Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Richard P. PeatGeodesist
Richard P. Peat, 87, a retired employee of the Army Map Service, died Jan. 25 of complications from a stroke at Sky Lakes Medical Center in Klamath Falls, Ore.
He lived in the District for 28 years before moving to Palm Springs, Calif., in 1986 and then to Klamath Falls in 2007.
Mr. Peat was born in Lakeview, Ore. During World War II, he served as an Army infantry unit commander. He was wounded in France in 1944 and received the Purple Heart.
Returning to Oregon after the war, he received his undergraduate degree from Oregon State University in 1946. He also received a master's degree in geodesy from Ohio State University in 1967.
For about 10 years, he operated a 520-acre dairy farm in Lake County, Ore., before moving to Washington in 1958 to take a position with the agency now known as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He served as chief of the Geodesy Department and chief of the Department of Computer Services before retiring in 1986.
Mr. Peat's wife, Muriel Edith Hughes Peat, died in 1996.
Survivors include two daughters, Sandra Peat of Klamath Falls and Stephanie Peat of Falls Church.
-- Joe Holley
Lillian LeibovitchVA Administrative Aide
Geane Lillian Leibovitch, 89, a retired administrative aide at the Veterans Administration, died of pneumonia Feb. 3 at Maplewood Park Place in Bethesda.
Mrs. Leibovitch, a native Washingtonian, held a variety of federal jobs. She was a secretary to forensic pathologists at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, a stenographer in the House and Senate, a fiscal clerk for the War Department and an auditor at the General Accounting Office.
She retired in 1983 from the chief medical director's office in the VA's Department of Medicine and Surgery.
Born Golda Lillian Rosenbloth, she later changed her first name to Geane but was known as Lillian. She grew up in a rowhouse near Sixth and C Streets SW, close to her father's Pennsylvania Avenue hardware store.
Their home later was torn down for a parking lot, and the buildings across the street were replaced by the Longworth House Office Building in 1933.
She graduated from Central High School in Washington and the old Columbus University School of Accountancy. She played basketball on the Blue Stars team at the Jewish Community Center. She followed her first husband, an Army dentist, to various posts, including one in Japan.
She returned to Washington in 1954 and was active in charities, co-producing entertainment shows at the VA Hospital and the U.S. Soldiers' Home. She edited and illustrated the newsletter for the Silver Spring B'nai B'rith Women's Thrift Shop and was a former president of the VA's Toastmasters women's affiliate club.
She moved to Maplewood Park Place in Bethesda in 1997 and enjoyed dancing at resident parties, participating in club activities and writing for its newsletter.
Her first marriage, to Sidney Davidson, ended in divorce. She was later married for 21 years to Isidor Leibovitch, who died in 1996.
Survivors include four children from her first marriage, Elaine Davis of Bay Harbor, Fla., Sally Henning of North Canton, Ohio, Roberta Miller of Woodbine, Md., and Donald Davidson of Washington; three stepchildren, Norman Leibovitch of Shadyside, Md., Jack Leibovitch of Baltimore and Mel Leibovitch of New Carrollton; and three grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Richard Moy KeeEngineer
Richard Moy Kee, 79, an electrical engineer who worked on NASA space programs, died Jan. 22 of kidney failure at Suburban Hospital. He lived in Rockville.
Mr. Kee was born in Washington and graduated from McKinley Technical High School and from George Washington University.
He began his career as a civilian engineer with the Navy, working on instrumentation to help planes land on aircraft carriers. He later worked with the Army Signal Corps on developing the Nimbus satellite program for meteorological research.
In the early 1960s, Mr. Kee joined NASA and worked on the Mercury, Apollo and Viking space programs. He helped build the lunar landing research vehicle used on manned flights to the moon.
He joined the Department of Transportation in the 1970s and worked as an engineer and project manager until he retired in 1984.
For several years, Mr. Kee was president of the Moy Family Association, which benefits Chinese Americans in the Washington area descended from the Moy family. He assisted recent immigrants in obtaining social services and in adapting to American life.
In retirement, he worked on home improvement projects and enjoyed reading, movies and photography. He also collected watches and fountain pens.
He was a member of the Chinese Community Church of Washington.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, May Lee Kee of Rockville; six children, Kenneth Kee of Silver Spring, Constance McLaughlin of Boynton Beach, Fla., and Steven Kee, Thomas Kee, Nelson Kee and David Kee, all of Rockville; and seven grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Dorothy E. Holliday-CareyDry Cleaner
Dorothy E. Holliday-Carey, 44, who worked for the past 20 years at Carey's Cleaners in Lanham, died Jan. 18 of pneumonia at her home in Edgewater.
Mrs. Holliday-Carey, who was known as Dotsie, was born in Washington and grew up Mount Rainier.
She graduated from the International Fabricare Institute (now the Drycleaning & Laundry Institute International in Laurel) and received an award in a national spotting contest.
She also received specialized training in other dry-cleaning techniques, customer service and business analysis.
She enjoyed gardening, boating, music and playing with her dogs.
