Herbert M. Tuttle

On August 17, 2026, LTC Herbert M. Tuttle USA (retired) of Gainesville VA, a loving father, grandfather and friend to so many, passed away peacefully after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born on August 24, 1939, in Newport RI and was the son of Herbert E. Tuttle II and Marion P. Tuttle. He was raised in Newport and eventually met and married the love of his life, Joanne, who preceded him in death in 2018. They are now together in eternity. LTC Tuttle attended Rogers High School in Newport RI and was a part of the Jr. ROTC there. After high school he attended the University of Rhode Island where he majored in Business Administration and was also part of the URI ROTC program. After graduating from URI, he married his high school sweetheart, Joanne, enrolled in the US Army and began a long career of service to his country. LTC Tuttle was a veteran of both the Korean War and Vietnam. His military experience was based in the Defense Intelligence Agency and he spent his entire military career devoted to this area of specialization. During his career, he and his family moved to Fort Bliss TX, Kaiserslautern West Germany, Fort Devens MA, Portsmouth RI while he was in Vietnam, Fort Holabird MD, Munich and Stuttgart West Germany, Fort Campbell KY home of the 101st Airborne Division and finally the last 7 years of his career he spent living in northern Virginia while serving at the Pentagon in Arlington VA. For 16 years of his career, he provided operational and managerial expertise in all-source intelligence, reconnaissance and space systems development and operations analysis. While at the Pentagon, he became the first Army Officer to be hand-picked by the Under Secretary of the Air Force to be a part of the Director of Space Systems Staff. He played a key role in establishing the first formal pragmatic and operational interface function between national and Department of Defense space systems. This helped facilitate a continuity of operations plan which allowed for the integration of national and DOD space systems into the overall continuity of Government architecture. He also provided analysis of the tactful utility of national space programs which led to the successful defense of the programs before congress. LTC Tuttle retired from active duty in 1985 and continued his work in the private sector for the remainder of his career. He worked for TRW, McDonnell Douglass and Lockheed Martin serving as project manager for multiple government funded projects through these companies. He loved representing his country and throughout his entire military and private sector career, was dedicated to helping serve and keep our country safe. He was a proud lifelong supporter of the University of Rhode Island ROTC program and in 2017 was inducted into the URI ROTC Hall of Fame. Along with his wife Joanne, he participated in Honor Flights, welcoming WW II Veterans to the DC area and recognizing them for their service. He proudly attended one of the many D-Day Anniversary ceremonies in Normandy France to show his support for the people of France as well as the thousands of military personnel who participated that day and the many that lost their lives. As committed as he was in his military career, his family and friends meant more to him than anything. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend to many throughout his life. He and his wife Joanne loved traveling and his military career lent itself to visiting numerous places around the world. Many of the people he met during his career and travels became lifelong friends and those relationships meant the world to him. In addition to activities with his family, he had many hobbies and interests which included his beloved Red Sox and Celtics, going to Red Sox games with his family, his cars, going to sports car races, music and his stereo system, bicycling, and model trains. His love of music included many trips to the Filene Center at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, accompanied by his wife, then his daughter and grandsons. He also had an extensive HO Scale model train layout. His family loved being able to run trains with him when they visited and his love of trains was passed on to them as well. He was a member of the Piedmont Railroaders Club and was provided honorary membership in that club. He would always mention how proud he was of being a member and the many friends he had while sharing his love of model trains. LTC Tuttle lived a full life, accomplished so many things and will be forever missed by those who knew him the best. LTC Tuttle is survived by his children, Lynn (Tuttle) Wood and husband Gene Wood of Fairfax, VA and Thomas A Tuttle and wife Colleen A (Tuttle) Sundholm of Falmouth, MA and 6 Grandchildren, Ben Kaplan, Stan Kaplan, Justin Wood, James Tuttle, Thyra Tuttle and Elizabeth Tuttle. LTC Tuttle will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date, next to his beloved wife Joanne who has kept his place next to her ready since 2018. A Celebration of Life for LTC Herbert Tuttle will be held at the Pierce Funeral Home (www.piercefh.com) in Manassas, VA on Saturday October 31 from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM. Friends and loved ones, can visit the funeral home web site to view the date and time of his service, his obituary and leave comments of remembrance on his Life’s Tributes page. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that you make a donation to the National Parkinson’s Foundation (www.parkinson.org), in hopes that someday a cure may be found.

Herbert M. Tuttle

August 24, 1939 - August 17, 2026