Maryland/Maine
Wallace Burwell Officer, 87, the son of Wallace B. and Ethelyn Dickens Officer, Sr., born on December 23, 1925 in Creston, Iowa, died peacefully at his summer home in Maine on September 12, 2013.
During WWII, while a senior in high school, he was selected for the prestigious V-12 accelerated Naval Officer Program. He attended Iowa State University, Illinois Normal, Cornell and Harvard. Commissioned as an Ensign in April, 1945, he then completed his studies at Harvard. He and Roberta J. Carney married at Harvard Chapel in June of 1945. He had a distinguished career in the U. S. Naval Security Group during the Cold War, retiring in 1968. Among his many assignments, he was the Commanding Officer at the U. S. Naval Communication Station in Sabana Seca, Puerto Rico, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, where he was responsible for critical tasks and activities in support of the Fleet and of national intelligence objectives. He was a man of integrity and great generosity who guided many of his junior officers to highly successful careers.
He was a kind, loving husband and father and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Roberta; his five children, Pamela Officer-Greco, her husband James Greco of Columbia, MD, their daughter Sandi Stoker, her husband Kenneth, their children Regan, Ryan and Stephanie; Bret Officer, his wife Dianne of Sharpsburg, MD, their two children Ryan and Marie; Mark Officer, his wife Carol of Braddock Heights, MD, their son Scott Officer, daughter Jennifer Officer Aud, husband Jason, their daughter Hadley; Colleen Officer, her husband Grant Holt of St. Louis, MO, daughters Alexandra Eldredge, Katherine Holt, Molly Holt; grand-daughter Paige; Janet Officer, her husband Daniel Huebner, their two children Emily and Thomas; as well as his two sisters Margaret Officer Duncan and Mary Officer Phillips.
His ashes will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in May of 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, One Intrepid Square, W 46th St & 1st Ave, New York, NY 10036
Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com