Category: Memorial Corner
Retired Local 1532 officer DeBaun passes away
William “Bill” J. DeBaun, a retiree from SMART Transportation Division Local 1532 and a former vice chairperson and legislative representative for the Kansas City, Kan., local, passed away late last month. Brother DeBaun was 73 years old. A yardman out of Argentin [...]
First TD member fatality from COVID-19 reported
Joseph Hansen, a conductor out of Local 60 (Newark, N.J.) who worked for New Jersey Transit (NJT), passed away recently to become the first reported active SMART Transportation Division member to succumb to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. Hansen was 62 years old and had been [...]Two TD members lose children in tragic incidents
Two SMART Transportation Division members and their local union brothers and sisters are in mourning after two sudden and untimely deaths. Local 1565 member Laura Corley lost her son, Joey Trianders Allen, 43, of Lancaster, Calif., after police said a wrong-way driver slammed [...]
Former Bus Department Vice President Deiser passes away
Richard Deiser, a former Bus Department director and union vice president, died Feb. 28. He was 79 years old. Richard Deiser, a former Bus Department vice president, passed away Feb. 28 at age 79. “Rich was a great union brother who will be sorely missed by those who ha [...]
UPDATED w/services: General Chairperson T.K. Vanwinkle passes away
General Chairperson Thomas K. Vanwinkle (GO 919 — Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) of St. Louis) unexpectedly passed away February 3, 2020. A career railroader, Brother Vanwinkle worked on TRRA as a trainman from 2003 until present. Prior to working at TRRA, Brother Vanwi [...]Newsday article remembers retired member Brzozinski
Richard Brzozinski, 78, is remembered as a compassionate man and model employee of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in a recent story by Newsday. “A veteran Long Island Rail Road conductor on the Babylon line, Brzozinski made a habit of learning the names of all of his regula [...]
Memorial fund established for Local 1386 member
The family of Brother Curtis C. McConihay has established a memorial fund for his two daughters. McConihay, 32, of Local 1386 (Parkersburg, W.Va.), was killed in an accident on CSX property in Washington, W.Va., on Dec. 14. He was a U.S. Marine veteran and lived in Southside, [...]
Cheryl Sneed, former administrative assistant to Futhey, passes away
Cheryl Sneed, who worked in the office of the United Transportation Union for nearly four decades, including as an executive administrative aide in the President’s Department, passed away on Nov. 25, 2019. She was 66 years old. Cheryl started with the UTU in 1975 in the [...]