This page is dedicated to honoring the memories of deceased CAARA members. The members listed SK here made diverse and significant contributions to the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association which benefited their fellow hams and the general welfare of the Club. May they Rest In Peace as we preserve the memories of their camaraderie and service.
CAARA member Gilbert Edmund Guerin K1VDE (the gentlest of gentlemen and a friend to all who knew him) passed away unexpectedly at his Essex home of sixty-two years on January 8, 2024, he was 94.
Gil had a strong sense for public service, some in public view but others more privately. As a MARS volunteer, Gil would spend countless hours, oftentimes into the early morning, connecting service members overseas with their families across the United States through his ham radio system.
CAARA member Richard Slavin KB1JWO, born on September 24, 1949 in Peabody, died August 24, 2023, surrounded by his loved ones. He was a good friend who always extended a helping hand. Richard enjoyed CAARA club events, especially Gardi’s Tuesday night gatherings at which he, Willa, and Shamus were regular attendees. We will miss him.
Richard attended Bishop Fenwick High School and Northeastern University. He worked at JB Thomas Hospital, Salem Hospital, Mass General, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
CAARA member William “Bill” Canty W1OKD, age 97, passed away peacefully Saturday, November 19th, 2022, surrounded by family. Bill was active in his community as a member of the Manchester Yacht Club, the Manchester Lions Club, and as a parishioner and lay minister at Sacred Heart Parish.
During World War II he served in the US Navy for two years as a Radio Technician at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. Bill was a long-time member of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association.
CAARA member Ernst F. Scherer KD1JQ, 86, passed away Friday, December 31, 2021 at Brentwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Danvers. Ernst was an active member of CAARA and he served on the CAARA Board of Directors from 2017 – 2020.
Born in Rupperswil, Switzerland he was the son of the late Ernst and Margareta (Kyburz) Scherer. He was the beloved husband of the late Joyce (Montague) Scherer. Ernst is survived by one son, Dana M. Scherer of Switzerland, and one daughter, Nicole M. Scherer of Hamilton.
CAARA member Robert P. Quinn WV1A, 88, of Gloucester, husband of Sheila (Gove) Quinn, passed away on Sunday evening, December 12, 2021, at his home, after a battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family.
Bob was active in the community, he volunteered for the local cable for 14 years, was a member of the Lyceum Committee and was active with the Rose Baker Center. He belonged to the Lions Club, Cape Ann Sportsmans Club and the local Ham Radio Club. He had a pilots license, owned his own plane, and was an avid sailor. Bob was a veteran of the United States Air Force, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. His biggest enjoyment was spending time with his kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
CAARA member Roger C. Smith KB1YTJ aged 57 of Gloucester, MA, passed away surrounded by his family on April 5th, 2021 after a battle with COVID-19.
After completing a 2 year Electronics degree from ITT Tech he joined the Navy in the Submarine Service and served for 6 years on the USS Augusta (SSN-710), a Los Angeles–class Fast Attack Submarine, as a nuclear machinists mate operating it’s nuclear reactors. Roger earned many commendations for performing his duties with skill, dedication and an always cheerful and willing attitude.
CAARA member Gardiner (Gardi) Winchester KA1BTK passed away at the MGH Salem Hospital in Salem, MA on Wednesday, November 11th, 2020. Our deepest sympathies to his family and friends all over New England.
Gardi was larger than life and loved the hobby of ham radio. He was constantly building new antennas to try out during his portable operations. Gardi loved participating in Public Service, doing road races, teaching classes at CAARA, and speaking at NSRA.
His hobbies included sailing, hiking, photography, travel, Dogtown history, and enjoying time playing radio with his daughters.
Gardi’s love for life was contagious and he will never be forgotten at the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association, NSRA, Boxboro Hamfest, or Near-Fest.
CAARA member John Graves II, WA1JG passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 11, 2018.
John was a loving husband, father, brother, grandfather and uncle. He was a perpetual tinkerer, an avid reader, and an animal aficionado, with a seemingly boundless curiosity for learning about and mastering any new technology he could get his hands on (including cars, radio, cameras, personal computers and electronics), and a love for collecting new tools and toys he could use to play around with that technology.
John was also a dedicated photographer, with a camera constantly strapped around his neck at family functions, studying friends and family through the lens to capture the moment forever.
Professionally, John worked in sales for a variety of companies, often in industries such as automotive, personal computers, and I.T., which dovetailed with his personal interests. For the last 25 years of his career, John ran his own computer networking consultancy, Dynamic Devices.
