Obituaries - November 2025
Anthony Collins, a 34-year veteran of the Voice of America, died of cardiac arrest September 3, 2025, at the Reston Hospital Center in Reston, VA. After earning a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and studying Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, he worked for ABC News in Washington DC. Collins joined VOA in 1971, working in its worldwide English-language division and later in its news division. Following his retirement in 2005, he worked at Barnes & Noble and volunteered with Travelers Aid at Dulles Airport.
Diane Crowe, whose career encompassed managing international exchange programs for both the U.S. Government and the NGO sector, died September 7, 2025, at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, at age 60. The cause of death was colon cancer, a disease she battled for more than two decades. Crowe, who grew up on a dairy farm, earned a dual B.A. from Michigan State University in animal science/food systems and in economic management. She began her career at the national headquarters of the Future Farmers of America in Washington where she worked on international exchange programs for students, before co-founding the NGO Global Outreach that offered internships to young people interested in agriculture. Crowe later joined the State Department to work on exchange programs ranging from biodiversity to disability rights.
Louis Falino, a USIA Foreign Service officer, died September 28, 2024, at age 81. A native of Philadelphia, he earned a Ph.D. from St. Louis University and received a Fulbright grant that took him to Chile. Falino later taught Spanish and Portuguese at Temple University for seven years before joining USIA in 1976. As a Latin American specialist, he served in Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Nicaragua, and Colombia during his 23-year career with the Agency. An individual with wide-ranging creative talent, Falino was a poet, novelist, playwright, photographer, and musician.
Mary Jo Furgal, a USIA Foreign Service officer, died October 19, 2025, at age 86. Her academic degrees included a B.A. in History from Clarke College, an M.A. in Asian History from the East-West Center in Honolulu, and an M.A. in Library Science from the University of Chicago. Joining USIA in 1978, Furgal served at posts abroad in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Romania, and Zimbabwe. A lifelong learner and adventurer, she lived her life with intellectual curiosity, grace, and a deep appreciation for culture and connection. Remembrance
Wahed Al Hossaini, whose career included work as a local employee with the U.S. Information Service office in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and later as a journalist with VOA’s Bangla Service, died August 25, 2025. He was 88. Born in 1937 in West Bengal when it was part of India, he moved to Dhaka following the partition of the country in 1947. After earning an M.A. in journalism from the University of Dhaka, Hossaini was employed at USIS Dhaka from 1958 to 1973 before immigrating to the United States. He worked several years at the Voice and later with the defense contractor TRW. Hossaini was extremely active in the Bangladeshi community in the United States at both the local and national level. Remembrance
Thomas Johnson, 85, whose long career included work at both USIA and the State Department, died September 12, 2025, in Fairfax, VA. Johnson earned a B.A. in History from Union College and a Master’s degree in Political Science at the Freie Universität Berlin in 1966. The following year he joined USIA as a Foreign Service officer, serving abroad over the next 24 years in Paraguay, West Germany, Liberia, and Mexico. Johnson then worked with Youth for Understanding and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Singapore before returning to the Department of State for an additional 20 years as a rehired annuitant reviewing old cable traffic for declassification.
Robert LaGamma, a USIA Foreign Service officer, passed away August 25, 2025, at age 86. Holding an M.A. in international relations from Boston University, LaGamma joined USIA in 1963, and over the course of his 35-year career worked overseas in Italy, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, Nigeria, and South Africa. A recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Public Diplomacy, his Washington assignments included service as director of the Agency’s Office of African Affairs. In retirement LaGamma led civil society democracy initiatives both as the director of the Council for the Community of Democracies and in coordination with the National Democratic Institute and the Carter Center. Remembrance
Tamsin Lutz, 91, passed away May 28, 2025, in Saint Johns, FL. She began her government career in 1960 at the State Department before working at the U.S. Information Agency. At USIA Lutz was first a program officer in the “P” Bureau’s political and social processes office that sent U.S. speakers and specialists abroad. Following creation of the “I” Bureau, she worked as a regional program officer on the Latin American team. Retiring in 1995 with 35 years of service, Lutz worked several years as a pre-school bus driver at the Accotink Academy in Springfield, VA, before moving to Florida in 2005.
Joel Rochow, a USIA Foreign Service officer, died January 30, 2025, at age 85. After earning a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, he joined the Agency and began a career that took him abroad to Iceland, Poland, India, Cameroon, and Vietnam. His domestic assignments included work as a writer-editor in the Media Reaction office. Fluent in five languages – French, German, Polish, Vietnamese, and Thai – Rochow was an amateur radio operator and also played the banjo, ukulele, and guitar.
Anthony “Tony” Sariti, a USIA and State Department Foreign Service Officer, died July 16, 2025, at age 82. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson’s disease. After earning a B.A. in Linguistics and Chinese from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Chinese history, he taught Chinese language and history at Temple University for seven years. Joining USIA in 1977, Sariti served in Yaounde, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Berlin, Tashkent, and Shanghai. In Washington, he worked as office director for the democracy and human rights team in the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP). Following his retirement in 2003, Sariti became a skilled woodworker and glass blower. A polyglot and gifted linguist fluent in Chinese and Russian, he translated works from both languages into English.
John “Jock” Shirley, who rose to the highest career rank at USIA, including a stint as its acting director and then as the first Counselor of the Agency, died October 7, 2025, at his home in Gladwyne, PA, at age 94. Shirley was living in Yugoslavia at the outbreak of World War II before moving to Hungary in 1941 and spending the war years in Budapest under German and later Soviet occupation. After graduation from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and four years in the Air Force, he entered USIA in 1957. A gifted linguist fluent in Hungarian, Italian, French, German, Polish, and Serbo-Croatian, Shirley served abroad over the course of his career in Zagreb, Belgrade, Trieste, twice in Rome, New Delhi, and Warsaw. His domestic assignments at USIA included Area Director for Europe and Associate Director for Programs. At the beginning of the Reagan Administration Shirley spent six months as Acting Director of USIA and later became the first Counselor of the Agency, the highest ranking career position at USIA. He capped off his 29-year career by serving as Ambassador to Tanzania from 1984 to 1986. Remembrance