William Harold Thorp

Groton - William Harold Thorp, of Noank, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, with his family at his side.

William "Bill" was born June 8, 1916, in Westerly, the son of J. Harold and Elsie (Wilcox) Thorp, in a house at 14 Railroad Ave. He married Anita Alice Potter on Feb. 24, 1940, enjoying a long and prosperous 70 years of marriage.

Bill spent his youth in the Quiambaug section of Stonington, enjoying the many benefits of a life on the Connecticut coast. An avid boat builder and sailor, he learned to love being on the sea at an early age. He carried this love of the sea well into his retirement years, cruising the waters of Long Island Sound on most summer days. Life at sea was an important part of his working career as well, where his projects took him all over the world doing important oceanographic studies. Bill was an accomplished musician and principal trumpet for a number of local community bands including Westerly Band, Mystic-Noank Band, American Legion Band, Stonington Band, Pfizer orchestra, Columbus Band, and Connecticut College Orchestra. He was well-known for his trumpet accompaniment of Christmas caroling and Easter services in both Noank and Mystic. He was a frequent trumpet soloist in both the Noank and Mystic Baptist Churches. He continued as first trumpet in the Westerly Band up to the age of 92, completing 81 years as a member and officer in the organization.

In his professional life, Bill was a graduate of Colgate University, working first at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft during World War II and then as a mathematician at the Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London. At NUSL he was frequently at sea designing tests and making the measurements of sound-travel in water, that would later result in his creation of Thorp's Attenuation Equation, an internationally recognized predictor of the amount of sound attenuation expected of sonar systems in all ocean environments. His work is documented in many texts and documents, including the Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, and is still relied on by our Navy as an accurate predictor to this day.

An avid genealogist, Bill and his wife, Anita, devoted much of their retirement years to the study of their family histories. Bill was a direct descendent of Elder William Brewster, passenger on the Mayflower and active colonial leader. An active member of the Society of Mayflower Descendents and the Connecticut Genealogical Society, he performed family history studies for many others in addition to those of his own family. He was known for his meticulous attention to the detail of those histories and for the accuracy and thoroughness of his studies.

William is survived by his three children, Barry and wife, Stephanie, Brian and wife, Joan, and Juliana T. Ratliff. He leaves nine grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren to carry on his memory and fine example.

He was predeceased by his wife, Anita; his parents; sisters, Elizabeth Bennett and Frances Smith; a son-in-law, James R. Ratliff; and a grandchild, James William Ratliff.

His family will greet relatives and friends from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, at The Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl St., historic downtown Mystic, with a reception to follow. Private interment will precede at Elm Grove Cemetery. Kindly omit flowers; however, donations in his memory may be made to the Westerly Band, P.O. Box 614, Westerly, RI 02891, or another worthy organization of the donor's choosing.

For information, directions, or to share a note of remembrance/condolence, please visit www.dinotofuneral.com