Owen A. Fairbanks

Atkinson:  U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer (Ret.) Owen A. Fairbanks Jr., 93, died February 27, 2012 at Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Born in Springfield, MA, son of the late Owen A. and Florence (Diehl) Fairbanks, he graduated from Springfield High School and served as a young man in the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Chief Fairbanks began his thirty-two year career with the U.S. Navy in 1938 and was a veteran of W.W.II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War.  He saw service aboard the U.S.S Boston, the U.S.S. Salem and the salvage tug U.S.S. Nipmuc.  His last position with the service was as a Naval Recruiter in Haverhill.

A longtime resident of Atkinson, Chief Fairbanks worked as a guard at Seabrook Station, following his retirement from the service in 1970, and in later years as a Postal Service letter carrier in the Town of Atkinson.

An avid hunter and gardener, he was a member of the Atkinson Veterans Association and the reunion committees for both the U.S.S. Boston and U.S.S. Salem.

During his military service, Chief Fairbanks piped aboard many foreign dignitaries including the King of Sweden as well as Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.  Chief Fairbank's most treasured memory from his years in military service was when Princess Grace (Kelly), the former movie starlet, asked Chief Fairbanks to personally show her how to blow the bosun's whistle.  With the whistle strap around both their necks, they were cheek to cheek.  Although Princess Grace did not succeed in her lesson, she gave Chief Fairbanks - the memory of a lifetime when her lips brushed his cheek and she whispered "Thank you, Sailor."'

The husband of the late Charlotte (Guilford) Fairbanks, he is survived by several nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends may call on Monday, March 5, 2012 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Brookside chapel & funeral home, 116 Main St., Route 121A, Plaistow. His funeral will be held on Tuesday at 10a.m. in the funeral home with Military Honors. Burial in Atkinson Cemetery will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, relatives and friends are encouraged to make memorial donations to The Atkinson Fire Department, 1 Academy Ave, Atkinson, NH  03811.