James Harvey Hitch

The following is from a family history sent to me by Stephen J. Hitch of Kent, WA in 1997: "James Harvey Hitch the first born son of Harvey and Marie (Zaat) Hitch. He is the brother to Mary and Ken. Jim graduated from O'Dea High School in Seattle in 1957. Answering a perceived call to become a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, he entered religious studies at the Sulpician Seminary of the Northwest. Jim left the seminary in 1961 with a Business of Arts Degree in Philosophy. He decided to pursue a career in Psychology and enrolled at Seattle University. Before he could complete one quarter, the military draft caught up with him. He was accepted into the Naval Officer Candidate Program and received a commission as an Ensign in the US Navy in 1962. His first tour of duty was aboard the carrier USS Ranger CVA 61 which took him to the Orient. While on board, Jim was accepted for Naval Flight Training School in Pensacola, FL to which he reported in November 1963. It was there that Jim met a navy nurse by the name of Margaret Mary Lawrence. They were married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Collingdale, PA on June 5, 1965.

Marge was born October 19, 1941 to Charles and Anna Lawrence in Darby, a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. She was the first of their three daughters. She graduated from Collingdale High School in 1959 and Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1962. She joined the Navy and served two years at the Pensacola Naval Hospital. After their marriage Marge became a full time Homemaker, Jim received his Naval Aviator Wings in July, 1965 and he and Marge moved to New Jersey. His first squadron was Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Two HC-2 at Lakehurst, NJ. He was assigned to detachments that deployed aboard carriers which took him to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Marge followed some of these ships and saw much of Southern Europe. Jim's shore duty consisted of training new pilots how to fly fleet aircraft. In 1971 Jim and Marge were transferred to and settled for good in the San Diego, CA area. This was the home from which they toured the Orient from Japan to Singapore, Jim by sea and Marge by air.

After retiring from the Navy in 1982, Jim established his own business in financial services. In 1987 he began religious studies to prepare him to become a Deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. On June 12, 1992 he was ordained and serves the worshipping community of Corpus Christi Church in Bonita, CA as Associate Pastor and Director of Religious Education."

James married Margaret Mary Lawrence on 05 Jun 1965 in St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Collingdale, PA.¹ (Margaret Mary Lawrence was born on 19 Oct 1941 in Darby, PA ¹.)