Obituaries

Friday, November 24, 2006

Bennett Willis Jr.Justice Department Official

Bennett Willis Jr., 90, a retired Justice Department lawyer and director of its Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, died Nov. 16 at Inova Fairfax Hospital after a heart attack.

Mr. Willis began his federal career in the early 1940s as an FBI special agent in counterintelligence based in New York City. He joined the Justice Department in the 1950s as a trial lawyer and later was chief of the management office. He retired in the late 1970s.

On one Justice Department assignment in the late 1950s, he chaired an inter-agency committee on internal security that was part of the National Security Council.

In retirement, he briefly worked as a real estate agent in Northern Virginia. He also submitted amusing anecdotes and published gaffes to newspapers and magazines.

Mr. Willis was born in New York and raised in Washington. He was a graduate of Western High School in the District and George Washington University's law school.

His memberships included the Fairfax County Crime Commission and the United World Federalists, an organization advocating international cooperation.

He was a former board member of the Boys Clubs of Washington and a charter member of the World Peace Through Law Center. He was a delegate to the law center's 1967 world conference in Geneva.

Last year, he moved to the Greenspring Village retirement community in Springfield from his longtime home in McLean.

Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Jane Boland Willis of Springfield; and a son, James B. Willis of McLean.

Eugene Dennis Corkery Sr.USIA Officer

Eugene Dennis Corkery Sr., 85, a former U.S. Information Agency officer, died of aortic stenosis Oct. 31 at his Bethesda home.

Mr. Corkery worked for the USIA for 27 years, and his last position was deputy director of the U.S. Pavilion in Poznan, Poland. After his retirement in 1980, he became president of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase chapter of what was then the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, a job he held until 1990.

Born in Binghamton, N.Y., to Irish immigrant parents, Mr. Corkery joined the Marine Corps in 1940. He served during World War II in the invasion of Tinian in the Marshall Islands and landed at Guadalcanal as well. After his discharge in 1947, Mr. Corkery received a bachelor's degree in international relations from American University.

Mr. Corkery was an election judge in Montgomery County for many years and a 54-year member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians as well as past president of the John Barry Division and the D.C. state board. He was a member of the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, where he served as an Aramathian and usher. On St. Patrick's Day, he would usher at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Washington.

Survivors include his wife of 49 years, Mary Corkery of Bethesda; 10 children, Kevin Corkery, Brian Corkery, Eugene Corkery Jr., Gary Corkery, Mari Corkery, Kathleen Carrington, Carolyn Corkery and Anne Corkery, all of Bethesda, Patrick Corkery of Kensington and Barry Corkery of Derwood; and 10 grandchildren.

Arthur BariDiamond Setter

Arthur Bari, 93, a diamond setter who had a shop in Baltimore for many years, died Nov. 15 of respiratory failure caused by pneumonia at the National Lutheran Home in Rockville. He was a Rockville resident.

Mr. Bari was born Attilio Dante Barisciano in Brooklyn, N.Y., the youngest of six children in an immigrant family from Castellaneta, Italy. Because he was the only child in the family born in the United States, he was known to relatives as "the American."

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at what was then the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, intending to be an engineer, but the Depression thwarted those plans.

He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933, five days after the program was created as a way to provide training and jobs for young Americans. After a few weeks at Camp Dix, N.J., as it was then known, he was transferred in a boxcar to Washington state, where he helped blaze fire trails on the slopes of Mount Rainier.

He learned diamond cutting through a formal apprentice program and moved to the Baltimore-Washington area when his wife got a job in Washington with the Census Bureau. A master craftsman, he opened his diamond-setting shop on West Fayette Street in downtown Baltimore in 1940 and changed his name to Arthur Bari, which was easier to spell in business.

Determined to fight the fascists during World War II, he joined the Marine Corps despite being 30 years old and only 5 feet 4 inches tall. His Marine buddies called him "Pop" or "Shorty." Stationed in the Southwest Pacific, he participated in operations in the Bismarck Archipelago and in the consolidation of the Northern Solomons.

After the war, Mr. Bari returned to his diamond-setting shop. He moved his business to Reisterstown Road in the Baltimore suburbs in 1970, where he worked until his retirement in 1987.

During the war, as he lay on the deck of an aircraft carrier plowing across the Pacific at night, Mr. Bari became so intrigued by the countless stars twinkling above him that he became an amateur astronomer. He raised rhododendrons, was an accomplished amateur portrait photographer and loved classical music, especially chamber music. He also cooked delectable Italian dishes and enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends at the dinner table.

Mr. Bari's wife, Ruth Aronson Bari, died in 2005. A daughter, Judi Bari, died in 1997.

Survivors include two daughters, Gina Kolata of Princeton, N.J., and Martha Bari of Silver Spring; and four grandchildren.

