‘ Thank you for all of this’
Ray Dalio offers gratitude for support following death of son
GREENWICH — Greenwich’s Ray Dalio took to social media this week to thank well wishers for the care they have shown in the wake of his son’s death last week.
“My family and I wish we could personally thank each and every one of you who shared your caring and condolences for our loss,” Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, posted on Twitter. “While I knew about the power of love, I had no idea what a healing effect it would have.”
Devon Dalio, 42, the eldest son of Ray and Barbara Dalio, was the driver of a vehicle that crashed through the front of the Verizon store in the Riverside Commons on Dec. 17.
Ray Dalio said he would exchange further thoughts online after the holidays, which he said would be a time of quiet reflection for the family. But he said correspondences to date had been a source of comfort.
“For me our interactions were a good reminder of the healing and strengthening power of love and empathy as compared with the destructive power of hate and lack of empathy, especially at this time when hate and lack of empathy are on the ascent,” Dalio wrote. “Thank you for all of this.”
Dalio also posted an article from Institutional Investor in which friends remembered Devon Dalio as a loving, principled man committed to his family.
Richard Parker, who founded P-Square Management Enterprises with Devon Dalio in 2017, called him a “beautiful soul” and an “unbelievable human being,”
Devon Dalio is survived by his wife, Janie, and daughter, Daisy, and by his parents and three brothers. He was the former CEO of the Dalio Family Office for eight years before he founded his private equity firm. He was also an employee of Bridgewater Associates and served as a board member of the family’s foundation Dalio Philanthropies.
“Devon had a gentle nature, an empathetic soul, and a huge heart,” the Dalio family said in a statement after the crash. “He was humble. He was a family man and approached life and all its possibilities with integrity and a sense of enthusiasm. He looked forward to family gatherings and meals together, spending time outdoors with his father and sharing his passion for healthy living with his mother. He loved his wife, Janie, and he adored his daughter, Daisy. He enjoyed time with his brothers. His heartfelt passions, his authenticity and his care for others were an inspiration to many around him.”
The Greenwich Police Department is continuing its investigation into the crash. The Verizon store was gutted after the car broke through the front doors and ignited. The store was occupied at the time, but everyone inside the building was able to escape unharmed.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the cause of Devon Dalio’s death was “pending further study.”
The Greenwich Fire Department determined that the crash ruptured the fuel tank of the vehicle, starting the fire.
“Numerous witness have been identified and the investigators are still in the process of completing some interviews,” Greenwich Police Capt. Mark Zuccerella said in a statement this week. “Evidence from the crash continues to be collected and analyzed with some results still pending. This investigation has many components and the Greenwich Police Department wants to ensure all avenues are appropriately assessed and its findings
are properly documented. “
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers or meals, contributions instead be made to charities including the Fair Food Network, City Harvest or the Bowery Mission.