Departures - 2026
Obituaries on the Departures pages were submitted by family or friends. Some notifications only provide the name and year of death and are posted on the
deceased members list (for members only).
We publish departures based on the year listed in the obituary. If no year is listed then we publish them when they are received.
Elizabeth Middleton Daggit Haynes departed this life on Saturday, June 20, 2026, after a brief illness. She was preceded in death by
her beloved husband, William Poindexter Haynes; her parents, Edmund Middleton Daggit and Esther Borghild Overby Daggit; her brother, Edward Arthur Daggit; sister-in-law,
Darla Daggit; and daughter-in-law, Kathleen Haynes. Survivors include her son, William Edmund Haynes; daughter, Elizabeth Leigh Haynes Coffey (Jim); daughter, Esther Ann
Haynes; daughter, Mary Poindexter Haynes Miller (Fred); and nephew, Andrew Daggit. Her grandchildren include Alan and Erik Haynes; David (Cass), Kathy (Allen Eikelberg),
John (Courtney), and Anna Coffey; and Lucy, Parker, and Duncan Miller. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren, Dexter and Luke Eickelberg, and Evie and Amzi Coffey.
Libby was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on June 8, 1927. Raised in a home full of books and deep thinking, developed a rich intellect and a fierce independence. She was a
free-range child who believed she could accomplish anything through hard work. She was fascinated by aviation from a young age. She joined the Civil Air Patrol while attending
George Washington High School in Alexandria. Unbeknownst to her mother, she used a $10 birthday gift to take her first flying lesson at sixteen. She subsequently earned her
pilot’s license before her driver’s license. As a young adult, she bought a WWII surplus PT-23 airplane that led to many adventures, and one big misadventure. On July 5, 1952,
while on a date with a fellow pilot who was showing her how to perform aerial acrobatics, a fuel leak caused the canvas-covered plane to catch fire as he was doing an inversion.
The pilot “recommended” that she bail out. She stepped out onto the wing, and was immediately blown off before having the parachute’s ripcord in hand. Fortunately, she found
and pulled it, but unfortunately she hit the ground before it had fully deployed. She suffered a back injury and a broken ankle, and the pilot was singed, but managed to land
the plane nevertheless. Afterwards, she sewed and re-covered the plane herself, painted it red, and named it Firebird. She kept the plane until after the birth of her first
child, when she realized that perhaps flying with a baby at home was not the best course. After graduating from high school in 1944, she immediately entered nursing school
in Richmond under the Cadet Nurse Program. This program was discontinued after the end of the war. She returned home to attend George Washington University at night while working
full-time at the Veterans’ Service Center of the D.C. Government. She graduated from GWU with degrees in mathematics and chemistry. She then enlisted in the Air Force and attended
Officer Candidate School, receiving her commission in September 1951. She was assigned to the Weather Station at Kelly AFB with the additional duty of WAF squadron commander, and
later was reassigned to Headquarters, Air Weather Service at Andrews AFB as a recruiter of weather school trainees. The Air Force sent her for a year of graduate study in meteorology
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was the only woman in the cohort and graduated second in her class. Afterwards she was assigned as a flight forecaster at Pepperrell
AFB Newfoundland, where she met her husband, Dexter Haynes. Libby was responsible for giving pilots weather reports and authorizing flight clearances. Dexter was a WWII troop carrier
pilot who reenlisted after the war and was working as a transport pilot for the Air Force. Much of their courtship happened over the radio, and they became engaged after four actual
dates. It worked out well, as they were happily married for 37 years. After assignments at Dover, Delaware, and Syracuse, New York, the young family of six relocated to Arlington,
Virginia in 1961. Dexter worked at the Smithsonian, and Libby dedicated herself to raising her children. Throughout this period, Libby pursued her many interests and showed her
family the joy of learning and the value of determination. She adored Star Trek, tall ships, and maritime and military history. One of Libby’s passions was medieval history. She
served as the international librarian for the Richard III Society for many years, and met many interesting people through that. All her children have fond memories of wearing her
historically accurate, handmade costumes to Renaissance fairs. Throughout her time as a homemaker, she took night classes to earn graduate credits in oceanography. In 1975, when her
youngest child was 14, she returned to work with the National Marine Fisheries Service as an oceanographer, studying the effects of climatic conditions in the oceans on the abundance
and distribution of commercially important fish species. She later worked on Fishery Management Plans and federal regulations governing commercial and sports fishing. She retired from
civil service in 1988 to care for Dexter who was seriously ill. Sadly, Dexter died in 1991. In 2003, Libby made what she felt was the second best decision in her life (after joining
the Air Force, where she met Dexter), which was moving into the Greenspring retirement community in Springfield, Virginia. Libby became quite active in multiple organizations: the
American Legion, the American Meteorological Society, the Greenspring Aero Club, and the American Fisheries Society among others. She was also a devoted member of the Village Church.
She was well known for her sunny disposition and engaging conversations. She lived at Greenspring independently for over 23 years. In 2009, she was instrumental in establishing American
Legion Post 123 at Greenspring, and was the post adjutant for many years. Before transferring into Post 123, Libby belonged to the Unknown Soldier Post 44 of Arlington as a comrade
and commander. She was a life member of the American Legion and a member of the Honor Society of Women Legionnaires. In 2016, Libby was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition
of her service in the Civil Air Patrol during WWII. This led to a renewed interest, and she joined the local CAP post, where she mentored and educated young aviation enthusiasts.
Libby was unique, amazing, admirable, adorable, and always an example of how to live morally and fully. She will be sorely missed by all who loved her.
Odell Starling Sluder, 91, of the Avery’s Creek Community, passed away on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in
Flower Mound, TX. Born in Newland, NC, Odell was a son of the late Claude and Comeylee Calhoun Sluder. Odell graduated from Cranberry High School in 1952 and from Warren Wilson
College in 1954. He served in the United States Air Force (England and Germany) as a meteorologist. After his service, he was employed by the National Climatic Weather Records
Center in Asheville. He then continued his career as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spartanburg, SC, Roanoke, VA and the Asheville Regional Airport
(1964-1990) where he retired after serving for 36 years. He was a long-time member of Arden Presbyterian Church and enjoyed gardening, hunting and fishing. Odell is survived by
his loving wife of 67 years, Jean Nida Sluder; a daughter, Mona Sluder Preston (Steve) of Miami, FL; a son, Malcolm B. Sluder (Kelli) of Flower Mound, TX; three grandchildren,
Charlotte Sluder, Caroline Zickefoose (Nic) and Connor Sluder (Taylor) as well as a great-granddaughter, Kennedy Jean, all of Flower Mound, TX. A Funeral Service will be held
at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 in the chapel of the Western Carolina State Veteran’s Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00-7:00 PM on Tuesday, May 26,
2026 at Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian. In lieu of flowers, Odell’s family graciously ask that you consider making a donation in his memory to Mercy Ministry of Arden
Presbyterian Church (www.ardenpres.org).
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the death of
Dale C. Barnum (Missoula, Montana), who passed away on April 14, 2026, at the age of 92, leaving to mourn family and friends.
You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. You may also light a candle in honor of Dale C Barnum or send a beautiful flower arrangement to
the funeral service. As we bid farewell to this luminous soul, let his loved ones carry forward the torch of his memory, illuminating the path ahead with the warmth of his love
and the brilliance of his spirit. Though Dale may journey beyond the horizon of our sight, his essence remains woven into the very fabric of our being — a guiding light in the
darkness, a beacon of hope in the night. A funeral service was held on Thursday, April 23rd 2026 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Blessed Trinity Catholic Church (1475 Eaton St,
Missoula, MT 59801). A reception was held on Thursday, April 23rd 2026 from 11:00 AM to 12:45 PM at the same location. A burial was held on Thursday, April 23rd 2026 from 1:30 PM to
2:00 PM at the Western Montana State Veteran's Cemetery (1911 Tower St, Missoula, MT 59804).
