William Hicks "Bill" Oat II

Mystic - William "Bill" Hicks Oat II of Mystic, has died, Aug. 26, 2025. He was the son of the late Mildred Lewis Oat and Clifford Colby Oat Sr.

He graduated from the Norwich Free Academy and the University of Connecticut. He also did post-graduate work at Columbia University. He was a U.S. Army veteran. After the Korean War, he was employed by The Hartford Courant, where he worked in many capacities for over 30 years, before ending his career as the first Purchasing Manager for the newspaper.

Bill is survived by his wife Fran. They were married for 68 years. He is also survived by his son Duane.

Bill enjoyed being out on the water and participated in boating through racing and cruising for most of his life.

Bill enjoyed the arts as a photographer and artist. He was the youngest official photographer for the launching of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine.

He was also an accomplished furniture maker and wooden model boat builder.

Bill was a past-president of Civitan International in Wethersfield, past-president of Rotary International in Groton, and a member of Mystic Rotary. Bill was also a past-president of the Newspaper Purchasing Management Association (NPMA), a U.S. and Canadian organization, and the founder of the Retired NPMA group. He was a member of the world-wide Rushlight Club, a group interested in studying early lighting. Bill was also a member of several Yacht Clubs, a member of the Connecticut Model Boat Club, the Thames Club of New London and the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's memory to: The Masonic Charity Foundation of Connecticut, P.O. Box 70 Wallingford, CT 06492 (Masonicare Hospice) or U.S. Lighthouse Society, 9005 Point No Point Road NE, Hansville, WA 98340 (Lighthouse Preservation Fund).