John Chittenden – Captain,United States Navy

Captain John Chittenden, United States Navy (retired) formerly of Sarasota, Florida, and most recently of Reynolda Park in Winston-Salem, died peacefully Tuesday, March 29, 2005, in the ACE unit of The Sticht Center. He was 94 years old.

John was born January 3, 1911, in Massena, New York, to Lester and Jessie Chittenden. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy, where he served as captain of the basketball team. He graduated in the class of 1932. He served 30 years in the Navy, twenty-seven and a half years as a Naval aviator. He saw duty on battleships, cruisers, patrol squadrons and aircraft carriers. He, his wife and daughter were stationed in Honolulu during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Later duty assignments took him around the world, including the Aleutian Islands, North Africa, Okinawa and Malta, where he served on Lord Louis Mountbatten’s staff. His favorite duty assignment was as commanding officer of the USS Princeton aircraft carrier in the western Pacific.

He was a decorated officer whose honors included the Bronze Star with Valor.

Retiring from the Navy in 1962, John obtained his Master’s Degree at Duke University and taught mathematics at Manatee Community College in Bradenton, Florida, for 20 years.

While in Florida, John was active in his church, Whitfield Presbyterian. He was an avid environmentalist, fisherman, bridge player and reader.

Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, John married Mary Ward Mitchell, with whom he shared his life and career for 65 years. They were the proud parents of Mary Anne Chittenden Gooley of  Winston-Salem.

John was preceded in death by his beloved wife; his brother, William H. Chittenden of Massena, New York; and his much loved son-in-law, Richard Matthew Gooley. In addition to his daughter, John is survived by his grandchildren, Mary Beth and Tim Yates of High Point, Ruth Anne and Art Blevins of Winston-Salem, and Susan Lynn and Greg King of Winston-Salem. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren, Matthew, Andrew, Phillip and John Yates, Kayla
Blevins, and Steffie and Greg King Jr.

Following a private memorial service, inurnment will occur at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart Society or to the organization of one’s choice.

The family would like to extend gracious thanks to the staff of Reynolda Park and the ACE unit of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s Sticht Center for their wonderful care and kindness.

Captain Chittenden will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on 26 January 2006.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard