On Wednesday, October 11, 2017 Claudia Jean Wortman, aged 69, of California, MD died at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. after spending several days in the ICU at the hospital. She had fought metastatic breast cancer for over 2.5 years. She was the beloved wife of CDR. David Wortman, SC, USN (Ret). Claudia is survived by her husband, their two children, Dana and Andrew and his wife, Kyle, her mother, Gwendolyn, and her brother, William and his wife, Marla and their family.
Claudia was the daughter of William and Gwendolyn Galbraith of Beemer, NE. Her father was the National Commander of the American Legion in 1966-67. Before marrying David, she lived most of her early years in Nebraska, where she graduated from Beemer High School in 1966 and the University of Nebraska in 1970. She met her future husband, David, in 1969 and they were married at the beginning of his Naval career in December 1971 at the Naval Security Chapel in Washington, DC.
During David’s 23-year career in the Supply Corps, they lived on both coasts of the United States and in Guam, Korea and Sardinia, Italy. During their time together they traveled on vacation trips to Costa Rica, Alaska, Hawaii, and most countries in Europe. While living and scuba diving in Guam in 1975-76, Claudia earned a Master’s Degree in Science (Biology) and experienced Super Typhoon Pamela’s nearly 200 mph winds as well as a magnitude 6.25 earthquake.
Their last tour in the Navy was at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Claudia began teaching Biology at Great Mills High School in 1991 and after ten years became the St. Mary’s County Supervisor for Instruction for Science. She retired in 2011 at the end of the school year to care for her gravely ill father.
Claudia’s true joys were her love for learning about the Lord; telling others about Him; her family; playing the piano; singing in the choir; teaching; and mentoring younger ladies at Redeeming Grace Baptist Church.
