Harley M. Carriger

Harley M. Carriger

     BEL AIR, MD - Harley Maclaine Carriger, 90, peacefully passed away on July 13, 2021, at Commonwealth Senior Living in Bel Air, MD. He was formerly a long-time resident of Burlington, WV, and Clinton, MD.

     Born July 24, 1930, in Alsey, IL, he was a son of the late Darwin S. and Madaline (Blair) Carriger.  He was also preceded in death by his loving wife of 65 years, Betty Jean (Hollis) Carriger on April 1, 2020; brothers, Hal and Harold; sisters, Hettie Carriger and Helen Coats and daughter-in-law, Kathleen Carriger.

     Harley served over 30 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Command Sergeant Major (CSM). He was awarded the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service, and numerous other medals. He was a cryptographer during the Korean and Vietnam Wars and with the White House Communications Agency for 13 years, during which he supported and traveled with Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. His summary of White House communications on the day of the Kennedy assassination was referenced by historian William Manchester in his book “The Death of a President.” Harley also was CSM at the 97th Signal Battalion in Mannheim, Germany, and the 76th Engineer Battalion in Ft. Meade, MD. After retiring from the Army, he attended Potomac State College in Keyser, WV; completed a Board of Regent’s B.A. from West Virginia University; and later earned a WV social worker’s license. He was a former Business Manager and Production Manager at the Developmental Center and Workshop in Keyser, WV. He also served the state of West Virginia as a social worker and probation officer, and fully retired in 1994.  He was a member of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Romney, WV; active in West Virginians for Life; and a member of Boyce Houser Post 41, American Legion in Keyser, WV, Vietnam Veterans of America Post 172 in Cumberland, MD, 1600 Communication Association, 97th Signal Battalion Association, and Knights of Columbus.

Harley was a friendly, intelligent man with a dry sense of humor. He had an attention to organization and detail that was not always fully appreciated by his children until after they left home. He was virtually unbeatable in a game of cribbage. Harley’s faith, his large extended family, and his friendships over the years gave him joy to the end. He will be deeply missed by those who knew and loved him.

     Surviving are his nine children: Laura (Steven) Reightler of Bel Air, MD, Sister Clare Marie of the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus of St.  Elizabeth, Jamaica, Michael Carriger of Decatur, IL, Jeffrey (Laurie) Carriger of Fernandina Beach, FL, Casey (Sandy) Carriger of Moorefield, WV, Nancy (Gerard) Martinsen of Bluffton, SC, Mary Carriger of Sunnyvale, CA, David (Jennifer) Carriger of Charleston, WV, and Ellen (Michael) Brodeur of Sellersville, PA; five brothers: Herschel, Henry, Jack, Howard, and Herbert and one sister: Sheryl Brooks. He is also survived by his 14 grandchildren, Brenna Carriger, Ethan (Megan) Carriger, Bethany Allen, and Samuel Carriger; Patrick Carriger; Evan Martinsen, Carly Martinsen, and Molly Martinsen; Stephanie Reightler; Nathaniel, Daniel, and Kathryn Brodeur; Julia and Hayden Carriger; and one great-grandson, Jace Carriger.

     Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Harley Carriger to the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 886 Cambria St., Cresson, PA 16630-1713.

      Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 299 School Street, Romney, WV on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 10:30 am with Fr. Thomas Sebastian as celebrant. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services at the church.

     Interment will follow in St. Thomas Cemetery, Keyser with full Military Honors accorded by the U.S. Army Honor Guard. 

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