Obituaries

Monday, March 19, 2007

Walter J. StuartSenior Executive Service Official

Walter J. Stuart, 80, a retired Senior Executive Service official who headed sections and divisions of five federal agencies, died of complications of cancer March 8 at his home in Las Vegas.

He lived in the Washington area for nearly 50 years before moving from Arlington to Nevada in 2001.

Mr. Stuart, a former English and math teacher, worked in computer science, management science, software engineering and economics research during a 22-year career in the Senior Executive Service.

The agencies for whom he worked were the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the old U.S. Office of Education, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the Federal Housing Administration and the National Credit Union Administration.

After retiring from the civil service in 1980, he spent three years as president of Christendom Education Corp., the corporate arm of Christendom College in Front Royal, Va. He also worked for Martin Marietta, CACI and Catholic University, where he was an adjunct instructor in business administration.

A son of a Marine Corps officer, Mr. Stuart was born on the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. After attending the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School during World War II, he studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spent several years in Rhode Island as a postulant with the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

He helped establish Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Va., but left there to attend George Washington University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English in 1955, a master's degree in mathematics in 1961 and a doctorate in business administration in 1971.

He taught English and math at the Landon School for Boys from 1956 to 1959 and worked as a research psychologist at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare from 1959 to 1961.

His first wife, Kathleen Stuart, died in 1999 after 43 years of marriage. A son, John D. Stuart, died in 2003.

Survivors include his wife of six years, Norma Estrada Silos Stuart of Las Vegas; four children from his first marriage, Mary H. Stuart of Bethesda, Joseph W. Stuart of Chantilly, Ann M. Corkery of Manassas and Sheila T. Ziesemer of Annandale; five stepchildren, Carolyn Medina of Honolulu, Cheryll Sweeney of Frederick, Edgar Silos of Oxon Hill, Christine Silos of Columbia and Jane Silos of Silver Spring; and 17 grandchildren.

Ozsella CheavesNurse

Ozsella "Mack" Cheaves, 69, a nurse at St. Elizabeths Hospital, died after a heart attack March 9 at Greater Southeast Community Hospital. She lived in Forestville.

Mrs. Cheaves worked at St. Elizabeths for 12 years and for 30 previous years worked at the D.C. Village, Providence Hospital and what is now known as Greater Southeast Community Hospital.

She was born in Lake City, Fla., and moved to the Washington area in 1960. Her husband, Ulysses E. Cheaves, died in 1994.

Survivors include two children, Carmelene E. Williams of Temple Hills and Markus P. Cheaves of Forestville; three sisters, Rosetta P. Hill of Silver Spring, Betty Jean Scruggs of Augusta, Ga., and Barbara Jean Sydnore of Augusta; a brother, Arthur Haynes Jr. of Clinton; and a granddaughter.

Betsy Smith DolanArtist, Teacher

Betsy Smith Dolan, 81, an artist, died of respiratory failure March 13 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. She lived in Silver Spring.

Mrs. Dolan, who worked in oil and watercolor, taught art at Montgomery Blair High School for several years in the 1960s. She won several awards for her own work in juried shows at the Woman's Club in Chevy Chase. Her work was also shown at banks in the area over the years.

She was born in Pittsburgh and moved to the Washington area as a girl. She graduated from Holy Trinity High School in Georgetown and Immaculata Junior College. After attending Mary Washington College, she graduated from the University of Maryland.

She was a member of the Woman's Club of Chevy Chase, the Chevy Chase Women's Republican Club and the Christ Child Society of Washington, where she also volunteered. She was also a founding member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kensington.

Two sons predeceased her: Dennis Patrick Dolan in 1999 and Diane Cecil Dolan in 1964.

Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Douglas Crane Dolan of Silver Spring; three children, Douglas Crane Dolan Jr. and David Gregory Dolan, both of Chevy Chase, and Deirdre Eileen Dolan Douglass of Conyers, Ga.; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Michael C. PeekArmy Sergeant

Michael C. Peek, 23, an Army sergeant on his second tour in Iraq, died when an improvised explosive device was detonated beside his Humvee on March 3 in Baghdad.

Sgt. Brandon A. Parr and Sgt. Ashly L. Moyer were also killed in the explosion.

Sgt. Peek was born in Silver Spring. He attended grade school in Bowie and graduated from high school in Norfolk. In response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he enlisted in the Army, joining his brother, Justin M. Peek, and uncle John A. Hudak.

He graduated from boot camp in 2002 and left for Europe, where he was assigned to the 630th Military Police Company based in Bamberg, Germany. In 2003, he began a year-long tour in Kosovo, then volunteered for a year in Iraq in 2004. He left for his second tour of Iraq in June 2006.

His commander during his first tour in Iraq, Maj. Will McKannay, said that Sgt. Peek was well loved and determined to do his duty well.

"His terrific attitude, motivation and care for his fellow soldiers were always a breath of fresh air for us in this unstable and arduous time of war," McKannay wrote in an online memorial for Sgt. Peek. "For that I am truly thankful. His attributes as a soldier and human being will provide strength and direction for all of us."

In addition to his brother, survivors include his fiancee, Melanie Link of Wuerzburg, Germany; his mother, Katharin Jordan, and his stepfather, Steve Jordan, of Smithfield, Va.; and his father, Floyd Peek of Boise, Idaho.

Vance H. HudginsMarine Officer, Energy Official

Vance H. "Hudge" Hudgins, 87, a Marine Corps colonel who became a top official at the Department of Energy, died March 4 of cerebrovascular disease and complications of diabetes at Asbury Methodist Village in Gaithersburg, where he had lived for the past four years.

