LeMay, Robert H. (1937-2012)
LEMAY, FABIAN, LEANDER, BRANTH, HARPER
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 5/29/2012 at 13:18:53
Robert H. LeMay
[May 9, 1937]* - May 5, 2012Robert Harold LeMay died Saturday, May 5, 2012, at his home in Ocean City, Maryland.
He had been a resident of Ocean City since 2000 and a property owner since 1998. Prior to that, he and his wife lived in Dyersville for sixteen years and for another eleven years in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Earlier in their married life, they lived in Isanti, Minnesota, Galesburg and Decatur, Illinois, and Lutherville, Maryland.
Mr. LeMay was born [May 9, 1937]* and grew up in Storm Lake. Attending St. Mary's High School, he participated in drama, debate, original oratory, choir, basketball, and baseball. Moreover, he was an alter server for eight years and student body president from 1954-55. He enrolled at Iowa State University, Ames, and took part in theater. As a journalism major, he became involved with the Iowa State Daily, the university's student-run daily newspaper, finally becoming editor-in-chief.
Having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in February 1961, he also was commissioned a second lieutenant and assigned to the US Army Air Defense Command. After officer's basic training course at Ft. Bliss, Texas, he was assigned as a launching platoon leader. He then became a battery control officer at the missile base of D Battery, 3rd Missile Battalion, 68th Artillery Regiment in central Minnesota.
On July 1, he married May Ann Fabian at St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights Illinois, her hometown. She too had graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. They had two sons, David, born in October 1963 and Daniel, born in May 1966.
After his service in the Army, Mr. LeMay worked first as a writer, then as city editor and managing editor at the Galesburg (IL) Register-Mail and then as managing editor of the Decatur (IL) Herald/Herald Review.
In November 1968, he joined Bethlehem Steel in press relations and was assigned to the Baltimore-Sparrows Point operations. The company moved him to the home office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in March 1973 where he worked in media relations and corporate communications until resigning in early 1984.
At that time, Mr. LeMay fulfilled a lifelong dream and bought the Dyersville (IA) Commercial, a weekly newspaper. With his wife, they ultimately owned two other weekly newspapers in Cascade and Marion, a half interest in the newspapers of Guttenberg and McGregor plus a central printing plant, all in Iowa. For a few years, they also owned the monthly magazine, "Julien's Journal," in Dubuque.
After retiring in 2000, the couple moved to Ocean City. As a member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church, he soon became a lector and ultimately trainer of new lectors, a minister of the sick, and with his wife, co-coordinator of that ministry, a member of parish council and, for two years, its executive officer.
He served as secretary of the Caine Woods Communion Association for five years, but resigned because of major surgery on his right shoulder. The pancreatic tumor was discovered in June 2011 and diagnosed as cancerous on August 13th.
The couple and family spent September on a river cruise from Budapest, Hungary, along the Danube, Main, and Rhine rivers, ending in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands. At the start of the journey, they spent several days in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. This adventure was in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.
Upon their return, Mr. LeMay underwent radiation and chemo therapy in October and November at the University of Maryland Medical Center and then surgery on January 9th of this year. The planned surgery could not be completed because the cancer had spread. He opted out of it and went into hospice care.
His survivors include his wife, May Ann; his son, Dan (Rene) and their two daughters; his daughter-in-law, Susan, widow of son David, who died of cancer on November 27, 2005; a sister, Dianne Leander (Branth), of Hill City, Minnesota, and their son and daughter, Carol (Bill Dec) Harper, of Vernal, Utah, and their eight progeny in six states, and the Rich Phillips family of Ocean City.
He was preceded in death by his elder son, David; and his parents, Leo and Helen.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at St. Luke's Catholic Church in Ocean City, Maryland, at 11:00 a.m. Friends may call one hour prior to the service. Rev. Richard Smith will preside with Revs. Joseph Kennedy and John Gorman concelebrating. Interment of his cremains will occur in St. Mary's Cemetery, Storm Lake. Deacon Mark Prosser will officiate.
Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin, Maryland.
*Social Security Death Index
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