Homer S. Townsend Jr.
TOWNSEND, Homer S., Jr., 63, ARLINGTON, VA & MAINE, January 20, 2016.
ARLINGTON, VA & MAINE – Homer S. Townsend, Jr., a Maine native, who made his home in Arlington, VA, for the past ten years, passed away peacefully on February 20, 2016. 
He was 63.
He was a humble man with simple tastes, who had no affinity for titles, and yet reached the rank of U.S. Marine Corps. Staff Sergeant in only 5.5 years, and held the highest two offices in the DC-based national office of veterans service organization, Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans).
Mr. Townsend was a past national president of Paralyzed Veterans, and one of only two officers to also be appointed executive director of the organization. He served in that capacity for nearly ten years before retiring in January 2016.
Mr. Townsend joined the United States Marine Corps in 1969. He suffered a severe spinal cord injury while serving in the line of duty, and was honorably discharged in 1974. After successfully rehabilitating, he made his home in Phoenix, AZ. It was there Mr. Townsend turned a personal adversity into a legacy for veterans at Paralyzed Veterans. He was known by friends, colleagues, co-workers and government and industry leaders as a vocal, passionate advocate for veterans whose efficacy was as recognized and respected in political arenas, as it was within his Paralyzed Veterans “family.”
Mr. Townsend served at virtually every capacity within the organization, and is credited for having brought the Access to the Skies Conference out of Washington DC to Phoenix (it grew from 40 attendees to more than 200), and successfully advocating for accessible design in both the Verizon Center (then MCI Center), and the DC Metro System.
In addition to being a champion for veterans, he also served as an active advocate for the broader disabled community. He was a member of the President’s Committee on Unemployment of Persons with Disabilities, the Arizona Governor’s Committee on Employ-
ment of Persons with Disabilities, and the Mesa mayor’s Committee on Handicap Awareness, which he chaired for two years, after which the mayor of Mesa presented him with the key to the city for his dedicated service. He was also appointed by the Arizona governor to serve as Commissioner of the Arizona Veteran Service Commission.
A hallmark of both his personal and professional persona was his fierce loyalty to those he cared about, and those he served. He was known to be a sought-after resource and peer advisor who did not mince words or deter from his mission to fight for veterans and civil rights.
In addition to his professional accolades, his entrepreneurial spirit spurred him to own a billiards business and a franchise store of a popular sandwich shop in Arizona; both of which served to support family members and the community he once called home.
It is said that when a warrior dies, the whole world weeps. But Mr. Townsend wasn’t the kind of warrior who wanted weepers, he wanted more warriors to carry on the mission he lived. He changed the lives of thousands of veterans and disabled persons, while leaving a legacy of change for others who will never get to meet him. He will be remembered by all as a tireless, determined, keenly intelligent and soulful man with a big heart who left the world a better place than he found it. He would be heartened to know the officers of Paralyzed Veterans will continue to fight for what he cared about most.
Mr. Townsend’s spirit and contribution to Paralyzed Veterans of America is survived by the countless men and women whose lives he touched during his 41 years of service to the organization.
