Hershel Standifer, 83, passed away on Aug. 12, 2017. Born in McRoberts, Ky., on Dec. 14, 1933, to Orville and Emma Standefer, he grew up in McRoberts and Louisville, and in 1947 moved with his family to Washington state. In 1952, he graduated from South Bend High School, where he played football and basketball. He attended Grays Harbor College and the College of Puget Sound which awarded him a full tuition scholarship. In 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was deployed to Ashiya Air Force Base in Japan. He proudly played on the base basketball team and is remembered for his mean hook shot.

In 1957, he left the military and began 31 years of service as a computer analyst with the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md. He married Joyce Seigel in 1960, and in 1964, the couple moved to Bowie, Md. where they lived for 43 years and raised three children. In 2007, they relocated to Fredericksburg, Va. where Hershel resided until his death.

He had a handsome voice, a lifelong love of music, and sang at high school functions. In later years, he enjoyed playing tennis, keeping current with world events, and investing. He was a loyal husband, father, son and brother, and proudly ensured that his children received college educations.

Hershel was preceded in death by his parents, wife Joyce, sisters Lillian Kelley and Rose Smith, and twin grandsons Joshua and Brandon Karl. He is survived by his children Paula Randall, Kara Karl and Robert Standifer; siblings Yvonne Howell, Naomi Moseley, and Orville Standifer, Jr.; and grandchildren Emily and Lauren Randall, and Sean and Katie Karl.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, at 12 p.m. at Beall Funeral Home, Bowie, Md. A private Interment private will be held at the Maryland Veteran’s Cemetery at Crownsville. Please view and sign the family’s guestbook at www.beallfuneral.com.