Monday, July 16, 2007
Rodney Theodore MillerNavy Veteran, Drug Researcher
Rodney Theodore Miller, 82, a Navy veteran who later worked for drug manufacturers, died July 4 at his home in Rockville. He had Parkinson's disease.
Mr. Miller was born in Meadville, Pa., and joined the Navy in World War II. He survived the grounding and abandonment of his ship near Okinawa, Japan, in 1945. He served 20 years in the Navy as a chief hospital medic, retiring in 1962 as an X-ray instructor at what is now the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda.
He then worked with Flow General Inc. and later McKesson BioServices in Rockville, assisting with the development of medications in conjunction with the National Cancer Institute. He retired in 1998.
Mr. Miller collected stamps and coins and was an avid reader.
Survivors include his wife of more than 60 years, Marcella Miller of Rockville; five children, Robert Miller of Folly Beach, S.C., Rodney Miller Jr. of Ijamsville, Barbara Dillon of Jefferson, Cathy Miller of Rockville and Thomas Gannon-Miller of Charles Town, W.Va.; one brother; two sisters; 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Laimons EglitisArtist, Professor
Laimons Eglitis, 77, an artist who taught at the Catonsville campus of the Community College of Baltimore County and at the Maryland Institute College of Art, died July 8 of cancer at his home in Catonsville.
Mr. Eglitis was born in Latvia and immigrated to Philadelphia in his youth. He was a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia and received a master's degree in art from Temple in 1971.
He worked as an engineer for Link-Belt, a construction equipment manufacturer, for many years at a plant outside Philadelphia.
In 1971, Mr. Eglitis moved to Catonsville and taught at the community college and art institute until he was almost 70.
His paintings won many prizes over the years, and his work is represented in museums and private collections all over the world. He was known for his semi-abstract works and his paintings of the female figure.
He was active in Latvian American cultural circles and was a member of e Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church of Washington in Rockville.
Survivors include his wife of 43 years, Gunta Eglitis of Catonsville; a daughter, Kristine Des Marais of Bronxville, N.Y.; and two grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Marcelle VandendriesscheAssociation Comptroller
Marcelle Vandendriessche, 83, a former comptroller with a trade association, died July 9 of a stroke at his daughter's home in Rockville. He had lived in Wheaton for 49 years.
Mr. Vandendriessche was comptroller of the National Association of Home Builders for 25 years until retiring in 1981. He had previously held a similar position with a paint manufacturers' association.
He was born in Detroit and attended high school in Florida, where he was an outstanding basketball player. He served with the Navy in the Pacific during World War II.
After the war, he settled in Washington and graduated from Strayer University, with a concentration in accounting.
He was a member of St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church in Wheaton.
His wife of 57 years, Gloria Vandendriessche, died in 2005.
Survivors include two children, Alan Vandendriessche of Annapolis and Karen Brody of Rockville; a brother, Dean Vandendriessche of Rockville; a sister, Mary Louise Collinsworth of Avon Park, Fla.; and six grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Ellis B. KliozeIRS Manager, Volunteer
Ellis B. Klioze, 103, a former manager with the Internal Revenue Service and a longtime volunteer at Holy Cross Hospital, died July 3 of complications from dementia at Holy Cross Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Burtonsville, where he lived for the past five years. He had previously lived in Silver Spring.
Mr. Klioze was born in Poland and came to Baltimore with his family as a toddler. After graduating from high school, he joined the IRS, where he managed an office of 135 employees and helped develop tax guidelines. He retired in the 1960s after 45 years with the agency.
While working at the IRS, he enjoyed taking lunchtime strolls to watch the construction of new buildings. He did this so often that he was given his own hard hat and the honorary title of "sidewalk superintendent."
In 1984, Mr. Klioze began to volunteer with Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. In the next 18 years, he rode three buses to reach the hospital and logged more than 25,500 hours as a volunteer. He received the Montgomery County Path of Achievement award as well as awards from the president and the governor of Maryland.
He enjoyed travel, opera and bowling.
His wife of 55 years, Rae Klioze, died in 1984.
Survivors include a daughter, Devorah Rubin of Derwood; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Michael Thomas LescaultUnion Official
Michael Thomas Lescault, 60, the deputy executive director of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, died July 3 of a carotid aneurysm at Prince George's Hospital Center. He lived in Cheverly.
Mr. Lescault had worked as a labor advocate since 1975. He was a union organizer with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in New Hampshire. In 1980, he joined the AFL-CIO African American Labor Center and lived in Botswana and Lesotho, advising trade unions in those countries and South Africa.
He moved to the Washington area in 1986 and continued working with the AFL-CIO. He was the union's European liaison, based in Paris, from 1995 to 1998.
Since 1998, he had worked with the Solidarity Center as director of program reporting and evaluation. He was named deputy executive director in December.
Mr. Lescault was born in Holyoke, Mass., studied at Drew University in New Jersey and was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts. He served in the Army and was a Vietnam veteran. He received a master's degree in labor and industrial relations from Cornell University in 1975.
Survivors include his wife of 39 years, Liz Lescault of Cheverly; a son, Matthew Lescault of Riverdale Park; his mother, Ellie Lescault of Holyoke; and four brothers, Guy Lescault of Washington and Atlanta, Tom Lescault of Phoenix, Jim Lescault of Springfield, Mass., and John Lescault of Silver Spring.