But above all, John was a sailor. He was most in his element on the water, with the wind at his back, sunshine on his face, and surrounded always by people he loved. As a youth, John spent many happy afternoons in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on his grandfather’s motorboat, “Down Easter” and on his uncle’s sailboat “Small Fry”. In college, he taught sailing in Annapolis, Md. Eventually, he acquired his own sailboats, “Valhalla” and “Hot Flash”. John loved nothing more than sailing with his family.
CAARA member Bob McKechnie W1MVM passed away on Thursday morning January 25, 2018 at Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester. He was active in CAARA as a skilled Extra Class Operator and was a regular with the Sunday Night Net until very recently. Bob was also a regular at the Rose Baker Senior Center in Gloucester.
McKechnie was a WWII Veteran who joined up just as he graduated from GHS. He was stationed in Biloxi, Miss., for training in the Air Corp, where he found himself placed in the tail gunner’s seat on B-24 Liberator bombers.
He and his crew were flown from Boise, Idaho, to Sacramento, to Pearl Harbor, Canton Island (in the Phoenix Islands), and then to New Guinea, where an acute bout of appendicitis sidelined him for a few weeks. He eventually caught up with his unit at Ie Shima, off Okinawa. By the time he and his unit were established, the atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended US combat missions.
He returned to Gloucester to work for North East Telephone as a lineman, married Catherine Friend, and had three boys. The couple was married 64 years before Catherine died in 2013.
CAARA member Joseph A. Pallazola WB1CHJ, passed away Thursday, April 20, 2017 at the Kaplan Family House with his loving family at his side.
Francis A. “Frank” Vidal WU1S, 87, husband of Joan (Child) Vidal, of Gloucester, passed away on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at his home in Gloucester.
Born in Gloucester on September 18, 1927, he was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Silva) Vidal.
Frank was a graduate of Gloucester High School with the Class of 1946. He had served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later in the National Guard.
As a young man, Frank was a truck driver for Progressive Oil. He then had served on the Gloucester Police Department for over 32 years before retiring.
Throughout his life, he was a devout member of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church and had served on the Holy Name Society for many years. He was a founding member of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Club.
Frank was a very kind and loving family man and will be dearly missed by his relatives and friends.
Ralph E. Karcher, Jr. W1RK, 88, died Tuesday morning, December 10, 2013 following an extended illness. He was the husband of Mariam B. (Purdy) Karcher.
Born in Gloucester on February 27, 1925, he was the son of the late Ralph E. and Ethel (Corkum) Karcher. He was a lifelong resident of Gloucester and graduate of the Gloucester High School class of 1943, where he was a member of the Fighting Fishermen Football team and a Northeast Conference All Star. He played for Nate Ross, who once said Ralph was the best lineman he ever coached. He was proud to be inducted into the Gloucester High School Hall of Fame.
His passion was ham radio and he got his license at the age of fifteen. His home in Magnolia is easily recognizable for the three radio towers and his call letters are W1RK. He maintains transcripts of speaking with Capt. Frank Quirk aboard the “Can Do” during the Blizzard of 1978.
Upon graduation, he was drafted by the U.S. Army and this skill opened the opportunity for him to become part of the Signal Corps during World War II. He served in Italy in the Po Valley as well as campaigns including Rome Arno and the North Appennines and was honorably discharged in January of 1946.
Upon his return from the war, he became a member of the Gloucester Fire Department were he remained for several years. He then became an electrical engineer for the former United Shoe Machinery Corporation in Beverly for thirty-five years, having retired in 1987. He had always been active in youth sports and had coached Pee Wee Football for the Magnolia Lions. He also coached Babe Ruth Baseball for thirty years for the former Mass Electric team which became the Kiwanis Club Team.
Thomas S. Andrew, KA1GTA, died Saturday, May 7, 2011 in the Seacoast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center surrounded by his loving, and now grieving, family. He was the husband of Nancy (Merriam) Andrew, KA1SFD.
Tom was a long-time member and past President of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association and a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom served as a U.S. Marine during the Korean War, and took part in the battle at Chosin Reservoir. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in combat.
Capt. Charles E. “Toddy” Anderson, WI1U, peacefully embarked upon his final voyage on Friday, April 30, 2010. Charles belonged to the Boston Marine Society and the Council of Master Mariners. He was a member and past president of the Cape Ann Amateur Radio Club and an accredited volunteer examiner for the American Radio Relay League. As a ham radio operator he kept in touch with friends all over the world.
He went to Maine Maritime Academy where, in 1961, he received an officer’s commission in the United States Navy as well as a Third Mate’s license in the Merchant Marine. In 1968, at the age of 28, he attained his Coast Guard Master Mariner License, “any gross tonnage, upon oceans,” a license he held at the time of his death. Over the course of his 40-year career, he sailed the world’s oceans and seas on passenger ships, freighters, container ships and LNG tankers, retiring as Master of the LNG Gemini in 2000.