Eugene "Ozzie" Ostlund

Eugene 'Ozzie' Ostlund

Eugene William "Ozzie" Ostlund, 91, of Lake of the Woods passed away Monday, Oct. 21, 2013, in Fredericksburg.

Ozzie was born in Fargo, N.D., and joined the Navy on June 30, 1940, serving as part of the Seventh Fleet in both World War II and the Korean War. While in the Navy, he served as an ROTC instructor at the University of Minnesota, where he taught celestial navigation, diesel engineering and military justice. After his assignment with the ROTC program, he was transferred to the Destroyer Flotilla Staff in Long Beach, Calif., where he assisted in the design of destroyer development. He was then commissioned as the commanding officer of the USS Lansing in Honolulu, Hawaii. After his tour of duty in Hawaii, he was assigned to the Command and Staff College of the Air Force Air University in Montgomery, Ala. He was then assigned to the Pentagon in the Defense Communications Agency and served an important role in the decoding of communications during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He retired from the Navy in 1965, and then worked as a civilian in the Office of Chief Naval Operations, remaining with the Defense Communications Agency, where he retired in 1977.

Ozzie and his wife, Margaret, were key figures in the dancing community in the Northern Virginia area for more than 35 years and founders or partners in more than a dozen different round dance and square dancing clubs, where they provided lessons to thousands of dancers.

As a result of their volunteering efforts with various nursing homes, Children's Hospital, Toys for Tots and other charitable causes, they were recognized by both the WASCA and NCASDLA, and received special citations from both President Reagan and President Bush for their volunteering activities.

Ozzie is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Margaret; daughter Margene Curtice; sons Rick, Charlie and Fred and their families, 12 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way; and a special caregiver, Christine Porter.

A celebration of Ozzie's life will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Johnson Funeral Home in Locust Grove, with the family receiving friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

The family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, one may contribute to Lake of the Woods Fire and Rescue.

An online guest book and obituary are available at johnsoncares.com.