Obituaries from Gazette.net, March 2002: Prince George’s Co., MD Permission has generously been granted by Gazette.net to include these obituaries in the MDGenWeb Archives. This publication is available on-line at http://www.gazette.net. *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net *********************************************************************** *****Mar. 1, 2002***** Jesse Aubrey Presswood Jesse Aubrey Presswood of Accokeek passed away Jan. 27 at the age of 80. He is survived by Mildred E. Presswood, his wife, Albert L. and Mary E. Presswood, his children, Christina Northrup and Linda Sue Wallace, stepchildren, Ann Major, sister and six grandchildren. Funeral services were held Feb. 1 at Whitehall Baptist Church in Accokeek. Presswood was interred at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood. Nellie Wedding Nellie Wedding of Accokeek passed away Jan. 26 at the age of 72 years old. Wedding followed her daughter, Nancy Hayes, in death. She is survived by Carroll Wedding, her husband, Jacqueline Cole and Gene and Dewayne Wedding her children, one brother, four grandchildren and seven great- grandchildren. Services were held at the Williams Funeral Home in Indian Head on Jan. 29. She was interred at Trinity Memorial Gardens. Georgia L. Shaver Georgia L. Shaver of Morningside died Jan. 12 at the age of 65. She was a retired Prince George's County teacher. She followed Glenn C. Shaver, her husband, and Rex T. Shaver, her son in death. She is survived by her sons Thomas and Richard, seven grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. Services were held at Huntt Funeral Home in Waldorf. Shaver was interred at Cedar Hill. Fred A. Von Rembow, Jr. Fred A. Von Rembow Jr, 81 of Oxon Hill, died Feb. 20 of a heart attack at Georgetown University Hospital. Von Rembow served in World War II as a platoon sergeant in the infantry where he earned two Bronze Stars for his service. He went on to serve in the Korean War where he received a commission to the officer ranks. He retired in 1963 as a captain after serving in intelligence. He joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars and served as assistant director of national veteran's services as well as chaired the organization's political action committee. He retired from the VFW in 1985. He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Fort Washington and went on to help found Faith Lutheran Church in Oxon Hill. He is survived by his wife Ruth and two daughters, Sandra Brown of Annandale and Deborah of Baltimore; a brother; two sisters; three grandchildren; and a great-grandson. Shirley Ford Shirley Ford, 56, a life-long resident of Cheltenham, died Feb. 6 at a rehabilitation center from diabetes complications. Ford was a supervisor at Upper Marlboro-based Melwood facility and was born to John C. and Maude Brown in Cheltenham on March 14, 1945. She graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in1963. "I can't remember her not working two jobs," said Barbara Ford-Leggett, Ford's oldest daughter. Ford also worked part-time as a dietician at Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Treatment Center in Forestville for about 15 years. Ford carried on a family legacy of raising her two daughters at Most Holy Rosary Parish in Rosaryville. She attended the small Catholic church her entire life. "I was raised in church and I raised all my children in the church," Ford's father John Ford said. He said growing up, his daughter had an artistic spirit and loved to dance. One of the things her oldest daughter Barbara Ford-Leggett noticed is that her mother had a gift for interior decorating. "She took a lot of pride in home, and she made sure my grandparents' home, her home and my home were made up," Ford-Leggett said. Ford would often lend her talents to help friends and other family members decorate their homes with the right wall hanging or exact piece of furniture. Unable to attend college, it was Ford's goal to see her daughters to succeed by getting involved in extracurricular activities. Her daughters were members of the church's drill team and Saint Mary of the Assumption Ladies Junior Auxiliary. "She supported us in outside activities because it was something that she said would make us more independent," Ford-Leggett said. "She always wanted to see her daughters succeed." Ford-Leggett graduated from Montgomery College with a degree in early childhood education and accounting. Ford-Leggett is an accountant for a Bethesda law firm. Ford's youngest daughter, Samantha Smith is a junior in a magnet program at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine. Before Ford's death, Samantha was accepted into a modeling agency to act in commercials. "She couldn't talk, but we could tell by her face and eyes that she was excited for her," Ford-Leggett said. She was preceded in death by her mother Maude Ford of Cheltenham and sister, Cornelia Wedge of Seat Pleasant. She is survived by two daughters, Barbara Ford-Leggett of Cheverly; and Samantha Smith of Cheltenham; five brothers, Charles Smith of Upper Marlboro, John T. Ford and Ronnie Ford Sr., both of Waldorf, Roger Ford Sr. and Reginald Ford, both of Cheltenham; and two sisters, Mary Wedge of Brandywine; and Barbara Brown of Landover. