OK - you know the Drill. Seems I start my Annual Newsletter the same way each year - I’m tired of saying it, and doubtless you’re tired of reading it - but where o’ where does the time go. It was just summer, I’m still recovering from Labor Day and the school buses back on the road, and here Thanksgiving has come and gone. Man O’ Man. (Actually, it seems like it was just Christmas - last Christmas....) We’re still alive and kicking, with a few more miles under our belts - but fortunately, no major medical events to report (recall last year about this time, I had just gone through 5 hospital stays. The medics tried to nail me with something big, but I managed to escape (relatively) unscathed. Been making the year end rounds of all my doctors and they say everything is great - sure sign there’s a cliff ahead!
Right now, my biggest “medical” problem is Denial.
You see somehow I have arrived at a point in time when my 17 year old
brain has somehow gotten trapped in a 75 year old body (yes - that happened this year.) As I try
to zip through the same stuff I did when I was 17 - including climbing
on the roof and under my airplane - my 75 year old body starts creaking
and whining like an old jalopy banging its rusty fenders in the
potholes of an old road. It’s trying to tell me to slow down and
look at the calendar, and I keep telling it to butt out of my life.
Since some folks complain my newsletters are too long, I’ve decided to
modify my arrangement a bit. My newsletters - like my speeches
and web pages are mostly “photo essays” - heavy on the pictures and
short on the verbiage. This year, I’ll try to put all the news on
the top, with the photos (mostly) on a separate page. People can then
read the news and skip the photos - or maybe skip the news and go
straight for the dessert! Eye candy, this year, is (mostly) to be found by clicking
here.
December 13th marked 20 years since we bought our Hansville
house. Now how’s that for a shocker? Altho we owned the
farm in Snohomish for 28 years, we were actually full time there for
only 21 - so we’ve lived here in Hansville almost as long as we did in
Snohomish! Maybe you can see why I’m having such a hard time
mentally. And - July 29th next year will mark our 50th Wedding
Anniversary. Scary!
We re-did our front deck, (I actually hired someone to do this simple job - which shows how bad I've become!) - and undertook a number of landscaping, plumbing (nice new master bath toilet), and painting chores. Been neglecting the house for some years - time to make amends.
It was a busy year all around. They all are - no sitting in the rocker on the porch around here - even the new porch! Two of my major airplane projects were completed, and the Museum had some major Milestones.
JFK Connie
On
May 15th, the former TWA Constellation airliner that I was instrumental
in saving, was opened for business in front of the old TWA Terminal -
now converted into a hotel - at JFK Airport in New York. I first became
involved in this airplane back around 2008, but started work in earnest
in August 2016.
Start of the project - pretty sad looking bird almost at the end of her long journey.
As part of its journey from Auburn, Maine, where it was restored, to JFK, it spent a weekend in March in Times Square where an estimated 600,000 people were able to view her beautiful lines.
She was then reassembled on-site at JFK and began her new life as a cocktail lounge adjacent to the new hotel.
In December, an ice skating rink was opened next to her and skaters could enjoy her beauty while they skated. This was the sixth Constellation I have been deeply involved in.
B-52
Then,
two weeks later - on Memorial Day in May, the B-52 Midnight Express, an
airplane I first became involved with in 1991, was dedicated in a
moving ceremony adjacent to the Museum in a new Memorial Park
commemorating veterans of the Viet Nam War.
Another pretty sad looker...
An estimated 3000-5000 people were in attendance, including our big
bomber’s original Operation Linebacker II flight crew. The guest speaker
was former Defense Secretary Gen. Jim Mattis (a Washingtonian).
The airplane had previously been restored and repainted in the Summer of 2017 (click here), and moved from Everett to Boeing Field in Seattle in the Summer of 2018 (click here.) Both of those were covered in my previous Newsletters and her history in great detail can be seen clicking here.
Both of these airplanes (Connie and B-52) were literally on Death Row, awaiting the Executioner, when they not only got saved, but transformed into aviation Rock Stars!
