E. Marie Cheatham, 94, died Dec. 13, in Longview, Texas. Cheatham began her career as a Foreign Service secretary in 1952. She served at posts in Naples, Palermo, Rome, Cairo, Moscow, Bonn, Colombo, Adana, Prague, Recif, Lima, Valletta, and Nairobi before retiring in 1979. In retirement, Cheatham enjoyed the arts, photography, and traveling.
Walter Sheldon Clarke, 84, died Nov. 24, in Lutz, Fla. Clarke joined the Foreign Service in 1957 and served in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. During his career, he served at posts in Lagos, Madrid, San Jose, Bogota, Bujumbura, and Abidjan. Clarke served as consul general in Douala, chargé d’affaires in Djibouti, and deputy chief of mission in Mogadishu. He also served as the Department advisor at the Naval War College, and at the Army College. He retired from the Senior Foreign Service in 1994, and served as an independent consultant, became a published author, and enjoyed teaching. He is survived by his wife of 46-years, Chantal; four children; 11 grandchildren; and a sister.
Wilson “Bill” N. Estell Jr., 74, died Nov. 28, in Vienna, Va. Estell joined the Foreign Service in 1978 and served at posts in Jeddah, Nairobi, Cairo, Washington, D.C., Addis Ababa, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, and Bangkok before he retired in 2008. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Emiko; three daughters, Catherine, Nancy, and Julie; and eight grandchildren.
Floyd Hagopian, 75, died Jan. 1, in Sebastian, Fla. Hagopian served in the U.S. Navy prior to joining the Foreign Service in the 1960s. Serving as an information management officer, Hagopian held posts in London, Djakarta, Moscow, Saigon, Bangui, Niamey, Bonn, Abidjan, Warrenton, Kinshasa, Pretoria, and Asmara. He retired in 1996 and continued another 15 years in the Foreign Service as an eligible family member in Mbabane, Asuncion, Lilongwe, Tokyo, Tashkent, Ouagadougou, and Yaounde in many different offices. In retirement, Hagopian enjoyed softball, tennis, darts, and was an avid card player. He is survived by his wife, Patti; two daughters; and two siblings.
Joseph Haratani, 96, died Dec. 6, in Sonora, Calif. Haratani served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He earned degrees at Stanford University and California State, prior to joining the Department of State as a sanitary engineer. He served in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Haratani is survived by his wife, Amy-Ada; three sons, Guy, Richard, and Saji; two grandchildren; and three siblings.
Dewey S. Holmes, 90, died Jan. 25, in Temple Hills, Md. Holmes served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955, prior to being recruited by the Department of State. As a Foreign Service officer, Holmes served tours in the Congo, Japan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Iceland, Singapore, Nicaragua, Lebanon, and Burkina Faso. He retired in 1985 after 33 years of service. His greatest joys were teaching sunday school, playing golf, and cheering for the Dallas Cowboys. Holmes was predeceased by his wife, Odra. He is survived by a stepson, Norman; a daughter, Brenda; granddaughters; and great granddaughters.
Samuel Charles Keiter, 88, died Jan. 8, in Adamstown, Md. Following his graduation from Carleton College, Keiter spent a year in Denmark as a Fulbright Scholar. He then earned his masters from the School of Advanced International Studies, and in 1955–1956, he was a Ford Foundation Fellow based in Cairo. In 1957, Keiter joined the Foreign Service and served in north and central Africa, London, and Washington, D.C. He retired in 1986 and began his second career as an aviation consultant. In retirement, Keiter was active in the Maryland Continuing Care Residents Association. He is survived by his wife, Dolores; three children; seven grandchildren; and one great grandson.
Herbert Leo Tyson, 88, died Dec. 4, in Rockville, Md. Tyson served in the Korean War prior to joining the Peace Corps. Five years later, he joined the Foreign Service and served in posts in Nigeria, Mali, and Greece. He also served as a desk officer for several bureaus within the Department and served in the Inspector General’s office. In retirement, Tyson served as an election judge for Montgomery County in Md. and enjoyed art and music. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joyce; four children; and five grandchildren.