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Feb. 9 at the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Rosaryville. She was interred at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton. John Edwin Moore Former Upper Marlboro resident John Edwin Moore, a veteran plant pathologist and avid golfer, died Feb. 8 in Asheville, N.C. He was 79. "He had a love of gardening and he was a steward of the earth," his wife Elizabeth Stevenson Moore said. "His mentor was a plant pathologist who worked on his father's farm." Moore was born Aug. 23, 1922 to Charles E. Moore and Elsie Elizabeth Grierson Moore. The family owned a farm located off of Dowerhouse Road. John E. Moore attended Sasscer High School before it became the Board of Education. He earned a bachelor's and master's degree in plant pathology from the University of Maryland. A decorated Naval Officer during WWII, he served in the South Pacific for two years. After serving his two years, Moore became a faculty member at the University of Maryland in 1947. He taught at the university for four years. Moore worked for the Standard Oil of California for 37 years. He began his career in research and sailed to the ranks of southeast regional manager. He retired from the oil company in 1984. Moore married Elizabeth Stevenson on Jan. 22, 1944. "Wherever we lived we had a vegetable garden," Moore said. "He taught his children to have a great dedication for the earth and a love of the garden." Over the years, Moore developed an enthusiasm for golf, and when the family lived in Altanta, he had his own 18-hole golf course, his wife said. Before her husband died, Moore came to Upper Marlboro and took pictures of what the town looks like. "We put them up at the nursing home. He really enjoyed them," Moore said. He was preceded in death by brothers Melvin Moore, Bert Moore and Ralph E. Moore; and sister Jesse Oliver. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Stevenson Moore; son, John Charles Moore of Atlanta; four daughters, Sheryl Moore Groce of Asheville, N.C., Deborah Moore Miles of Atlanta, Robin Moore Collins of Carrollton, Ga., and Melissa Moore of Jasper, Ga.; four grandchildren Karen Groce of the District, Alexandra Lasseter of Fairfax, Va. and Christopher and Cameron Collins of Carrollton, Ga.; three sisters Jesse Oliver, June Ester Donley of North Carolina and Jean Elizabeth Oliver of Upper Marlboro; and three brothers Roland E. Moore, Charles E. Moore and Paul E. Moore. A memorial service was offered Feb. 11 at the First Presbyterian Church in Asheville, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions sent First Presbyterian Church Building Fund, 40 Church Street, Asheville, N.C. 28801. A memorial register is available at the Groce Funeral Home Web site at www.grocefuneralhome.com. *****Mar. 8, 2002***** Judith E. Sheehan Judith E. Sheehan, 56, a former Prince George's County Public Schools administrator and lobbyist, died Monday at Georgetown University Hospital in the District. The Upper Marlboro resident died of complications resulting from breast cancer. She was born Aug. 12, 1945, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and began her more than two decades of service to the county school system in 1977 when she was the legislation/policies and procedures officer for the county school system. She worked in that office until 1992 when she became the special assistant to the superintendent for legislation/policies and procedures in 1992. She retired from the school system in 1999 as the chief divisional administrator of outreach and communication for the school system. Sheehan graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park in 1967 and was graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville. One of her accomplishments includes her help in founding the Prince George's County Educational Foundation. Former Dist. 9 school board member Marcy Canavan said she will always remember Sheehan as a champion for county school children. "The kids in Prince George's County can thank her because she is personally responsible for getting a $1 million in state aid for them," Canavan said. "She always stayed in the background and avoided being quoted in the paper because she believed it was effective that way." Community activist Donna Hathaway Beck of Upper Marlboro met Sheehan in 1994 and