LAWRENCE D. ROCKWELL

ROCKWELL, LAWRENCE D. Lawrence D. Rockwell, 93, of Galena, MD, died October 11 at Shore Medical Center in Chestertown, MD. Born March 3, 1923 in Ivoryton (Essex), CT, he was the son of the late James H. and Laura K Rockwell. He graduated from Pratt High School, Essex, CT, in 1941. At 19 he enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to the new battleship, Iowa. As a radar technician he served our country on the USS Iowa for one year in the Atlantic and two years in the Pacific. Honorably discharged in January 1946, he entered the University of Bridgeport, from which he obtained an Associate’s degree in engineering in 1948. He obtained a BS degree in Chemical Engineering in 1951 from Lafayette College in Easton, PA. He was employed by the Atlantic Refining Co., later known as Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) in Philadelphia, in June 1951. He became an Area Superintendent in the Philadelphia refinery. In the early years of his employment, Mr. Rockwell attended night school at Drexel University, studying for a Master’s degree in Business Administration. A career of 31 years at ARCO concluded with his retirement in 1982. In 1953 he married the late Patricia Smith of Easton, PA. A daughter, Barbara Beth, of West Chester, PA was born in November 1957 and a son, James Martin, of Whiting, ME, was born May, 1959. The children survive him. In 1982 he married Joan Finch of Alexandria, VA. This marriage ended in divorce in 2002. Mr. Rockwell’s great enjoyments were sailing his ketch on Chesapeake Bay, following the financial markets, and being a good friend and neighbor in his community. He was a member of Olivet United Methodist Church in Galena and was also a member of the Lion’s Club in Galena. A viewing will be held on Wednesday, October 19 from 10 to 11 am in Olivet United Methodist Church, Galena, MD, where funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. Interment will be held on Friday, October 21 at 11 am in the Rockwell family plot Centerbrook Cemetery, Centerbrook, Conn. His family wishes him peace and thanks those who took such good care of him in his final days, both at home and in the hospital. Arrangements by Galena Funeral Home of Stephen L. Schaech, Galena, MD.