Harry James Dillon, lovingly known as “Speed,” of Cathedral City, California, passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of his family on April 1, 2026, just days before his 85th birthday. He was born on April 4, 1941, in Long Beach, New York, to the late Elise B. (Engel) Dillon and James E. Dillon.

At the age of four, near the end of World War II, Harry moved with his family to Madeira Beach, Florida—a place that would shape some of his most cherished memories. He often described his childhood there as a “Tom Sawyer kind of upbringing”. Instead of bicycles, the children of his neighborhood had boats, unleashed dogs, and an endless sense of adventure. On any given day, Harry and his friends would set off barefoot across the water to Mullet Key, returning sunburned, sandy, and full of stories. (Harry occasionally allowed his little brother, Ned, to tag along—though Harry always made it clear who was the captain and who was the deckhand.) At one point, Harry and his friends found an old vessel that was barely floating and somehow dragged it ashore. Harry proudly named the boat “Mogumbo”. Not long after, Harry upgraded—if you could call it that—to a 5-foot pram with a 5-horsepower motor. During the flooding from Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Harry turned the pram into a rescue boat for the “waterways” of his neighborhood streets, ferrying neighbors—including a couple of elderly women—to higher ground. Harry’s childhood was defined by freedom, mischief, and a spirit of adventure that stayed with him throughout his life.

Harry’s father, a merchant marine captain, introduced him to life at sea from the time he could walk. Harry would later joke that he “didn’t really have a choice” about loving boats and the high seas—it was simply in his blood. Those early days aboard ships sparked a lifelong connection to the water and a comfort with risk and exploration that would later define his military service.

The call of the sea not only shaped Harry’s early life, but also determined where his family would call home. His father’s career eventually brought them to Marin County, California, where Harry came of age - including living up to his nickname, “Speed”, while drag racing at Sonoma (Sears Point) Raceway. During high school, Harry’s mischievous nature led him to Hanna Boys Center, a special place he came to deeply appreciate and cherish, and long credited with helping shape his character. 

Driven by his servant’s heart and deep connection to the water, Harry enlisted in the United States Navy in 1958 at just 17-years-old. Following boot camp in San Diego, Harry went on to serve during the Vietnam War as a member of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDTs), earning the distinction of being a Navy “frogman.” As an elite special operations combat swimmer, he served on small, highly trained teams tasked with some of the most dangerous and demanding missions of the war. Their work included reconnaissance of hostile shorelines, clearing beaches of underwater obstacles, marking safe channels for incoming forces, and carrying out demolition operations in support of amphibious landings. During his service, Harry also operated a Patrol Torpedo Fast (PTF) boat—a fast, heavily armed gunboat used in riverine and coastal “brown water” operations. It was dangerous, high-stakes work, where every bend in the river brought uncertainty.  In his telling, there was always a story—sometimes about the chaos of river patrols, sometimes about the unexpected moments of absurdity that came with life in the service. He had a way of recalling intense situations with a mix of candor and humor, focusing less on the fear and sadness of war, and more on the camaraderie and the sheer unpredictability of it all. He spoke of the rivers not just as places of danger, but as places where boys became men, relied on each other completely to stay alive, and somehow, still found reasons to laugh. 

After his service in the Navy, Harry continued his connection to the maritime world, working as a marine pipe fitter at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California, where he raised his family. Known affectionately as “Dirty Harry” in Shop 56, where he worked for his buddy Jerry Odle, he built a reputation for hard work, skill, and camaraderie.

At St. Vincent Ferrer Elementary School, where his girls attended, Harry volunteered daily as the yard duty, and was adored by the sisters, teachers, and support staff. True to form, Harry ran the lunchroom with the efficiency of a Navy chow hall and the playground with the energy of a Navy Recreation Center —equal parts order, structure, and fun. When children stepped out of line, he jokingly threatened to send them to “the brig.”  

When Harry’s late wife, Brenda, passed away in 1993, he was left to raise their daughters on his own. Through sheer determination and the support of the family’s dear friends in the Vallejo community, Harry worked shift work while keeping a roof over their heads, food on their table, and his girls in private school and their many extra curricular activities.  Those were hard years for the Dillons, but Harry met them with strength and resilience, setting a lasting example for his daughters.

Harry retired from Mare Island in 1995 amid the closure of the shipyard, and he later made his home in the Palm Springs area. There, he was an active and beloved character of the Desert Shadows community, where he found not just neighbors, but a close-knit group of friends he considered family.  Guided by his enduring sense of adventure and love for the freedom of the open road, Harry became an avid RV traveler and ultimately visited all 50 states. His curiosity carried him far beyond the states as well—he traveled internationally and remained on the move until just months before his passing.  Harry especially cherished visits to his wife Huong’s family in Vietnam, as well as weekend trips to San Felipe, Mexico—especially for the annual shrimp festival.

Even in retirement, Harry’s sense of service never faded. He volunteered as a Citizen on Patrol (COP) with the Cathedral City Police Department and dedicated his time to the Palm Springs Air Museum, continuing his lifelong connection to service and history. He also served with pride on the Alumni Board at his alma mater, Hanna Boys Center, contributing countless hours to the planning and success of the school’s annual Spring Carnival and Open House. He was instrumental in securing the support of Leslie Nielsen and Bob Hope as sponsors and spokesmen for the school. A highlight of Harry’s retirement was the night he met Bob Hope at Sorrentino’s in Palm Springs and personally thanked him for the morale-boosting USO entertainment he brought to deployed troops during the Vietnam War.

A lover of classic cars, Harry found great joy in the thrill of the hunt—scouring the internet for the perfect find, negotiating a good deal, and bringing cars back to life when needed. He never met a Packard or Ford Model A he didn’t like. He especially enjoyed consigning cars and working alongside his friends at Exotic Motor Cars—Steve, Henry, Debbie, and the late Marvin Sholl. For Harry, cars were not just a hobby—they were a link to history that provided opportunities to connect, to laugh, and to share stories.

Harry leaves behind his wife, Huong Thu Nguyen Dillon; brother, Ned (Myrna) Dillon; children, Valerie Mattos, Stacey Dillon, Kelly Roth, and Gregory Dillon; grandchildren, Madaya, Dustin, Garrett, Matthew, JP, and Dillon; nephew, Jed (Heather) Dillon; and countless cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elise B. Dillon and James E. Dillon; his beloved wife, Brenda Kemp Dillon; his son, Patrick Dillon; and his nephew, Zachary Dillon.

Harry will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, where he will be forever honored among his fellow servicemembers and always in the good company of his Navy buddies. Arrangements are being handled by Rose Mortuary and Crematory of Rancho Mirage. An online memorial has been established at the following website, which will also host a virtual Celebration of Life for Harry on May 9, 2026 at 10 AM: www.everloved.com/life-of/har…

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Harry’s memory to his alma mater: Hanna Boys Center, 17000 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, California, 95476.

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