Earl Joseph Eckert Jr.

Earl Joseph Eckert, 95, a retired Navy Commander spent most of his Naval career as a pilot, died of natural causes on 15 June 2023 at Tysons Woods facility in Vienna, VA. He graduated from High School at Ridgway, Pennsylvania, attended college at Wisconsin University at Stevens Point as a Navy V-5 student and was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School at Monterey, California. He entered flight training in 1948 and served in a variety of aviation billets, principally in ASW assignments. He was the Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Facility at Argentia, Newfoundland prior to coming to the Washington area where he was assigned to Undersea Surveillance duties until he retired from the Navy in 1976. He then joined TRW, where he was an Assistant Project Manager until full retirement on July 1991.

He married Cecelia Rogers (deceased) of Stevens Point Wisconsin in May 1949. They lived in Norfolk, VA, Pensacola, FL, Jacksonville, FL, Morocco, Seaside, CA, Lemoore, CA, Sunnyvale, CA, Virginia Beach, VA, and Newfoundland before settling down in Fairfax, VA in 1970. CDR Eckert is survived by his sons Gary Lee of Encinitas, CA, Keith Eric of Basye, VA and daughter Karen Fitzgerald of Falls Church, VA, nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren

After retirement he lived quietly and requested to go quietly. His ashes are/will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.