Col. Hudgins was born in Spartanburg, S.C., and graduated in 1941 from the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the South Pacific during World War II before being transferred back to the United States to train as a Marine aviator.

Based in the South Pacific, he flew 97 missions during the war. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, four Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Air Medals.

In 1950, Col. Hudgins received a master's degree in engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He was then assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, where he worked on atomic weapons projects. He served in the Korean War and later held executive positions at Quantico Marine Base and at a Marine base in California.

His final tour of duty was as commanding officer of the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan. While there, Col. Hudgins helped provide supplies, medical assistance, toys and games for more than 1,000 Japanese orphans who lived near the base.

After retiring from the Marine Corps in 1967, Col. Hudgins became director of international affairs for what later became the Department of Energy. He visited 56 countries during his 20 years as a DOE official and helped negotiate international treaties for the safekeeping of nuclear materials.

From 1987 to 1995, he was a senior engineering officer at Meridian Corp., a Falls Church research and development firm.

Col. Hudgins, a longtime resident of Rockville, was a deacon and a member of the board of deacons of First Baptist Church in Bethesda. He volunteered to feed the homeless and participated in other volunteer activities through his church.

His wife of 58 years, Helen Hudgins, died in 2001.

Survivors include three children, Doris Hudgins Gaudette of Seattle and H. Pamela Hudgins and Vance F. Hudgins, both of Beltsville; and two grandchildren.

Jonathan Vladislav SchwartzBiologist, Museum Employee

Jonathan Vladislav "Vlad" Schwartz, 42, a biologist, historical reenactor, museum employee and coffeehouse worker, died of kidney cancer March 4 at his home in Aquasco.

Mr. Schwartz was born in Boston and raised in Newton, Mass. He graduated from New College of Florida in Sarasota. He joined the Peace Corps and worked in the Philippines from 1987 to 1990 and then worked at the Pakkret Home for Crippled Children in Thailand.

When he returned to the United States in 1992, Mr. Schwartz worked as a field biologist for the Loon Preservation Committee of the Audubon Society of New Hampshire and for the National Park Service.

He moved to Washington in 1993 to work at the Old Post Office Pavilion and later at the National Zoo. He also trained for museum curatorship at George Washington University, interning at the Smithsonian Institution. He worked at Franklyn's Coffee House near his home until illness caused him to retire in 2001.

During his college years, Mr. Schwartz volunteered for historical reenactments at the Saugus Ironworks National Historical Site in Massachusetts, playing a wheelwright and blacksmith. He was also a science fantasy fan and game player. He took great pride in designing, planting and maintaining the gardens at his farm in Aquasco, and he helped organize spring and fall plant swaps in Southern Maryland.

Survivors include his partner, Eric Gangloff of Aquasco, and his parents, Lowell and Karlene Schwartz of Boylston, Mass.

Carl John FlepsMarine Brigadier General

Carl John Fleps, 92, a Marine brigadier general, died of complications from Parkinson's disease Feb. 28 at Virginia Hospital Center. He lived in McLean.

Gen. Fleps was born in Youngstown, Ohio. After his high school graduation in 1932, he enlisted in the Navy. While serving on the battleship West Virginia, he was admitted to the U.S. Naval Academy. At Annapolis, he was a member of the school's boxing and football teams. He graduated in 1938 and requested a commission in the Marine Corps.

He was en route from the Philippines to the United States via Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked, sinking the West Virginia, among other ships. Gen. Fleps served in the Pacific theater during World War II, eventually as a transport squadron commanding officer in the Solomon Islands campaign. One of his subordinates, with whom he kept in touch after the war, was Lt. Richard M. Nixon.

During the Korean War, Gen. Fleps commanded a Marine transport squadron based in Japan, flying missions supporting Marine Corps operations on the peninsula. In 1953, he led the first trans-Pacific flight of Fairchild "Flying Boxcars," departing San Francisco for Atami, Japan.

He was a graduate of the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School and the Air War College, where he also served on the faculty. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1956. His military decorations included the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal.

Gen. Fleps became a vice president of Greyhound Corp. and later the Dial Corp. During the 1960 presidential campaign, he led the Maryland volunteer group for Nixon-Lodge and participated in a televised debate against a representative for the John F. Kennedy campaign.

He retired from Dial in 1979 and then worked at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington for a year.

He was a member of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Marine Corps Aviation Association, the Retired Officers Association and Army-Navy Country Club.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Josephyne Waples Fleps of McLean; three children, Christina Fleps Hardwick of Washington, John J. Fleps of Southlake, Tex., and Peter C. Fleps of Evanston, Ill.; and seven grandchildren.

Edna W. SnyderState Department Employee

Edna W. Snyder, 97, an administrative assistant and accountant with the State Department, died of respiratory failure March 8 at her home in Silver Spring, where she lived for 50 years.

Mrs. Snyder was born in Pea Ridge, Ark., and graduated from a business college in Fayetteville, Ark. She worked with the Arkansas Department of Education before moving to Washington in 1934.

She did secretarial and statistical work with the Civilian Conservation Corps and transferred to the old U.S. Office of Higher Education in 1942. A year later, she moved to the State Department. She left in 1944 to raise her family.

In 1945, Mrs. Snyder and her family moved to the Cavalier Hotel on 14th Street NW, where she worked as secretary, bookkeeper and telephone operator while her husband managed the building.

She returned to the State Department in 1959 and was an assistant accountant in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs when she retired in 1973.

She enjoyed traveling.

Her husband of 31 years, Charles Snyder, died in 1973.

Survivors include two children, Robert Snyder of Damascus and Mary White of Silver Spring; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.