Eugene John Haugh

0
329

Mr. Eugene John Haugh went from this earth on Oct. 7, 2021, to be with his heavenly father. He was born Aug. 15, 1924, a son to the late Emma Braun Haugh and the late Herbert Joseph Haugh on his grandparent’s farm in Aspen Hill, Md. He grew up on Rosemere St. Hollywood Park, Silver Spring, Md. Upon graduation from Blair High School in 1942, he was drafted into the Army and spent the final two years of WWII in Shipdham, England, as a corporal supporting B-24 bombers as a member of the 506th Engineering Section 44th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force (The Flying 8 Balls). In 1945, he returned to Hollywood Park where he met his future wife, Elizabeth Breslin. Gene and Betty were married May 3, 1947. He built his home on Hollywood Avenue where they raised seven children. He worked with his father building homes in the Bethesda and Silver Spring area until 1950 when he became a Montgomery County Police Officer. He worked in the traffic division, was a pistol instructor for new recruits, and a member of the pistol team earning numerous awards. He retired as a sergeant in 1972. He was a lifetime member of the NRA and enjoyed the sport of shooting and hunting. He enjoyed the outdoors and took numerous camping, fishing, and hunting trips with family and friends. He was a founding member of Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Silver Spring.

He retired to Chincoteague in 1972 and began a life that centered on the water. He purchased a home on South Main Street that was on the waterfront and included a small boat dock. He worked the waters of Chincoteague crabbing and fishing and sold soft and hard crabs from his home “Haugh’s Gifts from the Sea.” He was a member of the American Legion Post #159. He was a member of the St. Andrews Catholic Church, on Chincoteague, where he was an usher and lector.

In 1991 he moved to 63 acres near the town of Palmyra, Va. At the age of 67 and with the help of Betty, they turned the property into a working cattle farm for the next 24 years. He built a large barn, equipment shed, cattle shelter, and fenced the property. He joined the 44th Bomb Group Veterans Association and made several trips to meetings before the group disbanded. He was a member of the Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Palmyra.

In 2015 he moved back to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and settled in Wallops Island. He kept active and could be seen during the warm months cutting the lawn. He built crab pots for the family and would go out to fish the traps and still got a kick out of the catch. He enjoyed eating them, too, along with the fish, clams, and oysters that the family brought to him. His daily ritual was flying the flag and reading the daily newspaper cover to cover. He enjoyed reading and always had a book near his chair. He looked forward to playing cards with his sons, which was a weekly event.

Survivors include his wife of 74 years, Elizabeth Lou (Breslin) Haugh; two sisters, Shirley Hogan and Jennette Warren, both of Silver Spring; seven children,  John Haugh (Jane), of Hillsboro, Va., Amy  Claypool (Phil), of Hedgesville, W.Va., Carol Spencer (Gerry), of Whitleyville, Tenn., Janet Dorman (Bob), of Cape Charles, Herbert Haugh (Regena), of Wattsville, Karl Haugh (Laurie), of Chincoteague, and Michael Haugh (Teena), of Chincoteague; 14 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Gene had an independent work ethic that set an example for the family. One to never complain or sit idle, he would offer assistance and always be willing to help or just jump in when work was at hand. He was also one not to ask for help if he thought he could do it himself, which he often could and did. What he did was his way, up to the end.

A Funeral Mass will be held at the Saint Andrews Catholic Church Saturday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. He will be laid to rest in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Aspen Hill, Md.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Riverside Shore Hospice, P.O. Box 616, Onley, VA 23418, or to the charity of your choice.

Services are entrusted to Salyer Funeral Home Inc., on Chincoteague Island.

Condolences may be made online at www.salyerfh.com
Previous articleCleo E. McIntosh
Next articleHettie Dolores Bowden