Flying Activities
Meanwhile, in our 'spare time', our own airplane got a sexy new 3-blade prop. After flight testing the new prop, she went back into regular service - now pushing 750 flight hours since I first flew her in April 2013. I even took her down to Vans Aircraft in Oregon to do some comparison performance flight tests for the new prop.
Flying formation with the Vans Demonstrator comparing performance
The new prop offers a number of advantages, besides good looks -
but especially in reduced maintenance - and she is SMOOTH!. The old
two-bladed prop (Left) - and the new 3-blade.
We had a very nice Summer - and - unlike the last two years, there was no smoke from forest fires ruining the flying weather. In fact the August weather was fairly cool with some rain - usually totally absent in the Summer months around here. When the weather is nice, we are out flying and got in quite a few hours, including three nice trips across the mountains to Eastern Washington.
The
first trip took us to South Central Washington - Ellensburg, Yakima and
Sunnyside, returning via the Columbia River Gorge and past Mt. Adams
and Mt. St. Helens. Here's the lower Yakima River.
Next up, was a trip to North Central Washington, following the Okanagan River and hitting Lake Chelan, Okanagan, Tonasket, Omak, and Oroville up on the Canadian border.
Our last trip was especially nice with fresh fallen snow, again
stopping for lunch in Lake Chelan, and then visiting Twisp and Methow
Valley before returning via the Highway 20 route over the North
Cascades. This was our first attempt at this challenging route
and the scenery was spectacular!!! Be sure to check out my Photo page.
Boats, boats and more boats!
....and a lot of Seattle flying thrown in.....
See lots more great 2019 photos by clicking here.
Museum of Flight
At
the Museum, it was a very busy year! In addition to the B-52
Dedication, there was also the Apollo Exhibit and the annual visit by
the Blue Angels.
Walter Cronkite watching the unfolding drama in awe and disbelief
If you figure that people have their best serious recollections starting around
age 10, then anyone you meet today who is younger than 60 will have no
personal experience of the wonder and awe we all felt on seeing Neil
climb down the ladder on live TV. Similar to Pearl Harbor Day, or
Kennedy’s assassination - people who were living the History remember where they
were and what they were doing at that moment. Some of us even
took pictures of the TV screen! For everybody else, it’s more
akin to reading a dry history book about Columbus landing in the New World. Too bad for them, and lucky for us!
Only one piece of hardware - out of the multi stage 6 million pound
(363 ft high) Saturn V rocket - returned to Earth. That was the
Command Module, that circled the Moon with Michael Collins, while Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were on the Moon's surface, and then carried all three safely back to Earth.
That Command Module was loaned by NASA to the Museum for the Milestone 50th celebration of the first Moon landing - a mighty serious honor, considering the many other places it could have been for that day - including Cape Canaveral and Houston. Over 146,000 people got to tour the Exhibit and see the spacecraft first hand - and it was a lump-in-the-throat, misty-eyed experience for sure. Especially for those of us - over 60 - who do remember where we were and what we were doing on that momentous day.
At the end of July, the Blue Angels returned for their annual Seafair Week visit. Unable to use the Boeing military ramp, they parked and operated from the Museum’s parking lot - which gave an unbelievable up-close view of the proceedings for visitors. Of course, we were there with my camera blazing.
In the Fall, we hit three more events - two by airplane: the Draft Horse Show in Monroe and the Annual Oysterfest in Shelton (hmmm, hmmm - good!!!);
and then the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend.
Along with a train trip to Portland, and the big Tacoma model railroad
show - I kept my camera(s) going strong! See lotsa pictures by clicking here.
Which reminds me, after all these years, I’ve finally figured out what
I want to be when I grow up! Yes, it’s taken me a while, but all
things come to those who wait. Almost became a Vet once (animal
doctor type), flunked the course becoming a TWA Super Connie pilot;
ditto as a Boeing test pilot. Been a farmer, and a horseman, and
a boater. Public speaker. Boeing engineer. So - what is it? I want to
be - actually I am - a Photographer. I discovered this quite by accident and here it was, all these years - hiding in plain sight.
