GEOFFREY R. SHUMWAY, LCDR, USN

Geoffrey Shumway '64

Date of birth: October 22, 1942

Date of death: June 25, 1972

Age: 29

Lucky Bag

From the 1964 Lucky Bag:

GEOFFREY RAYMOND SHUMWAY

Skaneateles, New York

Geoff

12th Company

Being the son of a Naval aviator, Geoff's homes were varied, but the Shumways finally settled in the Finger Lake region of New York. This diversified background was reflected in his talents and interests which varied from reading and music to sports and a healthy interest in the opposite sex. His principal sports interests were pole vaulting and squash, but during leave he could often be found at a ski lodge or on the beach somewhere. When not occupied with maintaining his position on the Superintendent's List, his musical ability on the guitar oft provided amusement for everyone. Geoff should prove to be a very welcome addition to Naval Aviation.

GEOFFREY RAYMOND SHUMWAY

Skaneateles, New York

Geoff

12th Company

Being the son of a Naval aviator, Geoff's homes were varied, but the Shumways finally settled in the Finger Lake region of New York. This diversified background was reflected in his talents and interests which varied from reading and music to sports and a healthy interest in the opposite sex. His principal sports interests were pole vaulting and squash, but during leave he could often be found at a ski lodge or on the beach somewhere. When not occupied with maintaining his position on the Superintendent's List, his musical ability on the guitar oft provided amusement for everyone. Geoff should prove to be a very welcome addition to Naval Aviation.

Loss

From Honor States:

On June 25, 1972, an A-7E Corsair (Bureau Number 157437, side number NL 311) of the VA-22 Fighting Redcocks was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over North Vietnam. The pilot, LT Geoffrey R. Shumway, was never heard from again and declared Missing in Action. The crash site was later located at Xom Bau in the Nghe An Province. LT Shumway’s remains were returned on August 3, 1993 and positively identified on June 12, 2002.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Geoffrey graduated from Skaneateles Central High School in 1960. Flirtatious . . . notorious . . . contemporary. Transferred from Norfolk, Virginia; Football 3, 4; Wrestling 2-4; Track 3, 4; Tennis 2, 3; Baseball 1; Key Club 2, 3; Leaders Club 4. In Senior Highlights: Crowning Glory: loud socks. Weakness: his line. Can You Image: a high school principal. How Got Through: on his charm. Named Biggest Flirt. Last Will: leave my visor, chips, and five aces to Fred Eisenberg, who needs them badly.

From The Post-Standard (Syracuse, New York) on July 18, 1967:

Lt. Shumway participated in an attack on a 20-car railroad train, 25 miles northwest of Haiphong. “The sky was filled with the familiar angry black fireballs,” the lieutenant reported when he returned. “We were dodging them in the target area and halfway back to the coast.” The raid was made against the Tu Duong railroad siding, which is on the rail link between Haiphong and Hanoi. In total, 10 rail cars, a locomotive; support buildings and sections of the track were damaged, the Navy said.

From The Citizen (Auburn, New York) on September 23, 2015:

When Lt. Cmdr. Geoffrey Shumway graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964, he and his 28 fellow sailors from his main group all went in different directions with their military careers – some flew airplanes, others went aboard ships and others took assignments on land.
But, when Shumway’s remains were buried during a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in 2004 – 32 years after the Skaneateles native went missing after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War – 22 of those 28 sailors attended the ceremony to honor their fallen comrade.
“That is a statement about comrades,” said Phil Shumway, the late sailor’s brother, during a National POW/MIA Recognition Day ceremony Friday afternoon at the Skaneateles American Legion Post 239. “That is a statement about my brother and his friends. That is a statement about all military members and the faith they have in each other and the close fraternity they have together.” …
Phil Shumway then rose to speak about his brother, noting that a Facebook message from a person who had Geoffrey Shumway’s memorial bracelet and wanted to give it to the family prompted the Shumways to talk more about the late lieutenant commander and his service.
Shumway said his brother’s A-7 Corsair was shot down over Vietnam on June 25, 1972, after taking off for his mission from the USS Coral Sea.
“We went a long time without any data, up until the early ‘90s,” Shumway said, noting DNA testing and other advancements allowed his brother’s remains to be identified in the early 2000s. “We were happy to receive closure at that time.”
Thirty years to the day that his brother went missing, Shumway said, his brother’s two children spread their father’s ashes at a memorial at Pearl Harbor, “very fitting and a perfect place for him to be recognized at least by our family and maybe others,” Shumway said.
Then in 2004, the Shuman family buried Geoffrey Shumway at Arlington – a moment of relief and closure for the late sailor’s parents, Shumway said – and his fellow sailors turned out in force to remember their friend.
“This is 40 years later (after graduation,)” Shumway said. “Twenty-two of those guys showed up for the ceremony, and they came from all over the world.”

Geoff has a memory marker in Arlington National Cemetery. He was survived by a brother in addition to his wife, mentioned below.

Remembrances

Geoff was one of my high school classmates in Skaneateles, NY. I had just returned from VN when I heard that Geoff was missing. He was a terrific guy for whom everyone had the greatest respect. His wife (also a high school classmate) told me that his remains were identified a few years ago so I guess he isn't missing anymore. DAVID STONE, 3/1/03