Obituary

Long-time local restaurant owner Essy Saedi has died

By ARLnow.com
Janet Saedi and Essy Carriage House owner Essy Saedi (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The long-time former owner of Essy’s Carriage House has died.

Essy Saedi died on Thanksgiving, November 23, at the age of 76. He owned the beloved family-owned Cherrydale restaurant before its closing earlier this year. As he told ARLnow, Saedi was looking forward to traveling in his retirement.

“I’m excited… I get to go to Las Vegas more,” he said.

Saedi immigrated to the United States from Iran in the 1960s and helped open the restaurant Langston Blvd near the corner of N. Quincy Street and Cherry Hill Road in 1975. He took over as full owner a year later, renaming the eatery after himself — Essy’s Carriage House.

In nearly five decades, Saedi’s restaurant became a local staple, serving up steak, liver and comfort food to a loyal customer base. It had the “best crab cakes we’ve ever had. Anywhere,” according to one customer.

Even as he closed in on retirement, Saedi still did much of the prep work at the restaurant, including the sauce-making and meat-braising.

Essy’s Carriage House was known for its white-clothed tables and fresh-cut flowers on each table. Throughout its run, the restaurant served judges, military brass, lawmakers, lawyers, and, even “four-star generals,” according to Saedi. He primarily ran the restaurant with his wife, Janet Saedi, whom he married in the 1980s.

“It’s really been fundamentally the two of us running this place,” Janet told ARLnow in February. “But it’s been beautiful.”

But it was Essy who was the face of the restaurant and a big reason why customers kept coming back for close to five decades.

“I guess I’m just cute,” Essy said earlier this year.

He was known for “his warmth, his story telling, his mixed metaphors and his sometimes inappropriate sense of humor,” his obituary reads. Saedi could be seen on most nights at his restaurant running between tables, chatting with customers, and telling everyone what to order.

Essy had a “quirky sense of humor that some people adore… and there are people who don’t quite get it,” Janet said.

He embraced his quirkiness and was once named “the most colorful character in Arlington” by a local newspaper, notes his obituary. Saedi often called himself the “Luckiest Persian Alive.”

In the weeks before the restaurant was set to close, Essy was still busy at the restaurant and doing what he did best: sharing laughs with customers.

“They’ve become family and friends. We’ve done this for 50 years and we see [many] like once a week,” Essy said in February, taking a long pause. “Maybe I’ll pass them at the grocery store someday.”

Essy Saedi is survived by his wife Janet, daughters Lorena and Tonya, and sister Mehry. The family is planning a private burial and, in lieu of flowers, is asking for donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

‘Our Man in Arlington,’ local historian Charlie Clark, dies at 70

By Jo DeVoe
Charlie Clark holds his book, ‘Hidden History of Arlington’ (via Charlie Clark/Facebook)

Charlie Clark, a dogged chronicler of local life in Arlington, has died at the age of 70.

He was known locally as the author of “Our Man in Arlington,” a weekly column in the Falls Church News-Press, and as the author of several books on local history.

His quickly declining health came as a surprise. Last month, Clark published his most recent book, the “Life and Times of the Falls Church News-Press,” documenting the paper’s role in reporting on development clashes, school quality fights, political races and scandals.

He also interviewed philanthropist David Rubenstein at the Arlington Historical Society banquet about his donations to local historical exhibits, including Arlington House, the domicile of a descendent of George Washington as well as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Shortly after, the local writer was hospitalized and diagnosed with a rare neurological condition, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. He passed away at home while receiving hospice care; a memorial for him will be announced at a later date, according to his obituary.

Clark had a 50-year journalism career that began at Yorktown High School’s newspaper, The Sentry. After landing a job with Time-Life Books in Alexandria, he went on to work as a reporter or editor for The Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly and National Journal, among other outlets. He retired as a senior correspondent at Atlantic Media’s Government Executive Media Group in 2019.

The retired journalist was a prolific local historian and a board member and volunteer for the Arlington Historical Society.

He has published three books on Arlington County history — “Arlington County Chronicles,” “Hidden History of Arlington County” and “Lost Arlington County” — as well as the first full biography of Arlington House’s first resident, George Washington Parke Custis, who he called the under-sung “child of Mount Vernon.”

