Hugh Hill Lansden, Jr., age 97, born in Eagan, Tennessee, December 5, 1925, went home to the Lord May 14, 2023. Preceded in death was his beloved wife Christell Faile Lansden and seven siblings – Hester Jennings, Alice Lyles, Darrell Lansden, Betty Jo Cash, Delma Jean Carpenter, Janette Bowden and Helen Lansden.
Left to cherish his memory is his daughter Joy Satterwhite (Walter “Bud”), and son, Lance Lansden all of Virginia Beach; brother, Carl Lansden of Cleveland, Tennessee; granddaughter, Laura Payne (Dave) of Virginia Beach; grandson, Matthew Byrum of Suffolk; great grandsons, Blake and Logan Payne of Virginia Beach. Also remembered are his dear neighbors Zach and Jen Holzhausen who provided many hours of home repair, yard work and meals to Hugh for many years.
Losing his father in a mining accident, Hugh, at age 11, assumed the responsibility of helping his mother provide for the family doing hard labor jobs, such as carrying water from a stream to wash clothes for nearby families.
In March of 1944, at age 18, Hugh answered his country’s call and joined the United States Navy. Following a Mediterranean deployment on a destroyer, he volunteered for hazardous duty and began training as an early member of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) that were the forerunners of the modern US Navy SEALS. He went through UDT training during World War II at Ft. Pierce, Florida, with follow-on training in Maui and was attached to WWII UDT21. With close friends, Hugh would tell stories of island battles in the Pacific that included the invasion of Okinawa, the largest and last major amphibious assault of WWII. Hugh had EOD training in Indian Head, Maryland, in 1946, but returned to complete his second UDT training, this time at Little Creek, VA, in 1947. He was attached to UDT4 as a Plankowner (original member). UDT4 was redesignated as UDT22 on February 8, 1954. Both instances of Hugh’s training took place before any official numbering system for UDT classes. Hugh transferred to the Fleet Reserve on February 1, 1966, as a Chief Bosun’s Mate and UDT Diver with 22 years of active service.
Toward the end of his career in the Navy, Hugh was assigned to the Electronics Technician (ET) shop where he found he had a knack for fixing electronics. He then opened “Lansden’s TV,” a sales and repair business at Robbin’s Corner. It was always a welcoming coffee and chat hangout for over 46 years. He closed his shop at age 86.
After his second retirement, Hugh spent many evenings dancing at Farmer’s Market and Hardee’s. For many years he had breakfast daily at Waffletown with a fun and cherished group of friends. Hugh was very social, liked being with people of all ages. He loved country western music, played guitar, performed and competed for many years with the Flatland Cloggers.
Hugh’s friends remember him as a gentle giant of a man, a man of “the greatest generation.” He had a quick wit, a generous heart and a smile as big as his belt buckle.
Woodlawn Funeral Home is handling all arrangements, located at 6329 E Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk VA 23502. A visitation is scheduled on Sunday, May 21, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The funeral service is Monday, May 22, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel, followed by graveside and Lunch reception. Rev. Michael Simone will officiate.
