Glenn Leslie Gaddis

Glenn Leslie Gaddis, Retired Naval Officer, Sun City West, Arizona, died November 14, 2023. He was born in Austin, Minnesota, the first child of Thomas Leslie Gaddis (1906-1982) and Mayme M. Kline Gaddis (1906-1998) on Sunday, February 13, 1927. Glenn was the oldest of eleven children of the marriage. His early education was in the public schools of Austin, Minnesota. He was active in the  Christ Episcopal Church held offices in his school classes, a wrestler and regional champion while in high school, and earned the rank of Eagle Scout with five palms. He later became a Quartermaster (the highest rank in Sea Scouts). He left high school during his senior year at the age of seventeen to enlist in the Navy as an apprentice seaman during World War II. He retired with the rank of Captain, U.S. Navy  on March 1, 1985, after more than forty years of continuous active naval service. During this naval service he served in seven ships: USS ALLEN M. SUMMER DD692; USS MC KEAN DD784; and USS FORREST ROYAL DD872; as ships company; USS DIXIE AD14; USS PRAIRIE AD15; and USS PIEDMONT AD17, flagships of Commander Destroyer Flotilla ONE in Japanese and Asiatic waters (Glenn was the Staff Supply Officer for the Flotilla) and the USS SPERRY AS12 as ships Supply Officer and Staff Supply Officer for two submarine squadrons, one nuclear and one diesel. This amounted to more than eleven years in ships. To obtain his formal education he attended Northwestern University, University of Maryland, The Naval Postgraduate School, and George Washington University, earning  a BA in Foreign Affairs, with graduate work in Navy Management and a Master of Business Administration. On Easter Sunday 1951 he married LaVonne June Anderson (1930-1994) of Austin,  Minnesota. Over the years making homes in Minneapolis and Austin, Minnesota, Guam, Newport, Rhode Island, Yokohama, Japan, Monterey, California, Bethesda, Maryland, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, San Diego, California and finally retired to “Casa Puerto”, Sun City West, Arizona. Glenn and LaVonne had two children, Dawn Cosette Buchanan, and Jill Ann Gaddis (1958-2020), both graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota and went on to earn MBAs. Dawn also read at Oxford University in England and Jill studied at the University of Oslo, Norway. Glenn was a Master Mason as was his father and great-grandfather Thomas William Gaddis (1841-1916) before him. Captain Gaddis’ personal military decorations include, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal. Navy Commendation with Gold Star, and the Navy Good Conduct Medal with bar and bronze stars. His campaign medals are for World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. He also took part in the action at the Suez Canal (1956-57) and Lebanon (1957-58) and was in Kenya during the Mau Mau problem of the mid-1950s. His only grandchild Sara T. Buchanan was born to Dawn G. Buchanan on March 20, 1987. Survivors include Dawn (Dave) Buchanan of Edina, MN and Tucson, AZ and their daughter Sarah Buchanan of Tucson. Glenn’s siblings left to mourn his passing are Elaine Offutt of Bethesda, MD, Carl (Darlene) Gaddis of Upper St. Clair, PA, Doris Haglund of Lakeville, MN, Mary Marsh of Zephyrhills, FL, Norma (Keith) Back of Sun City West and Faribault, MN, and Deb (John) Knickerbocker of Shawano, WI. Three sisters of LaVonne also survive Glenn, they are Connie Anderson Benson of MN, Bette Anderson Ladd of AZ and Jean Anderson Vanberg of WA. Glenn also leaves many nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends. He professed to have lived a wonderful life.