Clark, a native of Arlington who grew up in the Rivercrest and Cherrydale neighborhoods, had a long memory of how the county once looked. His columns often included vignettes describing its changes, from renamed schools, to larger homes, to local landmarks that have come and gone.

In one recent column, Clark took a pensive turn, reflecting on the youthful injuries he and his schoolmates suffered, after watching his grandkids accumulate scrapes, bruises and broken bones.

His conclusion makes a fitting farewell to his survivors: his wife, Ellen, daughters Elizabeth McKenzie and Susannah Matt, his grandchildren, Caroline and James McKenzie, and his siblings, Thomas Clark and Martha Franks.

“So what is the deep and wise message I bequeath to my grandchildren?” he wrote. “As you struggle through the pain, the uncertainty, the anxious stints in the waiting room — and the vital rallying of family — please know that you are undergoing an experience that, in later life, you likely will remember.”

Photo via Charlie Clark/Facebook

Longtime Arlingtonian, housing advocate and local leader Cecilia Cassidy dies at 75

By Jo DeVoe
1/2

Longtime Arlingtonian and local leader Cecilia Cassidy passed away yesterday in Frederick, Maryland, at the age of 75.

In Arlington, she was best known for her housing advocacy and her leadership of two local organizations: the Rosslyn Business Improvement District and the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization, now the Columbia Pike Partnership.

“Cecilia was a connector and leaves many friends, old and new,” her obituary says. “She will be missed.”

Cassidy was born in Brooklyn, New York on Aug. 20, 1948, and grew up on Long Island. Cassidy got her start in journalism, reporting for the Susquehanna Sentinel in Oneonta, New York, and went on to have articles published in The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsday, among other newspapers and literary journals.

She lived in Arlington for 45 years. She kicked off her housing career tenant organizing in Arlington Village, where she lived along Columbia Pike, during a condo conversion in the 1980s, according to her obituary. Together with Arlington County, she helped establish the first limited-equity housing co-op in Virginia and she later went on to head up community relations for the affordable housing developer AHC, Inc.

Cassidy was also instrumental in standing up the Rosslyn BID — Arlington’s first such organization — and serving as its executive director for more than a decade.

“It was her work that really made the BIDs work here in the county,” County Manager Barbara Donnellan said when Cassidy retired from this post in 2013.

Cassidy then served for three years as the interim leader of the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization after the sudden resignation of former executive director Takis Karantonis, now an Arlington County Board member. She retired from CPRO in 2018, after overseeing the organization’s largest period of financial growth in 30 years and the adoption of a strategic plan, per a press release at the time.

“CPRO is grateful for Cecilia’s leadership and her contributions to the organization but even more grateful for the spirit, enthusiasm, and friendship Cecilia has shared with us,” then-board president John Snyder said at the time.

Cassidy was a member of the Leadership Arlington Class of 2000 and was named to the board of directors of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, or APAH.

But her other great love was to travel, according to her obituary.

“Her junior year abroad had her hitchhiking all over Europe,” it says. “She did her first of many cross-country trips at the age of 21 in a refurbished telephone truck with Tara’s playpen in the back and her sister Carol sharing the wheel. Over the years she visited friends in Poland, Russia and Puerto Rico, and after an extensive genealogy search, found long lost relatives in Ireland.”

Cassidy moved to Frederick in 2019 to be close to her daughter, Tara. Cassidy is survived by three siblings, her daughter Tara and a grandson and four nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, people can make a donation in Cassidy’s name to APAH, AHC, the Writer’s Center in Bethesda or the Wroxton College of Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she studied abroad.

There will be a public viewing on Saturday, Nov. 11 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Rollins Life Celebration Center in Frederick. A service will be held the following day, Sunday, from 12-1 p.m. followed by a repass in the hall. The service will also be livestreamed.

A memorial Mass and inurement will be scheduled sometime next spring or summer at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Arlington.

Obituary: Madelin Jones Barratt (1954-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Madelin Jones Barratt (Age 69)
Memorial service info

Madelin Jones Barratt, 69, of Falls Church, Va., passed away peacefully at home on September 29, 2023 of mesothelioma.

Madelin was born in 1954 in Houston, Texas to C.M.C. Jones, Jr. and Jacquelin Jones. Her father was a Marine Corps officer and the Jones family was stationed in several locations around the United States during Madelin’s childhood, including Annapolis, Md., Quantico, Va., Pearl Harbor, and Camp Lejeune, N.C. After graduating from Lejeune High School, where she was a captain of the cheerleading squad, Madelin attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Va., where she received a bachelor’s degree in music in 1976.

Not long into her career as an elementary school music teacher in Loudoun County, Va., Madelin’s mother introduced her to Henry D. Barratt, Jr. Madelin and Henry were married in June 1978. They raised three children and enjoyed 45 years of marriage. With visible delight Madelin unified her family and guests with song, artfully playing the piano or strumming the ukulele in lively accompaniment.

Madelin was an active member of The Falls Church Anglican in Falls Church, Va., where she served as a volunteer with the women’s ministry, as a Sunday school teacher, and with the children’s choir. She also volunteered her time as a music teacher at Rivendell School in Arlington, Va., for almost 20 years. Madelin was known as a welcoming presence in her neighborhood and at church. She was an accomplished seamstress who made and mended clothes for herself and her family. Madelin loved chocolate and covered the cabinets of the kitchen in her college residence with empty M&Ms bags.

After being diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2019, Madelin faced her illness with courage founded on her faith in Jesus Christ. She was grateful for the compassionate treatment she received at Georgetown University Hospital and at the National Institutes of Health, where she participated in a clinical trial that extended her life on this earth and provided encouraging results for further research into new treatments.

Madelin was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Henry; her son, William and his wife Susanna; daughter Ellen Schooley and her husband Andrew; daughter Anna Barratt and her husband Abel Ferreira Mendes; sisters Martha and Molly Jones; and grandchildren Constance and Virginia Barratt, and Timothy, Margaret, Evelyn, and Isaac Schooley.

A memorial service will be held on Oct. 10, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at The Falls Church Anglican, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Falls Church, Va., 22042.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Madelin’s memory may be made to Comunidad, a charity serving children and adults in the Falls Church area through education and leadership training (https://www.comunidadva.org/donate).

>> Donation link

The following memorial event is planned.

Memorial Service
10/10/2023 02:00 PM to 03:30 PM
The Falls Church Anglican
6565 Arlington Blvd
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Obituary: Miriam Zogby Balutis (1945-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Miriam Zogby Balutis (Age 78)
Memorial service info

Miriam Zogby Balutis was born on August 22, 1945 in Utica, NY, and died on August 22, 2023 at her home in Arlington, VA, enveloped in the warmth, love and care of her family, and secure in the knowledge that the former president’s next arraignment was imminent. She is survived by her devoted partner of many years, Jan Jaworski, and her two beloved children Juliette (Nor) Balutis and Adam Balutis. She is also survived by her sister Sadieann (Robert) Spear; niece Rachel (Robert Palladino) Mazzotta; nephew Christian (Barbara) Mazzotta; cousin Marya (Christopher Healey) Myslinski; and their children. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wadih and Juliette Zogby.

Miriam died of metastatic breast cancer, and it was her clear and strong wish that in memorializing her, we eschew the warrior and battle-centric language that we often see used to define the cancer experience, along with its tacit implication that surviving or dying from cancer is simply a variable driven by the will of a patient. Miriam did not “lose her battle” with cancer; she endured it for seven and a half years, abiding difficult treatments and rare side effects while living her life as well and as fully as possible throughout: traveling extensively with her partner, hosting joyful gatherings at her home, contributing her time and energy to countless campaigns to elect Democrats in Virginia and across the nation, volunteering in her community, growing numerous varieties of heirloom tomatoes in her beautifully self-landscaped backyard, and spending many treasured hours with family and friends. Though she is no longer bound by the physical body that cancer destroyed, she didn’t lose anything – not her perspective, her dignity, her sense of humor, her quick wit, her compassion for others, her moral clarity, her intolerance for injustice, her brilliant mind, her wide-ranging wisdom, her commitment to community, or her love of life’s simple joys. Her loss is solely ours: the tremendous, seismic loss of an indomitable and loving mother, partner, friend and neighbor.

