IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Nicholas
Nonnenmacher
January 24, 1921 – July 4, 2014
Obituary
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The Life and Times of Nick Nonnenmacher
On January 24, 1921, Nicholas Thaddeus Nonnenmacher was born in Oyster Bay, NY to Nicholas A. Nonnenmacher of German descent, and Jenny Spellman Nonnenmacher from County Roscommon, Ireland. He grew up on the estate of William Roosevelt, cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, where his father was chauffeur and grounds keeper, and his mother a chamber maid. Up the road was Teddy Roosevelt's famous summer home of Sagamore Hill, where Nick would sometimes play, roaming the vast estate and letting his imagination go wild with adventures. While living in Oyster Bay, Nick developed a love for sailing, and often could be found maneuvering his little craft in the waters near his home.
He graduated from New York University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During World War II, Nick joined the Army Air Corps and was assigned to Recife, Brazil, where he was attached to the Brazilian Air Force as an Engineering Officer and Advanced Flight Instructor before being deployed to Europe as a fighter pilot. There, he flew P-47's on combat missions.
On Nov. 18th, 1944, he shot down a German ME-109. The following day his plane was hit by flak from anti-aircraft and he had to bail out of the plane after some tricky maneuvers to get into neutral French territory. While bailing out, his leg hit the tail nearly severing the leg completely and Nick passed out. He recovered just in time to pull his ripcord, and landed in Alsace Lorraine, France. A US Army paramedic happened to be nearby and rushed to his aid within 15 minutes. Although happy to be alive on the ground, Nick was still unsure if he was in enemy territory or not, until the paramedic opened his mouth and in his best "Brooklyneze" said, "You alright buddy?" Nick always said it was a miracle, as there were several ways he should have died during the ordeal.
Nick was sent stateside to Valley Forge Hospital where he was cared for and eventually married his nurse, the beautiful Kathleen Virginia Bubb, RN. Nick and Kathleen had 9 children, 7 girls and 2 boys. They moved to the suburbs of Washington, DC and raised their family in Bethesda, MD.
Nick became active in politics and worked for 15 years on Capitol Hill as a top-level aide for the following representatives: Don Bruce of Indiana, Glenn Andrews of Alabama, Henry Schadeberg of Wisconsin, Philip Crane of Illinois, John Rousselot of California, Gene Snyder of Kentucky and Jesse Helms of North Carolina. He also worked as a Minority Professional Staff Assistant (Counsel) on the Subcommittee on the Panama Canal, and House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. The Panama Canal became a true passion. Nick absolutely LOVED his work!
He decided to throw his own hat into the ring in 1966, and ran for Congress conducting a vigorous campaign hosting picnics at various parks in Montgomery County with the campaign slogan of "Pick Nick Nonnenmacher for Congress". His children remember stuffing and licking hundreds of envelopes during that time. One of their favorite memories is of enjoying the very large motor home that Nick used to campaign from, which was also the only size vehicle which could display his full name!
Because of his love for the water, Nick moved to Arnold, MD near Annapolis in the early '70s, buying a home on a cove off the Magothy River. There he enjoyed years of boating, fishing, crabbing and swimming with family and friends.
Throughout his life, Nick also enjoyed painting, ballroom dancing and traveling, often flying standby on military planes. He attended many reunions of his fighter squadron, which was a highlight in later years.
His strong Catholic faith influenced all he did, and led to his fondest project, which was founding The Christianform, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting Communism around the world.
Nick was sociable and loving and believed the best in all people. An endearing quality was that he would often start a new conversation after saying "Good-bye."
We love you Nick and we know this is not "Good-bye."
A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 10th from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at Barranco and Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home.
A funeral mass will be held on Friday, July 11th at 11:00am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Severna Park.
Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial Contributions may be made to:
The Wounded Warrior Project
P.O. Box 758517
Topeka, KS 66675
On January 24, 1921, Nicholas Thaddeus Nonnenmacher was born in Oyster Bay, NY to Nicholas A. Nonnenmacher of German descent, and Jenny Spellman Nonnenmacher from County Roscommon, Ireland. He grew up on the estate of William Roosevelt, cousin of President Theodore Roosevelt, where his father was chauffeur and grounds keeper, and his mother a chamber maid. Up the road was Teddy Roosevelt's famous summer home of Sagamore Hill, where Nick would sometimes play, roaming the vast estate and letting his imagination go wild with adventures. While living in Oyster Bay, Nick developed a love for sailing, and often could be found maneuvering his little craft in the waters near his home.
He graduated from New York University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During World War II, Nick joined the Army Air Corps and was assigned to Recife, Brazil, where he was attached to the Brazilian Air Force as an Engineering Officer and Advanced Flight Instructor before being deployed to Europe as a fighter pilot. There, he flew P-47's on combat missions.
On Nov. 18th, 1944, he shot down a German ME-109. The following day his plane was hit by flak from anti-aircraft and he had to bail out of the plane after some tricky maneuvers to get into neutral French territory. While bailing out, his leg hit the tail nearly severing the leg completely and Nick passed out. He recovered just in time to pull his ripcord, and landed in Alsace Lorraine, France. A US Army paramedic happened to be nearby and rushed to his aid within 15 minutes. Although happy to be alive on the ground, Nick was still unsure if he was in enemy territory or not, until the paramedic opened his mouth and in his best "Brooklyneze" said, "You alright buddy?" Nick always said it was a miracle, as there were several ways he should have died during the ordeal.
Nick was sent stateside to Valley Forge Hospital where he was cared for and eventually married his nurse, the beautiful Kathleen Virginia Bubb, RN. Nick and Kathleen had 9 children, 7 girls and 2 boys. They moved to the suburbs of Washington, DC and raised their family in Bethesda, MD.
Nick became active in politics and worked for 15 years on Capitol Hill as a top-level aide for the following representatives: Don Bruce of Indiana, Glenn Andrews of Alabama, Henry Schadeberg of Wisconsin, Philip Crane of Illinois, John Rousselot of California, Gene Snyder of Kentucky and Jesse Helms of North Carolina. He also worked as a Minority Professional Staff Assistant (Counsel) on the Subcommittee on the Panama Canal, and House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries. The Panama Canal became a true passion. Nick absolutely LOVED his work!
He decided to throw his own hat into the ring in 1966, and ran for Congress conducting a vigorous campaign hosting picnics at various parks in Montgomery County with the campaign slogan of "Pick Nick Nonnenmacher for Congress". His children remember stuffing and licking hundreds of envelopes during that time. One of their favorite memories is of enjoying the very large motor home that Nick used to campaign from, which was also the only size vehicle which could display his full name!
Because of his love for the water, Nick moved to Arnold, MD near Annapolis in the early '70s, buying a home on a cove off the Magothy River. There he enjoyed years of boating, fishing, crabbing and swimming with family and friends.
Throughout his life, Nick also enjoyed painting, ballroom dancing and traveling, often flying standby on military planes. He attended many reunions of his fighter squadron, which was a highlight in later years.
His strong Catholic faith influenced all he did, and led to his fondest project, which was founding The Christianform, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting Communism around the world.
Nick was sociable and loving and believed the best in all people. An endearing quality was that he would often start a new conversation after saying "Good-bye."
We love you Nick and we know this is not "Good-bye."
A visitation will be held on Thursday, July 10th from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at Barranco and Sons, P.A. Severna Park Funeral Home.
A funeral mass will be held on Friday, July 11th at 11:00am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Severna Park.
Interment will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial Contributions may be made to:
The Wounded Warrior Project
P.O. Box 758517
Topeka, KS 66675
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Nicholas Nonnenmacher, please visit our flower store.
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