Obituaries

Donald CarmichaelCIA Officer

Donald Carmichael, 85, a former undercover operative for the CIA, died May 10 of emphysema at his home in Palm Beach, Fla.

Mr. Carmichael, who was born in Asheville, N.C., moved to Washington as a boy and graduated from the former Devitt Preparatory School. He was a congressional page in his teens and led a dance band in high school.

He served as a Navy pilot during World War II, then settled in Colombia for several years, operating a cargo airline. He transported orchids to Miami and used amphibious airplanes to take livestock and other cargo to inland locations in Colombia. Political turmoil beginning in 1948 forced the airline to disband.

Mr. Carmichael joined the Central Intelligence Agency about 1950 and was an undercover operative in Colombia, Thailand, Hong Kong and other places in Asia and Latin America. He also served as assistant chief of covert action at CIA headquarters.

While stationed in Colombia, he organized an effort to build thousands of units of low-cost housing. After retiring from the CIA in 1975, he entered the construction business as the owner of Continental Homes. The company built moderate-income housing in Latin America and Africa with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The company was later sold.

After living in Washington for many years, Mr. Carmichael moved to Palm Beach in 1992 and started Carmichael Properties, a real estate investment firm. He was a founding director of Island National Bank in Florida, later absorbed by Wachovia.

He also served on the board of directors of the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach. At the chapel's annual fundraisers, Mr. Carmichael was known for his Linzer tortes.

He enjoyed the seafaring novels of Patrick O'Brian and organized costume parties that featured meals from the novels.

Mr. Carmichael enjoyed sailing and competed in ocean races. In 2000, he wrote an unpublished novel about his experiences with the CIA in Colombia.

His marriage to Nancy Carmichael ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 23 years, Anne P. Carmichael of Palm Beach; four children from his first marriage, Lisa F. Jackson and Ceci Carmichael, both of New York, Maggie McKay of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Dr. Donald C. Carmichael of Staunton, Va.; a brother; and seven grandchildren.

Ellen S. WeeksNavy WAVE, Homemaker

Ellen S. Weeks, 86, a former Navy WAVE, teacher and homemaker, died April 12 of congestive heart failure at Hilton Head Regional Medical Hospital in South Carolina.