Donald Joffray Sr.
Old Lyme — Donald Marshall “Joff” Joffray Sr., 90, of Old Lyme, passed peacefully Friday morning Feb. 21, 2020. He was born in Richmond, Va., March 30, 1929, the son of Clarence L. and Estelle (Hartnagel) Joffray. After growing up in Longmeadow, Mass., he lived most of his life on the Loomis Chaffee School campus at the confluence of the Farmington and Connecticut rivers, where he paddled daily and biked the meadows. He retired to Old Lyme in 1999.
Having graduated from Wilbraham Academy, Class of 1946, he went on to earn a bachelor of science degree in math from Wesleyan University, Class of 1950. He played on the undefeated Wesleyan football team for two consecutive years from 1947 to 1948, and competed in basketball and track. Serving as a Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade on the destroyer, the USS Norris, he was a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War from 1952 to 1955. While in the Navy, he met the love of his life, Sue. Together they shared 64 years of wonderful marriage and raised three boys. Don was a major influence on his three sons’ lives and opened the doors to many of their interests.
Joff was a much admired math teacher and coach for 49 years at the Loomis Chaffee School. Joff was the advisor to the Darwin Club and the Jazz Club. He coached football, wrestling and track. He loved to correspond and visit with his former students. The book “The Calculus of Friendship,” written by one of his former students, contains 30 years of correspondence from their math and life experiences.
An avid bird watcher, Don built nest boxes and osprey platforms that still are in use today. Don was a self-made artist and wood worker whose favorite mediums were woodcarving and illustrations of wildlife and his activities. Many are on display in the homes of family and friends. Don loved working with his students during his many summers as a sailing instructor at the West Hill Aquatic Camp. An avid sailor, he raced in a trans-Atlantic race on the yacht, Kialoa, with his father-in-law. A true waterman, Don spent many happy years surfing, windsurfing, sailing and kayaking the waters of Long Island Sound, Hanalei Bay and Penobscot Bay. In 1961, he built a cabin over the water in Deer Isle, Maine. Don won the national championship in C-1 slalom canoeing and went on to compete in the world championships in France in 1969. He loved to soar the thermals in his sailplane with the red-tailed hawks over western Connecticut. Don and Sue were supporters of the local jazz scene, spending many Wednesday nights at the Mystic Steak Loft. Don played jazz piano, both solo and with local bands, over many years.
Survivors include his wife, Suzanne (Clum) Joffray of Old Lyme; two sons, Rexford Joffray and his wife Deborah of Crystal Lake, and Jeffrey Joffray and his wife Jennifer of Tolland: grandchildren: Jesse, Kalina, Luka and Kaia Joffray and Liliana Brantley. Don was predeceased by his son, Donald Marshall “Marshall” Joffray Jr. A memorial service for Don will be set in the summer at the Loomis Chaffee School. Gifts can be made in memory of Don to the Donald Marshall Joffray Sr. Fund at the Loomis Chaffee School. A special thank you goes out to Elizabeth Boateng, Mavis Aboagye and the Lawrence + Memorial Hospital staff in New London for their wonderful care in his last years. Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, Old Lyme is handling the arrangements.