Obituaries

-- Adam Bernstein

Constance Herreshoff GordonCollege Lecturer

Constance Herreshoff Gordon, 68, who lectured and conducted research at Trinity College and the University of Maryland, died of congestive heart failure Jan. 31 at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. She had lived in Silver Spring for 38 years.

Dr. Gordon taught education classes at Trinity from 1985 to 1990 and at U-Md. for the next decade. She wrote or co-wrote more than 30 papers, most on teaching methods for science and math.

She was born in Santa Rosa, Calif., and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She received a master's degree in elementary education from Boston University in 1969 and a doctorate in educational administration from U-Md. in 1983.

She taught elementary school in Montgomery County during the 1970s, first at East Silver Spring Elementary and later at Takoma Park Elementary. She went on to positions in research at U-Md. before teaching at the university level.

Dr. Gordon was a volunteer for Montgomery County's ombudsman program, helping residents at Fox Chase nursing home. She was an AARP volunteer, a graduate of Senior Leadership Montgomery and a member of Northwood Presbyterian Church in Silver Spring.

She enjoyed traveling, gardening and her book group, of which she had been a member for 35 years.

Her husband of 33 years, Glen Gordon, died in 1992.

Survivors include two children, Karl Gordon of Lothian and Christine Gordon of Bowie; a brother, James B. Herreshoff of Greenbelt; and two grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Bernice GutmannMedia Buyer

Bernice Gutmann, 90, a media buyer for an advertising company, died of pneumonia Feb. 5 at her home in Riderwood Village in Silver Spring.

Mrs. Gutmann moved to the Washington area about 23 years ago. She worked for the Earle Palmer Brown advertising agency for about eight years, until retiring in 1992. She had previously worked in the same capacity for another company in New York.

She was born in New York and graduated from Hunter College. In retirement, she enjoyed playing bridge.

Her husband, Harold Gutmann, died in 1956.

Survivors include a son, Peter Gutmann of Chevy Chase, and two grandsons.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Randall Arnold Hoffmann Jr.Economist

Randall Arnold Hoffmann Jr., 79, a retired economist with the U.S. Agency for International Development, died Feb. 4 at his home in Olney of cancer.

Dr. Hoffmann was born in Dickens, Iowa. He received a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics in 1950, a master's in economics in 1951 and a doctorate in economics in 1960, all from Iowa State University.

He was an Air Force officer from 1951 to 1954, serving for a year in Korea.

From 1962 to 1976, he was an agricultural economist at Iowa State University, with assignments in Argentina, Mexico, Panama and Peru. Still affiliated with the university, he was a project leader with the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta from 1981 to 1984.

He joined the U.S. Agency for International Development in 1986, working as an economist with the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development. He retired in 1995.

His marriage to Nia Hoffmann ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 22 years, Martha Hoffmann of Olney; two sons from his first marriage, Shane Hoffmann of Key West, Fla., and Wiley Hoffmann of Winthrop, Wash.; three children from his second marriage, Michele Hoffmann, Andrea Hoffmann and Randall Arnold Hoffmann III, all of Olney; two brothers; and five grandchildren.

-- Joe Holley

Henry J. JuenemannNIH Computer Official

Henry Joseph Juenemann, 81, who retired from the National Institutes of Health in 1984 as assistant director of the Division of Computer Research and Technology, died Jan. 22 at the Hospice of Volusia/Flagler in Port Orange, Fla. He had prostate cancer.

Mr. Juenemann joined NIH in 1961 after 11 years with the Air Force as a civilian employee working on mathematical modeling and computation of war plans.

A native of Washington, Mr. Juenemann was a 1944 graduate of Gonzaga College High School and a 1949 mathematics graduate of Georgetown University. He was an Army veteran of World War II.

He was a former president of the Potomac Valley League, a coalition of civic associations, and the Glen Echo Heights Citizens Association.

The Montgomery County Council appointed him to an advanced wastewater treatment committee and to a development advisory board.

He enjoyed camping, canoeing and backpacking and was active in conservation and preservation.

In recent years, he spent winters in Ormond Beach, Fla., and summers in Union Bridge, Md.

His marriage to Mary Julia Curley Juenemann ended in divorce. His second wife, Dorothy King Juenemann, died in 2001.

Survivors include four children from his first marriage, Henry J. "Joe" Juenemann Jr. of Bay Head, N.J., David C. Juenemann of Santa Cruz, Calif., and John L. Juenemann and Anne E. Moore, both of Washington; and six grandchildren.

-- Adam Bernstein

Ramona E. PainterHomemaker, Church Member

Ramona E. Painter, 79, a church member and homemaker, died of pulmonary fibrosis Feb. 4 at her home in Burke.

Mrs. Painter was a member of St. Stephen's United Methodist Church of Burke and the Woman's Club of Springfield.

She was born in East Brady, Pa., and moved to the Washington area 35 years ago. She enjoyed playing bridge.

Survivors include her husband, James A. Painter of Burke; three children, Sherry Painter of Galveston, Tex., Doug Painter of Las Cruces, N.M., and Stephanie Minor of Lorton; two brothers; and two grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Thornton "Doc" SafferPortfolio Manager

Thornton "Doc" Saffer, 69, who retired as a portfolio manager with the investment management firm Loomis, Sayles & Co. in 2002, died of pancreatic cancer Jan. 16 at his home in The Plains.

Mr. Saffer, a native of Middleburg, wrote a story about growing up in his home town called "It was Mostly Fun," a title that his family said could also be his life story. He wrote the memoir for his children, and it was later published as a fundraiser for a local community center.

The Middleburg Players turned it into a rollicking musical production, which was performed twice in 1998 and again last summer. Mr. Saffer had a cameo in the first show.

Mr. Saffer, who was known in the community as Doc, graduated from Staunton Military Academy, where he was a Prep All-American swimmer. He was awarded a swim scholarship to American University, where he received a bachelor's degree in business administration. While serving in the Army in the late 1950s, he was selected for the military Olympic swim team and was a medal winner.

He established the initial investment trust division of First Virginia Bank in the mid-1960s, which led to a career as a leading portfolio manager in the Washington office of Loomis, Sayles & Co. He worked there for 25 years.

Mr. Saffer was a board member of Middleburg Community Center and a volunteer for Seven Loaves, and he was actively involved in environmental and conservation issues.

Survivors include his wife, Carolyn Saffer of The Plains; two children, Maria S. Cobb of Richmond and Armistead T. Saffer of Aylett, Va.; a sister, Claudia Young of The Plains; a brother, Stuart Saffer of Laguna Beach, Calif.; and a grandson.

-- Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb

William G. Van MeterChamber Executive

William G. Van Meter, 89, a retired senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, died of aspiration pneumonia Feb. 4 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. He lived in Gaithersburg.

Mr. Van Meter worked for the organization, which lobbies on behalf of business, for 31 years. He started as a lawyer in its labor relations department in 1951 and became executive manager in 1972 and senior vice president in 1977. He retired in 1982.

He was born in Moorefield, W.Va. He graduated from Handley High School in Winchester, Va., and served in the Army during World War II in the European theater. He was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he graduated from George Washington University and received a law degree there in 1949.

He worked first for the National Institute of Municipal Law Officers in Winchester, then joined the chamber office in Washington.

He was a member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, where he founded several clubs and was an usher and lector. He was also a member of the American Society of Association Executives, the Association Executive Club and Manor Country Club.

Two children predeceased him, Julie A. Van Meter in 1977 and William G. Van Meter Jr. in 1987.

Survivors include his wife of 65 years, Bonnie J. Van Meter of Gaithersburg; five children, Bonnie J. Fanning of Gaithersburg, Robert H. Van Meter of Star Tannery, Va., Carol A. Cobbler of Silver Spring, Mary G. Brown of Germantown and Stephen R. Van Meter of Poolesville; a sister, Catharine V. Peterson of Alexandria; 14 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Lynda Jeanne WilliamsHead Start Associate

Lynda Jeanne Williams, 64, who worked for a Head Start program in San Francisco, died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease Feb. 3 at her Silver Spring home.

Ms. Williams was born in Washington. She graduated from Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda and the San Francisco Art Institute. She moved to Silver Spring in 1991.

She enjoyed collecting Japanese art and painting flowers on paper and cloth. She designed T-shirts for family and friends.

Survivors include four sisters, Judith Beery of San Francisco, Karen Radabaugh of Germantown, Carol Williams of Takoma Park and Donna Rowley of Beltsville; and a brother, Charles Williams of Rockville.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Buddy B. WoodAir Force Colonel, Analyst

Buddy Brooks Wood, 58, a retired Air Force colonel and analyst with Northrop Grumman, died of metastatic melanoma Jan. 23 at his home in Fairfax.

Mr. Wood was born in Corinth, Miss. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1971 and a master's in statistics in 1973, both from Mississippi State University.

He received an Air Force commission in 1973 and had assignments at the Sacramento Air Logistics Center; the Air Force Armaments Division at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.; the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the U.S. Air Force Academy; the Air Force Studies and Analyses Agency at the Pentagon; and the National Reconnaissance Office, where he directed the analysis center.

He also attended Squadron Officer's School and the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. After his tour at the Pentagon, he attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. While stationed at the Air Force Academy, he received the Harold Brown Research Award (1982) and was recognized as the Outstanding Instructor of the Year for 1983-84.

Retiring from active duty as a colonel in 1995, Mr. Wood joined TASC (later a business unit of Northrop Grumman), where he continued to support the National Reconnaissance Office and other intelligence agencies. He was a Northrop Grumman Technical Fellow in 2002.

From 2003 to 2006, he was an analyst with Science Applications International. His business card identified him as "analysis guru." Co-workers knew him as a man who invariably brought order to chaos.

Mr. Wood was a member of Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, where he served in the music ministry and on the elder board and taught Bible classes.

Survivors include his wife of 37 years, Penny S. Wood of Fairfax; two children, Wesley Wood and Wendy Wood, both of Reston; three brothers; two sisters; and a grandson.

-- Joe Holley