Henry Landis died on September 30. He was 95.
Born July 22, 1921, Mr. Landis was a committed volunteer, first with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation—which named him “Man of the Year” in 1980—and later with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, which honored him as “Auxiliarist of the Year” three consecutive times as a crew-qualified boat crew member at United States Coast Guard Station Shinnecock. At age 75, he received special commendation for his service during the recovery operation of the TWA Flight 800 disaster. Among his most cherished memories were his voyages as Radio Officer on USCG “Barque Eagle”, the Academy’s officer-training vessel. He was the first Auxiliarist allowed to ship out as a member of the crew. During the Desert Storm conflict, he also joined the Merchant Marines as a radio officer.
Mr. Landis’s life was a tapestry, adorned with adventure and blessed with family, survivors said. Most importantly, he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Rhoda; four children, Steven, Andrea Loring, Carla Alamia and Sharon Ruiz; and grandchildren, Asha, Joel, Dana, Amanda, Justin and Kaylan.
A funeral was held on Wednesday, October 5, at 12:30 p.m. at Shalom Memorial Chapel in Smithtown, followed by interment at Calverton National Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, jdrf.org; or the Coast Guard Foundation, coastguardfoundation.org.