C. Fred Grimsey

1932 - 2023

Waterford - C. Fred Grimsey, 90, of Waterford, died on the morning of Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London. Born Sept. 9, 1932, in Boston, he was the son of the late Mona and Charles Fred Grimsey.

He graduated from Pratt Institute with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. After his marriage to Cordette McCracken Grimsey in 1959, he moved to Waterford.

As founding member, trustee and first technical director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Mr. Grimsey co-designed the Amphitheater with David Hays. He founded the Community Theater Council and produced "The Greek Tragedy," a one-hour program for NET. He was active in town government serving on the Board of Finance and as co-chairman for the Oswegatchie School Building Committee. He was a member of the Democratic Town Committee and candidate for State Legislature. Mr. Grimsey worked at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft in Middletown, where he was awarded a patent in 1959. He worked in research & development at Electric Boat for nine years before joining the faculty at Connecticut College as lecturer in theater and dance production. Mr. Grimsey was technical director and theater manager for Palmer Auditorium and designed lighting for numerous performances. He later became engineering supervisor at Connecticut College before retiring in 1987.

In 2001, Mr. Grimsey founded and served as president of Save the River-Save the Hills, a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to protecting the Niantic River from pollution and the Oswegatchie Hills from development. Through his leadership, the conservation efforts of STR-STH created a PumpOut Boat program, led the charge to preserve more than 420 acres to date of riverfront, established water quality testing programs, designed education programs for local schools, contributed to storm water mitigation grants, and began the Niantic River Appreciation Day Kayak Regatta in 2004, to name a few. He served on the Waterford-East Lyme Shellfish Commission, the Niantic River Gateway Commission and the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Long Island Sound Study. His many local, state and national awards included the President's Volunteer Service Award and Senator Murphy's Certificate of Accomplishment. Finally, Senator Blumenthal read into the Congressional record Tuesday, July 31, 2018, that a stretch of his beloved Niantic River waterfront would be dedicated as "Grimsey Beach" August 11, of that same year.

Mr. Grimsey is survived by his wife Cordette Grimsey; and his four children: Chris Grimsey, Elizabeth Caruso, Sean Grimsey and Colin Grimsey and his wife Jani Benoit; four grandchildren: Kellin Atherton and his wife Sigrid, Dominic Caruso, Aiden and Emma Grimsey; and great-grandchildren, Emerson, Winifred and Harriet Atherton.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 4 p m. Sunday, June 11, in the Blaustein Humanities Center at Connecticut College (https://www.conncoll.edu/map/). In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Save the River-Save the Hills (https://www.savetheriversavethehills.org/joindonate.html).