Monday, March 10, 2008
Elizabeth Schmid BonfilsLawyer
Elizabeth Schmid Bonfils, 83, a longtime lawyer with the Department of Labor, died March 5 of pneumonia at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. She lived in Darnestown.
Mrs. Bonfils was born in Kansas City, Mo., and came to Washington in 1948 after graduating from law school at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. She worked with the Labor Department for seven years, then took time out to raise her seven children.
She returned to the Labor Department in 1966. Her responsibilities included enforcing child labor laws, maintaining workplace safety and drafting legislation. She retired in 1982.
Mrs. Bonfils lived in Washington before moving to Darnestown in 1967. She was a member of Our Lady of the Visitation Catholic Church in Darnestown. She had previously been a parishioner at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Washington and St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Gaithersburg.
She was a member of the Darnestown Civic Association, Toastmasters and the PTA.
Survivors include her husband of 57 years, Harry Bonfils of Darnestown; seven children, Thomas Bonfils of Detroit, Barbara Wholey of Kansas City, Mo., James Bonfils of Ashburn, Joanne Bonfils of Darnestown, Cecelia Bonfils of Gaithersburg, John Bonfils of Mount Airy and H. Frederick Bonfils, whose address is unknown; four sisters; and 15 grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel
Jonathan HallBiology Professor
Jonathan Hall, 96, a retired biology and science professor at Gallaudet University, died Feb. 10 of pneumonia at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. He lived in Wheaton.
Mr. Hall, whose father was the second president of Gallaudet, was born on campus in the president's house. He became proficient in American Sign Language, although he was not hearing-impaired.
He graduated from Eastern High School in 1930 and was interested in photography, science and motorcycles. After briefly attending the University of Maryland, he transferred to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., where he became captain of the fencing team. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1935. In 1937, he received a master's degree in deaf education from Gallaudet.
Mr. Hall began teaching science and drawing classes at Gallaudet in 1938 and was named a professor of natural sciences in 1942. He taught biology and science courses until he retired in 1977.
He took his students on field trips to collect specimens and made visual aides to help in his classroom presentations, including filmstrips and home movies demonstrating scientific principles.
Mr. Hall was a member of the National Space Society. He lived in Kensington for years before moving to Wheaton in the 1980s.
His wife of 59 years, Aileen Boutilier Hall, died in 2004.
Survivors include four children, Peter Hall of Wheaton, Stephanie Hall of Takoma Park, Geoffrey Hall of Austin and Jessica Zoe Hall of Silver Spring; and a granddaughter.
-- Matt Schudel
Kathleen Binet FitzpatrickHomemaker, Church Member
Kathleen Binet Fitzpatrick, 88, a homemaker who nearly every day for the past 15 years lunched at the Nordstrom store in Tysons Corner, died of congestive heart failure Feb. 23 at the Hospice of Northern Virginia in Arlington County.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick lived in McLean for the past 50 years and was a member of St. John the Beloved Catholic Church there. She enjoyed walking at Tysons Corners Center and was well-known luncheon guest at the Nordstrom restaurant.
She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Seattle. She attended the University of Seattle, then married a naval officer and accompanied him to posts across the country, eventually making their home in McLean.
Mrs. Fitzpatrick was a pianist, composer, artist and, in her youth, an accomplished figure skater.
Survivors include her husband, retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Fitzpatrick of McLean; six children, Kathleen Stewart of Kings Point, N.Y., Tara Echevarria of Arlington, Francis Fitzpatrick of Annandale, Brigid Ruland of Richboro, Pa., Moira Johnston of Solomons, Md., and Michael Fitzpatrick of Arcola; 17 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and a great-great-grandson.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Walter Solomon RothschildCIA Intelligence Officer
Walter Solomon Rothschild, 81, a Jewish refugee from prewar Germany who became a CIA agent, died of lung cancer March 8 at his home in Rockville.
Mr. Rothschild was born in Duedelsheim, Germany, and as a 12-year-old immigrated with his family to the United States just three weeks before Kristallnacht, a Nazi-backed pogrom against Jews in Germany, in November 1938.
The family settled in Boston, and Mr. Rothschild graduated from Harvard University with bachelor's and master's degrees in history. He joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1951 and, fluent in German, worked as an intelligence officer in Germany and the United States. He retired in 1968.
A resident of the Potomac area since 1977, he was a member of Temple Beth Ami in Rockville. He was an omnivorous reader; his fingers were often blackened by his daily habit of reading newspapers, his family said.
Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Elyse Stern Rothschild of Rockville; three children, Andrea Beth Rothschild of Los Angeles, Eric Jonathan Rothschild of Philadelphia and David Mark Rothschild of Washington; and four grandchildren.
-- Patricia Sullivan
Herman TravisEconomist
Herman Travis, 86, an economist who specialized in manpower and trade issues at the Labor Department, died Feb. 26 of lung cancer at his home in Bethesda.
Mr. Travis was born and grew up in New York and graduated from City College of New York in 1942 with a degree in social science. He later did graduate work at New York University and Georgetown University.
During World War II, he was an Army radio operator in Germany.
He moved to Washington in 1946 and spent most of his career at the Labor Department, working in the Bureau of Labor Statistics, International Labor Affairs Bureau, and the Office of Manpower Research and Development.
He was a delegate to international conferences and in 1965 was a Labor Department delegate to trade negotiations in Geneva, as well as a member of working groups of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development. He retired in 1975 as deputy director of the Office of Manpower Research and Development. He then worked for about a year with the economic consulting firm Kramer Associates.
Mr. Travis read widely and was knowledgeable about history, music and languages. He also enjoyed gardening, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
Survivors include his wife of 40 years, Sophia C. Travis of Bethesda.
-- Matt Schudel
Carlisle S. WaysGraphic Arts Chief, Pastor
Carlisle S. Ways, 81, a retired graphic arts specialist and an ordained minister, died March 3 at Specialty Hospital of Washington of complications from colon surgery. He lived in Hyattsville.
Mr. Ways was born in Washington and graduated from Cardozo High School. He served in the Army during World War II.
A talented musician who played piano, organ and most wind instruments, he attended the Modern School of Music in Washington. He also studied at the Department of Agriculture Graduate School during his long tenure as a civilian employee of the Coast Guard. He retired in 1982 as graphic arts chief.
In 1981, Mr. Ways became an ordained minister after graduating from the Washington Baptist Seminary. He was assistant pastor of Peoples Community Church in Northeast Washington from 1981 to 2007.
Earlier in his life, Mr. Ways was a member of the 15th Street Presbyterian Church, St. Phillip's Baptist Church, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church and Cole Capitol Hill Baptist Church, all in Washington.
His wife of 41 years, Eudora Gibson Ways, died in 1984.
A son, James Avon Ways, died in early childhood.
Survivors include eight children, Carlotta Jordan, Paul G. Ways and Judy A. Ways, all of Washington, Antoinette Lewis of Woodbridge, Felicia J. Jones of Oxon Hill, Michael Ways of Largo, David Ways of Laurel and Sue E. Ways of Brentwood; 18 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and six great-great-grandchildren.
-- Matt Schudel