Monday, May 28, 2007
Josephine D. CommisoDepartment Store Clerk
Josephine D. Commiso, 95, a longtime sales associate with the old Woodward & Lothrop department store, died May 25 at her home in Edgewater. She had Alzheimer's disease.
Mrs. Commiso was born Josephine Domenica Zagami in Washington and graduated from the old Business High School in the District.
She spent 41 years with Woodward & Lothrop, working primarily in the ladies' dresses department of the downtown flagship store. She won many awards for sales and customer service before she retired in 1989.
Mrs. Commiso lived in Washington until 1957, when she moved to Chillum and later to Adelphi and Edgewater. She was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Davidsonville.
She enjoyed reading and spending time at the beach with her family.
Her husband, Louis A. Commiso, whom she married in 1938, died in 1961.
Survivors include a daughter, Mary Lou Commiso of Edgewater.
Robert LeighCIA EmployeeRobert Leigh, 83, a longtime staff member of the CIA, died May 23 at Civista Medical Center in La Plata. He had Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Mr. Leigh, who lived with a caretaker in Waldorf, was born in New York and grew up in Washington. He served in the Army during World War II and received campaign ribbons for service in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
He joined the CIA in the late 1940s and held various classified positions until his retirement in 1979.
He was a member of several bowling leagues.
His wife of more than 35 years, Felicia Bradford Leigh, died in 1986.
Mr. Leigh's companion of about 10 years, Lucille Hood, died in 1999.
Survivors include three children from his marriage, Deborah Leigh of Upper Marlboro, Gary Leigh of Forestville and Kevin Leigh of Washington; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Anna Louise Sine TresekLibrary of Congress EmployeeAnna Louise Sine Tresek, 86, who worked at the Library of Congress for 33 years and was active in employee groups there, died May 22 of cancer at Southern Maryland Hospital Center. She was a resident of Temple Hills.
She was born in Richmond County, N.C., and grew up in Frederick area. She worked in the private sector in the Washington area for five years before joining the Library of Congress and attending night school.
Mrs. Tresek retired from the Library of Congress in the 1970s after having worked in several divisions and three departments -- administrative, reference and processing. She participated in the Library of Congress choral society, volunteered with the string quartet concerts and was a member of the library's cooking club for many years.
Mrs. Tresek served on the home front during World War II, rolling bandages for the surgical unit of the American Red Cross. She also was a junior hostess with the USO and a member of the Women's Voluntary Services and studied radio communication.
During that time, she started a pen-pal relationship with a woman from Melbourne, Australia, which was to last 64 years. Mrs. Tresek and her pen pal, Betty Martin, met once when Martin and her husband visited the United States.
Mrs. Tresek was a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, Chapter 1260; the Southern Maryland chapter of the American Antique Art Association; and the Evangelical Bible Class Association.
She was a member of Epworth and Ryland Epworth United Methodist churches in Washington.
Mrs. Tresek enjoyed people, reading, her home and gardening. She also liked traveling, which she did early on with her childhood friend, Sonia Dyer.
Survivors include her husband of 55 years, William Tresek of Temple Hills; a son, William Bradley Tresek of Temple Hills; three brothers, Charles W. Sine Jr. of Middletown, Donald W. Sine of Belleair Bluffs, Fla., and Douglas W. Sine of Walkersville; and two sisters, Bettymae Sine of Frederick and Virginia Sine Edges of Silver Spring.
Daniel M. O'Connell Jr.Real Estate LawyerDaniel Michael O'Connell Jr., 65, who specialized in real estate and commercial law in Fauquier County for 36 years, died of cancer May 8 at his home in Warrenton.
Mr. O'Connell was born in Ithaca, N.Y., and grew up on a farm in upstate New York. He graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. He received a law degree from George Washington University in 1967, where he did editorial work for Whiteman's Digest of International Law.
From 1968 until 1971, Mr. O'Connell served in the U.S. Agency for International Development, administering the U.S. foreign aid program. He traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia, and was headquartered in Saigon in 1968 and 69.
After deciding to leave the State Department and enter private practice, Mr. O'Connell moved from McLean to Warrenton, where he joined the firm of Carroll Martin.
In 1976, he and fellow attorney George Mayhugh founded a new firm, O'Connell & Mayhugh. Mr. O'Connell's legal specialties also included commercial and real estate litigation and appeals. He had a reputation for taking on tough cases and arguing them aggressively.
During his career, he argued appeals before the Supreme Court of Virginia and numerous federal district and circuit court of appeals.
Mr. O'Connell also served in several appointed and elected positions over the years, including secretary of the Fauquier County Electoral Board; member of the Warrenton Town Council; and chairman of the Fauquier County Water and Sanitation Authority.
Recently, he was on a panel discussion organized by the Fauquier Times-Democrat addressing the shortage of affordable housing in Fauquier.
He was also a member of the Virginia Bar Association and the Northern Virginia Building Industries Association.
Mr. O'Connell enjoyed his family farm in Madison County, near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Estes O'Connell of Warrenton, whom he married in 1969; two children, Daniel Michael O'Connell III of Los Angeles and Lauren O'Connell Buckley of Washington; a brother; and a grandson.