Ben Byrnside
September 21, 2010
Captain Benjamin C. Byrnside, Jr., USN, 92, died Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at his Belle Meade home in Southern Pines, NC. He was born February 17, 1918 in Oak Hill, West Virginia to Dr. Benjamin (Bennie) C. Byrnside, DDS and Harriet Bessie Thompson Byrnside. His wife of 66 years, Barbara Pfohl Byrnside, currently resides at St. Joseph of the Pines Health Center. They have one daughter, Lee B. Wachter (Ed), Deale, Maryland, and one son, Benjamin Craig Byrnside (Carol), Holden Beach, North Carolina; five grandchildren, Charlotte W. Mulloy (Patrick), Charlotte, North Carolina; Shannon B. Caleshu (Lee), Boston, Massachusetts; Eleanor W. Palladin (Olivier), Vienna, Virginia; Ian Byrnside (Donya), Atlanta, Georgia; and Brendan C. Byrnside (Blair), Silver Spring, Maryland. They also have two great-grandsons: Matthew B. Mulloy and Owen N. Mulloy of Charlotte.
Ben's fondest Oak Hill childhood memories centered on friendships, Tom Swift books, math class, sports, and the Boy Scouts. He attended West Virginia University for two years before beginning his career in the Navy at the US Naval Academy. WWII hastened his graduation from the Academy, and he entered the war aboard the USS Enterprise in 1941. Saved from the Pearl Harbor bombing by bad weather which kept the Enterprise at sea, he was aboard the Enterprise for her seminal encounter with the Japanese at Guadalcanal. He completed his war service in the Pacific Theatre as the Executive Officer of the submarine, USS Mackerel. His thirty year military career included duty stations in Panama City, San Diego, Hawaii, and Washington, DC. He was the Commanding Officer of the USS Atule and the USS Tulare. Upon retirement, the Byrnsides moved to Whispering Pines, a golfers' paradise. Ben, who was an ardent supporter of Moore Regional Hospital, volunteered there, and he shared his photography hobby in a pet-friendly 'Pilot' column that sought adopters for shelter animals.
We will all miss his warmth, kindness, and ready sense of humor.
A memorial service is scheduled on Saturday, October 9, at 2 o'clock in the Belle Meade Chapel with reception to follow. Inurnment will be at The Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The International Essential Tremor Foundation, (IETF), P.O. 14005, Lenexa, KS 66285-4005 or essentialtremor.org. Please designate for 'Research Support.'
I have fought the fine fight, I have run the course to the finish, I have observed the faith.-2Timothy 4:7. As for me, I will lie down that I may sleep; I shall certainly awake, for Jehovah himself keeps supporting me. -Psalms 3:5.
Our heartfelt condolences from another ’41er from West Virginia and spouse: Bob and Eleanor Baughan.May the peace of our Lord be with you.
Lee, I remember meeting you once but want you to know how fondly I thought of your father. Memories shared from my mother have made him a very real person to me. I am sad for your grief and will keep you in my prayers.Karen McDaniel, daughter of Joan Wils