Survivors include her husband of eight years, Mike Carey of Edgewater; two stepdaughters, Brittany Carey of Annapolis and Pamela Waters of Savannah, Ga.; her mother, Kathleen Holliday of Laurel; a grandmother, Dorothy Ruley of Waldorf; three brothers, David Holliday of Princess Anne, Md., Darrell Holliday of Prince Frederick and Donnie Holliday of Canton, Ga.; two sisters, Donna Lane of Hurlock, Md., and Diane Martin of Fairmont, W.Va.; and a grandson.
-- Matt Schudel
Julia Martha CaseGenealogist
Julia Martha Case, 64, a genealogist who specialized in transcribing the records of Colonial Virginia, died of respiratory failure Feb. 13 at Inova Alexandria Hospital. She lived in Alexandria.
She was an instructor in the National Genealogical Society's home study course and was a trustee of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She wrote articles that appeared in numerous genealogy magazines and edited newsletters and e-zines in the field.
She was born in Pittsburgh and was a descendant of Elisha Clayton, a New Jersey man who served in the Revolutionary War. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She graduated from George Washington University and the NGS home study course and other genealogical seminars.
She worked as an executive secretary for the Cornell University School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Ithaca, N.Y. After settling in Alexandria in 1979, she was an executive secretary for the Steptoe and Johnson law firm in Washington.
Ms. Case was co-moderator of Prodigy Classic's Genealogy Interest Group and assistant systems operator of Genie's Genealogy RoundTable. She edited the RootsWeb Review e-zine.
She wrote for American Genealogy magazine, the Friends of the Virginia State Archives' Archive News and the Virginia Genealogical Society's Magazine of Virginia Genealogy. Her transcriptions of Henrico County's 1678-1693 record book appeared in the latter magazine from 1991 through 1998.
She was a member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, the Association for Gravestone Studies and numerous other genealogical organizations.
Her marriages to Glenn E. Hilburn and Daniel J. Wszolek ended in divorce.
Survivors include a daughter from her first marriage, Kristine Hilburn of Alexandria, and a grandson.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Lloyd M. CarterPhone Company Engineer
Lloyd M. Carter, 86, a retired mechanical engineer with Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., died Jan. 21 of complications of Alzheimer's disease at Renaissance Gardens at Seabrook, an assisted living facility in Tinton Falls, N.J.
A former Springfield resident, he moved to Shrewsbury, N.J., last year.
Mr. Carter was born in the District and graduated from Central High School. After working for a couple of years at the phone company, he served in the Army during World War II, doing radio repair and maintenance. He returned to the phone company in 1946 and worked as a mechanical engineer until his retirement in 1983.
He was a former member of Springfield Civitans and volunteered with the March of Dimes. He also was a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Springfield and what is now TelecomPioneers. He was an avid bike rider and enjoyed square dancing.
His wife, Louise I. Carter, died in 1994.
Survivors include a daughter, Carolyn C. Drewes of Shrewsbury, and a grandson.
-- Joe Holley
Daisy H. BoydD.C. Schools Librarian
Daisy Hawkins Boyd, 93, a D.C. public schools librarian who retired in the mid-1980s, died of kidney failure Feb. 15 at Rock Creek Manor Nursing Center in Washington.
Mrs. Boyd began working for the school system in the early 1960s and was a librarian at Miner and Rudolph elementary schools, among others.
She also taught night classes at D.C. Teachers College and Armstrong Adult Education Center. For several years during her teaching career, she also owned and operated an employment agency focused on black professionals.
She was born in Asheville, N.C., and raised in Washington, where she graduated from Dunbar High School. She had a degree in early childhood education from West Virginia State University.
Mrs. Boyd was a librarian at what is now Howard University's divinity school before joining the D.C. school system. She was a former director of what is now the National Congress of Black Women, and her memberships included the Order of the Eastern Star and Florida Avenue Baptist Church in Washington.
Her interests included attending theater and playing card games.
Her marriage to George Boyd ended in divorce.
Survivors include three children from the marriage, Leah Boyd and Gwendolyn E. Fair, both of Washington, and Harold S. Boyd of Arlington; a daughter from another relationship, Sharon R. Sims of Oxon Hill; 11 grandchildren; 25 great-grandchildren; and six great-great- grandchildren.
-- Adam Bernstein
Jean Wilson BreckenridgeSalon Manager
Jean Wilson Breckenridge, 81, a former manager at the Lord and Taylor department store at White Flint mall in North Bethesda, died of respiratory failure Feb. 16 at Sibley Memorial Hospital. She lived in Chevy Chase.
Mrs. Breckenridge was manager of the designer salon at the store from 1980 to 1986, when she retired. She had worked for Lord and Taylor in West Hartford, Conn., from 1968 until she moved to the Washington area in 1980.
She was born in Potsdam, N.Y., and attended the State University of New York in her home town. She moved to Bristol, Conn., in 1951 and raised her family while also volunteering in the community.
After her arrival in the Washington area, she became a founding member and docent at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and a member of the National Presbyterian Church and the Edgemoor Club in Bethesda.
A Francophile, she loved traveling to Europe and had a passion for fine food, gardens, Impressionism and fashion.
Survivors include her husband of 59 years, John B. Breckenridge of Chevy Chase; two daughters, Brooke Breckenridge Morton and Robin Breckenridge Stiner, both of Washington; a sister; and four grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan