The Foreign Service Journal, February 2011

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 83 pher Stahnke of McLean, Va., Eliza- beth Cunningham of Watch Hill, R.I., and Barbara Franceschi of New York, N.Y.; a brother; six grandchildren; and two great-granddaughters. Eric Denton Tunis , 66, a retired Foreign Service officer, died unex- pectedly on Oct. 10, 2010, in Hon- olulu, Hawaii. Mr. Tunis was born May 12, 1944, in Springfield, Mass., to Emily and Ed- ward Tunis. After a brief residency in Longmeadow and South Egremont, Mass., he moved with his family to Cal- ifornia. He graduated from Menlo School andMiddlebury College in Ver- mont, majoring in geography, which became a lifelong interest. In 1967 he joined the Peace Corps, serving two years in eastern Iran. Mr. Tunis then began his career as a Foreign Service officer with the State Department. His postings included Afghanistan, Indonesia, Cyprus, Nepal, Western Samoa, India and Pakistan, where he served as consul general in Lahore. He spoke French, Farsi and Indonesian. After retiring in 1999 to Carmel Valley, Calif., he continued to do contract work for the State Depart- ment, mostly in Pakistan. Family members recall that Mr. Tunis’s great passions were travel, gar- dening, language, humor and collect- ing art. He had friends in many parts of the world. He is survived by a sister, Leila Hall, and brother-in-law Samuel Hall, of Los Ranchos, N.M.; two nephews, Douglas Van Cott Niven (and wife Saowalak) of Santa Cruz, Calif., and Edward Brad- ford Niven of Oakland, Calif.; and a niece, Laura Niven of Leipzig, Ger- many. Richard WilliamUtecht , 85, a re- tired FSO with USAID, died on Sept. 19, 2010, at his home in La Crescent, Minn. Mr. Utecht was born in La Crosse, Wisc., on Sept. 21, 1924, and grew up in the Pine Creek area of La Crescent. He worked on his father’s farm until joining the Army at age 17, beginning a 25-year military career that took him to several countries. He retired from the military in 1965 and joined the Foreign Service. While working with USAID in Viet- nam, Mr. Utecht was captured by the Viet Cong on Feb. 4, 1968, just days before his tour was scheduled to end. He spent the next five years as a pris- oner of war — caged, chained and under constant guard in the jungles of South Vietnam. Released on Feb. 12, 1973, he returned home with a deter- mination to live each day to the fullest. Mr. Utecht continued to work for the Department of State until his re- tirement in 1985. Upon returning to La Crescent, he served on town and township boards and as a fire marshal for 20 years. He was also a member of the American Legion, Veterans of For- eign Wars and the Masonic Lodge. Mr. Utecht’s wife, Luana, whom he married in France in 1953, and several brothers and sisters preceded him in death. He is survived by two sons, Gene (and his wife, Debbie) of La Crescent, and Michael (and his wife, Faye) of Spring Grove, Minn.; a step- daughter, Joyce Jorstad-Johnson (and her husband, Sam) of California; a brother, Erich Utecht of Minneapolis; a special cousin, Peggy Wansley (and her husband, Bubba); and his best friend, “Pierre.” I N M E M O R Y Send your In Memory submission to journal@afsa.org