William Ralston Curtis passed away peacefully on Friday, July 15, at Johns Hopkins Hospital, surrounded by his family. He was 85 years young. Although his health had been failing as a result of Mesothelioma, a lung cancer caused by years of exposure to asbestos aboard ships, just two weeks earlier he still had plans to embark on a cruise to Iceland that would have left the day of his death.

Bill was born in Wilmington, Pennsylvania on October 12, 1930, Columbus day, a very appropriate birthday, as he was destined to be a world traveler. The family moved to Pittsburgh where his father was a professor of English literature at the University of Pittsburgh. Bill attended the Shadyside Academy for grades 1 through 12, and went to Oberlin College in Ohio where he received a BA in Chemistry. There he met his wife, Sadie Garrett, and was married upon graduation in August of 1952. Together they attended Purdue University, both earning master's degrees in chemistry.

In 1955, Bill was drafted and entered the U. S. Navy, attending Officer Candidate School as a Naval Reserve officer, and served a total of 10 years in a variety of assignments. He obtained an MS in meteorology (oceanography minor) from the U.S. Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and was then assigned to Guantanamo Bay for about a year, leaving just as the revolution swept in. He served on the USS Macon, a heavy cruiser, as a radar officer in the Mediterranean, and then spent two years on an amphibious ship, re-supplying a base in Antartica during two 7 month long expeditions, where he enjoyed taking home movies of the curious resident penguins. During his last two years he taught chemistry at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

In 1965, Bill left the Navy for the Coast and Geodetic Survey (later changed to NOAA, National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration), and became the operations officer on the USC&GS Explorer, making charts of U.S. waters and tracking Gulf Stream temperatures and currents from Norfolk to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. He transferred to Seattle as a visiting scientist aboard the Oceanographer, studying what the impact would be of deep-sea mining south and east of Hawaii. By the end of that tour he had reached the rank of commander. During his last three years, Bill served on the NOAAS Mount Mitchell, operating in the area of Puerto Rico, as the operations and then executive officer.

When he retired from the service in 1976, Bill became an instructor at MITAGS(Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies)in Linthicum, MD, training deck officers of the Merchant Marine for the next 16 years. He also became an active volunteer at the John W. Brown, one of only two remaining, fully operational Liberty ships that participated in World War II.

Bill and Sadie had lived in Arnold, and then Severna Park, MD since in 1963. They were very active in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. Together they enjoyed attending the Baltimore Symphony, the Baltimore Opera and plays at the Colonial Players in Annapolis, and were particular fans of Gilbert and Sullivan productions. They enjoyed bowling and playing bridge, as well as sailing. They were world travelers and enjoyed taking cruises, where Bill was just as happy to be out at sea as in port. He has spent the last four years of his life as a resident of Integrace Fairhaven, a retirement community in Sykesville, MD.

A colorful, unconventional and gregarious character, Bill was known for his quirky and funny quips, his love of adventure and pursuit of knowledge, and his seemingly inexhaustible energy. He was generous with his time and money, particularly in relation to the three things in life he felt most passionate about: Oberlin College, his Unitarian church community, and the S.S. John W. Brown.

A memorial service will be held 2pm Oct 2 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis, 333 Dubois Rd, Annapolis. Friends and family will also participate in a living history cruise on the John W. Brown on Oct 1. Information and tickets can be found at http://www.ssjohnwbrown.org.

Bill is survived by his three children, Bob Curtis, a professional jazz musician in New York City, Carol Curtis a retired psychologist and current property manager and musician in Berkeley, CA, and Cindy Curtis of Severna Park, a retired Navy Band musician, currently working at O'Barr construction, as well as three grandchildren, Amy Thomas, Katalina Cabrera, and Sean Thomas. He is predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Sadie Garrett Curtis, who passed away of Alzheimer Disease in 2010.

Online condolences may be made at www.barrancofuneralhome.com