Monday, July 20, 2009

Charles F. Huber II: 12/30/1929--7/12/2009

Charles F. Huber, II, of Bloomfield, CT, born in West Hartford on December 30, 1929, son of Thomas C. and Dorothy (Yost) Huber and a descendant of Mayflower colonists and Revolutionary War and Civil War officers. Charlie's valiant heart stopped on July 12, 2009 after a year and a half courageous battle with cancer. The term sui generis has never been more aptly applied than to Charlie, who lived a life filled with laughter and enthusiasm, a perennial 20-year-old undergraduate reluctantly inhabiting a progressively aging body. An acknowledged expert on early jazz, Charlie was an intimate of Jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong, Eddie Condon and their contemporaries. He attended the Kingswood Country Day School, Choate and the scene of his happiest days--Princeton University, from which he graduated in 1951. He attended University of Pennsylvania Law School and NYU Graduate School of Business. His army service was spent in the National Security Agency and he was a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers. Following military service he embarked on a life in corporate finance, eventually becoming a managing director of William D. Witter and Associates and a principal in numerous leveraged buy-outs. He became a long-time resident of Greenwich, where his riotous parties with music provided by prominent Jazz musicians became legendary. He was Chairman of the Board of Transnational Industries (now Evans and Sutherland Computer Corporation) and Merrimac Industries. His conservative political views found respectful attention in GOPAC of which he was an active member and associate of some of today's most prominent political figures. He was a prodigious writer for various conservative publications. 1992-1995, he traveled throughout Russia with Krieble Associates, lecturing to large, appreciative audiences on entrepreneurship and capitalism. An avid traveler, he joined numerous Princeton Alumni groups journeying through Europe. Until his illness prevented him, he never missed a Princeton reunion or football game. He was a member of numerous social and political organizations including Greenwich's Belle Haven Club, Hartford Golf Club, The Princeton Club (N.Y.) and GOPAC. He leaves his only sibling and beloved sister, Susan Northrup Huber (Mrs. Howard) Gross of West Hartford; his nieces, Melinda Ottmann and Wendy Wassell and grandniece, Jennifer Ottmann all of Farmington; his stepchildren, Thomas Demas (Charlotte, NC), Daphne Ghriskey (Pound Ridge, NY) and George Demas (NYC). Charlie's family wishes to acknowledge with gratitude the effective care given to him by Drs William Lehmann, Paul Guardino and Mary King; the staff at Caleb Hitchcock Rehab Center and his tireless caregiver, Rosemary Anane. Most of all, words cannot express the gratitude our family feels toward his most devoted caregiver and the person Charlie relied upon more than anyone during his last year and a half: Frances "Kim" Hayden (and her wonderful family). Charlie loved and appreciated beyond description, Kim's warmth, humor, compassion, and care. There will be no calling hours. Burial at West Hartford's Fairview Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of the donor's choice. Taylor and Modeen Funeral Home, West Hartford, CT has care of arrangements.