Man who died on dive didn't drown
John H, 46, was Iraq war vet
BY LEE EGERSTROM
Pioneer Press
A St. Paul man who died Sunday while scuba diving in Hawaii apparently died of natural causes and did not drown, his wife said Tuesday.
Army Lt. Col. John H, 46, who recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq, died while on a dive with friends off the island of Oahu on Sunday morning. His body was retrieved by the diving boat crew, and he was officially identified Monday by a medical examiner in Honolulu.
His widow, Barbara L of St. Paul, said Tuesday that the autopsy conducted in Honolulu was inconclusive about the cause of death and that further tests are being conducted.
"He didn't drown. The cause of death was apparently a natural event," she said.
L said she anticipates the Army will return H's body Thursday.
H had just returned from Iraq and was headed for home and reserve status next week. A West Point graduate with a master's degree in international management from the University of St. Thomas, H was serving with the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade based at Fort Shaffer in Hawaii.
H was born in Connecticut in 1959 and attended school in Danbury, Conn., before going to West Point. He moved to St. Paul in 1992 with a former wife and children from that marriage.
L said H was working for a unit of General Motors Acceptance Corporation in Bloomington before he was recalled to active duty last May 21, one year to the day before he died.
Scuba diving might have had no part in what caused Hennessey to die, LeTourneau said. It was a favorite sport for him.
"He went over the side of the boat with friends and it was soon discovered he wasn't with his party," she said. Other divers looked for him, and he was pulled back aboard the diving boat.
"The diving crew administered CPR, but to no avail," she said.
The family is planning a funeral June 1 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 512 S. Albert St., in St. Paul.
"Natural causes" - heart attack?
Has there been anything in the local papers there?
Marc
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