A Life Well Lived

On December 1 my Grandfather Homer passed away. He was 98 years old. Below is his obituary.

Cmdr. Homer Atkins Giddens, USN, Ret. Cmdr. Homer Atkins Giddens, USN, Ret., 98, of Austin, died December 1, 2011. He was born July 26, 1913 in White Rock, Texas to Ted Giddens and Mary Atkins. Homer enlisted in the U.S. Navy on January 6, 1934 and served on the USS Wasp, Colorado and Yorktown. He served as Flag Secretary for the Pacific Fleet; served on two Presidential Cruises under Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Galapagos Islands and the search for Amelia Earhart's plane in the Pacific. As a Personnel Officer he was instrumental in helping to modernize the Navy Personnel System through the use of punch card computers. While assigned to the Pentagon, he married Mary Jean Finney on August 13, 1947. After retiring from the Navy in 1963, he helped create the Civil Defense Office in Austin, setting up shelters and providing radiation detection training for area police and firefighters. Upon the closing of the Civil Defense Department, he transferred to the Texas State Dept. of Health, where he assisted in providing administrative support for health clinics. Upon retiring from the State of Texas, he sold real estate. Homer was an avid bridge player and volunteered as a tax preparer for senior citizens. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Michelle Giddens of Milford, NE; daughter Lynn LeCroix-Stewart of Austin; grandchildren, Jason and wife Susan, Natalie and husband Cameron, Rebecca, Katherine, Blake and Brandon and great-grandchildren Jill and Charlie. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean Giddens. Private family services are planned. Memorials may be made to the US. Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. 875 North Randolph Street, Suite 225 Arlington, VA 2203-1767.

To say he lived a long full life would not be doing him justice. As an adult I realize how lucky I am for having been so close to all of my Grandparents. So much of my childhood is filled with happy memories because of them.

This a picture of my grandparents on their wedding day in Washington DC on August 13, 1947.