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Gordon B. 'Gabby' Hayes Dublin, NH QCWA # 27804 |
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Gordon Brewster "Gabby" Hayes, of Chester Connecticut expired in Hartford, CT, on December 11, 2009, after nearly 90 years of life. He was born in Annapolis, MD, on Jan 3, 1921, to Dr Harvey Cornelius and Marjorie Dodd Wood Hayes.
The family moved to Washington, DC, shortly after Gordon's birth, and he was raised in the Cleveland Park area. During recovery from a leg injury suffered as a boy, he became interested in Amateur (HAM) Radio. Although he attended Phillips Andover Academy and American University, he was principally a self-taught electrical engineer.
During World War II, he worked on the Proximity Fuze at the Stump Neck test-site in Maryland until he was convinced that the fuse had proven itself during testing in the fall of 1942. He then moved to Naval Research Laboratory where he worked on IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) and RADAR beacons. In the early 1950s he moved to Waterford and joined the Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London, where he worked on torpedo countermeasures, the SQS 35, 36 and 38 operational sonar systems as well as acoustic environmental measurements. Gordon was most proud of his patent 3,140,462 on an RF based transducer that can operate as a hydrophone, microphone or pressure sensor. Gordon was an active member and Past Master of the Old Lyme Pythagoras Masonic Lodge #45; it was through this association that in the latter 1950's he met Ingeborg "Inger" Champion Cole. br>
They were married on June 28, 1957. They lived in Waterford beyond Gordoni's retirement in 1974 followed by a move to Dublin New Hampshire, to the home built by Gordon's grandfather, James Wood, in the late 1800's. They also spent many winters in Florida during this period where Gordon was active in Shriners International in the Ocala area. They moved to Chester Village West in 2006.
Gordon is survived by his three stepchildren and their extended families: stepdaughter Sheila Elliott, stepson Bernard F. Cole, Jr. and his wife Kathryn, and stepson James H Cole and his wife Diane. Gordon is also survived by his niece and nephew: Debbie and husband Larry Siebert of Jackson, NH, George "Barney" and wife Deb Sermon of Conway, NH. Also surviving him are his step-granddaughter Katherine (Cole) and Douglas Fisher and step-great grandchildren Stella and Henry Fisher, his step-grandson Michael Cole and step-great grandson Ben Cole, his step-grandson Chip (Bernard III) and Janet Cole and step-great granddaughter Molly Cole, step-granddaughter Judi (Hanson) Cox and step-great granddaughters Andrea Chappelle and Jordan Chappelle, step-granddaughter Wendy (Elliott) and step-great granddaughters Katelyn and Hayley Lorking, step-niece Patricia "Trish" Grist of Sneedville TN and step-nephew James Nissen and his wife Lynn of Willington CT. His brother-in-law Paul Nissen also survives him.
He was predeceased by his wife Inger, his sister Shirley Sermon and her husband George, his brothers Benjamin and Harvey, his brother-in-law Charles Champion, his sisters-in-law Eunice Champion and Sally Nissen and his step-niece Karen Reed.
A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, December 18, 2009 at 2:00 pm in the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. Interment will preceed the service at 1:30pm in Duck River Cemetery, Old Lyme. Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, Old Lyme is handling the arrangements.
CREDITS
Obituary/biography: obits.dignitymemorial.com