I take many tens of thousands of photographs every year, play endlessly
with my many cameras, lenses, and innumerable pictures, and finally
figured out that photography was the common thread that linked together
all of my many activities. Yes, whether it be airplanes, or
trains (which I also like a lot), or boats, old cars, animals,
wildlife, nature, hiking, history, family and even genealogy -
photography was a major part of all these and more. And has been
since I was a very young kid. Well, call me slow, but I’m glad I can now die happy, knowing I have finally figured out what my life’s ambition is. An "Aahh, Haaa" moment!
I took this in 1959 when I was 15 - not bad - I should have figured it out back then.....
In recognition of my new awareness, like any good photographer, I have
begun putting together Galleries of some of my best stuff. I’m hoping
to create some nice web pages, (but my current website can be used instead, while
I continue to work on my Portfolio. Lotsa pix there!)
Although trying to cut back, I still wound up giving quite a few public
talks, including to the annual meeting of SETP (Society of Experimental
Test Pilots) - my 5th year in a row; and yet another talk on the Last
Flight of the very first Boeing 727 trijet, that we made in March 2016.
With the help of a good friend, we made a rather nice 21 minute video of that event which is posted on YouTube - you can view it by clicking here. Or - if you prefer - you can watch my entire talk at the Museum on the 727 Restoration, with the 20 minute video tacked on the end - it's 1:45 all-up, and can be found by clicking here. And - I’ve recently been asked to be the dinner speaker at next year’s Annual Boeing Retiree Association shindig, to be held in April.
Unfortunately, with Boeing’s 737 MAX problems, my phone starting ringing
off the hook, and I wound up giving long interviews to the local NBC TV station,
NPR radio, and a German news magazine. Quite the mess they've gotten themselves into!
Wildlife
We get to watch a lot of critters around our place and 2019 was a bumper crop year. The local deer love our place (and my nursery plants) - several make our woods and front lawn the center of their operations. We usually get to watch the newborns hobble around taking their first steps, and then grow into teenagers. This year was no exception, with a doe and her twins calling the Bogash's home (more pictures below.) Some anxious times, when the little girl broke her leg, but managed to recover, while in the Fall, Mom managed to do the same - she's still limping, but seems to be on the mend.
A
bunch of rabbits joined the crowd - hadn't seen many of those in the
past - but after a summer of hippity-hopping around - seemed to have
disappeared.
Wonder if these guys had something to do with it.
Hmmm, hmmmm good - I 'jes LOVE Wabbit
Eagles and Gulls keep us grabbing for our binoculars.
New car
End
of October, I decided that we had too many vehicles (3) and I was bound and
determined to slim down by selling my 2008 Toyota Tacoma pickup (that I
had bought off eBay in 2009 and drove back home from Orlando, Florida -
now with 110,000 miles), and my cream-puff 1990 Nissan 240SX - in
original immaculate fire engine red paint and looking like she just
drove off the lot - yessiree - 30 years old and one owner - me!
I
settled on a Honda Ridgeline after my usual weeks-long research, and
after more searching, found a (really) good deal on one all tricked out
just the way I wanted it. It was down in Oregon. (The Honda is another pickup - my last-ever
vehicle will be a pickup, that’s for sure - couldn’t live without
one!) In fact, it would be my 4th or 5th pickup, and with 4 doors
and 5 seats - it’s likely my last new car. (Might even allow me
to sell the Honda CRV and got down to just one car…. from Four to One!)
I took the train (Amtrak’s Coast Starlight - always wanted to ride that
train) down to Portland, and being a big-time train lover, got in
another little adventure, taking a jillion pictures on the way (another
web page coming - but see some pix on my picture page - click here.
Train 11 to Los Angeles - On time!
Nothing like the smell of a new car, and during the 4 hour drive home, I mentally counted the many cars I had owned and driven over the years - usually holding on to them for years and years - sometimes driving them until the wheels fell off (or were ready to.) There had been 12, I figured, and this was #13 (but I’m not superstitious.) I tried adding up the miles I had driven all those vehicles (most were over 100,000, one well over 200,000) and then the dozens (hundreds?) of rental cars over the years; I figured the total was well over 1 million miles - easy. And I had never scratched one!
