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At random: "Without courage, you might as well not be in it. You’ve got to have courage--moral courage, physical courage--and honor. Honor means telling the truth even when it might not be to your advantage" Retired Capt. Charles W. Rush Jr. (85), Navy Cross recipient, when asked to give advice to Chiefs and Junior Officers in today's submarine service.

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Coyote

Posted 2026-06-20 2:53 PM (#106128)

Master and Commander

Posts: 1485

Location: NE Florida

Subject: Saturday Obits

https://www.facebook.com/ussvi.eternalpatrol/
https://ussvi.org/membership/eternal-patrol (USSVI members only)

The above link goes to the USSVI (United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.) Facebook page where their members who have gone on “Eternal Patrol” are noted.

I’ll keep my work here going, trying to get others who were not USSVI members. You’re encouraged to look there as well as here! Obviously, there’ll be some I miss and some I duplicate.

BARR .. .. .. John Charles Barr was born June 7, 1943, and died May 6, 2026.
John was born in Manhattan, Kansas to Charles Bennett and Dorothy E. Barr, and grew up in Blue Springs, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Suzann Welty Barr. John is also survived by nieces Kathleen Wood (Nick), of Studio City, CA; Dr. Carrie Wood-Nobrega (Edward), of Paxton, MA, and nephew Brian R. Wood (Jayne) of Leawood, KS, and many cousins.
John completed high school in Kansas City, KS, and in 1962, at age 19, joined the United States Navy. In the Navy, following basic training, he transferred to and completed Enlisted Men's Submarine School. Immediately following, he served a battleship tour on the Basilone to Viet Nam. Returning from Viet Nam, in 1963 he completed the Navy Enlisted Men's Nuclear Power School. He qualified on the USS Corporal. Subsequently, he was assigned to the nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark, with tours to the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1968.
On returning home, John enrolled at the University of Kansas, earning degrees in geography and urban planning. While at KU, he worked at the NASA Reseach Facility, where he met Suzann.
Following college, in 1974, John was employed as Planning Director in Gadsden County, Florda. While there, he earned a master's degrees in planning and urban design at Florida State University, where he also taught urban planning classes.
On moving to Little Rock in 1981, John worked for Metroplan, Little Rock Water Reclamation, and Little Rock Department of Public Works, where he was Director of Special Projects.
John and Suzann were members of St. Mark's Episcopal Church. John enjoyed serving in the St. Mark's Bread Brigade, delivering food donations to St. Francis House each Sunday morning. Also, until Covid struck the country, he enjoyed weekly visits to nursing homes, swapping stories and talking to interesting elders.
He will be remembered as a person who enjoyed meeting, talking with, and when needed, serving the people who graced his life.

COFFIELD .. .. .. CW04 (Ret.) David Robert Coffield, Jr, after a period of declining health, died June 15, 2026, surrounded with comfort and love. He was 79 years old.
In 1947, David was born into a career military family in Wheeling, West Virginia. He was the first-born child of Berneice Wallace and David Robert Coffield, Sr. Because of his father’s Air Force career, the family lived in many locations in the United States and abroad. At a young age, David lived in Madrid, Spain and Marrakesh, Morocco, igniting his love of travel and adventure. The family settled near Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.
David graduated from Surrattsville High School in 1965 and soon after joined the US Navy. After attending nuclear power school, he was assigned to his first nuclear submarine, the USS Kamehameha based in Hawaii and Guam. In 1969, David was selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program to study physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, beginning his love of all things Carolina. While at Carolina, David met the love of his life Martha or Marti, as he called her, and they married in 1972.
Future duty stations included Norfolk, Virginia on the fast attack submarine USS Flying Fish; the USS Orion and USS Howard W. Gilmore in La Maddalena, Sardinia, where he worked as the Radiological Control Officer, and the US Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy where he directed two counseling centers.
David was always active – skiing, camping, sightseeing, windsurfing, enjoying the Italian lifestyle, and running the Paris Marathon in 1983. With almost 20 years of service, in 1985 David was catastrophically injured in a motorcycle accident, was medically retired, and began a very different chapter of his life.
After completing rehabilitation at the VAMC, Richmond, he enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitative Counseling. After additional training, David was appointed Chief of Prosthetics at the VAMC Hampton, retiring in 2002.
Early on, David joined Paralyzed Veterans of America, remaining active for many years. He served as National Director for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, traveling to Washington to speak with members of Congress. He was a founding member of the Hampton Roads Sailing Center, an organization which offered sailing experiences to veterans and others. He helped create programs for veterans to participate in equestrian classes at Dream Catchers, a local therapeutic riding center. David served on the Boards of the Seaford Yacht Club and CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates in Williamsburg. He participated in the Peer Mentoring Program on SCI, VAMC Richmond, helping other injured veterans adjust to their new lives. David was honored to carry the torch for the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.
David continued to travel with his wife to over 60 countries, compete in wheelchair sports, locally and nationally, and be an involved member of his community, advocating for more accessibility. He was often seen walking his beloved cocker spaniels. He lived a full and meaningful life and helped others to do the same.
David cherished his family and he was cherished by them. His unrelenting determination and indomitable spirit was inspiring.
David is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Carrie Williams. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Martha Cottrell Coffield; sisters, Judy Ham of Montross, Virginia and Sandy Coffield of Hollywood, Maryland; brother, Larry Coffield of Dallas, Texas; nieces, Samantha Bussert and Amanda Williams; and a host of great-nieces, cousins, and lifelong friends.

LaBORDE .. .. .. Elmer - James Roland LaBorde, 69, of Elmer, Louisiana passed away on February 19, 2019. James was born on November 27, 1949. After graduating from Tioga High School he joined the U.S. Navy and served on the submarine, the U.S.S. Hardhead in the early 1970s. He retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs after 25 years of service.
James enjoyed many outdoor activities, including fishing with his friends in the bayous where his father used to take the family, as well as the intercoastal canals south of Lake Charles. He took pleasure in growing his own vegetables and doing yard work. Hunting small game and deer were also enjoyable pastimes, along with watching old Westerns in the evenings with friends. James devoted himself to daily Bible readings and prayer for friends and family.
He is survived by his brothers Gary L. LaBorde, Randy E. LaBorde, Marshal A. LaBorde and his sisters Polly D. Robinson and Pamela M. LaBorde. He was preceded in death by his wife Myrtle Russell, sister Penny L. LaBorde, mother Versie Hollingsworth LaBorde and father Ellis James LaBorde.

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