Ralph W. Halsey Jr. of Noank, Connecticut died at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London on March 20, 2004 after a short illness. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Betsey Avery Copp Halsey.
Mr. Halsey was born in Orange, New Jersey on December 3, 1919. He attended the Hotchkiss School graduating in 1938. He graduated from Yale College in 1942.
He served as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy from 1942 until 1945. After the War, Mr. Halsey worked as an Assistant Treasurer and Trust Officer at the Bankers Trust Company in New York City.
In 1953, he became the Associate Treasurer and Investment Officer at Yale University, managing Yale's endowment.
In 1967 Mr. Halsey founded Halsey Associates, an investment management firm in New Haven.
He was a Trustee and Treasurer of The Hotchkiss School and also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Middlesex Mutual Assurance Company from 1963 until 1992. He was the Harbormaster of Noank for many years and was an Associate Fellow of Berkeley College at Yale.
Mr. Halsey is survived by his sister, Dorothy H. Hughes of Shawnee Mission, Kansas and his brother Anthony P. Halsey of Mason's Island, Connecticut. He was predeceased by a sister, Margaret H. Storer.
He leaves four children: Avery H. Dickinson of Wakefield, Rhode Island, Ralph W. (Peter) Halsey III of New Haven, Thomas S. Halsey of Dallas, Texas and Andrew M. Halsey of Mystic; 14 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
There will be no services and the family requests that no flowers be sent nor contributions be made.
A Message from the Wife and Children of Ralph Halsey
Ralph wished there be no fuss made about him in life, and his instructions about the arrangements after his death were consistently clear. There will be no public services and he specifically asked that people neither send flowers nor make contributions in his name or memory. He always said that he was 24 years old, because after the day in 1944 when his ship was sunk in the Pacific, he viewed every day, month and year to be extra. Taking credit or receiving recognition was just something that he did not enjoy.
We know that this makes it hard for those who wish to offer support to our family. Ralph would want people to say a prayer or offer a thought for all who have gone before us. He would also think that an anonymous act of kindness or charity would make everyone feel good and make the world a little better.
Thank you,Betsey, Avery, Peter, Tom and Andy