Shortly
after, Thanksgiving came along, and Chris Johnson - my cardiologist -
invited us over to join his family for Thanksgiving dinner. I was
quite an honor. We’ve been married 49 years, and maybe I can
recall one or two dinners away from home - normally we celebrate either
alone, or with company we invite in. But, since I’m the cook
these days, I was responsible for being the chef. Although I did
have most of the fixings already in hand, we decided to
accept. After a great afternoon and evening meal at the
Johnson's, we drove home. Chris greatly admired my new truck,
which still didn’t have license plates.
About 8 o’clock, driving along the Bond Road between Poulsbo and
Kingston - a road I’ve driven innumerable times, a couple of geezers,
with frazzled white hair and long gray beards and looking like they had
just arrived by dog sled at an outpost in the Yukon, were driving a
1972 beater Ford pickup (that looked to have become a beater about
1974) on the two-lane road, when the truck quit (the battery
died.) They abandoned the vehicle and retreated some
distance away to watch the excitement as their beater truck with no
lights sat in the middle of the dark road.
They didn’t have to wait long - as I tootled along at the 50 mph speed
limit, in my new truck, my last new car, still without plates, having
driven over a million miles, over 60 years, without scratching the
paint on any of them - and plowed into the rear of their junker in a
mighty crash. The hood crumpled up, the front end was
obliterated, the air bags deployed; we sat there stunned - watching the
air bags deflate and the smoke from the cartridges waft around inside,
wondering if what had just happened had really just
happened. I looked at Dot and asked if she was OK - she said
yes. I too, seemed unscathed. Very surprised, but
unhurt. I said, quite matter-of-factly, that it looked like
I had just totaled my brand new car, and this was only the third time I
had driven it!!!
As
I tried to decide what to do next, figuring I needed to call the police
or something, my phone rang. It was Honda. This tricked out
beauty had a system that advised them immediately of an apparent
accident. It triggered when the air bags deployed, and the man at
the other end knew everything, including our exact location. He
asked if we were OK, if we needed an ambulance, and then proceeded to
call police, fire, and a tow truck. This all happened within
30-60 seconds!!! I could hardly believe it. Neither could
the State Trooper who responded, saying that he was also amazed - but with
the “crumple zone” structure of new cars, and the air bags, we had
survived a mighty crash without so much as a scratch. (We were
advised to be alert for delayed or hidden injuries, but in fact there
were none. Way to go Honda!)
After a few hours surrounded by bystanders, flashing lights, fire
trucks, police cars, and tow trucks, both vehicles were towed
away. My reward, besides losing my new truck, and breaking my
unblemished driving record, etc, was a traffic ticket for “following
too close.” Er, Officer, I wasn’t “following” this turkey, he was
sitting with no lights in the middle of the road in the dark - but you
never win when you rear-end someone. (I plan to fight the ticket, just
the same. Don't bet on my chances!) Still, the Trooper was nice
enough to drive us home, however; so with a delay of just a few hours,
we thankfully tumbled into bed with another “adventure” for my
Newsletter. Looking back, it could have resulted in a much, much
worse outcome…. Cars are cheap. and human lives are not.
After over a month dorking around, trying to decide whether it was repairable or not, Allstate finally decided to Total it - so now I'm going through the paperwork jungle hopefully to get a check at the end to go out and do this all over again. Or maybe I should just keep my old Toyota Tacoma and call it good?....
And
so, on that cheerful note, we wrap up another eventful year and look
forward to the one ahead. Here’s hoping all of us have a great
one! Remember - some nice photos at the bottom.
Peace, and Blue Skies....
Bob & Dot
Wishing you a fine Holiday Season and a happy and healthy New Year.
Don't forget the photos - click here - like this one. We met this little guy having lunch at Arlington - what a sweetheart - just had to include him!
