Obituaries

Mrs. Roland, who was born in Croghan, N.Y., came to Washington in the 1930s and graduated from the Washington School for Secretaries. She worked for the Bureau of the Budget from 1936 to 1946.

She later spent 25 years as the secretary at St. James, where she was a member, until retiring in 1992. She lived in Falls Church from 1950 to 2005.

Her husband of 35 years, Robert J. Roland, died in 1981. A son, David Roland, died in 1997.

Survivors include three sons, Joseph Roland of Lockport, N.Y., Michael Roland of Burke and Paul Roland of Falls Church; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Elbert Mack SleekerArmy Officer, Real Estate Broker

Elbert Mack Sleeker, 91, a retired Army colonel and a World War II veteran, died of a stroke May 13 at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis. An Annapolis resident, he formerly lived in Annandale and Arlington.

Col. Sleeker, known as "Sleek," was born in Eudora, Ark., and received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., in 1936. He joined the Army that year and served during World War II with the 16th Armored Division in the European theater. From 1947 to 1950, he served under Gen. Douglas MacArthur as part of the U.S. occupation of Japan.

He also served as battalion commander for the 101st Airborne Division, as adviser to the Royal Iranian Gendarmerie in Tehran, as chief of staff for the Third Armored Division in Germany and as commander of the U.S. Seventh Army Training Center, also in Germany. From 1963 to 1967, he was executive officer to the comptroller of the Army. He retired in 1970 as chief of staff for the Military District of Washington.

Col. Sleeker's decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, awarded for maintaining civil order in the District during the 1967 anti-war march on the Pentagon; the Legion of Merit; and the Bronze Star.

From 1971 to 1982, he was a commercial real estate broker with projects in the District. After his second retirement, he enjoyed traveling to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. He also was an ardent Redskins fan.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth Sleeker of Annapolis; two children, Christi Granger of Edgewater and Robert Sleeker of Denver; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

John Pearce StirnWriter, Foreign Service Officer

John Pearce Stirn, 70, of Arlington, a writer and Foreign Service officer, died of congestive heart failure May 15 at Virginia Hospital Center. He had multiple myeloma for 23 years.

Mr. Stirn was born in Delphos, Ohio, and grew up in Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. After serving in the Marine Corps, he worked at several Florida newspapers and at United Press International's Miami bureau.