Obituary of David Peter Brophy

David Peter Brophy of Naples, FL and Essex, Connecticut passed away on Sunday, September 16th, 2012 at South Miami Hospital at the age of 73. David was born in 1939 in New London, Connecticut, the youngest of the three children of Frank Raymond and Grace Catherine (Horgan) Brophy. David lived in Essex, Connecticut until he was in his mid 30's and various other cities in Connecticut until he moved to Florida in 2004. Living in the boating town of Essex, David was drawn to the water at an early age. His first job, at the age of 13, was launch boy at the Essex Yacht Club. He moved up from there by offering to be a deck-hand on many of the members' yachts; thus, honing the skills necessary to operate and race many types of vessels. He had a passion for strategic navigation and competing in the waters on the Northeast U.S. coastline. Many years ago he obtained his United States Coast Guard license to operate passenger-carrying vessels (both power and sail) and for several years thereafter, he had the credentials of a professional captain operating a number of private and business-operated yachts. He has done extensive coastal and offshore sailing and racing. He has owned his own cruising/racing sailboat for many years and has been a skipper on boats of various sizes up to sixty feet in the Caribbean and Atlantic Oceans. David is a graduate of St. John's Preparatory School in Danvers Massachusetts in 1957. He also attended Boston College in Boston, Massachusetts where he studied Business Administration. In order to earn a living and to pay for his passion, early on he spent a few years working at Electric Boat as a Radiographer and twenty- two years working as a Credit Executive with General Electric Credit in Connecticut and retired in 1990. David was loved dearly and will be missed by all who knew him. He was predeceased by his brother Robert in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Ruth and his son Daniel Brophy of Naples, Florida. He is also survived by his brother, Donald and his wife Patricia of New York City and by Robert's wife, Judith of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Also surviving is his grandson, Ian Brophy of Grand Junction, Colorado. A graveside service will be held at the Riverview Cemetery, North Main Street in Essex at 11:30 A.M. on Monday, October 1, 2012. All friends and relatives are invited to attend. To share a memory of David or send a condolence to his family please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by The Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street, Centerbrook, CT. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial contributions in David's name be made to Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, 14 Prospect Street, Essex, CT 06426.