Passings
Jay DeGraw
Jay was one of those larger than life individuals that you cross paths
with during your life's journey. He was our neighbor in Hawaii
and we remained close life-long friends. Our home in Hawaii - in
Kailua - was very close to the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station
(MCAS), and Jay was a retired Marine (NOT an “ex-Marine” as he bluntly
pointed out to me one day - when I mistakenly used that term!). There
are NO “ex-Marines”!!!’ Jay was a “true Gunny” - a Marine Master
Gunnery Sargent and he was right out of Hollywood casting. He
served in WW II, Korea, and Viet Nam, and he lived, breathed, ate and
and slept the Marine Corps every minute of his life. Hell, that’s
why they’re Marines!
Every Christmas, without fail, we would get a USMC “Care Package” from
Jay - a thick envelope with his Christmas card and stuffed chock full
of a jillion clippings, large and small, about the Marines. And
stories about his comings and goings, but especially about his visits
to active duty Marine bases, where he stood tall with the youngsters of
today, ram-rod straight with his chest out and his stomach in.
You bet! When our USMC Care Package didn’t arrive last Christmas,
I knew something was wrong and began searching the obits - didn’t
take long to find out about his passing. Semper Fi, good
buddy….. (See the Obit writeups below.)
Kevin Lacey
Kevin was my “East-Coast Bro”. He was a retired USAF sheet metal
mechanic who I first met working on the Museum’s Lockheed Constellation
in 2007-8. Kevin was in charge of restoring that Trans-Canada
Super Connie at a big airliner maintenance base (MRO) on the old
Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. We became close friends and he
exemplified the great virtues of skill, honesty, and a wonderful work
ethic. He did a great job - the airplane was moved to Seattle in
September 2009.
In the Fall of 2016, after years of promises, he retired and rode his Harley all
the way out to Hansville to spend a week visiting with us, hearing
about the last flight of the #1 727 that was made in March, but,
mostly, he came to visit the Lovely Lady - “his” Connie, that now graced the
entrance to the Museum of Flight. Mighty proud was he - and
rightly so - of the results of his labors.
I wrote up a Tribute to Kevin that you can read here:
http://www.rbogash.com/Kevin%20Lacey.html
Dale Searcy
Dale was an old Boeing friend and colleague of many years, and with
whom I worked - together for Jim Blue - selling Used Airplanes for a
couple of years. That required a lot of travel and travel the
world we did. You get to really know someone when you’re on the
road. I remember a couple of events especially - one occurred
while descending into Portland in a Continental 727 one afternoon
returning from Wichita (we had some of our used planes stored down
there.) Dale and I were in aisle seats across from each other
right behind the mid-ship galley when the airplane was struck by
lightning and a ball of fire - no exaggeration - passed through the
cabin from left to right immediately in front of us. The woman in
front of me had a huge bouffant hairdo that lit up like a Xmas tree, (a
sight I’ll never forget), while the lady next to me dug her long nails
into my arm so deeply that I had 4 or 5 bloody wounds to explain
when I got home.
Another time, Dale and I picked up our boss Jim Blue, when he arrived from
Seattle. We were in Hanover, West Germany where we were fixing up 3 Airbus
A310s for re-sale (airplanes I had picked up brand new at the Airbus
factory in Toulouse - now that is another great story!!!) Dale
got lost driving our big rental Mercedes back to the hotel and drove
around for hours - until midnight - while Blue got mercilessly on his
case. I wrote up that event in my Jim Blue Tribute - the excerpt
is below.
| One evening, I found myself in Hanover, West
Germany. Jim was flying in from Seattle. Hapag-Lloyd was storing 3
brand new A-310's Boeing had taken in trade. (The ones I mentioned
before.) Dale Searcy and I went out to pick him up at the airport.
