Samuel B. Hellier

Mystic - "Shipbuilding Executive, State Senator, Entrepreneur", Samuel B. Hellier, 92, passed away July 15, 2019. Mr. Hellier, a strong family man, with compassion for others, was always thankful for the many opportunities offered during his life.

He was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. His early life was spent primarily in Great Neck, Long Island where he attended Great Neck High School, graduating in 1944.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1944 and after specialized training at Rutgers University was assigned to the infantry. He joined the 7th Infantry Division in Korea, by way of the Philippines and Okinawa. He was discharged as a sergeant in 1946.

He attended the University of Virginia as a member of the class of 1951 and later completed The Program for Management Development at the Harvard Business School.

His business career started as a management trainee, during the advent of the nuclear submarine program, at Electric Boat, later known as a division of General Dynamics Corporation. During the next twenty-four years he held a number of shipyard and management roles, culminating as planning manager. In addition to responsibilities for planning the construction of U.S. Navy nuclear submarines; he also had a lead role in the development of the United Kingdom's Dreadnought and Polaris submarines.

In 1972 he took a leave of absence and after representing Electric Boat on the "Governors Commission on Services and Expenditures", he served as a Connecticut State Senator representing the 18th district. His assignment as Chairman of the Corrections, Welfare and Humane Institution Committee was one of his most satisfying experiences. Some of his accomplishments in children and youth services and the consolidation of the human services departments built the foundation for today's legislation.

He was the Republican Nominee for the United States Congress in 1974. He joined Booz Allen Hamilton in 1975. After assignments in Pascagoula, Miss. and Newport News, Va., serving as an expert witness for many legal trials and coordinating the construction and occupancy of the headquarters building in Bethesda, Md., he settled in Mclean, Va.

In 1981 he founded ORS Associates, Inc., the first dedicated facilities relocation planning and management firm in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area. He sold the company and retired in 1995.

During his forty-five-year career he contributed his time and leadership to a number of community focused organizations; primarily his association with the episcopal church, educational institutions, charities and entrepreneurial focused business organizations.

In retirement, he served on the Vestry of St. Dunstan's Church in McLean, Va., continued to coach and mentor friends and family, and wrote, Broader the Base, an Autobiography.

He was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, Jean Stapleton Hellier. He is survived by his children and their spouses, James and Linda Hellier, Leslie Salvail, Scott and Andrea Hellier, Carolyn and Andrew Faber; eleven grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; his brother John R. Hellier of Old Saybrook; and his sister Carlotta H. Parsons of Sarasota, Fa.

Memorial Donations can be made to Folds of Honor https:/www.foldsofhonor.org or The Wounded Warrior Project https:/www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Anyone wishing to contact the family directly can reach out to Jim Hellier at (410) 271-1360 or jim.hellier@gmail.com or Scott Hellier at (703) 403-6909 or scott.hellier@gmail.com.