Harry E. Fairall, Jr.

Harry E. "Pat" Fairall, Jr. lived a robust and largely independent life in his home in Glen Burnie MD, until a sudden and difficult illness. He passed away on May 23rd, 2026. He was autonomous to the end, choosing Hospice of the Chesapeake for his final days. He reached 99.9 years of age.

25 year old Pat Fairall married 23 year old Wanda Bennett on June 6, 1952, remaining so for 55 years until her passing, Feb 27, 2007. They had two children, David and Stephen.

Born June, 29, 1926 to Harry and Mary Fairall in Odenton, MD, Pat was the youngest of three, following Ethel and Margaret.

He was a baseball phenom from an early age and joined the Navy at 17 years old. As Signalman 2/C, he served on the U.S.S. Grundy, embarking from Pascagoula MS on June 16, 1944. A 500 foot attack / transport ship, the USS Grundy covered 290K miles in the Pacific Theatre over 21 months, visiting Pearl Harbor, Guam, Okinawa , Pelileu, and Saipan, among other places, including a brief stop at Yokohama post surrender. The Grundy was a part of the Magic Carpet Ride, returning thousands of troops to the states, eventually returned through the Panama Canal en route to decommissioning in Norfolk. Pat was glad to be home. The war may have impacted his baseball career. He had a Spring Training tryout with the New York Giants in 1947, but after an arm injury and being assigned to the low minors, he deemed himself "too old" and declined the opportunity, focusing on a different career and playing semi pro locally. He is immortalized in the Odenton Heritage Society Museum, on the second floor in the baseball section.

Pat took a civilian job at the photo lab in Annapolis, known as the Naval Ship Research and Development Center. His passion for photography led to a long career, eventually as head of the department. He was recently described as "an excellent scientific and technical photographer", and as "the best boss ever". He retired after 45 years.

His charm, self-assurance and humor were always on display as he frequently shot weddings, parties, and graduations, both professionally and personally. Pat also enjoyed duckpin bowling. Upon retirement, Pat became a golfer. This lasted until age 92.

The Grundy ship reunions were also a highlight of his retirement years. Pat and Wanda attended nine reunions in all, including some favorite spots such as Nashville, Asheville, and New Orleans. He stopped attending after becoming a widower but kept in touch with the remaining shipmates or spouses.

Pat embraced the role of grandfather, even as a widower. He has two grandchildren, Bennett and Annie, from the marriage of David and Beth Miller Fairall. He will be sorely missed.

A viewing will be held at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services in Glen Burnie, on Thursday June 4th, from 6 – 8 pm. Services will be held the following morning at 10:00 in the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow at Glen Haven. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation at www.Parkinson.org.

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