Ruth B. Benfield
OCEAN CITY — Ruth B. Benfield, age 89, of Ocean City, passed away on February 24, 2013 at Berlin Nursing Home in Berlin.
Born in Todd, N.C., she was the daughter of the late Solomon Coy and Mary Bena Ross Blackburn and wife of the late Charles Van Benfield. She retired from Aberdeen Proving Grounds after 30 years of service where she worked as a secretary. Mrs. Benfield came to Maryland from North Carolina in 1931 when her father was called to be the first pastor at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Bel Air. She was a 1941 graduate of Bel Air High School, an avid gardener and volunteered for Meals On Wheels for over 20 years in Harford County before she moved to Ocean City to be with her daughter.
Mrs. Benfield is survived by her daughters, Patricia Ann Benfield of Silver Spring and Debra Benfield Quilter and husband, David T., of Ocean City; sister, Mary Lou Maddox of Clarksville; and grandchildren, Samantha Shea Quilter and Ross Terrington Quilter both of Ocean City. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Dr. Glenn Blackburn, and sisters, Faye Schmitz and Ruby Bentley.
Services were held yesterday in Bel Air, Md. Interment will be at Bel Air Memorial Gardens in Bel Air.
Those who desire may make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, Tenn. 38101-9929.
Memory tributes may be sent to the family at mccomasfuneralhome.com
George F. Hamel
BERLIN — George F. Hamel, a retired Army Colonel and public affairs specialist who later was an administrator with the Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, died Feb. 26, 2013 at age 93.
Col. Hamel, who lived in Arlington and McLean, Va. for more than 35 years, retired to Ocean City, in 2001, then moved to Selbyville, Del. in 2012. He was born in Worcester, Mass. He was a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
He was commissioned and entered the Army in 1941. His first assignment was with the 3rd Cavalry at Fort Myer, Va. During World War II, he served in Europe with the 10th Armored Division.
After the war, he served in various posts in this country and in Germany. He served as an instructor at Norwich University, Northfield, Vt., and at the US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. At the time of his retirement in 1969, he was Director for Community Relations in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Public Affairs.
His military decorations included the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster. He was a graduate of the Cavalry School, the Armor School, and the US Army Command and General Staff College.
Following his retirement from the Army, Col. Hamel joined the Fairfax County Public Schools as Director of Community Relations, a position he held until he again retired in 1984. He was an adjunct professor at George Mason University, Southeastern University, and the University of Maryland.
Col. Hamel loved both his Army career and his service with Fairfax County Public Schools, but the true treasures of his life were his wife and family.
Survivors include his beloved wife of more than 60 years, Arline, of Selbyville, Del.; four daughters, Cynthia McManus of Arlington, Mass., Janet Hamel of Orono, Maine, Dr. Sally Dowling of Ocean City and Molly Wilson of Camp Hill, Pa.; and three sons, George Jr. of San Francisco, Calif., James of Williamsburg, Va., and William of Bryn Mawr, Pa. He is also survived by his brother, Richard, by his 22 grandchildren and by one great-grandson.
There will be a visitation on Saturday, March 2 at Holy Savior Catholic Church in Ocean City at 10 a.m., with a mass of Christian burial celebrated at 11 a.m. Father Stanislao Esposito will officiate. Interment will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Holy Savior Catholic Church, 1705 Philadelphia Ave., Ocean City, Md. 21842; to the George Hamel Undergraduate Scholarship Fund at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW Foundation, U.S. Bank Lockbox, Box 78807, Milwaukee, Wis. 53278-0807; or to the charity of your choice.
Clifford Andrew Christello, Sr.
BERLIN — Our dear Clifford "Chris" Andrew Christello, Sr., left us on Feb. 23, 2013.
Born in Maryland on Aug. 3, 1949, he served in the US Army in Vietnam. After an honorable discharge, he continued to protect us with many years of service in the Baltimore City Police Department, Sparrows Point Police Department, followed by meritorious service in the Ocean Pines Police Department and finally with Walt Disney World Security in Orlando, Fla. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Antoinette "Toni" Christello, and three children, daughter Christine Tristani and her husband Joe, son John DeLeo and his wife, Lynn, son Clifford Christello, Jr. and his wife Kathie. He is also the proud grandfather of five. A Memorial for Chris will be held in Reisterstown, Md. on March 9. Please visit Clifford-Christello.last-memories.com for more information.