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Waterford
- Ralph Grames Clark, 89, of Goshen
Road, died May 24, 2006 at Bayview Health Care
Center.
He was born April 6, 1917 in Montreal, Canada,
son of Ralph Lucas Clark and Sarah Grames Clark. He was a descendant of Henry
Ward Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Hannah Dustin.
He married Jeanne Riddiford Chalmers on June 22,
1946. She predeceased him on April 13, 2006.
Ralph, a well-known local resident, was active in
many organizations. He was founder and president of the Waterford Canoe Club
and served as an alternate on the 1968 U.S. Olympic Committee for canoeing,
representing New England. He also served as
a U.S. Member of the North American Canoe Racing Committee. The highlight of
his canoeing career was in 1967 when he led a crew of seven Waterford Canoe
Club members on a canoeing trip from Waterford
to Expo '67 in Montreal via the Hudson River. He was also on staff of the Mystic Marine Museum
for several years.
Ralph was past president of Waterford Little League
South, past president of the Waterford PTA Council, a member of the Waterford
RTM, moderator of the town meeting and served on the shellfish and harbor
management commissions. He was past president of the harbor club and a
charter member of Crossroads Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the
Whalers Duplicate Bridge Club of Waterford.
He served as a State Fire Warden for 25 years and
was a life member of Goshen Fire Department, Waterford. He was a member of the Niantic
Bay Yacht Club and a member of the American Schooner Association and raced as
a navigator on various schooners.
In 1986, he received an outstanding service award as
a super volunteer for "untiring efforts on behalf of the Waterford
Public Schools" from the Waterford Administrators and Supervisors
Association. In 1993 he received the V.F.W.'s American Award and a
Certificate of Appreciation from the town of Waterford. Ralph was in charge of
construction for the road, parking lot and bridge to Waterford Beach.
He also constructed 40 ball fields in South Eastern Connecticut.
Ralph was assistant football coach in charge of
kicking at the Coast Guard Academy,
New London and Katonah
High School, Katonah, N.Y.
Over a period of 10 years he traveled to British
Honduras (today called Belize)
and arranged delivery of three tons of school books donated by Waterford
Board of Education for children of British Honduras.
Mr. Clark left Electric Boat in '42 to enlist in the
Army Air Corp during World War II where he served as a rifle range
supervisor. After the Army, Mr. Clark was assistant commandant at Admiral Billard Academy,
director of Waterfront and captain of Schooner Yankee, a training ship for
cadets.
He graduated from Mitchell College
in 1949 and began building houses and later became a prominent blaster in
South Eastern Connecticut for many years. He also designed and built rope
products for Jayfro Athletic Supply Co. for 12 years.
Ralph is survived by two sons, Stewart and his wife,
MaryAnn, of Waterford, and Charles and his wife, May, of Anchorage, Alaska;
one daughter, Priscilla Clark Peabody, of New London; five grandchildren,
Scott Johnson, Jeffrey and Peter Clark, Jennifer Bergeson and Raymond A.
Peabody IV; four step grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
He was predeceased by one step granddaughter, Lisa
Dedrick.
A Memorial Service will be held at Crossroads
Presbyterian Church, Crossroad, Waterford
on Saturday, June 17, 2006 at 11 a.m. The family will receive friends at the
home of Priscilla Peabody, 321
Crystal Avenue, New London
on Friday, June 16, 2006 beginning at 4 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
American Cancer Society, 238
West Town St., Norwich, CT 06360.
Fulton-Theroux Funeral
Home, New London
is handling the arrangements.
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