Dale, having been there for a while, was driving. We collected Jim and
his stuff about 9 PM and headed downtown for the hotel. To make a long
story short, Dale got lost. It was easy to do. We drove around for a
while -- quite a while. Jim was tired after the long flight, but after
about an hour and half, snapped awake and said, "Goddam it, Dale,
you're lost!" (I'd heard that line before!) It was only about a
20 minute drive downtown. Dale protested "Hell no, I'm not lost." We
drove around some more. I didn't have a clue where we were. Blue really
got on poor Searcy's case: "Goddam it, you're lost", to be followed by
"Shit, no, I ain't lost." Now, it was really getting pretty late. About 11:30, all of a sudden, Jim yelled out "STOP!" What was this all about, I wondered, trying to keep out of it, and trying to keep from falling asleep on this endless drive. "PULL OVER" he shouted. We pulled over at a taxi stand, with a line of cabs idling their engines. "Bogash," he cried, "get in one of those cabs and go to the hotel. We'll follow." What a marvelous and simplistic idea! Guess that's why he was the boss! So I got out and got into one of the cabs. "Hotel Intercontinental" I said, and we started off. The driver was going a little fast, and looking back, I could see Dale was having a hard time following. I tried talking to the driver, but he couldn't speak one word of English. Finally, I pulled him on the shoulder and with sign language, pointed to the car behind us. "You're going too fast" I tried to explain "for them to follow us." After a lot of back and forth with zero communication, the driver finally understood. He understood there was a car following us and I wanted to "lose them." He immediately floored it and we left Searcy and Blue in a cloud of dust. We screamed around the night time streets and eventually screeched to a halt in front of the hotel. I paid the cabby, and went into the bar around midnite to have a drink and wait for them. After an hour or so, I gave up and went to bed. I have no idea when they got in. Maybe it was 6 in the morning. The next day, we met for breakfast. I said nothing. Nobody said anything. I never did find out when they arrived. I didn't want to know! Still don't. |
Connie (Rogers) Cancino
Back in the mid-Fifties, Dot took a job working at the Airline Ticket
Counter in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island (PEI) for Maritime
Central Airways. Her first job! Her boss was Kay Mills,
wife of an MCA pilot - Bob Mills, who later became Chief Pilot at
Eastern Provincial Airways (EPA) - a guy I flew 737s with, and who
remained a good life-long friend as well. Working with Dot was a big
good-looking gal named Connie. After a couple of years, the two
of them got a little wanderlust, and with the help of MCA founder and
president Carl Burke, were able to land similar jobs working for Mackey
Airlines down in Fort Lauderdale. Mackey at the time flew mostly
Convairs to the Bahamas. After a year or two of excitement, Dot
decided to move back home, closer to family, and eventually came to
work at Nordair in Montreal, where we met. Connie, on the other
hand, wanted little to do with Canadian winters, and stayed south,
eventually marrying a Bahamian and moving to Nassau, where she spent
the rest of her life. Dot and Connie stayed good friends and
Connie came and visited us in 1987. Not hearing from her for
quite some time, and knowing Connie was suffering from assorted medical
problems, Dot was finally able to track down her son, who told her
Connie had passed on June 7th.
Everett McQuinn
Ev was one of those “strange, but interesting” friends I have acquired over the years -
credit the Internet. In the old days, you would call us Pen
Pals. At some point, he saw something I had on my website that
piqued his interest and sent me an email. This blossomed into a
steady exchange of pictures of old airplanes. Ev lived in the
Maritimes, was a real aviation buff, and had some great ones -
including of the Pan Am Clipper flying boat operations out of Shediac
in New Brunswick, Canada in the 30s and 40s. Ev passed on Christmas Eve; he was
88. Some of Ev's pictures.
Pan Am Flt Ops at Shediac - and Stews over-nighting during WW II
Pan Am Boeing 314 and Sikorsky at Shediac and 3 Trans-Canada Lockheed Model 10 Electras in the hangar at Moncton, NB.
Obits
Jay Winston DEGRAW
Milton, Florida
Sep 21, 1924 – Mar 25, 2018
Semper Fi, Jay “Gunny” Degraw
By Staff Reporters on March 31, 2018
1924 – 2018
Jay “Gunny” Degraw was born in Spring Lakes Heights, New Jersey, Sept.
21, 1924. Navarre Press featured the life of Degraw in our “Here’s
looking at you…” series in October 2011 and was honored to attend his
90th birthday party in 2014. Degraw, or Gunny as he was often referred
to as a retired Master Gunnery Sargent in the Marines, was the hit of
his own party and will always be remembered for his one-liners and dry
but quick sense of humor.
According to his 2011 interview with Bobby and Nancy Spottswood of
Navarre Press, Degraw started school in Toms River, New Jersey. In 1937
his father went to work for Standard Oil running his own service
station and they moved to Cranmore Manor. In 1941, Degraw was the
quarterback for the Toms River High School football team where he met
his high school sweetheart, Patsy. “There was a pretty red-headed gal,
a cheerleader named Patsy,” Degraw recounted. They married in 1942 and
Degraw joined the Marines in 1943.
He was in Hawaii when the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He
was part of the occupation group in Japan. When he came back to the
states he got out of the Marine Corps and joined the Marine Reserves to
retain his rank. But they called him back to go to Korea, where he
stayed for 14 months.
He came back to Little Creek, Virginia, and put in a letter asking to
be stationed in Hawaii. “Lo and behold, we went to 1st Marine Brigade
at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu. That was good duty,” Degraw
recalled. His family included a son and three daughters; Michael,
Linda, Judy and Penny. They stayed in Hawaii for just more than two
years. Degraw retired in 1969. They bought a house in Ashville, North
Carolina, but the roads never got snow plowed. “Patsy would look out
the galley window and say, ‘get me out of here’, so we moved to Buford,
South Carolina,” Degraw said. And from there they moved to Navarre in
1980.
Among his many accomplishments, Degraw was honored for 22 years of
volunteer work with the Red Cross at Hurlburt Field’s pharmacy. He also
volunteered with Covenant Hospice and attended church at St. Augustine
Episcopal Church.
He and Patsy were married 64 years before she passed away in March
2007. Later in life, Degraw was fortunate enough to also have a
wonderful and close friendship with Dorothy Grimes who often
accompanied him to family events or parties.
Even at 93 years old, the quote in Navarre Press 2011 still pertained
to Degraw. “Every fiber of Jay’s being is interwoven with Marine Corp
spirit.”
Semper Fi, Gunny.
Navarre Press
Jay Winston DeGraw, On 25 Mar 2018, Master Gunnery Sergeant Jay Winston
DeGraw received orders from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief for his
final tour of duty. He passed away peacefully at age 93.
A citizen of Navarre, Florida since 1980, he was born September 21,
1924, in Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey to William Standen DeGraw and
Frances Earnestine Bowcock DeGraw.
He is survived by his son, Michael Andrew DeGraw and wife Tollie Moore
DeGraw of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and daughters Linda Elaine and husband
Daniel M. Vinson of Loveland, Ohio, Judy Irene Bennett of Plano, Texas
and Penelope Rae DeGraw of McAlpin, Florida. Surviving
grandchildren are Andy DeGraw and wife Kristi of Murfreesboro,
Tennessee, Jennifer DeGraw Luttrell of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Monica
DeGraw Sutton of Sparks, Nevada, Daniel M. Vinson, Jr. of Key Largo,
Florida, Jay Vinson of Loveland, Ohio, Donald Vinson of Key Largo,
Florida, Darren Vinson and wife Jessica of Newport, Kentucky, Christine
Bertram of Maryland, Gina Dickinson of Honolulu, Hawaii, Jamie Onekea
of Plano, Texas, Jeremy Onekea of Plano, Texas, 18 great-grandchildren,
9 great-great grandchildren, and devoted companion, Dorothy Grimes of
Navarre.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Patricia Jean Reiff
DeGraw, his sister, Jeanne Barbara Hurwitz, and grandson Tayne Onekea.
MGySgt DeGraw was a 27 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps
who served in World War II, Korea, and two tours in Southeast Asia,
earning 17 ribbons and the Bronze Star with Valor.
He was a Master Mason with Yukosuka Japan Lodge #20 for over 50 years
and was a member of the Aloha Shriners in Honolulu, Hawaii. He
was an active member of Marine Corps League Detachment 915 Emerald
Coast and Marines of Long Ago.
Well-known around Navarre for his sense of humor and entertaining
stories, he was a larger-than-life example of Marine Corps
Spirit. Affectionately referred to as “The Gunny,” he donated
numerous hours to the community, working with various organizations
such as the Red Cross, Hospice, and Toys for Tots. He volunteered
at the Hurlburt Pharmacy pick-up window for over 22 years. He attended
St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church in Navarre.