developed a relationship with her in 1997 when Beck was fighting for the Adequate Public Facilities law to restrict the amount of development around overcrowded schools. "I was flapping in the wind. I didn't know what I was doing," Beck said. "She began to see that we were serious in our commitment and not just some weekend soldiers. When she realized what we could do, she began to move into a mentor role and helped us behave better. We didn't understand the relationship between advocates and elected officials." Beck said that Sheehan would help her to cultivate and organize her ideas and issues brought forth before the school system and legislators. "It was a guiding hand like a parent would do a child," Beck said. "I think our relationship moved from a parent and administrator relationship into more of a friend relationship." As Beck was preparing to attend Sheehan's funeral she took a few minutes to recall her friend. About a month after Sheehan retired from the school system in summer of 1999, she was diagnosed with cancer. Sheehan's hair began to thin from the chemotherapy treatments, and Beck decided to throw Sheehan a hat party to offer her friend support. "I read an article about a woman losing her hair and all her girlfriends got together and had a hat party," Beck said. "I invited about a dozen of her close friends and everybody brought a hat, turban or something for her head. It was a real girlfriend time. She was overwhelmed because it was not like Judy to ever want to be the center of attention." When Sheehan retired from the Prince George's County Public Schools system she worked for the National Capital Area Junior Achievement Board of Prince George's County. Sheehan served as a board member with the Prince George's Arts Council, the Prince George's County Educational Foundation and the National Capital Area Junior Achievement Board. In 1980, she received the Legislative Award for Outstanding Service and Contributions to Community and State. Former Dist. 1 school board member Doris A. Eugene learned the importance of diplomacy from Sheehan. "I learned that you don't lose a friend over one issue. In other words if they don't go along with our position, you don't lose a friend who may be your ally the next go around," Eugene said. "I was always impressed with her knowledge. Her domain was legislation and she was remarkable." Sheehan taught Eugene not to take decisions to heart and to know her politicians in Annapolis. "The delegates and the senators respected her because she did not play games and she was forthright," Eugene said. "She was respected by the delegation because of her knowledge. She was helpful in supplying them with information about education bills, and she cared about the school system." Some other accolades she received included the C and P Telephone Company Outstanding Service Award in 1982 and the Prince George's County Outstanding Service Award in 1995. She was preceded in death by her father, the former Maryland state delegate and senator, Meyer Emanuel Jr. She is survived by her husband, Daniel Sheehan of Upper Marlboro; two daughters, Nicole and Kimberly Sheehan, both of Upper Marlboro; a sister, Roberta Margolies of Montgomery County; and a brother, Jonathan Emanuel. A memorial service was offered Wednesday afternoon at Temple B'Nai Tzedek in Potomac. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial contributions be sent to the Lombardi Cancer Center, 38 Reservoir Road NW Washington, D.C. 20007. Nelson R. Marsh Nelson R. Marsh, a 26-year resident of University Park died Jan. 22 following an extended illness. He was 85. Marsh was born June 5, 1916 in Tawas, Mich., and first came to the area in 1938 to work for the late Rep. Louie Rabaut at the Library of Congress. He was a star player on the Library of Congress baseball team. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Marsh enlisted in the Army, serving in the Third Army, 90th Division. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in Luxembourg in 1944. Marsh was a retired accident investigator for the Metropolitan Police Department Traffic Division and a retired Army criminal investigator. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Frances Alexander, his sister Marie Bomarito of St. Claire Shores, Mich., his nephew Douglas Bomarito of Lake Oswego, Ore. and other relatives. A military funeral service and burial were held in Tawas, Mich. Nicholas Orem Jr. Nicholas Orem Jr., a University Park resident from 1949 to 1968, died of pneumonia on Feb. 3 at the Springhouse at Westwood facility in Bethesda. He was 90. Orem was born in Easton, Md., and grew up in Hyattsville. His father, Nicholas Orem Sr. was superintendent of the Prince George's County Public Schools. Nicholas Orem Middle School was named in honor of his father. Orem was a graduate of Hyattsville High School and Duke University, where he received a law degree. He began his legal career in Prince George's County in 1936. He served in the Army during World War II as an instructor in military law. He moved from University Park to Kenwood, Md., in 1968. He was a member of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church, the National Presbyterian Church, the Prince George's Kiwanis Club, the Southern Maryland Society, the Marlborough Hunt Club and the Columbia Country Club, where he was an avid golfer. