Commander Maurice Henry Unger USN (Ret.)

1939 - 2022

Commander Maurice Henry "Maury" Unger USN (Ret.) passed away peacefully on August 21, 2022 at the age of 82. He was born on September 14, 1939 in Gadsden, Alabama and spent his childhood years in Westminster, Maryland. He attended Saint James Preparatory School, Hagerstown, Maryland and graduated from the University of the South (Sewanee, Tennessee) in 1961. He was commissioned in the U.S. Navy and designated a Naval Flight Officer in December 1952. As a member of Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6), he served as a Polar Navigator on photo mapping flights during Operation Deep Freeze 1965 and Operation Deep Freeze 1966. In recognition of his Antarctica service, "Unger Peak" (coordinates 79o 21' S/86o 10'W) was named in his honor. Subsequently, Maury transitioned to the A-6 A/E Intruder aircraft in 1968, and upon completion of training, he was designated a Bombardier/Navigator (B/N). He served in Attack Squadrons Forty Two (VA-42), Seventy Five (VA-75) and Eighty Five (VA-85). His associated tours included positions as Weapon Training/Readiness Officer and Strike Operations Officer. Upon his retirement from the Navy in May 1985, Maury's professional life continued with a second career in aviation logistics and information technology management. In his spare time, Maury was not only a freelance writer, but he wrote and published two novels: When Destinies Collide (2005) and Terrorism's Shifting Winds (2008). Maury was a member of the Intruder Association, the Association of Naval Aviation (ANA), serving on the Board of Directors for the Hampton Roads Squadron of ANA, and a lifetime member of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). Maury resided in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is survived by his wife, Eleanor Mary Kirkwood Unger, their two sons, Maurice Kirkwood Unger (Nell-Garwood) and Robert McIlhenny Unger (Grace), six grandchildren: Maris, Margaret, Cole, Ella, Nathan and Elyse, and brother Robert Franklin Unger. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.