98 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL settled in Maryland but in 2009 moved to Sarasota, where she threw herself into Democratic politics. She was also involved in Howard University alumni activities and spent time traveling, attending musical performances, and pampering her dog, Rosie. Ms. Payne is survived by her son, Jay, of Portland, Maine. n Albert Leonard “Len” Pfeifer, 87, a retired Foreign Service specialist, passed away on November 7, 2025, at Shenandoah of The Virginian in Fairfax, Va. Born on May 5, 1938, in Pittsburgh, Pa., Mr. Pfeifer was the youngest of the late Albert and Elizabeth Heinlein Pfeifer’s four children. At the age of 18, Mr. Pfeifer joined the U.S. Air Force, serving for four years as a communication specialist. After being honorably discharged, he began his career at the U.S. State Department. His early Foreign Service posts were in the Far East and Middle East. He was then sent to Europe, with assignments in London, Frankfurt, and The Hague as a diplomatic courier. After returning to Washington, D.C., Mr. Pfeifer was assigned to Brazil and Guatemala, where he retired from the Foreign Service in 1988. In retirement, Mr. Pfeifer enjoyed playing on softball teams and in bowling leagues, umpiring Little League baseball, and volunteering with and donating to nonprofits such as Meals on Wheels in the Fairfax County area. Mr. Pfeifer was predeceased by two brothers, Carl and Robert Pfeifer, and one sister, Eleanore Schriver. He is survived by his two children, Christopher Pfeifer of Burke, Va., and Amanda Pfeifer of Oxnard, Calif. A private burial will be announced for a later date at Robinson’s Run Cemetery in McDonald, Pa. n Mary Theresa (Donegan) Stuckey, 88, a retired Foreign Service specialist and FS spouse, passed away on February 5, 2026, near Winchester, Va., where she had been living with her son, David, and daughter-in-law, Caitlyn. Ms. Stuckey was born on August 15, 1937, in Reading, Mass., one of 11 siblings and the youngest daughter of Maurice and Doris Donegan. In her early 20s, she joined the U.S. State Department Foreign Service as a communications officer. Her first overseas assignment was Tegucigalpa, where her duties included picking up the embassy’s daily cable traffic from the Western Union office on her way to work. There, she met her husband, fellow Foreign Service Officer Robert “Bob” Stuckey. Because of that era’s ban on marriage between members of the Foreign Service, Ms. Stuckey was forced to resign. The couple then served overseas for many years while raising three boys, with postings in Managua, Hong Kong, Moscow, Brasília, London, Kabul, Panama, and Amman. Ms. Stuckey relished the opportunity to experience other cultures, haggling in the bazaars of Damascus and the shops of Delhi, exploring the ancient sites of Copan, Petra, Bamian, and Fatehpur Sikri, and sunning from Repulse Bay to Porto da Barra. She especially enjoyed going for long rambles in the countryside to see an old stupa or a glacial tarn. Along the way, she built a wonderful collection of locally made art, rugs, and artifacts that are now in the homes of her children. Once the FS marriage ban was overturned in 1971, Ms. Stuckey rejoined the State Department Foreign Service, where her final assignment was in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. She retired in 1997. The ensuing years found Ms. Stuckey doting on her grandchildren, tending her flower garden, and scouring flea markets for treasures. There were trips with young charges to zoos, parks, and museums, stories read and reread, and tummies filled with good things. Her children and grandchildren remember her as Queen of the Chocolate Chip Cookie, Toasted PB and J, and Banana Bread, and as Grammy, Mimi, and Mom. Ms. Stuckey was predeceased by her husband, Bob, in 2016. She is survived by her brothers, Tom and Bill; three sons, Robert Jr. (and spouse, Julie), David (and spouse, Caitlyn), and Matthew (and spouse, Angela); four grandchildren, Mary, John, Potomac, and Carson; and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis TN 38148. n To submit an obituary for In Memory, please send the complete text (up to 500 words) to InMemory@afsa.org. Be sure to include the date, place, and cause of death, and details of the individual's Foreign Service career. Submissions must come from, or be confirmed by, a next of kin or other family member.
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