The Foreign Service Journal, May 2019

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2019 69 IN MEMORY n Charles Lawrence Christian Jr. , 86, a retired Foreign Service communica- tions officer, died on Jan. 24 in Fairfield, Calif., after a prolonged battle with inter- stitial lung disease. Mr. Christian was born in Portland, Ore., on July 20, 1932, to Charles and Eunice (nee Homm) Christian. His father was a chief steward for Matson Lines, which led Mr. Christian to spend his childhood in various locales, including the family farm in Gaston, Ore.; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco, Long Beach and Bur- lingame, Calif.; and Honolulu, Hawaii. At the age of 17 Mr. Christian enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, advanc- ing to senior cryptographer during the Korean War. He was stationed in Texas, Wyoming, Alaska and Washington, D.C. He returned to the Bay Area, where he graduated from San Mateo Junior College and worked for United Airlines from 1952 to 1955 as a communications operator and passenger agent. In 1955 Mr. Christian was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency and began his career as a communications specialist. From 1955 to 1967, he served in that capacity in Washington, D.C.; Turkey; Lebanon; Cyprus; Iraq; Jordan; Sudan; Greece; West Germany and Southern California. In 1959 he married Mary Lou Coca- nougher, a United Airlines stewardess supervisor from San Bruno, Calif., who would later become an elementary school teacher. After their three children were born, Mr. Christian resigned from the CIA in 1967 to provide a more stable upbringing for his children. The family relocated to Santa Rosa, Calif., where he worked in sales for AAA, Hearst Corporation and as a general agent for health and funeral insurance in Sonoma County. In 1982 Mr. Christian joined the State Department, where he served until 1986 as a communications officer posted in Muscat and Bonn. Family members recall his keen inter- est in history, specifically the American Revolution and the American Civil War. A descendant of an American Revolu- tionary war soldier, he was past presi- dent and chaplain of the local chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Also a descendant of a Civil War vet- eran, Mr. Christian was past commander and chaplain for the Colonel Elmer Ellsworth Camp 23 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Other memberships included: North Bay Civil War Round Table, Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, Pacific Coast Air Museum, Sonoma County Amateur Radio Club, Roadrunners Internationale, Dragon Lady Association and Blackbird Association—the last three having to do with his involvement in the Cold War. Mr. Christian was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years, Mary Lou Chris- tian. He is survived by his daughters Elaine Christian of San Francisco, Calif., and Margaret Christian of Citrus Heights, Calif.; son Douglas Christian (and wife Danilda) of Fairfield, Calif.; grandchil- dren William Steele, Gregory Steele, Chianne Skidmore, Cali Debevoise; and by his stepchildren Daphne Tan, Dee Jay and Darryl John Ibanez. Mr. Christian was in hospice care for the last few months of his life. His fam- ily wishes to extend their thanks to his caregivers, Miho Tyson of Continuum Hospice and Emmanuel Salas of Seren- ity Care Manor, who provided him with comfort and respect to the end. n Maurice “Maury” Noah Gralnek , 82, a retired member of the Senior For- eign Service, passed away on Feb. 24 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Mr. Gralnek was born in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 10, 1936. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1958 and served with the U.S. Army in Korea before joining the Department of Labor. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1962. During a 35-year career he wit- nessed world events firsthand, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of American hostages from Lebanon. Mr. Gralnek served overseas in Barbados, Buenos Aires, Saigon, Vientiane, Hono- lulu, Singapore, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Cairo and Jakarta before retiring in 1997. He then followed his Foreign Service specialist wife to Tokyo, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. In Paris he received a Diplome de Cuisine from the Cordon Bleu while indulging in his love for cooking. Mr. Gralnek moved to Scottsdale 10 years ago, where he was actively involved in the Association of Former Intelligence Officers and the Phoenix Council on Foreign Relations. He also volunteered at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. His hobbies included running, read- ing, listening to classical music and opera, urban hiking, art, Pilates and movies. He read The New York Times and various magazines from cover to cover, making him extremely knowledgeable about international affairs and politics. Mr. Gralnek’s family and friends remember his kindness, warmth, dry sense of humor and curiosity. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Wendy; his children, Karin (and spouse Scott) Silk and Andrew (and spouse Courtney) Gralnek; grandchildren, Jake and Samuel Silk; and brothers, Dr. David Gralnek and Donald Gralnek. n Gordon King , 97, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on Feb. 5 in Blacks- burg, Va., of natural causes. Mr. King was born into a sharecrop-