Ernest Castillo, III

On Monday, February 5, 2018, Ernest Castillo, III, peacefully passed away.

Ernest was born October 23, 1935, in Tampa, Florida, to Ernest Castillo, Jr. and Alicia Esteban Castillo. As an only child, he was known to his family as “Sonny”. Ernest graduated from Plant High School (Tampa) in 1953 (Class President), and then went on to graduate from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. In 1957, Ernest was commissioned into the US Navy, and shortly thereafter was sent to the US Naval Facility at Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico. In September of 1958, he married Anne Dopler in Lake Wales. In 1960, Ernest was sent to NAVFAC Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where he served as the Liaison to the Royal Canadian Navy until October 1962, then to Norfolk, VA, where he worked for Commander Oceanographic Systems Atlantic. In January of 1966, Ernest was sent to Keflavik, Iceland, to open the NAVFAC and serve as the Commanding Officer. He returned to ComOceanSysLant (COSL) in March of 1968, and in December of that year, moved his family to Virginia Beach. In January 1970, Ernest left work on a Friday afternoon as a Lt. Cmdr. and returned on Monday morning as a Civil Service Intelligence Analyst, sitting at the same desk and continuing to perform the same job he had been doing for several years. Ernest retired from Civil Service in July 1995.

In 1999, Ernest received the Joe P. Kelly Award. The Kelly Award, as it became known, is a lifetime achievement award that recognizes an individual whose contributions profoundly impact present and future IUSS (Integrated Undersea Surveillance System) operations. The award is named after Capt. Joseph P. Kelly who is recognized throughout the oceanic surveillance industry as the father of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) program. Kelly died in 1988.

In 2005, Ernest and Anne returned to Lake Wales, and in 2007 built their dream home on Blue Lake where they enjoyed reuniting with old friends and family.

Ernest was very active in his church, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and regularly participated in gatherings of his high school classmates in Tampa. He loved watching ACC basketball and cheering for his Tarheels. But most of all he loved God and his family.

He leaves behind his wife of almost 60 years, Anne D. Castillo, his three daughters Carlotta Moulder (Jim) of Burke, VA, Anita Fritzinger (Chris) of Suffolk, VA, and Sarah Page (Randy) of Cary, NC, and six grandchildren, Alicia and Theresa Moulder, Mitch and Tom Fritzinger, and Jordan and Jana Page. He touched the lives of many people during his lifetime.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 3, at 11:00 AM at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Lake Wales. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to The Good Shepherd Hospice House.