Roland L'Hommedieu, who had deep LI roots
Even before Roland B. L'Hommedieu was born in Huntington in 1921, he had roots on Long Island, with an ancestry that stretched back for centuries. In fact, his family dates back to some of Long Island's original settlers.
L'Hommedieu died Sunday at his Cold Spring Harbor home, which he designed and built himself 56 years ago. He was 89.
Born and raised in Huntington, L'Hommedieu grew up on Jackson Avenue in an area much more rural than it is today.
"He had to milk the cows and shovel stalls before he ran to the school down the street," said his daughter, Celeste Johnstone of Seminole, Fla.
L'Hommedieu graduated from Huntington High School in 1940, and married his high school sweetheart, Bernadette Walsh, two years later. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1944 until 1947 as a metalsmith on the USS Bellona stationed in the South Pacific. He was on the ship in 1945 when it ran aground near Iwo Jima, and stayed with the ship until it proved to be impossible to sail, his daughter said.
L'Hommedieu, a draftsman and engineer, worked at American Bosch Arma Corp. and Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, where he helped build the four-gun turret on the B-52 bomber. Later, L'Hommedieu worked as a building inspector for the Town of Huntington.
L'Hommedieu was athletic, his daughter said. In high school, where he played football, basketball and baseball, he won a top award as the most outstanding athlete. As an adult, he played softball for the American Legion team. Later in life, she said, L'Hommedieu took up golf and bowling.
The L'Hommedieu family name appears in early Long Island documents. Southold historical papers mention two L'Hommedieu men, Benjamin and Ezra, as landowners between 1711 and 1791.
Family members, Johnstone said, will remember his witty sense of humor and bright smile. "He was happiest when he was surrounded by family," she said.
He is predeceased by his wife. In addition to Johnstone, L'Hommedieu is survived by three other children, Kathleen Flanders of Charlottesville, Va., Gary L'Hommedieu of Fairfield, Conn., and Mark L'Hommedieu of Cold Spring Harbor; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and close family friend Ruth Fahlbusch of Huntington.
A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Friday at M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington Station, with interment at Huntington Rural Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Huntington Human Services Institute Inc. c/o Huntington Senior Center, 423 Park Ave., Huntington, NY 11743.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
