Cornelius Spillane III, born in Kittery, Maine and longtime resident of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away peacefully on Thursday at the age of 66.<\/p>\n
He is survived by his wife, Jill Spillane; sons Collin Spillane and Neil Spillane; his brother, Sean Spillane; his sisters, Kathleen Spillane and Mary Elizabeth Spillane Morgan; his nephew Kieran Sciabbarrasi, and several cousins.<\/p>\n
Known by most friends as “Mickey”, Cornelius was a dedicated Navy\/Merchant Marine Captain and ardent storyteller. As a young man, Mickey was an eagle scout and stayed active with wrestling, football and baseball while attending Staunton Military Academy. His ability to captivate and entertain was evidenced by his position as class president all four years at Maine Maritime Academy while pursuing his bachelors degree. Those leadership and people skills also allowed him to serve at the rank of Master and Commodore during Desert Storm and the Iran Iraq War.<\/p>\n
Mickey graduated from the US Naval War College with a MA in National Security & Strategic Affairs, and graduated with distinction with a MS in Business Management from Salve Regina University. His career allowed him to travel to such places as Diego Garcia, Persian Gulf, Guam, El Salvador, Egypt, Alaska, Japan, Korea, and fend off pirates in the Straits of Mallaca. His life was full of risk and responsibility, with his country entrusting him in black operations.<\/p>\n
While home from sea, Mickey enjoyed Maine’s natural beauty and maintained a close connection with the ocean, always visiting waterfront cottages and lookout points. He found joy in long road trips in his Cadillac, listening to big band music on surround sound and never relying on a GPS. In recent years, he maintained a link with the Huntsville veteran community, volunteering for various ceremonies and having weekly breakfast with a group of veteran friends.<\/p>\n
A memorial service will be held at Bicentennial Chapel on Redstone Arsenal, Tuesday December 12th at Noon, with private burial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"