William Abrams
Colchester — William “Bill” R. Abrams, 87, of Colchester, husband of Elisabeth Abrams, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family, Saturday, May 28, 2022. Born in Butler, Pa., on July 4, 1934, he was the son of William and Catherine Abrams Crowe.
Bill joined the United States Navy and served proudly during the Korean War. He served as a sonarman on submarines and surface ships, and as a naval aviator, earning both his Silver Dolphins and Gold Wings. He was awarded the Noel Davis Trophy for leading the National Anti-Submarine Warfare Helicopter Challenge to victory. Bill was one of the few Navy Mustangs and retired as a naval commander.
He married his “Sweet
Pea,” Elisabeth Ruben, on Sept. 1, 1956. The couple shared 65 years of a God-centered marriage, full of love, fun and joy with their family. Before his retirement, Bill enjoyed a long and successful career as the founder, owner and operator of SeaQuest Associates and SeaTrac, International, oceanographic consulting firms. He held patents from the U.S. and Denmark. His oceanographic work included the Alaskan Pipeline Project, the North
Sea Oil Project, Scotland, as well as work in Thailand, New Zealand and the Indian Ocean. When the space shuttle Challenger tragedy occurred Jan. 28, 1986, NASA called Bill and flew him to Cape Canaveral, where he and his team located the crew’s cabin in over 100 miles of water, using sidescan sonar he had developed.
As a Messianic Jew, Bill’s faith was vital to him. He and Liz served together in churches, youth groups and co-founded the New Life Singers. Bill went out of his way to make people feel respected and appreciated. In addition to his faith, Bill’s greatest passion was his family. His joy in life was providing for them, loving and nurturing them. He will be sadly missed by his precious wife; their children, Judy Abrams and Susan Abrams of Colchester, and Rachel Olson of Connecticut; grandchildren: Becky (Tim) Chamberlain of Guilford; Benjamin Abrams of Texas; Matthew (Christina) Smigiel of Manchester, N.H.; Jordan (Mariah) Smigiel of Wallingford; great-grandchildren, Eliza, TJ and Emily Chamberlain; and numerous extended family members and friends. In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his siblings, Dewey Crowe and Betty Godwin; nephew Terry Crowe; and grandson Daniel Smigiel.
The family thanks Bill’s fantastic medical team:
Dr. Benjamin Newton, Meg Wallace, Claudia Cooper, Kathi Karp, Smilow Cancer Center, Oxford Healthcare and Beacon Hospice.
Bill will be buried with full military honors and laid to rest in a private ceremony. His memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 25, at Grace Fellowship Evangelical Church, 102 Providence-New London Turnpike (Rte. 184), North Stonington (www. gracefellowshipefc.org). Due to COVID and family health, masks are required. In lieu of flowers, you may donate to Jews for Jesus (www. jewsforjesus.org) or Faith2Faith Ministries (www.f2fmi. org). The Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home of Colchester, has been entrusted with care of arrangements. For online condolences, please visit www. auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com.