Basil A. "Boomer" Needham, Jr.

Carolina Shores, NCBasil A. Needham, Jr., 86, died Wednesday, December 10, 2014 at home with his family at his side.Born on July 14, 1928 in Waltham, MA, he was the son of the late Basil A. and Elizabeth Lassiter Needham, Sr. He graduated from United States Merchant Marine academy, Kings Point, in 1950. After graduation he sailed aboard several major cruise lines as a first officer. He then began his career with US Department of Labor in NY which led to being appointed 1st Regional Director of OSHA in the Southeast region. After 20 years of service with the Federal Government, Basil retired to Calabash where he enjoyed 25 years of retirement.To answer the question, "Where did the nickname Boomer come from?", as a child he was seen hurling a boomerang around the family home and his sister proceeded to yell "put that Boomer down", hence the nickname Boomer.Amongst many of Boomer's hobbies, sailing was his first, where he met his wife, Doerthe, racing Comets on the Long Island Sound. His love for golf had many memorable moments including 3 holes in one, and playing in a golf tournament at Coldstream Country Club in Irmo, SC, where he won a car. He coordinated 10 years of the King's Point annual golf tournament held in NC. During Boomer's first 15 years of retirement, he enjoyed working at local golf courses as a starter and a ranger while golfing with various men's leagues that included plenty of friendly wagers. His joy of the water led to retiring near the ocean to enjoy the beach and boating with family and friends.Boomer is survived by his wife of 63 years, Doerthe Boehmer Needham; three sons Peter, Basil, III, and Dirk; daughter Priscilla; brothers, Richard and Robert; seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. He is predeceased by one sister, Cynthia Needham.A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Wednesday, December 17 at St. Stephen?s Episcopal Church, 801 11th Avenue North, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Cancer Society for Lung Cancer, 950 48th Avenue North, Suite 101, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577.A guestbook is available at www.leefhandcrematory.com.Lee Funeral Home & Crematory of Little River/North Myrtle Beach is serving the family.