William Henry Whitehead, Sr., 83, of Vero Beach, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2015.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Butterworth McEwan Whitehead; his sister CiCi Cole of Pomfret; his sons, William Jr. and Lyman T. III, both of Redding; step-children Dr. David Anthony Clark of Richmond, Va., and Susan Clark of Redding; granddaughters Havens, Willoughby and Cici Clark of Richmond; and step-children Stodd, Tim, Elizabeth and Samantha McEwan, Ailsa McEwan Hendrick; and six step-granddaughters.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Lyman T. Whitehead, Jr. and Cathleen Gruner Whitehead of Locust Valley, N.Y., and his wife of 37 years, Constance Carpenter Whitehead.
Whitehead was born in New York City on Jan. 23, 1932, and was a long-time resident of Redding, Conn., where he and his wife Connie Ann raised their family. He grew up on Long Island and attended Saint Andrew’s School in Middletown, Del., and Brown University.
A gifted athlete, he won nine varsity letters at St. Andrew’s in football, basketball and baseball. He was an accomplished horseman and polo player, riding in the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in 1948 and playing polo from an early age eventually reaching four goals. He played at Meadowbrook and Bethpage on Long Island, in Florida’s first Polo season in 1951, in Chicago and Milwaukee, at Blindbrook in Purchase, N.Y., and for many years at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.
He was a very good golfer with an 11 handicap, despite taking up the sport in his later years. He was a past member of the Old Lyme and Redding Clubs and a member of Bent Pine in Vero Beach.
Whitehead’s career as a manufacturer’s representative began with sales roles at Pheoll and Parker Kalon. He began his own sales agency, W.H. Whitehead and Company, which grew to cover all of New England and was eventually sold to his partners. It continues to this day.
Funeral services will be held at Christ Church, Redding on Wednesday, April 8, at 11 a.m. and a reception celebration of his life will be held for family and friends at the Bent Pine Golf Club on April 19, at 5 p.m. Donations in Bill’s memory may be made to VNA Hospice House, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, Florida 32960 and DaVita Indian River Dialysis Center, 2150 45th Street, #102, Vero Beach, Florida 32967.