Gary Barnum

Gary L. Barnum
FAYETTEVILLE
Gary L. Barnum, 78, passed away on December 11, 2015, at his home in Fayetteville, PA. Born in Michigan. Retired U.S. Navy Commander Barnum was a 1959 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served more than 21 years as a commissioned officer. A Maryland resident of more than 26 years, he had lived in both Annapolis and Stevensville until moving to Fayetteville, PA in 2003. During his naval service, he rose to the rank of Commander, had commanded the destroyer USS ROBERT H. MCCARD and been a Senior Command Center Watch Officer at the HQ of the U.S. Atlantic Command and the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Command. His earlier duties were in USS INTREPID (CVA- 11), USS THUBAN (AKA-19), USS WILLIAM M. WOOD (DDR-715), and on the staff of the Commander Manned Spacecraft Recovery Forces. He served two years in Turkey at the Joint U.S. Military Mission for Aid to Turkey. There, he and his wife adopted their son, Christopher. He later served in USS BELKNAP (DLG-26) then became Executive Officer on USS WILLIAM M. WOOD (DD-715) and USS EL PASO (LKA-117) before commanding USS MCCARD. He attained designation as Surface Warfare Officer and was a designated Joint Command and Control Sub­ Specialist. He received the Defense Meritorious Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and several other decorations. He served in Vietnam and during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After retirement from the U.S. Navy, he was a Senior Engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and later was a Program Manager and Engineering Manager at the Martin Marietta plant in Middle River, DE.
His wife of 36 years, Marian Murn Barnum, died in 1995. He is survived by his son, Christopher of Annapolis; his sister, Carolyn DeGree of Westcliffe, CO; and an uncle, George Steinwedel of Novi, Ml.
Service held at Naval Academy Chapel on April 8, 2016, at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Class of 1959, 247 King George St., Annapolis, MD 21402.