Kenneth William Craw, Jr., died peacefully on April 9, 2026, at the age of 86, surrounded by family at his Timber Ridge at Talus home in
Issaquah, Washington. The son of Kenneth William Craw and Beulah Gaylord Craw, he was born on January 16, 1940, in Lafayette, Indiana. He graduated from West Lafayette High
School with the Class of 1958 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from Indiana University in 1962, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
Thereafter, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force and began a 21-year career as a weather officer in the Air Weather Service, which included
graduate studies in meteorology at Saint Louis University and a master's degree in computer science from Texas A&M University. Field assignments included Little Rock AFB, Arkansas;
Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone; Global Weather Central at Offutt AFB, Nebraska; Headquarters Air Weather Service and the 7th Weather Wing at Scott AFB, Illinois; and a one-year
tour at Osan AFB, South Korea. As a weather officer through the Vietnam War and much of the Cold War, he supported American and allied aviators and soldiers in executing defense and
humanitarian missions around the world. Later, as a computer systems administrator, he built and maintained pioneering computer systems for Air Weather Service operations. In 1983,
he retired honorably as a major from the Air Force. While raising his son in O'Fallon, Illinois, Ken volunteered with the Boy Scouts and the O'Fallon schools' parent-teacher association
and coached several youth sports teams. As an adjunct professor of computer science at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, Ken helped create the school's first computer science
degree curriculum. He finished his professional career in the private sector as a contract information technology program manager, serving various government and private-sector clients
across the country. In retirement, he served as a substitute math and science teacher at O'Fallon Township High School and enjoyed time with Joan, his wife of 61 years. They frequently
road-tripped around the country in their RV, lovingly called "The Silver Bullet," and often visited their Lake of the Ozarks condo, "The Craw's Nest." They also traveled extensively in
Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Ken's final years were spent in Issaquah, near his son and his son's family. Ken was preceded in death by his mother, Beulah; his father, Ken;
and his sister, Pauletta. He is survived by his wife, Joan; his son, Kenneth W. Craw III ("Chip"); his grandchildren, Linsey and Gavin Craw; his daughter-in-law, Lori Craw; and his
nieces, Cynthia Johnson and Kristin Sidney. A ceremony, at which Kenneth will receive full military honors, will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. at Tahoma National
Cemetery in Kent, Washington. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ken's honor to Shriners Children's (shrinerschildrens.org), Texas A&M Foundation
(txamfoundation.com), or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Sophia Dee Withrow Treser, 87, of Belleville, IL, born November 27, 1938, in Abilene, TX, passed away peacefully in her sleep
on March 9, 2026, surrounded by her family. Sophia was a loving homemaker, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was preceded in death by her parents,
Doc and Ruth Withrow; her sister, Nadine Thomasson; her brother, Bo Peck Withrow, and son-in-law, Dennis Snider. She is survived by her loving husband of 56 years,
Charles G. Treser, six children, Lila (Craig) Moersch, Rebecca Snider, Jerry Mark Self, Lisa McCameron, David Self, and Joseph (Tracy) Self, 13 grandchildren,
and 18 great-grandchildren. Memorials may be given to the Turkey Hill Grange, Belleville, IL. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.rennerfh.com.
Friends may visit from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 16, 2026, at George Renner Funeral Home, Belleville, IL. Funeral services will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, March 16,
2026, at George Renner Funeral Home, Belleville, IL. Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery, Abilene, TX, at a later date.
Lifelong Waukesha resident
Walter E. “Wally” Hahn, died on Saturday, January 3, 2026 at the age of 94 years. He was born on
September 4, 1931 to Henry E. and Etta L. (nee: Fischer) Hahn. Wally graduated from Waukesha High School in 1949 and then went on to attend Purdue University for 1 year
before entering into the United States Air Force. Wally was stationed in Hokkaido, Japan where he proudly served as a Weather Observer during the Korean War from 1951
until 1955. After returning to Waukesha, Wally met Patricia Ann Dana, and they were married on August 10, 1957. He was a 1958 graduate of Carroll College and later worked
as a claims adjuster for Kemper Insurance Company & Home Insurance. Wally was a lifetime member of Soat Vergenz Post 721 VFW; D.J. Martin Post #8- American Legion; Fraternal
Order of Eagles, Aerie #453 and Benjamin F. Goss Bird Club. Wally is loved and will be sadly missed by his wife of 68 years, Patricia Ann (nee: Dana) Hahn, and their son,
Robert (Helen Kimpel) Hahn and daughters, Kathleen Hahn and Mary Rohde. He is further survived by 3 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren along with several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother Frederick Hahn, Sr., and son-in-law, John Rohde. Visitation will be Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 at Randle-Dable
Brisk Funeral Home, 1110 S. Grand Ave. Waukesha from 5:00 PM until the funeral service at 7:30 PM. Interment with full Military Honors will be held on Saturday, Jan.10, 2026
at St. Joseph Cemetery, S22 W22890 E. Broadway, Waukesha, WI 53186. Please meet at the cemetery chapel at 10 AM. The family would like to thank the team at Allay Hospice,
for their special care shown to Walter and the Hahn family. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Walter "Wally" E. Hahn, please visit our
flower store.