As a young Marine, The Gunny learned a lot about the true meaning of
their motto, “Semper Fidelis.” The words are Latin for “ever
faithful,” and that is exactly what it means. Not sometimes, not maybe,
but always and absolute. It is a code of honor and it means
upholding an oath and keeping one’s word, no matter what, forever. It
is how he lived his life, every single day, and he expects nothing less
of every future generation. Semper Fi.
Kevin Lacey
May 3, 2019.
Kevin Patrick Lacey, 65, of West Monroe, went to be with his Lord on Friday after a valiant struggle with cancer.
Kevin retired from the USAF after 20 years as an Aircraft Structural
Repair Specialist. He continued that career in civilian aviation for
another 20 years until his retirement three years ago. He was in charge
of restoring a 1954 Lockheed Martin Super Constellation that is on
static display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle Washington. He was
active in his church, loved to sing, joined several area chorus'
including the acapella group No Xcuse. He is a past Commander of the
Trach-Auringer VFW Post #7325, and a member of the Christian Motorcycle
Association (CMA) of Syracuse. Since retirement he has been a driver
for Meals on Wheels locally.
Kevin is predeceased by his father Thomas. He is survived by his wife
of 43 years Susan (Hamner) Lacey; sons Shane (Heather) and Ryan;
grandchildren Cullen, Gabriella, and Preston. Mother Mary (Huff) Lacey;
sister Sharon (Murray) Rogers; brothers Thomas (Shirley) Lacey, Richard
Lacey, and Jim (Linda) Lacey; constant K9 companion, Frankie; and many
nieces and nephews.
We will celebrate Kevin’s life, June 8, 2019, from 12-4 at the
Trach-Auringer VFW Post #7325, 1560 State Rt 49, Constantia, NY 13044,
with a Memorial Service at 1:00 pm. Memorial Donations can be made to
the Constantia United Methodist Church, 200 North Auringer Rd.,
Constantia, NY 13044.
Dale Searcy
Dale Alfred Searcy, age 87 passed away peacefully in Des Moines, WA
Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Dale is survived by his daughter, Kathy
(Searcy) Lang; son, Ken Searcy and sister, Delores Searcy Gunther and
her husband, Jean of Topeka, KS.
Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2019 at 9:30am at
Marlatt Funeral Home. Committal and Military Honors will be given at
Tahoma National Cemetery.
=======================================
Connie Cancino
June 7, 2019 Nassau
Constance “Connie” Winnifred Cancino
A Funeral Service for Mrs. Constance (Connie) Winnifred Cancino,
Nassau, N.P., The Bahamas who died on 7th June, 2019 at The Princess
Margaret Hospital, Shirley Street, Nassau, will be held at St. Andrew’s
Presbyterian Kirk, Princes’ Street, Nassau, on Saturday, 15th June,
2019 at 10:00 a.m.
Reverend Bryn MacPhail will officiate.
Mrs. Cancino was predeceased by her husband, John Audley Cancino; her mother, Dorothy Rogers and her father, Benjamin Rogers.
She is survived by her son, Lindsey John Cancino; her daughter, Judith
Anne Cancino Pinder; grandson, Sloan Michael Pinder; granddaughters,
Jacqueline Fiona Cancino and Sophie Anne Emma Cancino; a sister,
Valerie Freeman of Sidney, British Columbia, Canada; son-in-law,
Michael Pinder; daughter-in-law, Lesley Cancino; nieces and nephews,
Ronnie North, Debra Nixon, Joy Burrows, Anthony Cancino, Linda Cancino,
Stephen, Cancino, Michael Cancino, Sean Hall, Patrice Sweeting, Gordon
Freeman, Jennifer Beaudry, Rosemary Bergen and many other relatives and
friends in The Bahamas and Canada.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
Kirk, P.O.Box N. 1099, Nassau, The Bahamas for Mrs. Constance (Connie)
W. Cancino’s Medical Fund.
Arrangements by Kemp’s Funeral Home Limited.
