George T. Brophy Jr.

George T. Brophy Jr., 69, died Oct. 27, 2004, in Neenah, WI, after a prolonged illness. He was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and had been a winter resident of Vero Beach. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Dartmouth College, where he excelled in basketball and rugby. Dartmouth's rugby field was renamed Brophy Field in his honor and the college's business school awarded him its Distinguished Alumni Award. He was a U.S. Army Veteran and received the Medal for Work, the Army's highest peacetime award. He started his business career as a trainee for Corning Glass Works, and later served as executive vice president and a chief operating officer of Masonite Corp., chief executive officer of Morgan Products and chief executive officer of ABT Building Products Corp. Partnering with Kohlberg & Co. investment firm, he led a buyout of ABT Building Products and later became an operating principal of Kohlberg & Co. He also was chairman or board member of Simplicity Manufacturing, Banta Corp., Nevamar Co., and Innotek Inc. Survivors include his wife, Mary Ellen; children, Karen, George and Bunky; and five grandchildren. Memorial donations may be made to Dr. Jon Van Heerden Execellence in Surgery Fund, c/o Dr. David Farley, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905. Memorial Services for Mr. Brophy were held Nov. 1, 2004 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Menasha, WI.