH, graduating from Alliance High School in 1947. He matriculated at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, and graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1951. He worked for the Boeing Airplane Co. in Seattle, WA, and then entered the US Army Corps of Engineers and served in Korea from 1952 to 1954. Following military service, he was employed by the Republic Steel Corp., followed by over twenty years as Director of...

George Julian Stelmach, 80, of Elkridge, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at Howard County General Hospital. He was the husband of the late Janice (Waltrup) Stelmach. Born on August 21, 1941, in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of Julian Boleslaw Stelmach and Helen (Swierczewski) Stelmach. George lived a meaningful life through music. From an early age, playing in Rosso's Curtis Bay Marching Band up until just days before his passing in his final performance with the Ain't Misbehavin' Big Band, "Dr. Sax " shared his love of music on his saxophone with numerous bands in performances, events and celebrations throughout the Baltimore and D.C. area. ...

Jesse James Wolford, Jr., age 75 of Bridgeville, DE, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022, at his home. He was born on April 25, 1947, in Millersville, MD, son of the late Jesse James, Sr. and Lillieth Wolford. Mr. Wolford built a career as a truck driver, owning and operating his own business in the trucking industry. He enjoyed fishing and stock car racing, driving the #31 car on local tracks. Mr. Wolford liked being outdoors, especially working in his yard and keeping it beautiful. Family gatherings were always a time of happiness, as he cherished time spent with those whom he held dear. Mr. Wolford was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother,...

Aubrey Eugene "Gene" Kronk, 88, died peacefully of natural causes on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at home in Annapolis, MD, with family by his side. Born in Brunswick, Maryland, he was the only son, one of five children of Eva Walker Kronk and William Aubrey Kronk. He is survived by his wife and best friend of fifty-seven years, Annie King Kronk. He is also survived by many dear friends and relatives, including cherished nieces and nephews and their families. Gene was pre-deceased by his parents, his younger sister Audrey, and his older sisters Lorraine Kronk Ferrell and her husband Leon Ferrell; Mary Kronk Altland and her husband John Altland; and Myrtle Kronk Huffer and her husband, Hayes...

Aubrey Eugene "Gene" Kronk, 88, died peacefully of natural causes on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at home in Annapolis, MD, with family by his side. Born in Brunswick, Maryland, he was the only son, one of five children of Eva Walker Kronk and William Aubrey Kronk. He is survived by his wife and best friend of fifty-seven years, Annie King Kronk. He is also survived by many dear friends and relatives, including cherished nieces and nephews and their families. Gene was pre-deceased by his parents, his younger sister Audrey, and his older sisters Lorraine Kronk Ferrell and her husband Leon Ferrell; Mary Kronk Altland and her husband John Altland; and Myrtle Kronk Huffer and her husband, Hayes...

William Douglas Davidson, 80, died Monday, April 25, 2022 at his Spring Island, SC home. Doug is survived by his wife, Charlsie Cantey; his children, Doug Jr., Hollace (Lacey), John, Elizabeth, and stepson JB; and his grandchildren William, Dylan, Teague, Benjamin, and Rory. He was preceded in death by his first wife Hollace Hurd Davidson, parents John and Virginia Davidson, and brother John Davidson, Jr. Doug was born June 22, 1941 in Camden, SC. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated in 1963, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps until 1968. Included among his numerous service awards were the Bronze Star Medal and his posting as an officer at the 8th and I Marine Barracks as a social...

Clare Marie O'Donnell, 93, of Frederick, MD, formerly of Bowie, passed away on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. Born July 6, 1928, in Hazleton, PA, she was the daughter of the late Michael Joseph and Mary Ellen (Gallagher) Hanley. Clare was the beloved wife to the late Cornelius "Neil", whom she married in 1955 and had been dating already for 11 years. Clare graduated in 1946 from St. Gabriel's High School. She would later attend and graduate from the Misericordia School of Nursing in New York in 1950. She would work as a nurse until her retirement. Clare enjoyed sewing, knitting, gardening, and the study of history. She and her husband were active members of St. John the Evangelist Catholic...

James Kirk Evans, 56, a long-time former resident of Maryland and recent resident of Delaware, passed away on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Kirk was born on October 1, 1965, in Annapolis, MD to his beloved mother, Sunny Campbell of Lewes, Delaware, and the late Joseph Evans of Cape St. Claire, Maryland. He enjoyed racing, fixing all types of cars, and being out on the water. He is survived by his three daughters, Jean Nicole, Taylor Marie, and Dakota Ann. He will also be sorely missed by his mother, Sunny; his brother and sister-in-law, Jon and Karli; and his seven nieces and nephews.

John William Carman ("Bill") passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 30, at Tidelands Waccamaw Hospital. Bill was born and raised in Annapolis, MD home of The Naval Academy. Bill started his working career in the U.S. Navy assigned to the Taiwan Defense Command. He functioned as a Chinese Linguist during his enlistment. He then went on and worked as a systems analyst for over 40 years for a Department of Defense Contract Firm in Annapolis, MD. Bill moved to Murrells Inlet, SC when he retired and was very active in the local Murrells Inlet Elks Lodge, #2797 for many years. He was instrumental in getting a greenhouse project up and running for disabled children as well as establishing a...

