Obituaries

Mrs. Mahan studied ballet much of her life, traveled from Australia to Argentina with her husband and enjoyed attending stage productions in the area and shopping at local farmers markets.

Survivors include her husband of 45 years, David L. Mahan of Rockville; three children, Wendy Putnam of North Potomac, Amy Kim of Bethesda and Joshua Mahan of Washington; a sister; and four grandchildren.

-- Adam Bernstein

Mary Jane O'Donnell Foote Homemaker, Volunteer

Mary Jane Foote, 91, a homemaker, volunteer and third-generation Washingtonian, died Dec. 23 of pneumonia at her home in the District.

Born Mary Jane O'Donnell, Mrs. Foote graduated from Georgetown Visitation High School and Georgetown Visitation Junior College.

After her marriage to William D. Foote, a Washington ophthalmologist, she became a homemaker and a volunteer with a number of organizations. She was a member of the Christ Child Society and was active with the Society for the Prevention of Blindness, Children's National Medical Center, Georgetown Hospital and the Ladies Board of Georgetown Hospital.

Mrs. Foote's husband died in 2002.

Survivors include four children, William D. Foote Jr. and Mary Foote Rupp, both of Kensington, and John A. Foote and Lois Foote Maloney, both of Bethesda; a sister; and 11 grandchildren.

-- Joe Holley

Elaine Howard Flood Church Leader

Elaine Ora Howard Flood, 92, the first lady of Southeast Tabernacle Baptist Church in Washington for almost 50 years, died of pneumonia Dec. 12 at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Mrs. Flood, whose husband was minister of Southeast Tabernacle, was one of the principal leaders of the church's building fund and prepared 100 meals a week, and an equal number of cakes and pies, to raise money for the fund.

She also founded the annual Women's Day program at the church and volunteered with the Washington Baptist Ministries Wives' Association.

She was born in Warren County, N.C., and grew up working in her family's store, sawmill and farm. Baptized into Olive Grove Baptist Church in Littleton, N.C., she was active there until moving to Washington in 1935.

Mrs. Flood worked at Episcopal Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, now part of Washington Hospital Center. She married and, while still working at the hospital, also operated a family fruit stand at a farmers market.

Her family later owned and operated several supermarkets in the Washington area. She worked at some and retired from Federal Supermarket in Mount Rainier in 1975.

In 1950, she and her husband were the first African American family to settle on their street in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, where they raised their children and remained the rest of her life.

A son, Joseph Flood, died in infancy in 1943.

Survivors include her husband of 66 years, the Rev. Willie W. Flood of Washington; five children, Willie J. Flood of Washington, Samuel C. Flood of Chevy Chase, Michael J. Flood of Silver Spring, Gloria McCullough of Silver Spring and Daryl Flood of Washington; three sisters, Lucie Thompson of Camp Springs, Cleo Coakley of Washington and Dollie Blue of Silver Spring; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan

Robert M. Casey Navy Officer, Lawyer

Robert M. Casey, 86, a retired Navy commander who later practiced law in Fairfax County, died Dec. 18 of congestive heart failure at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring.

Cmdr. Casey was born in Waltham, Mass. Immediately after receiving his undergraduate degree from Boston College in 1943, he joined the Navy, where he served in the Amphibious Forces. He participated in the D-Day landing at Normandy and received the Navy Commendation Medal for his ingenuity and effort to clear Utah Beach after disastrous storms hit the area shortly after D-Day. He later served in the Pacific theater and participated in landings in the Philippines and Borneo.

After the war, he received his law degree from Boston College and practiced law in Boston until being recalled to active duty as a Navy intelligence officer during the Korean War. He remained in the Navy until his retirement in 1967. His assignments included various operations duties in Washington with the Atlantic Fleet Anti-Submarine Force, the Caribbean Sea Frontier and the 2nd Fleet. He also served as the assistant naval attache at U.S. embassies in Argentina and Paraguay.

Following his military career, Cmdr. Casey worked for Special Warfare Labs, a Navy contractor, and practiced law in Fairfax County until retiring a second time in 1982. He was a trustee of several private trust funds and was active as an instructor and a speaker with the National Association of Investment Clubs. He also served as director, president and chair adviser of the group's Washington chapter.

He was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Silver Spring, serving as lector, eucharistic minister and parish council member.

His marriage to Elizabeth Leahy Casey ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Eleanor Yuhas Burnham Casey of Silver Spring; five children from his first marriage, Catherine Casey-Flavin of Eliot, Maine, Robert Casey of Glen Allen, Va., Christopher Casey of Atlantic Beach, Fla., James Casey of Crofton and Edmund Casey of Springfield; three stepchildren from his second marriage, Barbara Barton of Los Angeles, Janice Lafey of Columbia and David Burnham of Herndon; four brothers; 16 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

-- Joe Holley

David Newcomb Back Accountant

David Newcomb Back, 88, a retired accountant, died of prostate cancer Dec. 15 at Brooke Grove Retirement Village in Sandy Spring. He was a former Bethesda resident.

Mr. Back was born in the District and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1938. He received his undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1942 and served as an Army officer in Italy, France and Austria during World War II.

After the war, he worked for 25 years as an accountant in Bloomfield, Conn., until returning to the Washington area, where he continued his work as an accountant.

He was a member and officer in the Knights of Columbus and attended St. Jane Francis de Chantal Catholic Church in Bethesda and St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Silver Spring. He also was a member of the Archaeological Society of Maryland.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Martha Howard Back of Sandy Spring; two children, Marianne Russell Chrystalbridge of Sevierville, Tenn., and Julia Valentine Back of Key West, Fla.; a brother; and three grandchildren.

-- Joe Holley