Obituaries

He joined the CIA in 1969, spending much of his career in the Directorate of Intelligence as an analyst of European issues. He became chief of the Western Europe division in 1982. He served in France and Germany, where he witnessed the collapse of the Berlin Wall and German reunification. He served in staff positions for several years in the comptroller's and inspector general's offices before retiring in 1996.

Mr. Paxson completed a 1,363-mile solo bicycle trip from Florida to Virginia in 27 days during his first year of retirement. He then accompanied his wife to assignments in Greece and England, returning in 2001.

He went back to work for the CIA in 2001 as an independent contractor, reviewing classified operational files for declassification and release. In early 2004, he spent several months in Baghdad, advising the newly formed Iraqi government.

He was a member of Mensa and the Financial Planning Association, and enjoyed golf as well as bicycling. He was a member of Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston for 20 years.

His marriages to Ann Thomas and Joan Eaton ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of nine years, Jan Jennings Paxson of Centreville; two step-daughters, Stephanie Jennings of Eugene, Ore., and Jessica Jennings of Asheville, N.C.; his parents, Wayne and Velma Paxson of Lincoln, Neb.; two brothers; and a sister.

William Inskeep IIVeterinary Pathologist

William Inskeep II, 55, an Army colonel who chaired the department of veterinary pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, died July 2 of melanoma at his home in Ambler, Pa.

Col. Inskeep was born in Cumberland, Md., and raised in Medley, W.Va. He earned a bachelor's degree in animal science from West Virginia University in 1971 and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He served five years as a missile launch officer at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming and, while stationed there, received an MBA from the University of Wyoming.

In 1980, he received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Colorado State University and began a 23-year career with the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, with assignments in Japan and at the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.

From 1986 to 1989, Col. Inskeep completed a residency in veterinary pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). Subsequent assignments included chief of comparative pathology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and chief of animal medicine at the office of the Army surgeon general.

He served as assistant chair and, from 1997 to 2003, as chair of the Department of Veterinary Pathology at the AFIP before retiring from active duty in 2003. He was the first veterinarian to be deputy commander of the AFIP, holding that position from 1998 to 2002. He also served as the veterinary pathology consultant to the U.S. Army surgeon general and was the Department of Defense liaison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

He was a graduate of the Army War College and a recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit. In 2004, the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States presented him with the McCallam Award for outstanding accomplishments in the field of medicine and health.