Miriam grew up in Utica, NY and moved to Arlington in 1977 after earning a Bachelor’s Degree from Utica College and a Master’s Degree from SUNY Buffalo. She spent much of her career as a dedicated civil servant at the United States Census Bureau, where she worked for more than 25 years, joining in 1985 and retiring in 2011. She worked on three Censuses (1990, 2000, and 2010), and the Commerce Department recognized her with its Bronze Medal Award in 2001 for her outstanding contributions to the successful completion and evaluation of the 2000 Census. She developed instructional and training materials that translated complex survey designs into understandable form for thousands of newly hired temporary interviewers, and assumed additional management roles in the later Censuses. The results of these surveys were critically important to understanding how accurately and completely the Census was taken. She was highly regarded, liked and respected by her colleagues and her staff for her expertise, insight, craft, and common sense, leavened with a sense of humor and a calm and steady demeanor.

In addition to her professional commitment to public service, Miriam was passionate about civic participation and community engagement in her personal life. She served for many years as an Arlington County Democratic Party precinct captain, worked the polls in the wee hours of the morning nearly every election, developed and administered the volunteer training program for Arlington Neighborhood Villages, and volunteered for Matthew 25, a social justice ministry distributing clothing and household goods to those in need.

(more…)

Obituary: Vincenzo Farruggio (1951-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Vincenzo Farruggio (Age 72)
Memorial service info

Local restaurateur passes, leaving his legacy in Northern Virginia

Vincenzo Farruggio, 72, of Alexandria Virginia, passed away on Saturday, August 19th, 2023 after being diagnosed with cancer in March

Vincenzo “Vinny” Farruggio was born on March 27th, 1951 in the town of Castrofilippo in Sicily to Rosario and Maria Farruggio. His entrepreneurial spirit started at the age of 12 when he sold fruit around his town. Ever since then, he never stopped working and always made sure he had money in his pocket.

In 1970 he moved to the United States with his family and lived in Brooklyn where he worked as a jeweler in the Diamond District in Manhattan. In 1977 he met Rosa Fiuza at an Italian discotheque and it was love at first sight. They married on July 16th, 1983 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Falls Church Virginia, and went on to have three children, Rosabel, Rosario and Gabriella.

In 1978 he and his brothers moved to Virginia to start a pizza restaurant in Woodbridge called Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta. Throughout the next 40 years they expanded the restaurant to five locations and Vincenzo owned and operated his own location at Bailey Crossroads. Everyone who dined at Joe’s Place was treated like family and Vinny’s service to others cannot be overstated. His last restaurant, A Modo Mio in Arlington VA, is still running and owned together with his two brothers Giuseppe and Calogero Farruggio.

Throughout the decades that Vincenzo spent as a restaurateur, he consistently gave back to the community by not only providing employment, but also by sponsoring local sports teams and contributing to charitable events. He was known for his fun neighborhood 4th of July parties complete with food and fireworks each year. In 2007 Vincenzo retired and was lucky enough to be able to watch his kids grow-up all while spending his winters in Florida where he enjoyed daily walks on the beach. He was a loving, caring, and genuine Father, Brother, Husband, Son, Uncle, and Friend. He made an impression on everyone’s heart.

Vincenzo is survived by his wife Rosa, his children Rosario, Gabriella, and Rosabel, and grandchildren Gemma, James, Lucy, Dominic, and Penelope. His siblings, Calogero, Maria and Giuiseppe.

His memorial service will be held on Sunday, August. 27, 2023 at National Funeral Home and Memorial Park.

Submitted by A Modo Mio Restaurant

Obituary: Captain Kyle ‘Topper’ Lawrence Leese (1972-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Captain Kyle ‘Topper’ Lawrence Leese (Age 51)

Captain Kyle “Topper” Lawrence Leese, United States Navy, passed away on July 19, 2023, after a brief illness. At the time of his passing, he had served as an Intelligence Officer for nearly three decades. CAPT Leese is survived by his wife of 24 years, Joanne; their eighteen-year-old son, Evan; his mother, Laraine Leese-Filla and his stepfather, Tom Filla; his extended family in Canada; and a myriad of friends, sailors and shipmates on whom he has left an indelible impression.

Born in Camden, NJ, and raised in Haddonfield, NJ, CAPT Leese was an avid Philadelphia sports fan and attended Eagles and Phillies games whenever the opportunity arose. CAPT Leese attended the University of San Diego on a soccer scholarship and earned degrees in History and Anthropology in 1994. He obtained his commission via the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in 1995 in Pensacola, FL. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College, with a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies.

CAPT Leese began his Naval Intelligence Officer career with Fighter Squadron Forty-One in Virginia Beach, VA. From 1997-1999 he served as the Intelligence Officer for the Black Aces where he was given the call sign “Topper”, because he would always top any story that his squadron mates came up with. He was instrumental in the development of tactics using the TARPS pod that VF-41 used successfully during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch.

After VF-41, then LT Leese took orders to United States Southern Command, Miami, FL (1999-2002), serving as Liaison to the Joint Special Operations Command; J2X Collection Planner; Chief-J2 Collections Plans, and Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff. His next command (2002-2005) was Fleet Intelligence Training Center-Pacific (FITCPAC) in San Diego, CA, where he served as an instructor for a variety of courses that included Strike Planning, Navy Special Warfare Intelligence Course, and Operational Intelligence. During his time at FITCPAC, then LT Leese deployed to JTF-HOA, Djibouti, Camp Lemonnier (2004), serving with JSOTF-HOA and J2X. From 2005-2007, he served as the Assistant Intelligence Officer at Commander, Strike Force Training-Atlantic, in Norfolk, VA. His responsibilities included certification of all East Coast deploying operational Navy and Marine Corps units’ intelligence departments as combat ready in all aspects of intelligence, including HUMINT collection and Management, targeting support to strike warfare, and operational intelligence. From 2007-2008, he attended the Naval War College in Newport, RI. While at the War College, he was selected to train as an Assistant Naval Attaché and was then designated for assignment to the American Embassy in Beijing, China. Prior to deployment to China, then LCDR Leese spent two years undergoing intensive training, including fifteen months of Mandarin lessons. That training prepared him for promotion to full Commander and service from 2010-2012 at one of our most demanding diplomatic posts. Following his time in Beijing, then CDR Leese was selected to be the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence (N2) for CTF-70/Battleforce Seventh Fleet, forward deployed and embarked onboard USS George Washington (CVN-73) in Yokosuka, Japan (2013-2015). From 2015 until his passing, CAPT Leese served in several positions of importance in the greater Washington DC area. They included serving as a member of the Naval Intelligence Activity (2019) and the OPNAV staff, leading a cross-functional team responsible for delivering the Engineering Level Characterization of the Adversary (ELCA) roadmap. On the N2N6 staff at the Pentagon, CAPT Leese served as the Senior Naval Intelligence Officer-China, and as the Senior N2N6 representative to the Naval Strategy Panel.

CAPT Leese’s work at CTF-70 resulted in him being awarded the Excellence in Intelligence and Information Warfare Award (EIIWA). The EIIWA is given to those Intelligence professionals who deliver outstanding, actionable intelligence to operators and decision-makers responsible for safeguarding US interests and the interests of our partners throughout the Far East. CAPT Leese also received the following awards throughout his career: the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation and Achievement Medals, and the Navy Commendation and Achievement Medals. He also received a variety of unit and deployment awards.

CAPT Leese, “Topper”, never did anything half-way. From his love of all things Philly, to learning multiple languages, to every job he did for the Navy, Topper was always “all in”. He will be greatly missed. Fare Winds and Following Seas, Topper. A funeral service will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes, Arlington, VA, on August 7, at 1:30pm, followed by a reception. Internment at Arlington National Cemetery will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Submitted by Storke Funeral Home

Obituary: Douglas Louis Rowan (1953-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Douglas Louis Rowan (Age 70)
Memorial service info

‘Birds sing out of tune and rain clouds hide the moon.’

Douglas “Doug” Louis Rowan, passed away suddenly on July 15, 2023, while visiting family on the New Jersey shore. Doug was born in Washington, D.C on January 26, 1953, to Edward and Nancy Rowan who preceded him in death.

Doug grew up in Arlington, VA and attended Ashlawn Elementary, Kenmore Junior and Washington and Lee High schools. He graduated from the College of William and Mary with a bachelor’s degree in political science and earned a Master’s degree in Education. He then returned to Arlington where he began teaching social studies to high school students with special needs for the Fairfax County Public Schools.

As a boy, outside of school, Doug was either riding his bike, listening to music, swimming at Powhatan Springs pool or playing tennis. He went on to play varsity tennis in high school. Behind his easy-going demeanor Doug was a fierce competitor on the court. In his fifties he contracted a partially disabling disease that ended his tennis playing, but not his swimming which he did just about every day. Doug loved music, the beach, watching the sunset, biking, old movies, Bon Air rose garden, seeing fireworks, going to see the cherry blossoms and reading the newspapers he called a history book.

Doug was a great conversationalist and could regale friends or strangers for hours. His relentless off-the-wall sense of humor would leave people laughing so hard they could hardly breathe. With his magnetic personality he made friends easily and with his true-blue loyalty he cultivated lifelong friendships. He made the lives of people he met along life’s journey better for having met him. He played the guitar and somehow managed to win free concert tickets from radio contests knowing the lyrics to all genres. Like many, Doug had his challenges. He spent months beating stage four cancer, but you’d never know it. Doug was always optimistic and living in the brighter side of life.

Doug is survived by his life partner Kathy Burke McKeon, brother George Rowan, M.D., sister in-law Kathy Rowan, sister, Nancy Milam, nephews Thomas Rowan and Doug Milam, his extended family, Jim, Mary Jean, Katie, Patrick and Amanda Burke, and numerous friends.

Doug was a passionate liberal and proud union member (AFT) and the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers, a proud member of Theta Delta Chi Fraternity, and a proud lifelong Arlingtonian. He enjoyed traveling the world with Kathy—and winter visits to Florida to swim. Doug will be sorely and greatly missed by everyone who was lucky enough to call him friend.

Funeral Arrangements by Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22203

Visitation: Sunday, July 23, 2-4 PM and 7-9 PM

Celebration of Life: Westover Baptist Church Monday, July 24, 11-12 PM

Burial: National Memorial Park Monday, July 24, 1-2 PM

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home Arlington

Obituary: George Samuel Hobart (1935-2023)

By ARLnow.com

George Samuel Hobart (Age 87)
Memorial service info

George Samuel Hobart died peacefully on July 6, 2023, of complications from leukemia. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, on October 5, 1935.

He was pre-deceased by his parents, Robert William Hobart, and Lillian Siipola Hobart; and his half-brother Ted Wilsing; his aunt and uncle Martin and Bertha Zajac; and his cousin Ellie Zajac Namnoun. George and his brother went to live with the Zajacs after their parents died and attended high school while living with them. He is survived by his sons, Robert Charles Hobart and Ted Hobart, and his daughter, Lauren Elisabeth Bass (Greg); his grandson, Gregory Hobart (Sarah) and great-granddaughter, Olivia, stepson Edwin Sale (Kirsten), stepdaughter Anita Sale Clegg (David), and grandchildren Robert, Jennifer, Emily, Laura and Jonathan. His marriages to Johanna Ulmer and Anne Lang ended in divorce. His wife, of nearly 20 years, Marjorie, survives him.

Upon graduation from high school, George entered the Navy near the end of the Korean War, and then used the G.I. Bill to earn a degree in history from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He served in the office of the Chief of Military History in the Pentagon before transferring to the Library of Congress where he became the Curator of Documentary Photographs in the Prints and Photographs Division. He was one of the original ushers at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts when it opened and served for more than 50 years in that role. George loved bringing others to enjoy the performing arts.

George was a talented, left-handed tennis player, active in The Tennis Group in Virginia and Maryland for decades, and the Federal League, Arlington Forest Club teams, Arlington’s senior tennis, and was a Virginia gold medal winner in the 70 and over category of men’s singles tennis in the Senior Olympics one year. George sang in a variety of choruses including the Arlingtones Barbershop Chorus in Virginia, the Clarendon United Methodist Church Choir, The Medical Musical Group, and The Jefferson Chorus in his retirement community. He was an active member of the Finlandia Foundation National Capital Chapter and Encore Learning.

A celebration of his life will take place at Clarendon United Methodist Church, 606 N Irving Street in Arlington on Friday, July 14, at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the music ministry of the church in his memory.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

Obituary: John C. Levock (1946-2023)

By ARLnow.com

John C. Levock (Age 77)
Memorial service info

John Carl Levock Sr., 77, of Arlington, VA, died Wednesday, July 5th, 2023. John was born June 4, 1946, the youngest child of Margaret and Michael Levock of Uniontown, PA. His early days were spent hunting and fishing with his dog Skippy.

After serving in the Army during the Vietnam War, he settled in Arlington, VA, where he met and married Kathryn Votruba and gave birth to their son, John Jr, in 1979. John and Kathy were together for 40 years, and married over 37 and he was completely devoted to her. He was a Postal Carrier in the City of Falls Church for over 30 years.

John was preceded in death by his father, Michael, mother Margaret, wife Kathryn, and brother Michael. He is survived by his son, John and his husband Shane, his two grandsons, Harvey and Kit, and his niece and nephew Sonya and Michael.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. To leave condolences to the family, please visit www.murphyfuneralhome.com

Funeral arrangements at Arlington Cemetery will released in the future.

Submitted by Murphy Funeral Home

Obituary: Betty Stearn (1931-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Betty Stearn (Age 91)

Betty Stearn passed peacefully on May 10, 2023 at John Knox Village in Orange City, Florida. Predeceased by Harold Stearn, her husband of 62 years, Betty is survived by her five children: Becky Marshall (Jack), Suzanne Stearn, Sherry Bicak (Jim), Pam Yokobosky, and Jon Stearn (Laura). As the matriarch of the Stearn family, Betty was blessed to have and loved dearly her twelve grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Born in 1931 to Horace and Mary Durham, Betty Anne was the youngest of four siblings. Following the premature passing of her mother, Betty was raised by her aunt and uncle, Hope and DeShay Turner, in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. In 1949, Betty graduated from Hendersonville High School as Valedictorian while also serving as the class president. Shortly after graduation, Betty visited her sister, Mary Katherine (“Kak”) in the Washington, D.C. metro area where she would soon move. While there, she met Harold and the couple wed in 1953. Betty was a devoted mother to her five children who she raised in the Northern Virginia area where she lived until 1988.

An avid bridge player, Betty was a whiz at logic games and puzzles. Whether it was school or team functions while raising her children, charitable work as a member of the American Women’s Association in Amman, driving the ambulance in Mathews County or teaching English as a second language in Florida, Betty was a dedicated member of the community everywhere she lived.

Once her children were raised, Betty enjoyed the opportunity to see the United States and the world beyond. In the mid-1980s, Betty lived with Harold in Amman, Jordan for two years. While there, they toured throughout the Middle East and embraced much of the Arabic culture. In her fifties, Betty learned to snow ski in Switzerland. The culmination of their time in Jordan was a driving adventure through Syria, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Greece and Italy. Later that decade, the driving adventures continued with RV trips to Vancouver, British Columbia via Granbury, Texas and eventually traversing Canada from east to west into Alaska. Betty even spent one winter in North Dakota as part of an in-residence women’s health medical study. Betty’s final big adventure was a Panama Canal transit on a cruise from Florida to San Diego with her youngest daughter, Pam.

In 1988, Betty and Harold built a house in Cobbs Creek, Virginia (Mathews County) which served as their primary base for ten years. From here, she routinely visited and hosted their children and grandchildren who dispersed across the country and the world. While there, they began to spend winters in Cocoa Beach, Florida where they eventually moved. Shortly after the turn of the century, Betty and Harold moved into John Knox Village of Orange City, Florida where they lived out their retirement years.

Betty will be missed dearly by her children, family members and friends. The family expects to hold a celebration of life later this year.

View More Stories