Garfield H. Caudill

GARFIELD H. CAUDILL, age 93, of Bel Air, died at his home on March 17, 2003. Born in Sparta, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Mack Daniel and Ellen Crouse Caudill, and the husband for 38 years of the late Juanita W. Caudill, whom he married on January 30, 1961. He moved with his family to Bel Air when he was 5 years old. Better known to many as “Slim”, he owned and operated a plumbing and heating business in Bel Air and obtained his Maryland State Plumber License in 1948. He and Charles L. Lutz were partners in an electrical and contracting business when the Bel Air Generating Plant on Winters Run was bought out by Baltimore Gas and Electric. They sold and repaired Maytag washers which operated on gasoline. He worked many jobs, including construction of the Power House at the Conowingo Dam, Safe Harbor, and Pretty Boy Dam. Mr. Caudill also built some of the first apartment complexes in Bel Air located on Kenmore Avenue, Mast Street, and Dallam Avenue.

Mr. Caudill retired in 1975 from Aberdeen Proving Ground after 40 years of service. While at APG, he served as a mechanical engineer technician in the development of explosives and components, and he was involved with the installation of the first super computer, ENIAC.

An avid yachtsman for 50 years, Mr. Caudill was Past Commodore of the Bush River Yacht Club and its last charter member. He was also Past Commodore of the Wellwood Yacht Club. He served on the Board of Directors of Citizens Nursing Home for 20 years, was chairman of the Bel Air Beautification Committee, and was a member of the Isaac Walton League, the Elks Club, and the Mount Ararat Lodge No. 44 of Bel Air. He joined Bel Air United Methodist Church in 1985 and worked faithfully in the maintenance of the church for as long as he was able.

Mr. Caudill is survived by a step-son, Charles M. Lyons, Jr. and his wife, Rosemary, and their children Charles Lyons, III and Colleen Lyons, all of Bel Air. He is also kindly remembered by many friends at the church and the community.

Pallbearers will be: Alan Getz, Phil Coale, Dick Ensor, Gary Coulter, Charles Lyons, Jr., and Charles Lyons, III.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Caudill Maintenance Fund at Bel Air United Methodist Church, 21 Linwood Avenue, Bel Air, Maryland 21014-3914.