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Entries on this page are posted when known.
We do not delay a posting when this is brought to our
attention of our shipmates passing. This page is in honor
of all our fallen shipmates.

Robert Patrick Lucey, Jr,passed away February 15, 2017.

Wilbert C. Gauding, MM 2/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of the Okinawa Battle of April 16, 1945, passed away March 16, 2014. Obituary

Frank R. Fox, RDM 2/C, served aboard the USS Laffey 1951-54, passed away December 04, 2012 Obituary

Ira Arthur Kurtz, DK 2/C, served aboard the USS Laffey 1960-63, passed away October 28, 2012 Obituary

Edward A. Kycia Torpedo Man 3/C, passed away November 7, 2011, was a survivor of the Okinawa Battle on April 16, 1945. He was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, American Theater Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. Obituary

Danny M. Essig SC 2/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away August 6, 2012 Obituary

CDR Henry J. (Jack) Conger USN (Ret.) served our country during WWII and later was Captain aboard the USS Laffey '51-'53. Obituary

John R. Swann, Jr. BM3, served aboard the USS Laffey, January 55 - May 56, passed away January 13, 2012. Obituary

Gerard "Jerry" Joseph Liebertz, Sr. PMM 1/C, served aboard the USS Laffey, February 1944-, passed away January 08, 2012. Obituary

Wendell Vann Teachey, Sr. YN 3/C, served aboard the USS Laffey, 1951-1954, passed away July 01, 2011. Obituary

Joseph M. Jagielski Jr. MM2/C, served aboard the USS Laffey, December 1951 - April 1955, passed away September 16, 2011. Obituary

Robert Irving Karr GM2/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away June 9, 2011. Obituary

George Rusk WT3/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away November 14, 2010. He was 90 years old.

John B. Evans Seaman 1/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away June 4, 2011. Obituary

Herschel V. Sellers Commanding Officer, '53-'55, passed away peacefully, on Wed. May 10, 2011. Obituary

Owen "Glen" Radder Gunners Mate 3/C, Plank Owner, and Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away March 28, 2011. Obituary

Richard S DeBell LT. (jg) served in the Gunnery Department during the 1952 World Tour, passed away November 28, 2010. Obituary

David Lewis Warner FM 1/Class, Survivor of April 16, 1945, and awarded a Purple Heart, passed away October 26, 2010. Obituary

Louis D Nordstrom Sonar Man Third Class, Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away October 13, 2010. Obituary

Lawrence R. Delewski GM 2/c Plank Owner, Bronze Star Medal, Survivor of April 16, 1945, passed away September 16, 2010. Obituary

Thomas B. Fern S2/c Plank Owner, Silver Star Award, Survivor of April 16, 1945. Obituary

Jimmy L. Saul PO 3/c 1950-53 Obituary

Alfred J. Dorris Jr. SM1/c Plank Owner, and survivor of the Okinawa Battle passed away April 2, 2010. Obituary

Robert Koenig EN2, died on January 23, 2010, of renal failure. Robert served '68-'72. He was 58 years old.

Walter M. Hoch FC3/c survivor of the April 16, 1945 attack, passed away late Tuesday night January 26, 2010, at the age of 90. Obituary

David N. Curtin RM3/c, a survivor of the April 16, 1945 attack, passed away on November 28, 2009. Obituary

Glenn M. Setmire BM2/c Member of the WWII Crew, Plank owner and onboard April 16, 1945, passed away on November 2, 2009. Glen was awarded the Purple Heart and many other medals. He also served aboard the USS Murphy. Obituary

Richard Hale Jr., passed away January 15, 2009. He was a WWII survivor of the DD 459. He earned the Presidential Unit Citation and a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered when the first USS Laffey suffered a violent explosion, which sent her to the bottom of Guadalcanal. Obituary

James Abaied, passed away June 12, 2009. He was a life member of the Laffey Association, and a WWII Veteran. He told his son, Daniel, countless stories of the War, and the men of the Laffey. Daniel took him to the Nashville reunion, and James loved it. Obituary

William S. Blackstock, Sr., a WWII survivor of the Pearl Harbor attacks, passed away on June 9, 2009. Obituary

Robert E. Johnson, Sonar man 1/c WWII veteran, from Toledo, Ohio, passed away on May 15, 2009. Obituary

Charles William Bell, Sonar man 2/c passed away early May 26, 2009. He was a survivor of April 16, 1945. Obituary

Raymond T. Johnson, Seaman 2/C, a survivor of the April 16, 1945 attack, passed away on April 16, 2009, (64th anniversary of the attack), at the age of 82. He also served aboard the Laffey at the atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll. Raymond was from Allentown, PA. Obituary (Submitted by his niece, Bonnie L. Roth)

Andrew 'Andy' Klein, RM3, served onboard 1944-45, and a survivor of April 16, 1945. He passed away on February 28. 2009, at the age of 94. He was from South Setauket, NY.

John R. McBrinn RD2, served onboard 1959-62, passed away on October 16, 2008. He was from Brick, New Jersey. Obituary

Greydon Morris Nogal EM3, served on board 1966-1967, passed away Dec.14, 2008. He was from Ashtabula, Ohio Obituary

R.A. Edwards Served aboard 1959-61. Sherie Edwards, (daughter of R.A.), informed us of his passing away on August 3, 2007.

David Spencer Yates Active duty on the USS Laffey as a ET/3. He passed away Oct. 31, 2008 at the age of 77. Obituary

John Stacy, Chief Warrant Officer, passed away January 05, 2009, served on the Laffey in WWII and a veteran of the Korean Conflict. Obituary

John Owens, Jr. CSSN, passed away October 20, 2008. He served onboard 1951-54. Obituary

LeRoy "Lee" Brandt MM2, Served aboard 1952-53, passed away January 10, 2008.

Joseph Stuer BTG 2/c We have another shipmate passing. 1944-46 survivor of 16 April 1945 attack. Passed away 2/19/08. Obituary

Edward J. Samp Jr. We received this notice from Ed Samp�s nephew. My Uncle Ed passed away on November 23, 2007. He was one of the leading gunnery officer aboard the Laffey on April 16, 1945. He was 89. Obituary Reflections

William T. McClafferty, FC3/c passed away on August 31, 2007 surrounded by his loving family, three days after celebrating his 64th wedding anniversary. He was a Plank owner and on board the Laffey April 16, 1945.

Robert L. Campbell, passed away in 1989 at the age of 69. He was a Water Tender First Class and a plank owner and a survivor of April 16, 1945. He remained in the Navy and worked up to the level of Chief Warrant Officer.

Clarence E. "Bud" Brinkley Member of the WW II Crew, received Presidential Unit Citation, died June 28, 2007. Obituary

William Lloyd WT3c Served aboard 1946-47 and for the Atomic Bomb test at Bikini Atoll, passed away June 17, 2007

L.B. "Luke" McBryde, SM3/c Member of the WWII Crew onboard April 16, 1945, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died Saturday, June 16, 2007 at home.

Louis F. Giles, Jr. S2/c Member of the WWII Crew, Plank owner and onboard April 16, 1945, passed away on April 29, 2007. His daughter Lori Watts reported.

Slavomir "Slavy" Vodehnal passed away on June 10, 2004. "Slavy" was born on May 25, 1923 and was an honorary member of our Association. He was solely responsible for the publication of "The Indestructible Laffey" .

Lt. (JG) James G. Townsley Assistant Gunnery Officer. Passed away January, 2004. Recipient of Silver Star on April 16, 1945.

James A. Clements
Passed away last April at the age of 99�. WWII Seaman 2/c Our oldest association member.

Anthony D'Aquila
Passed away on September 21, 2006. Served on board as GM3/c 2/44 to 10/45. Plank owner and survivor of April 16, 1945

Charles Sabo
Passed away on November 26, 2004. Served on board 1957-59 as SM3

Jim Hatch
Passed away on June 25, 2006 in North Hollywood, California. Served on board as RM3, 8/45-5/46

Challen McCune
Passed away on May 27, 2006. Served as Executive Officer on the Laffey and was on board April 16, 1945
Obituary

Bill Pollak
Passed away in Gig Harbor, Washington on May 1, 2006. Served on board as an OM3 in the early 1950's.

Bobby Jowers
Passed away in Cedar Grove, TN on April 26, 2006. Served in "N" Division and was on board 1/51 - 2/54

Vic Fletcher
Honorary member of the USS Laffey Association. Passed away on January 6, 2006

Kenneth E. Penn
Passed away January 2, 2006. No further information at this time

Al Csiszar
Passed away on August 31, 2005. Plankowner. Served on board 1943-45

Robert Coker
Passed away on February 28, 2005. Survived the sinking of the first USS Laffey (DD459)

Frank A. Manson
Passed away on January 20, 2005. Plankowner and on board April 16, 1945

William Harvey Shaw
Passed away in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 27, 2004. Plankowner and on board April 16, 1945. Recipient of Bronze Star. Obituary

Paul Smith
Passed away in Atlanta, Georgia on April 16, 2004. On board April 16, 1945. Recipient of Silver Star.

Richard Kaus
Passed away in Springfield, Florida on December 22, 2003. Served on board the Laffey as a MM3 from 1959-61
Posted 13 March 2004

Ottis Dean (OD) Lee
    Passed away in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina on February 12, 2002. Served on board the Laffey as a Boatswains Mate
    Striker during the Korean Emergency.
    Posted 13 January 2004

Cyril (Cy) Simonis
Passed away on July 25, 2003. Veteran of WWII, SN 1/C. On board, 16 April 1945

John (Jack) A. Glatthorn.
     Passed away November 15, 2003. Veteran of WWII, SF 3/C. Placed ship in commission and was on board 16 April 1945.
     Manned 20mm aft gun when Japanese bomb hit, killing three fine shipmates.
     Survived by his wife, Norma and three children. Any recollections from his shipmates would be appreciated by the family. jjg@yahoo.com
     Posted 5 September 2003

Darrell W. Stein
Passed away May 6, 2003. Veteran of WWII, TM2/c. Placed ship in commission and was on board 16 April 1945.
Posted 11 May 2003

Brothers from Knoxville, Iowa who served on board the USS Laffey (DD 724) during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Tom passed away in
1975; Robert, several years later.

Any Association member remembering either one or both of the brothers, is asked to contact Moe Wadle at moewadle@yahoo.com
Posted 26 March 2003

James McIlwain
Passed away August, 2002. Served as Executive Officer during Korean era.

Andrew Thomas Dickey
Passed away November 15, 1998. On board April 16, 1945

Donald E. "Doc" Brown
Passed away November 2, 1998. On board April 16, 1945

Arthur E. Baumhardt
Passed away February 10, 1998. On board April 16, 1945

Adolph "Ski" Kozlowski
Passed away March 20, 1994. On board April 16, 1945