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Dorothy Dennis Orem of Kenwood, daughter Elizabeth Bjorklund of Chevy Chase and grandchildren Brigid M. and Nicholas C. Bjorklund. *****Mar. 15, 2002***** Nelson R. Marsh Nelson R. Marsh, a 26-year resident of University Park, died Jan. 22 following an extended illness. He was 85. Marsh was born June 5, 1916 in Tawas, Mich., and first came to the area in 1938 to work for the late Rep. Louie Rabaut at the Library of Congress. He was a star player on the Library of Congress baseball team. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Marsh enlisted in the Army, serving in the Third Army, 90th Division. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned the Purple Heart for injuries he sustained in Luxembourg in 1944. Marsh was a retired accident investigator for the Metropolitan Police Department Traffic Division and a retired Army criminal investigator. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Frances Alexander, his sister Marie Bomarito of St. Claire Shores, Mich., his nephew Douglas Bomarito of Lake Oswego, Ore. and other relatives. A military funeral service and burial were held in Tawas, Mich. Nicholas Orem Jr. Nicholas Orem Jr., a University Park resident from 1949 to 1968, died of pneumonia on Feb. 3 at the Springhouse at Westwood facility in Bethesda. He was 90. Orem was born in Easton, Md., and grew up in Hyattsville. His father, Nicholas Orem Sr. was superintendent of the Prince George's County Public Schools. Nicholas Orem Middle School was named in honor of his father. Orem was a graduate of Hyattsville High School and Duke University, where he received a law degree. He began his legal career in Prince George's County in 1936. He served in the Army during World War II as an instructor in military law. He moved from University Park to Kenwood, Md., in 1968. He was a member of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church, the National Presbyterian Church, the Prince George's Kiwanis Club, the Southern Maryland Society, the Marlborough Hunt Club and the Columbia Country Club, where he was an avid golfer. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Dorothy Dennis Orem of Kenwood, daughter Elizabeth Bjorklund of Chevy Chase and grandchildren Brigid M. and Nicholas C. Bjorklund. *****Mar. 22, 2002***** Lee F. Ison Lee Francis Ison, 76, of New Carrollton died Sunday at Crescent Cities Nursing Home in Riverdale due to complications from surgery. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, on Nov. 8, 1925, to his parents Frank and Lorilla Spencer Ison. Ison was a U.S. Marine Corps captain and lived in many different places before settling in New Carrollton around 1964. He served during World War II and the Korean wars, retiring from the military after 22 years. Ison was a graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture in the Bronx, N.Y. He was a computer program analyst and educator. He began his career in computers at the NASA Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt before joining the Control Date Corporation in Minneapolis. He eventually founded his own company, I-Data, based in New Carrollton. He was active in the community, serving on the safety committee and as an election judge in New Carrollton. He served as a Boy Scout volunteer and was awarded the Silver Beaver award by Boy Scouts of America, which is usually received by individuals who have volunteered for at least 10 years for the organization. He was a Democrat and an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, serving as the facilities manager during the construction of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Glenn Dale. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Margaret Hamsing Ison; four children, Jim, Glenn, Mary and Jean Rice; 11 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Services were held Wednesday and will be held today at 1 p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 11525 Prospect Hill Road in Glenn Dale. He will be buried at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Cheltenham. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, 9190 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Services were arranged by Gasch's Funeral Home in Hyattsville.