Nathaniel Choate

“We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms.”

--Paulo Coelho

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Nathaniel “Nat” Choate.

Our beloved Poppi left us suddenly on the morning of June 10, 2026—most likely because his life partner Dot grew tired of waiting and called him back to her side. Along his journey of 93 years, he touched countless lives and will be remembered for his wisdom, humor and unwavering positivity.

Born in Ithan, Pennsylvania on October 11, 1932, Nat and his siblings spent their early years at Pooh Corner Farm (officially sanctioned by A.A. Milne himself). Their adventures could fill volumes – from teasing the city boy that the “bull is in the cornfield” to jumping off walls, swinging from trees and shooting bb guns (yes, nearly putting an eye out). Nat was absolutely thrilled to find and visit Pooh Corner farm just last summer, sharing all manner of tales with the new owner and rekindling his fondest memories of growing up in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

His milestones are many – losing his sister (Louisa) when she was 18, moving with his family to New Hampshire and eventually settling in Searsport, Maine. Nat graduated from Searsport District High School in 1950 and the Maine Maritime Academy with a BS in Marine Engineering in 1953. He married his childhood sweetheart Dot, the day after his college graduation, spent time in the US Merchant Marine and in the US Navy (on board the USS Denebola). Training exercises took him to Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Cuba, Santa Domingo, Bermuda and the Virgin Islands, as well as to various ports in the Mediterranean.

Nat gradually transitioned to employment as an engineer with Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding in Quincy, Massachusetts followed by a long career with the Department of the Navy (Naval Ship Systems Command/NAVSEC) in Hyattsville, MD, Washington, D.C., and finally Crystal City in Arlington, VA. He served as a Supervisory Marine Engineer and the Director of Surface Combatant Ships, specializing in the ship design and modernization. Nat was proud to play a key role in re-commissioning four battleships -- – the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, the USS Iowa and the USS Missouri. He was commended as a Selected Member of the design/construction team for the DDG 47 Guided Missile Destroyer Program and by Vice Admiral RC Gooding for his work with the Royal Australian Navy Patrol Frigate study. During his time with the Navy Department, Nat also served as the NAVSEA Recruiting Officer at the Maine Maritime Academy.

So much more than a military veteran and distinguished engineer, Nat was most proud of his wife, his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. As the head of four generations, he hosted extended family and friends for over 60 years at the summer cottage that he helped build on Swan Lake in Maine. All will remember how he patiently drove the boat teaching countless visitors to waterski.

Nat was a Model A enthusiast and took on many volunteer roles -- President of the Civic Association, President of the PTA, parent volunteer and master crafter/woodworker. Nat was on the Fairfax County School Board as an At-Large member, and was a member of the Fairfax County Park Authority. He started, administered and coached in the Northern Virginia Girls’ Softball League, and coached the neighborhood boys in soccer and basketball, taking 10+ players to practices in his station wagon. Nat relished his time playing competitive cribbage on Thursdays at the Springfield American Legion, thoroughly enjoying his 2-hour session with visiting cribbage buddy Ed, just the day before his sudden death.

Nat’s journey was the epitome of grace, humility, humor, purpose and balance. He had the rare gift of making those around him laugh, feel valued and deeply loved. He guided his 3 children well into adulthood (teaching them how to drive a stick shift, fixing or repairing just about anything, patiently explaining advanced math concepts through hours of tears, welcoming a steady stream of teenagers into his home while managing ridiculous amounts of teenage angst and foolishness). He didn’t tell anyone how to live; he lived and let everyone watch him do it.

A quiet but powerful presence, Nat exhibited resilience and adaptability, especially after the loss of his partner in life. His words “you just have to put one foot in front of the other to keep moving forward” inspired those suffering through similar loss. He grew to love the friends, staff and caregivers at Aarondale Assisted Living in Springfield, Virginia, and Nat’s family is forever grateful to the entire staff for making Aarondale a perfect final chapter.

Nat was married to and predeceased by his beloved wife Dorothy of 71 years (77 if you start counting from the day they met), his mother Louise Sawtelle Libby, his father Edward Carlisle Choate, his sister Louisa Choate, and his brothers Edward “Ted” Choate, William “Bill”Choate, David Choate, and Robert “Bob” Pyle. Nat is survived by his sister Judy Wenzel, his three children – Donna Gibson (Ed), Teresa Loriaux, and Nathaniel Scott Choate (Cindi), his nine grandchildren -- Natalie (Daniel), Ted (Lauren), Dylan, Dan (Sandra), Grant (Rachael), Nat, Tyler, Ryan and Andrew, and his eight great grandchildren -- Dylan, Teagan, Shepard, Thomas, James, Wells, Penelope and Beauden. Special friends included Mike Hamilton, The Turners, and the Cranshaws (once a Henway, always a Henway – if you know, you know).

Nat’s journey to reunite with Dot will be celebrated at a later time at Swan Lake with close family and friends.

Nat/Dad/Poppi was our first and greatest hero -- our forever guide. We will endure a lifetime of missing him for the privilege of having loved him so deeply.

“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy. “

-Inuit Proverb