William Colby Harmon

William Colby Harmon, 97, of Enfield, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 17, 2023.

He was born Aug. 24, 1925, son of the late William Allen Harmon and Dorothy (Moore) Harmon. He grew up in Madison, New Hampshire and enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the age of 17 as an apprentice seaman. Early in his Navy career he entered a rigorous training program to become a naval aviator, serving as patrol plane commander in PB4Y-2 Privateer and P2V-3 Neptune aircraft, and as a multi-engine aircraft flight instructor. In the late 1940s he served in Meteorological Squadron One, the "Typhoon Chasers," where he flew into typhoons to collect meteorological data and report on the severity of storms in the Pacific. After 11 years of Navy service, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Hampshire. He then settled in Enfield, and worked at Hamilton Standard for 28 years. He was an active member of the community, volunteering as an Enfield auxiliary policeman, ultimately serving as the auxiliary unit commander. He also volunteered at the New England Air Museum for many years and for the American Red Cross, and served as a docent at the Bushnell Performing Arts Center. He was an active member of the Enfield Congregational Church, singing bass in the choir for decades and serving in several leadership positions, including senior deacon and church council moderator. He was also active in the Hartford East Association of the United Church of Christ. Constance Penberthy Harmon, his wife of 69 years, passed away in 2015. The couple met when they were quite young when her family started vacationing in Madison. They shared a love for Mount Chocorua, Silver Lake and retreats to Star Island in the Isles of Shoals in New Hampshire, UConn women's basketball, live theater, and outings with cousins. Bill also enjoyed playing with any dog, marching bands, and road trips. Besides the church choir, his musical talents included playing the family's antique bellows pump organ. He was also known to play a mean harmonica and yodel when he was in the best of moods.

He is survived by his sister Arline Parker of Grand Rapids, Michigan; as well as his three children, Dayle Harmon (Charles Dunlay) of Bloomfield, Nancy Martin (Christopher) of Madison, New Hampshire, and Colby Harmon (Heidi) of Germantown, Maryland; five grandchildren, Shelly Martin, Joseph Martin (fiancée Susie and her children Charlotte and Diana), Sarah Keyser (Christopher), Daniel Harmon (Anna), Andrew Harmon (Katrina Adams); and 11 great-grandchildren, Devin (Nevadah), Tiffany, Ivy, Orion, Elias, Charlotte, Ingrid, Anya, Suri, Avery and Josephine.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 6, at 11 a.m., at the Broad Brook Congregational Church, 122 Main St., Broad Brook. Burial will be in the Gilman Cemetery in Madison, New Hampshire.

Memorial gifts may be made to the New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Rd., Windsor Locks, CT 06096 or the Enfield Food Shelf, 786 Enfield St., F, Enfield, CT 06082.