Well, I thought we closed out the memories of the old days in the P.I. and Japan, as related by Virginia Ann Wheeler Martin yesterday. She was a dear friend, and we will all miss her enormously. If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Seville, OH, on Tuesday, April 12, at 2:00 pm, think about attending Jinny’s memorial service in the new chapel (not the brick maintenance building at the front) toward the rear of the hallowed grounds. I am packing the Panzer this afternoon for an extended road trip with my brother to deliver the 1959 Rambler Classic Station Wagon to the Auto Museum in Kokomo, IN, and then head east to Seville, OH. I have found that there are no coincidences in life. It was obvious that I was going to be in Ohio the days of her funeral all along.

Actually, it occurred to me wile I was doing some route planning that we didn’t actually close it out. We got to the point in Jinny’s story where she and Barney left Japan, but not to the rest of their lives together. So here goes, in what Jinny penned for her obituary prior to her passing:

“So, after returning to the USA in January 1956, we purchased a home in Alexandria, Virginia while Barney was assigned to duty at the Pentagon. In July 1959, he was ordered to the U.S. Embassy Paris, France, where he served as Assistant Naval Attaché (A/ALSUNA) and the couple resided in St. Cloud, a Paris suburb. These were delightful years of entertaining and being entertained by various foreign attaché’s and traveling Europe with our Tibetan Terrier, Mr. Softee.

(Flagship of the 6th Fleet, USS Little Rock (CLG-4) in France in 1966).

In July 1962, Barney was ordered back to the Pentagon and shortly thereafter was chosen by CNO Admiral David L. MacDonald to be his Naval Aide. This assignment resulted in two years of entertaining, meeting dignitaries and invitations to The White House. Two years later, Barney, now CDR Martin, was assigned to the afloat Staff, 6th Fleet as its Intelligence Officer. The flagship was home-ported initially in Ville Franche Sur Mer on the lovely Cote d’Azur, France, and later at Gaeta, Italy, where I maintained residence, traveling extensively throughout the Mediterranean, Mideast and North Africa, following the ship.

In Gaeta, we rented a restored watch-tower overlooking the Mediterranean, built in 1560. Returning again to Washington, D.C. in 1967, we spent the remainder of CAPT Barney’s naval career in the area, residing in Tantallon, MD.

In 1976, Captain Martin retired from the Navy after serving as Commanding Officer of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS, forerunner of today’s NCIS). We moved to Rancho Santa Fe, California, in part to be near a Long Beach, California, family business for which Barney was CEO. There we built our dream home, designed in part by me, with panoramic views of the ocean and mountains.

Barney died of Leukemia in 1996. I resided in that home the rest of my life.”

Jinny was active in supporting many naval and civilian activities and philanthropies, Jinny was active in countless charitable organizations. She was affiliated with and held positions of leadership in the Tantallon, MD Garden Club, (President), San Diego Wednesday Club, San Diego Natural History Museum, (board member), American Airlines Kiwis, Rancho Santa Fe Republican Women’s Club, National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Delta Gamma Alumni Association, Noah Homes Inc. (board member), Navy Relief, North San Diego Genealogical Society, (President), Rancho Santa Fe Opera Guild, (co-chair of The Sahm Musicale) and others.

But transcending this, Jinny was especially interested in the San Diego Zoological Society to which she devoted much of her life serving many years on the Wild Animal Park Advisory Board, co-hosting with Barney the chairmanship of the 1996 Gala Rendezvous in the Zoo (RITZ) and promoting all aspects of the Society in particular and wildlife in general.

Her passion was for animals in general, and especially dogs, the latter having always been her loving companions, as well as horticulture, gardening and reading.

But of all her interests, her love and respect for family history and genealogical matters was the mainspring of activity during her life. To this end, she accumulated a large library devoted to these subjects, including many volumes of personal family research.

Each Memorial Day Jinny returned to Ohio to decorate the graves of her ancestors and attend Veterans Memorial Day services. In this respect she was proud of the descent from the Miller Family who first settled on Hale Farm in Bath, Ohio, and of her Native American heritage. Her genealogical interest is made manifest by her commitment to fund the establishment of the Frazier-Wheeler-Martin Genealogical Library in Medina.

There were no children to the marriage and Jinny was the only child born to Otis and Pauline Frazier Wheeler.

Jinny will be interred with her husband of 42 years, dogs Posey and Angel, and five generations of her mother’s family in Mound Hill Cemetery, Seville.”

Her friends and family will come from all over the country to see her laid to rest.

More on all that from the road to Seville.

Copyright 2016 Virginia Martin and Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com