Posted on 09/30/2019
Captain Edmund Belfour Bossart, Jr. (1933 ~ 2019)
Edmund Belfour Bossart, Jr. died Wednesday, 11 September 2019 in Mill Creek, WA where he had made his home for the past 11 years.
Ed attended the Naval Academy and graduated with the Class of 1955 as a member of the 6th Company. After completing several destroyer assignments, he was assigned as Flag Lieutenant to the Commander Cruiser Division 4 and embarked on several Atlantic fleet cruises. His 30 years of active service in the Navy included serving as Chief Engineer on the aircraft carrier Enterprise, Commissioning Commander Officer of USS Downes and Commanding Officer of the nuclear-powered cruiser USS Longbeach.
Ed's most cherished moment while serving in the Navy occurred on the South Sea. While on routine deployment, his ship happened upon Vietnamese refugees with few survival supplies. The rescue saved countless lives and made a tremendous impact on Ed. When his granddaughter asked as part of a school project what his greatest moment was, he told this story without hesitation and with great satisfaction.
After his Naval service, Ed completed his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering at US Naval Post Graduate School, after which he studied at MIT and Harvard and earned a second master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics
He eventually moved to Seattle where he worked on military aircraft at Boeing for 13 years.
Ed enjoyed attending and listening to opera and he loved singing at church and other venues.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; his son Ed Bossart III and daughter-in-law Laurie, along with 2 grandchildren, Lindsay and Alli.
A memorial service will be held on Friday 4th October at 11.00 am at Queen Anne Lutheran Church, 2400 8th Ave. West McGraw St. Seattle. Burial, with full military honors, will take place at Tahoma National Cemetery on Monday 7th October at 2.00 pm
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the music program at Queen Ann Lutheran Church.
Published in The Seattle Times on Sept. 29, 2019