Obituary of Theodore Andrew Barsell

Ted Barsell Ted Barsell, Lt. Col., USAF Ret. 90, died, Thursday, July 22, 2010. Although born in Quincy, MA, he was raised in Norfolk, VA. His mother and father were from Sweden. His father served in the US Navy. He was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 13-03, 4/78-10/07, Retired Member Status; Member Quiet Birdmen, Key West. US Naval Officer - aviator and instructor, WW II - Pacific; based in Norfolk, VA, Guam, and Pensacola; US Air Force Officer Troop Carrier Wing, Andrews Air Force Base. Retiring in 1980 Ted's best friend was his wife, Olivia. They were married on September 1, 1945. Ted fell in love with "Sugee" the day they met. He adored her for 65 years. They truly liked one another and enjoyed each other's company. The family often vacationed in Florida. Ted and Olivia dreamed of living in the Florida Keys. Ted and Olivia designed and built their home on the open water on Big Pine Key and moved from Virginia Beach in 1976. They enjoyed 32 years in the Keys before moving to The Villages. The move to The Villages was at the right time in their life. Ted had a special relationship with his children - Brad and Debbie. He was Dad, mentor, teacher, and role model. Ted was capable and knew how to do things that you just had to wonder, How did he know how to do that? Brad and Debbie enjoyed being around their parents and played well with them as adults. The children liked the Keys as much as their parents. Debbie moved to the Keys in 1996 and Brad lived not so far away in Margate. Debbie moved to The Villages when Ted and Olivia came here and lives next door. Many friends have touched Ted's life throughout the years. Many of them have passed on. One of his dearest and most cherished friends was his dog, Alex, a chocolate standard poodle that thought there was no more perfect person in this world than Ted. Alex left this earth in 2003. She and Ted are surely together again. Ted's family and friends will remember him as a sweet and generous man who embraced them with warm hugs. He was smart and had a great sense of humor. He was a man of few words but those words were worth listening to. He was a was a certified hero, receiving the Distinguished Fying Cross, "for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight as Pilot of a torpedo plan attached to the USS Ommaney Bay in action against enemy Japanese forces during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, on October 25-26, 1944. Undaunted by intense enemy antiaircraft fire and the lack of fighter plane support, Lieutenant (then Ensign) Barsell boldly led a torpedo attack against an enemy surface force and , despite serious damage sustained to his plane, completed his mission of disorganizing an routing the enemy. His courage and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service." He was a hero to his family. He protected them and cherished them. He was comfortable in his roles as husband, father, friend. He will be missed. Survivors: Olivia Hilton Barsell wife sine 9/1/1945 The Villages, FL Deb Barsell Daughter The Villages, FL Brad Barsell Son Margate, FL Memorial Services will be 2:30 PM, Friday, August 6, 2010, with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wildwood Soup Kitchen, ATTN Treasure, PO Box 1762, Wildwood, FL 34785