Maurice Allen JacksonSchool Administrator

Maurice Allen Jackson, 79, a retired principal and administrator in the D.C. public school system, died Nov. 3 at Bethesda Health and Rehabilitation Center of complications from a stroke. He was a former Silver Spring resident.

Mr. Jackson was born in the District and graduated from Armstrong High School in 1945. He enrolled at Howard University, but his education was interrupted by Army service. After his discharge, he received his undergraduate degree in mechanical arts from West Virginia State College in 1950 and his master's degree in education administration from New York University in 1954.

He began his career in education as an industrial arts teacher at Birney Elementary School and later at Douglass Junior High School. He also taught social adjustment at Browne, Sousa and Hine junior high schools.

In the 1960s, he became assistant principal at Roosevelt High School and later returned to Sousa Junior High as principal. He became principal at Woodrow Wilson High School in 1970, serving for 10 years. He worked briefly in the office of the assistant superintendent of the D.C. school system before retiring in the early 1980s.

Mr. Jackson was a lifelong member of Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ in the District and volunteered at the Oasis Senior Center for the Homeless Aged and at homeless shelters. He was a co-founder of the APS assistant principals group, and his memberships included the Omega Psi Phi social fraternity.

An amateur photographer, he enjoyed shooting Washington's inaugurations, parades, dedications and protests. He never left home without his camera. He also took pictures on travels to Africa, Asia and Europe.

His marriages to Dorothy Marie Edwards Jackson and Barbara Elaine Brooks Jackson ended in divorce.

Survivors include a son from the first marriage, Blair Lamont Jackson of Silver Spring; a sister, Alfredda Hunt Payne of Silver Spring; and a grandson.

Eleanor K. MorrowTeacher, Political Activist

Eleanor Kinsella Morrow, 98, a teacher and Fairfax County political activist, died Nov. 19 at Goodwin House in Alexandria of complications from a stroke this year. She was a longtime resident of Annandale.

Mrs. Morrow was born near Rochester, N.Y., and grew up in Reno, Nev., and Berkeley, Calif., where she graduated from high school in 1925.

She attended the University of California at Berkeley for two years before moving east and receiving her undergraduate degree in business from Columbia University in 1929. She took graduate courses at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Chicago and Wesley Theological Seminary in the District and received a master's degree in education from George Washington University in 1960.

In the 1930s, she worked for the YWCA in York, Pa., and Brockton, Mass., assisting women employed in local businesses. She also was a caseworker for the Milwaukee County Board of Outdoor Relief.

She was a teacher at Woodburn Elementary School in Annandale from 1954 to 1959 and a part-time tutor and aide at Kimball Elementary School in the District from 1965 to 1970.

She was a member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee for more than 30 years, including three years as the committee's headquarters chairman.

She also was a member of the founding committee and the original board of the Northern Virginia Mental Health Association, a board member of the Fairfax Child Guidance Clinic and the Fairfax County Community Chest (now United Way), and an officer in local chapters of the Home Demonstration Club, the Mother's Club and, during World War II, the Red Cross Canteen Corps.

She was involved in various capacities with the PTA when her children were in school.

Mrs. Morrow was a member of Annandale United Methodist Church from 1939 until shortly before her death and served as a Sunday school teacher and as a member of the congregation's Council on Ministries.

Her husband, Malcolm Morrow, died in 1982.

Survivors include three children, Linda Cooper of Bowie, Marshall Morrow of Burke and Duncan Morrow of Springfield; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Dorothy Avlynne Carey HeimBank Officer

Dorothy Avlynne Carey Heim, 101, a longtime bank officer at National Savings and Trust Bank, died Oct. 23 of cardiopulmonary failure at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney. She was a resident of Leisure World in Silver Spring.

Mrs. Heim was born in the District and grew up in Frederick, where she attended Frederick High School before the family moved to Kensington.

Her first job was as a secretary to the secretary of Harry S. New, postmaster general in the 1920s. She spent the next 45 years at National Savings and Trust Bank, first as a secretary and retiring as an assistant vice president.

She was a working mother in the 1930s and 1940s, when working mothers were relatively uncommon, and belonged to the Business and Professional Women's Club Inc. She served the organization in several positions, including the presidency. She also was involved in a women's investment group called the 500 Club and balanced her checkbook to the penny until the day she died.

A lifelong traveler, she and a girlfriend flew in 1926 on one of the first commercial passenger airline flights, traveling to Philadelphia from what is now Reagan National Airport. She recalled that one early plane she flew in had wicker seats for the passengers.

At 98, she traveled to California to surprise her youngest daughter on her 70th birthday, and when she was nearly 100 she flew to Colorado for her granddaughter's wedding.

She was a member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Silver Spring and was a volunteer and supporter of the Salvation Army Women's Auxiliary.

Her husband, C. Edwin Heim, died in 1978.

Survivors include two daughters, Mary Avlynne H. Goodwin of Silver Spring and Nancy H. Maloney of Bakersfield, Calif.; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.