Harold Stamey Liddle, USN DCCS, Master Diver, 88 of St. Leonard, Maryland passed away peacefully on the early morning of April 3, 2020 in his home surrounded by family.

Mr. Liddle was born in Galax, Virginia on December 9, 1931 to Heath J. and Ella Mae Liddle. His parents and brothers Nelson and Rudolph preceded him in death.

Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Betty Lee Liddle, daughter Yvonne Johnson, son and daughter in law, David H. and Virginia Liddle. Grandchildren Alison Apel, Lauren Liddle and David Liddle, Jr.; two great grandchildren, Jordan and Jaxon Hunt, brother Larry Thomas Liddle, Galax, VA. and a nephew HN Liddle, Blue Ridge, VA.

Mr. Liddle joined the US Navy in 1947 and lived the Navy’s motto of “It’s not just a job, it’s an adventure”. He graduated from US Navy Diving School in 1954 and became a US Navy Master Diver in 1963 and achieved the rank of Senior Chief Damage Control Master Diver. Among the ships he served on were the USS Greene, USS Cone, USS Sperry, USS Chanticleer and USS Tringa. He crossed the international date line twice and the Arctic Circle. He was a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars and loved the time spent when deployed to the Mediterranean. Among various accommodations were one for raising a chemical filled barge in Louisiana in the Mississippi River and one for expert salvage and guiding of the USS Seawolf (SSN 575) submarine which ground off the coast of Maine in 1968. He remained active in the ASR ARS Association and the US Navy Divers Association.

He met his future wife Betty, while assigned to the Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility at Solomons, MD. He often joked that he had walked across the Patuxent River, of course, on the bottom and shared many tales of rescues. Subsequent assignments were in San Diego, CA.; the Diving School at the Washington, DC Navy Yard and finally his second tour at New London, CT. He enjoyed lifelong friendships with his Navy Diving friends including Trotter, Brown, Garvin, Luke and many others.

After retiring from the US Navy in 1968, Mr. Liddle started commercial diving business in the mid-Atlantic region. For the following 20 years, Harold Liddle Divers was the preeminent diving company in the region servicing customers such as PEPCO and BG&E along with many pipeline and bridge projects.

In 1988, Mr. Liddle decided to retire, which lasted approximately one month, before he started Harold Liddle Welding. For the next 20 years he provided welding services to many Calvert County businesses and agencies, but his true passion was in providing welding services to the local farmers and citizens of Calvert County from his shop in Barstow, MD.

Mr. Liddle was also a member of the Southern Maryland Corvette Club, Solomons Island Yacht Club and proud of being a Freemason of Thomas J. Shyrock Lodge 223, Hollywood, MD since 1988. In addition, he and Betty enjoyed the many relationships and friends in Calvert County and was very proud of his family.

Due to the COVID-19 situation there will be a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, if desired please send donations to Calvert Hospice, PO Box 838, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.