Ernest Carl Castle

Ernest Carl Castle (Ernie), Captain, U. S. Navy (Ret), passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, September 26, 2020. He was 94 years old. At his side was his devoted wife, Jean; and a much loved former student, Donna Workman. Although Ernie was born in Sioux Falls, S.D., a landlocked state, his fascination with the sea and ships began in childhood. In 1944 he was appointed to the U. S. Naval Academy where he spent four of the happiest years of his life. He went on to see service in WW II, Korea and Vietnam. During the Six Days War he was the Naval Attache’ to Israel and was the Navy’s investigator into the “Liberty Incident.” Over the course of these wars, and his work in Naval Intelligence, he earned a Silver Star for bravery during the Korean War; President Kennedy’s Meritorious Award for his work as Robert McNamara’s briefer during the Cuban Missile Crisis; and numerous other awards for outstanding performances in the line of duty. His superior debating skills, evidenced in high school and polished at the Academy, enabled him to transition easily into the fourteen year career as a professor at the University of South Carolina. There he taught, among other subjects, Elizabethan Poetry. During his tenure he also helped build a strong Naval ROTC unit and championed the admittance of women into the Corps. A man of towering intellect with a delightful sense of humor, and interests that ranged from football to literature and history, he will be deeply missed by all who knew him but especially by his immediate survivors, his wife, Jean B. Faglie; her children, Roland (Mike), Robert (Bobby) and Karen Aldridge; his nephew, Robert Wagner; his beloved student, Donna Workman and her husband, Bryan; and very special inlaws, Martha and Mickey Elmore. In addition, Ernie was given loving care by his nurse, Phalla Browne, a very special caregiver; and by a team of compassionate hospice nurses. When people are free to congregate again, we will gather to celebrate Ernie’s remarkable life. Meanwhile, please consider a donation in his memory to his long-time church home, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 1214 Wilmer Avenue, Richmond, Va. 23227.