Obituary of David Ray Correll

WESTFIELD - David Ray Correll , age 93 of South Portage St., Westfield, NY died peacefully on July 10, 2015 at Westfield Memorial Hospital. David was born in Hartford, Connecticut on 1 May 1922, and the son of the late Jesse and Althea (Norris) Correll. When he was five years of age his family moved to the Midwest and his early schooling was spent in Missouri and Illinois, mostly in the St. Louis area and in Wichita, Kansas. His mother's professional Girl Scouting career brought the family to Warren, Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the class of 1941 of Warren High School. He attended college at Mississippi State and The University of Maryland. An early interest in aviation made him a candidate for the Civil Air Patrol program in the early 40's. Apprenticing as an aircraft mechanic in Warren, Pa, He served as a War Training Service officer until he entered the U.S. Army in 1945. He was commissioned a reserve 2nd lieutenant in Field Artillery in December of that year and served in the Army for 30 years. He was commissioned an officer in the Regular Army Ordnance Officer in 1949 and served in Puerto Rico; Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD; Berlin, Augsburg and Stuttgart, Germany; and Department of the Army, Washington DC. In 1957 he served as an advisor to the Army of Viet Nam and again in 1970 at the same time as his son John David. Retiring in 1975 as a Lieutenant Colonel, his military metals include: The Legion of Merit; Bronze Star; Berlin Airlift Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Army, Army commendation Medal; Republic of Viet Nam Commemoration Medal; World War II Victory Medal and the National Defense Medal. His retirement years were spent restoring his Victorian home in Westfield, NY. He was a self-taught carpenter, cabinetmaker, plumber, electrician, mechanic, welder and mason. His workmanship in each was superior and his ambition seemingly boundless as he invented and fabricated tools and machines he needed for his restoration project. While in Westfield he took great pride and interest in the community and served for many years on the Board of Public Utilities, the board of directors of the Patterson Library and the United Fund of Westfield. He is survived by the following offspring: John David (Susan) Correll of North Ridgeville, OH; Deborah Correll (Larry) Cohn of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Arianne Correll (Thomas) Brown of Westfield, NY. Also surviving are seven grandchildren: Arianna McDonough Piper, Conor McDonough, Kim Correll, Kendall Correll, and Mary Katherine Correll, Annamika Hacikyan and Shaant Hacikyan and a sister, Edna McKaine of Wichita, KS, three nieces and nine great- grandchildren. Preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Alliene Eaton Correll, whom he married at Ft. Brooke, San Juan, Puerto Rico on 18 July, 1946 and who died on 8 December 2002 as well as by his son Timothy and by a sister. No prior calling will be observed. Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service to be held at 11 AM on Saturday, July 18, 2015 at the First Presbyterian Church, 49 South Portage Street, Westfield, with Rev. Dana Vaughn officiating. Private burial will be in the Leona Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Patterson Library, 40 South Portage St., Westfield, NY 14787. Funeral Arrangements have been entrusted to The MASON Funeral home, 37 Clinton St., Westfield, NY. Log on to www.masonfuneral.com to send the Correll family a message of sympathy, to light a memorial Candle or for further information.