Charles Batts
Old Lyme — Charles J. Batts, Captain, USN (Ret.) of 3 Old Bridge Road, Old Lyme, passed away peacefully at his home April 22, 2024. He was 83 years old. Captain Batts was born in Tipton, Ind., May 16, 1940, the youngest of six children of the late Walter J. and Bernice Batts.
He was a graduate of Tipton High School (1958), Tipton, Ind. He received a congressional appointment to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md., and graduated in 1962, as a member of the Tenth Company. He attended the United States Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif. (1967), and received a master’s degree in operations research. He served in the U.S. Navy, both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, and the South China Sea during the Vietnam war. After a long career in civil service, he was a cofounder and vice-president of Forest Woodcarving, LLC, a wood products company headquartered in Dongyang, China, was a member of the Connecticut Woodworkers Guild, the Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Old Lyme Congregational Church. He supported Connecticut River preservation efforts, and could be frequently seen kayaking on the river that he loved. He was a resident of Old Lyme, since 1976.
Charles lived life to the fullest, beginning with his first ever venture from his home state of Indiana as an Eagle Scout hiking the trails of New Mexico. With his wife Kah, “Molly,” he continued his travels zip lining in Belize, riding in a hot air balloon over the pyramids of Egypt, climbing the trails of Huangshan Mountain in China, cruising the world’s oceans and rivers, trekking the ruins of Peru’s Machu Picchu, exploring the Galapagos, riding camels in the Gobi desert, on safari in the Serengeti, wine-tasting in New Zealand, dancing with the revelers in Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival, and river rafting in Alaska. He loved experiencing the sights, cuisines, and most of all, the people he met along the way.
His house was an important hobby, applying his woodworking, engineering, electrical and timber framing skills to restoring and enhancing an old granite house on the Connecticut River to a source of great pride. He considered himself to be a slow learner, having admitted that it had taken over 40 years to realize that he was married to the most talented and loving person on the planet.
In addition to his wife, Kah, he is survived by his daughter Michelle and her husband Todd Archer, of Old Lyme; two grandchildren, Emily and Sophie; and a sister, Sara Campbell, of Dayton, Ohio.
Memorial services and a celebration of Charles’ life will be held at his home in Old Lyme, in June. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Salvation Army.