Obituaries

JUDITH O’HARA BOGGS Ocean Pines (June 18, 2021) Judith O’Hara Boggs of Ocean Pines, Maryland, passed away peacefully in her home on June 12, 2021.

Judith, or Judy as she was known, was born on Jan. 26, 1940, to James T. and Neva (Gerber) O’Hara.

She was married for 60 years to her husband, William “Bill” Boggs, who preceded her in death. She is also preceded in death by her father and sister, Veronica O’Hara Robinson.

She is survived by three children, four grandchildren; son-in-law, Jeffery Gary; daughter-in-law, Donna Marinelli; and a host of extended family and friends.

Dedicating decades of her life to public service, Judy was elected to represent the newly established Ocean Pines District in 2002 and served a member of the Board of County Commissioners from Judith Boggs December 2002 to December 2014.

Throughout her long public service career, Judy was a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Association of Counties, past president, Board of Directors of the Ocean Pines Association, and established and served as first president of the Worcester County Commission for Women in 2005.

Judy was named Worcester County Commission for Women’s “Woman of the Year” in 2020 and in 2005, the Maryland Daily Record named Judy one of the 100 most powerful and influential women in the state.

She also served on the Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, Worcester County Board of Health, Worcester County Health Planning Advisory Council, Worcester County Social Services Board, legislative committee for the Maryland Association of Counties, board of the Worcester County Developmental Center, and the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines/Ocean City.

Prior to moving to Ocean Pines full-time in 1992, Judy retired from her position as healthcare administrator for Church Home and Hospital Health Centers in Baltimore.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date in the early fall.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Community Church of Ocean Pines. Arrangements are in the care of The Burbage Funeral Home. Condolences may be sent to the family via www.burbagefuneralhome.com.

RICHARD R. CROTSLEY Easton

Richard R. Crotsley, formerly of Easton, Maryland, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 8, 2021. He was 88.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on April 20, 1933, he was the son of the late Raymond Crotsley and Rose Crotsley. Richard graduated from Paterson Park Richard Crotsley High School, class of 1952, and began working for Waverly Press in Baltimore, Maryland.

On July 20, 1952, he married Vera Taylor, of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1961, they moved to Easton, Maryland.

Richard continued to work for the same company for over 45 years and retired in 1996.

In 2004, he and his wife moved to Ocean Pines, Maryland. While living in Ocean Pines, Richard enjoyed his retirement spending time with family at the beach, working on the Boardwalk trolly and eating crabs.

He was a member of the Lafette Lodge AF&AM in Baltimore, Maryland.

Since 1972, Richard was both an officer and volunteer for the Easton Waterfowl Festival (until he moved to Ocean Pines) Richard was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, the Elks Lodge, the Lions Club in Easton, Maryland, and the American Legion in Ocean City, Maryland.

He is survived by children, Mark Crotsley (Kandy) of Tuscola, Texas, and Valerie Haddaway (Tom Marx) of Easton, Maryland; three grandchildren, Megan Schulte (Dave), Mark Crotsley Jr. (Brittany) and Eric Crotsley (Christi); four great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Evelyn Krebs (Charles) and Ruth Diblasi.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Vera Crotsley, and their son, Brian Crotsley, as well as daughterin-law, Wendy Lyn Crotsley.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, June 20, 2021 from 12-1 p.m. at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. 200 S. Harrison St. Easton, Maryland 21601. Burial will follow at the Oxford Cemetery in Oxford, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Waterfowl Festival, 40 S. Harrison Street, Easton, Maryland 21601.

For online condolences, please visit: www.fhnfuneralhome.com.

DONALD KAY WAND Berlin

Donald Kay Wand, 91, of Berlin, Maryland, died peacefully on Wednesday June 9, 2021, from complications related to congestive heart failure. He was surrounded by his family.

He was born Oct. 22, 1929, in Quincy, Illinois, and moved to the Washington D.C. area and later to Silver Spring, Maryland. He graduated from Blair High School in 1947. He went on to the University of Maryland, College Park where he met his wife, Mary Louise Donald Kay Wand McElfresh. Both graduated and they were married in 1952.

They lived several years in Salisbury, Maryland, and most of their years in Silver Spring, Maryland, Continued on Page 54

Continued from Page 52 civilians fighting alongside soldiers in house-to-house fighting. Tushino was not an isolated incident. On Dec. 4, the Germans entered Kuntsevo, a southeastern suburb of Moscow. Again the Germans were met by soldiers and civilians (including women and children), fighting a guerrilla-type war. One can only contemplate the resistance the Germans would encounter if they had to battle street by street, as in Stalingrad, to capture the capital.

Responding to Gen. Guderian’s estimate of Soviet tank strength, Hitler said, “If I had known that the figures … you gave in your book were in fact the true ones, I would not, I believe, ever have started this war.”

Guderian used a conservative estimate of 10,000 Soviet tanks in his book “Achtung! Panzer!” German intelligence estimated there were 141 Soviet divisions in European Russia in July 1940. By June 1941, their estimate jumped to 216.5 divisions.

German Army Commander-inChief, Franz Halder, stated, “... at the beginning of the war we reckoned with about 200 (Soviet) divisions. We have already counted 360!” The Germans re-estimated Soviet tank strength at 15,000, but it was probably closer to 25,000. Also, the thickness of the Soviet armor surprised the Germans.

