Obituary of Henry Dexter Sharpe Chafee

Henry Dexter Sharpe Chafee, 94, passed away on February 10, 2013. He was the beloved husband of the late Marjorie D. (Bennett) Chafee and is survived by his son Gregory D. Chafee and daughter in law Kathleen, his sister, Elizabeth Chafee Conway, and nephews and a niece. He was predeceased by his sister Dorothy S. Chafee and his brother William G. Chafee. Dexter lived a full life and was widely admired and respected for his kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. Despite his many achievements, Dexter was ever modest and a true gentleman. The son of Dorothy Gladding Chafee and Henry Sharpe Chafee, chairman of the board of the Providence Journal Company, Dexter was raised in Providence, RI before eventually moving with his wife Marjorie to Woodstock, CT. They later relocated to Essex, CT, where they lived for many years at Essex Meadows. An avid outdoorsman, Dexter took great pleasure in bird watching, skiing, canoeing, hiking and iceboating. He could often be found scanning the horizon with his binoculars in hopes of spotting a rare bird. Dexter was also a railroad enthusiast and made exceptionally detailed train models and dioramas. He spent many summers with his family in Sorrento, Maine on Frenchman Bay. Dexter and Marjorie traveled extensively throughout the Southwest, furthering his lifelong interest in the preservation of open space and natural habitats. He followed the tradition of the Chafee family as an industrialist and civic leader, serving in positions with Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Co. and Builders Iron Foundry. In 1953 he co-founded Westfall-Chafee Laminates in Barrington, RI, which became Fiberglass Fabricators and expanded to Putnam, CT and Harrisville, RI. A man of intense curiosity and many interests, Dexter is credited with co-designing and co-inventing some of the first practical fiberglass skis. He was always active in his community and served on the Woodstock, CT Conservation Commission and as Treasurer of the First Congregational Church, Woodstock, CT. He is the author of Wild Plants and Animals of Woodstock, Connecticut: A Survey (1986). At Essex Meadows, he delighted in blazing walking trails for his friends and neighbors. He graduated from Andover Academy (1936) and Brown University (1940) and served in the Army during WWII in Battery C, 746th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion throughout the South Pacific. All are welcome to attend a Commemoration of Life reception for Dexter Chafee in Hamilton Hall at Essex Meadows, 30 Bokum Rd, Essex, CT at 2:00PM on Sunday, February 24. Burial will be private in Forest Chapel Cemetery, Barrington, RI. Arrangements by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.