On February 17, 2022, Ruthette B. "Rudy" Crane passed away at age 89 on Hilton Head Island surrounded by loving family and a glorious view of the Atlantic Ocean. As the sixth of nine children in the Behning family, Ruthette Marie was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Catonsville, M.D. After earning a BFA from the Maryland Art Institute, she moved to Annapolis where she married her husband of 41 years, Charles L. Crane, Jr., an English professor at the U.S. Naval Academy. While raising their three children, she worked as an administrative assistant for the Maryland State Legislature, the Maryland Department of Aging, Jewish Social Services, and others. In 1986, she and husband...

Easton; Linda was born in Easton to Richard and Marian Trippe on March 17, 1958 and passed away February 6, 2022 at her home in Easton. After graduating from Easton High School in 1976, she attended the McQueen Gibbs Willis School of Nursing in Easton graduating in 1979. Her nursing career began as a registered nurse at Easton Memorial Hospital. Linda and Peter Libby, a fellow registered nurse working at Memorial Hospital, were married at Christ Church, Easton, by Suffragan-Bishop-Elect Charles Longest May 20, 1989. In 1997, she began working for Genesis HealthCare as a Case Manager based in Annapolis but continued to live on the Shore. In 2002, she graduated from St. Joseph's...

Clarence Gerard "Smitty" Smith, age 92, of Berkeley Springs, WV, died on Monday, January 17, 2022 at War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs. Born August 13, 1929 in Cresson, PA, he was the son of the late Bartley Robert and Agnes Elizabeth Peters Smith. He was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Berkeley Springs and had been active in the Holy Name Society. He was a graduate of Cresson High School and also attended the Maryland Institute in Baltimore. Smitty worked as an advertising manager with Coca Cola and retired in 1991 as an area manager with Dixie Narco sales. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War from May 2, 1951 until his honorable discharge on...

James "Jim" Curtis Hanna, 86, of Keedysville, Maryland, passed away peacefully in his sleep, on Sunday, January 16, 2022, at Charlotte's Home in Boonsboro, Maryland. He was the beloved husband of Janet (Reese) Hanna. Born on July 14, 1935, in Tacoma Park, Maryland, he was the son of the late Frederick G. Hanna and Seona (Shenk) Young. Jim was a 1954 graduate of New Smyrna Beach High School. He also attended the University of FL where he earned his Architect degree, holding his Architect license in both FL and MD. Jim retired from the state of MD with Department of Housing. He was a member of Benevola United Methodist Church, Hagerstown Toastmasters,and the Keedysville Historical...

Raven's aficionado and avid golfer Harry Lee Magaha Jr. joined our Lord in Heaven after 80 years of love and dedication to his family on January 14, 2022 in Seaford, Delaware. Born on September 10, 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Harry Lee Magaha Sr. and Lillian Martha McCubbin Magaha, he married Flora A Magaha on June 27, 1963 and spent the next 58 years building a family that welcomed everyone with open arms. Harry spent his life in dedication to supporting his family as a supervisor at a trucking company, and later in life, as a limousine driver. He served active duty in the Navy from 1960 to 1962 on the USS WASP CVS-18 and spent three years in the reserves after. He loved to travel,...

Joseph S. Nowicki, 69, passed away on January 10, 2022, at Nanticoke Hospital, Seaford, DE after a recent non-Covid related illness. He was predeceased by his mother Charlotte Virginia (Matheny) Nowicki, his father Edmund G. Nowicki, Sr. and his brother Edmund G. Nowicki, Jr. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Alice M. (Waterman) Nowicki originally from Oriskany Falls, NY, three sons, Joseph II, Shawn and James, all of Baltimore, MD, a multitude of grandchildren, and an aunt, Mary Waters of Chesaco Park, MD. Joe was a drywaller and worked on many of the buildings in Downtown Baltimore when he was in the union. After he and Alice were married, he started his own drywall contracting...

William Kinser Ellenburg, 79, of Salisbury died on Thursday, December 16, 2021. Born in Knoxville, TN he was the son of the late James "Red" Simpson Ellenburg and Anna "Louise" Ellenburg (Kinser). Bill was a United States Marine Corps Veteran serving during the 1960's. He continued to proudly serve his country while employed for over 30 years as a linguist for the National Security Agency. Bill was an active member of the community having been a leader at Delmont United Methodist Church in Severn, MD, serving in many capacities including Sunday School teacher, MYF leader, board member and choir member. After retiring from NSA, he and his wife, Mary, moved to Monterey, VA where they...

Merriam Lofgren Brown passed away at her home on November 22, 2021 with her husband of 39 years, Michael Brown, at her side. She was 78. Those who knew her thought of her as a sweet, kind and gentle soul. Mrs. Brown was born to Eugene Edward Lofgren and Merriam Maxine Gaddis Lofgren in Wichita, Kansas on July 24, 1943. They moved to Beverly Beach, Mayo, Maryland nine years later in 1952. She attended Annapolis High School graduating in 1962, and the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in English, graduating in 1968. She was a professional writer and editor, beginning with the university's newspaper "Diamondback" then as publications manager and writer for the Army Times. She...