Russia’s Sheer Vastness

Looking at the sheer size and unknown military strength of Russia, Field Marshal von Bock believed even before the invasion that the Wehrmacht might encounter serious difficulties. Compared to France, the distances in the USSR were five times as great.

There were 10 German aircraft for each kilometer of front in France compared to only one in Russia. In addition, the front was funnel shaped, initially being 1,300 miles wide rapidly increasing to 2,500 miles. The dispersion of troops hurt the momentum of the advance. “Furthermore, the need for the deep penetrating thrusts that characterized the Blitzkrieg operations added the problem of dispersion in depth to that of extension in width.”

By December 1941, according to Marshal Zhukov, the Germans in front of Moscow were exhausted and overextended. Drawing on fresh reserves from the interior, the Red Army had 4,196,000 soldiers ready to meet the exhausted and dispersed Germans.

In addition, the Germans were poorly supplied and equipped. It was extremely difficult for German logistics to supply the Wehrmacht at the front over poor and sparse Russian roads, and railways that were not of European gauge. The long supply lines of the Wehrmacht became susceptible to partisan attack.

Ammunition and winter clothing shortages continued to plague the German Army. Gen. Guderian stated that, “... the difficulties of supplying us by railroad are constantly increasing — that is the main cause of our shortages, since without fuel, the trucks can’t move. If it had not been for this we should by now be much closer to our objectives.”

The End of the Blitzkrieg

While many factors contributed to stopping the Germans before Moscow, they all centered on the underestimation of the Soviet situation. Hitler and his generals underestimated Soviet strength and resistance, the vastness of the country and the weather’s effect on mobility.

Field Marshal von Bock well understood what stopped the Blitzkrieg. He cited the muddy autumn season, the USSR’s vastness and its effect on supply, and underestimating, “...the strength of the enemy, his ability to recuperate after suffering losses that would have toppled almost any other nation, and his great reserves in manpower and material.”

Misled by grossly inaccurate intelligence on the Soviet military situation, Hitler and his generals did not know what they were actually facing. Thus, Germany’s underestimation of a variety of factors brought Operation Barbarossa to a halt. Nearly four years later as a result of Germany’s great miscalculation, the “Hammer and Sickle” was raised over the ruins of the German Reichstag marking the end to Hitler’s “1000 Year” Reich.

Next week: Minsk Falls

OBITUARIES

Continued from Page 53 where they raised their four children.

He served honorably in the US Army and worked for Victor Lynn Lines in Salisbury, Maryland, and Middle Atlantic Conference in Washington D.C, and later in Greenbelt, Maryland, until he retired to live on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland.

He is survived by his children, David Michael Wand, Kenneth Gordon Wand, and his twins, Karen Louise Wand Carpenter and James Paul Wand.

Don was a great influence on the family and an accomplished life master bridge player/teacher for decades.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Woodlands Assisted Living for the care given to their father for the past two years.

A memorial service was held at St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Ocean City, Maryland, on June 11, 2021 at 10 a.m. for both Donald and his beloved wife, Mary McElfresh Wand, deceased Dec. 3, 2020.

Arrangements are in the care of Eastern Shore Cremation and Funeral Service, 504 Franklin Avenue, Berlin, Maryland 21811. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.easternshorecremation.com.

MARGARET ANN ERICSON Ocean City/Scottsdale

Margaret Ann “Margo” Ericson (neè Werner), born April 19,1951, died peacefully, surrounded by her family, on June 7, 2021, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Margo was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Wheaton, Maryland.

She attended Immaculate Conception Academy and graduated from Albert Einstein High School in Kensington, Maryland.

Margo worked at both Eastern Airlines and Syscon Corporation before her marriage to Nils Ericson.

After, Margo balanced her time as a homemaker and mother to her son, Jason, with her career as an independent financial manager.

Margo was an avid hockey fan who loved the Washington Capitals, but she was an even bigger fan of watching

Melson’s

Funeral Services & Cremation Services

Frankford Chapel Long Neck Chapel Ocean View Chapel

her son, Jason, play hockey.

An avid reader, Margo was always building her home library and loved sharing books with friends.

In 2007, Margo and Nils left Reston, Virginia, to split their time between their summer home in Ocean City, Maryland, and their winter home in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In recent years, Margo’s greatest joy was being an active and involved grandmother; she loved nothing more than hosting her grandchildren at “Grandma’s house.”

Very social, Margo loved her summer cocktail hours by the pool in Ocean City, hosting her annual New Year’s Day brunch at her home in Scottsdale, golfing with her girlfriends, and spending time with her family and friends over long dinners, where the conversation always flowed.

Margo is survived by her husband, Nils Ericson; their son, Jason Ericson; her daughter-in-law, Elissa Ericson; and her grandchildren, Nina and Jonas Ericson.

Additionally, she is survived by her father, Carl Edward Werner, of Florida, but she was preceded in death by her mother, Alice Werner.

Margo leaves behind siblings, Sandi Stratford (Barry), Cathy Homenda (Steve), Ann Evans, Carol Hoover (Skip), Carl Werner II, David Werner, and Karen Werner.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Wounded Warrior Project, Margo’s favorite charity.