-- Matt Schudel
Peter S. KoromilasCIA Officer
Peter S. Koromilas, 78, a former CIA officer and chief of four stations in Europe and the Middle East, died of cancer June 10 at Manor Care nursing home in Bethesda.
Mr. Koromilas worked for the CIA for 37 years, with 29 of those years spent overseas. He spent his first years in Greece, arriving just after the country's civil war, and became one of the agency's foremost experts on Greece. He remained involved in the CIA's work in Greece, both from Athens and from his posts in Washington, through 1973.
He was born in Dover, N.H., and graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts. He did postgraduate work in chemistry at the University of New Hampshire, joining the government in 1951. He retired from the CIA in 1988 and was awarded the Intelligence Medal of Merit for operational excellence.
He then worked about two years for News America Publishing Inc., collecting information for the Daily Intelligence Brief, a faxed publication for businesses.
Mr. Koromilas was fluent in Greek and had a working knowledge of French, German, Dutch and Arabic. He was a 50-year member of the American Chemical Society, and the Meridian House International, as well as in organizations of former CIA agents. He enjoyed philosophy, art, music, swimming, fishing and hunting, as well as a good game of poker.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Mary-Anne Kuttn Koromilas of Washington; two children, Paula K. Robyn of Weston, Conn., and Spencer P. Koromilas of Montreal; and five grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Lucille Edith RoderickChina Painter, Designer
Lucille Edith Roderick, 90, an artist who painted china and taught art at Georgetown University and in her home, died of cancer June 15 at Reading Hospital in Pennsylvania. She had lived in Wyomissing, Pa., since 2000.
She was a certified artist and teacher in international porcelain who taught china painting for more than 45 years. Before moving to Wyomissing, she had lived in Falls Church for more than 50 years.
She was the founder and owner of Lucille's Art Studio and House of China there for 30 years until 2000.
Mrs. Roderick also was a clothing designer, entrepreneur, horticultural designer and volunteer at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Falls Church, where she lived for more than 50 years.
She was born in Enfield, Maine, and graduated from Thomas Business College in Maine and Ben Franklin University in Washington. She also graduated from design schools in Maine and Washington.
As a horticultural designer, she won an award from the American Rose Society for her rose gardens in Falls Church. In Reading, she assisted as a floral designer for Garden of Angels Florist.
Her husband, Ernest J. Roderick, died in 1998.
Survivors include two children, David E. Roderick of Eugene, Ore., and Frances Heather A. Lutz of West Reading, Pa.; a sister; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb
Stephen Wayne RawlingsCensus Employee
Stephen Wayne Rawlings, 62, a retired Census Bureau employee and community volunteer, died of frontotemporal dementia July 12 at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He lived in Washington and St. Davids Church, Va.
Mr. Rawlings worked for the Census Bureau from 1977 to 1995 after a brief stint at the agency early in his career.
He was born in Brady, Tex., and moved to Washington in 1967 after graduating from the University of Texas.
He served on the staff of Sen. Ralph Yarborough (D-Tex.) and was a research analyst with the U.S. Commission on Population Growth and the American Future, the Rural Housing Alliance and Rural America.
His love of travel and adventure took him to Australia, where he lived for two years and worked in research and development at the Melbourne Board of Works.
In Washington, he was a volunteer at Washington National Cathedral, worked with Meals on Wheels and helped at Food and Friends. In the Shenandoah Valley, he volunteered time to the Shenandoah Valley Music Festival and the Shenandoah County Historical Society. He liked hiking with family and friends on the trails of national parks and national forests. He also enjoyed gardening.
Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Brenda Rawlings of Washington and St. Davids Church; a sister; and a brother.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Franklin G. BabbittNavy Captain
Franklin Goodspeed "Smiley" Babbitt, 84, a naval captain in the submarine service and naval intelligence, died June 26 at Sunrise assisted living in Oakton. He had Alzheimer's disease.
Capt. Babbitt, a native of Rushford, N.Y., attended Houghton College before receiving a congressional appointment to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He graduated in 1945, part of an accelerated Class of 1946 during World War II. He served aboard numerous submarines, including the Spinax, Volador, Chivo Balao and Thornback.
In 1961, he became an assistant naval attache in Moscow, followed by postings in the Washington area and abroad. From 1973 to 1975, Capt. Babbitt managed 16 defense and attache offices in western and southern Europe. He retired from the Navy in 1975.
He spent his remaining years as a gentleman farmer, historian and genealogical researcher. He enjoyed tailgating parties at Navy football games.
His first two wives died: Norma Babbitt died in 1977 and Frances Anne Babbitt died in 1988.
Survivors include his wife of seven years, Suzanne Babbitt of Oakton; two children from his first marriage, Melissa Crane of Atlanta and David Babbitt of Waco, Tex.; five stepchildren, Sara Bishop of Morgantown, W.Va., Jessica Herschenroder of Centreville, Carrie Newcome of Fairfax County and Cornelius Arthur McCauley Jr. and Clinton McCauley, both of Herndon; and eight grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan