William Roy Battey of Mystic Connecticut died July 1, 2003 at the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London. He was 83 years old and the husband of Adarienne Louise Metz. They have been residents of Stonington and Mystic since 1987, when they moved from Greenwich, CT, where he and his family had lived for nearly 30 years.
Mr. Battey was born in New Rochelle, New York on April 22, 1920, the son of the late Donald E. and Muriel N. C. Battey; and the great-grandson of Thomas Nast, the American political cartoonist. He graduated from New Rochelle High School in 1938 and from Yale University, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. degree in English Literature in 1942.
In World War II, he served as Captain and Battery Commander of Battery A of the 740th Semi-Mobil 90mm AAA Gun Battalion, (formed at Fort Worth, Texas) of the U.S. Army, which was attached following D-Day to the 3rd Army; and which later participated in the defense of Antwerp, the Battle of the Bulge and the Ardennes breakthrough, as a part of the U.S. Army’s 50th AAA Brigade. Mr. Battey was awarded the Bronze Star.
Following the war, he worked briefly for General Foods and then began a thirty-five year career at the American Re-Insurance Company, retiring as the company’s Senior Vice President and Head of Administration in 1978.
He was a 22-year Member of the Board of Directors of Fountain House, Inc., a clubhouse membership rehabilitation program for people with chronic mental health care needs in New York City; and was a Member of the Board and Treasurer of the Family Center, a retirement home in Greenwich, CT.
In 1984, he and several friends founded Laurel House Inc. in Stamford, CT. Laurel House is a rehabilitation and education program based on the Fountain House clubhouse model. He has served on the Laurel House Board continuously since its inception.
He also was actively involved in the St. Barnabas Church in Greenwich, CT, as its Treasurer and as its Senior Warden; in the Calvary Church in Stonington, CT on its Vestry and as a Trustee of the Watch Hill Chapel Society.
Mr. Battey was a long-time member of the Round Hill Club of Greenwich, the Misquamicut Club of Watch Hill, the Mill Reef Club of Antigua and the Watch Hill Yacht Club, where his grandfather, William J. Battey was the founding Commodore.
In addition to his wife, two sons, William R. Battey, Jr. and Michael S. Battey, and five grand children survive him.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am at the Calvary Church in Stonington, CT on Tuesday, July 8th.
Gifts in memory of William Battey should be directed to Laurel House Inc. in Stamford, the Calvary Church in Stonington, the Watch Hill Chapel Society in Watch Hill and the St. Barnabas Church in Greenwich.