James A. Winnefeld Sr.

Rear Admiral James A. Winnefeld, USN (ret) passed away at the Ginger Cove retirement community in Annapolis, Maryland on Thursday, November 26th, 2015. He was born in Paterson, New Jersey on January 1, 1929 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1951. He served in the U.S. Navy for 30 years in destroyers, aircraft carriers, and amphibious ships. He commanded a carrier aircraft squadron, an air group, an amphibious ship, and an amphibious squadron. He saw active service in combat in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. In 1960 he was awarded a Master of Arts in International Affairs from Stanford University. From 1976-1978 he served as Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy. After he retired from the Navy he worked at RAND Corporation, a non-profit think tank. He authored numerous articles for professional journals, co-authored four books on policy analysis, and wrote two works of fiction. He was previously married to 1951 Naval Academy Color Girl Fredda Coupland Winnefeld of Wildwood, Florida. He is survived by his wife The Honorable Judith Duckett of Annapolis Maryland; daughter Lea Sandman; son Admiral James A. Winnefeld, Jr, USN (ret), and six wonderful grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at the Naval Academy Chapel on Monday, December 14th, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.