Robert Randall McLellan Guilford, Connecticut Obituary

Robert Randall McLellan

Robert Randall McLellan, 88, died peacefully at home with his family Monday, March 21, 2022, in Madison. Robert was born June 30, 1933, in Providence, R.I., to Mildred (née Talbot) and Paul McLellan. Following High School, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, assembling torpedoes aboard CV-43, the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea. Returning to school after his naval stint, Bob graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. On April 9, 1955, he married his beloved high school sweetheart, Marjorie (née Downes) McLellan. Robert and Marjorie raised four children, Mary, Carole, Randall and Helen. Robert and Marjorie moved their family from Somerset, Mass. to Madison in 1969. Robert enjoyed a forty-three year career with The Travelers Insurance Company before retiring in 1998. He enjoyed his job and the people he worked with so much that the family worried a little...but he never looked back filling twenty-four retirement years with Marjorie sailing, playing Tennis and Bridge, and feeding the ducks every morning at Duck Island Yacht Club (DIYC). Robert was an active man. He coached Little League, (long before and long after his son played) and was a volunteer at the North Madison Fire Department. He took up sailing in 1974 and was a long-time member of the Duck Island Yacht Club (DIYC) in Westbrook, serving a term as Commodore. He was a skilled and highly competitive sailor owning a number of sailboats over the years starting with a Sunfish named “Ichiban”. Initially ‘bought for the kids’, one fateful day at the Madison Surf Club, someone sailed past Bob and the world changed for Clan McLellan. Bob judged a Sunfish too small for a large man to compete and so began a series of boats initially named after his girls: Cal 25 “Huggie Bear” (Marjorie), Niagara 31 “Merrimac” (Mary), a Ranger 28 “Carol”(Carole), a Ranger 26 “Merry Helen” (Helen), and then after U.S. Navy ships which included his much beloved O-Day 34-M “Hornet”, J/29 “Wasp”, and an Evelyn 26 “Pilar” (named after Ernest Hemingway’s fishing boat). A regular competitor in the world-renowned Off Soundings series, he frequently earned his place on their Nor’easter Trophy list and many others including the Outer Light, Commodore Fred Winslow, Fagan Memorial, Thundermug, Ballou Memorial and the Dr. Merrill C. Hills Award given to the DIYC member who the Board of Governors believes has made the most significant contribution to the sport of sailing. Off Soundings tries to keep the regatta challenging by assigning a time penalty to the boats that win frequently. He was particularly proud of being the second person in the history of the Off Soundings club to receive the highest cumulative penalty assessed to a boat. He competed across Long Island Sound with his dedicated crew, most having raced with him for decades, in Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association (ECSA) and DIYC regattas starting each season with the DIYC Spring Regatta, DIYC Wednesday Night Series (an event he launched), Off Soundings Spring Series, Essex Rum Challenge, North Cove Outer Light Classic, Fishers Island Round Island Race, Ram Island Invitational, DIYC Overnight, Off Soundings Fall Series, DIYC Fagan Series, and finishing with the always unpredictable weather of the DIYC Thundermug. He will be dearly missed by his long-time crew, Marjorie, Nick, Charles, Joan, Bill, Lee, Shari, Frank, John and Craig. His most steadfast crew member was his wife, Marjorie, who packed and repacked spinnakers for so many years, as well as being the lead time checker. All wish him fair winds and following seas. Robert was an avid Tennis and Racquetball player, and in more recent years discovered Pickle Ball to which he applied his usual competitive spirit. He also was a serious and competitive bridge player participating with several groups on the shoreline for more than a decade and, during the COVID shutdown, joined several on-line bridge groups. Robert is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-seven years, Marjorie; and their four children, Mary McKenna (McLellan) and her husband James McKenna, Carole McLellan, Randall McLellan and his wife Amy McLellan, and Helen McLellan; six grandchildren, Shannon Doherty and her husband Adam Mellion, Shane McLellan and his wife Blake McLellan, Zachary Waterfall, Noah Waterfall, Maggie McLellan and Grace McLellan. He is also survived by his brother Col. Paul McLellan USAF (Ret.), his wife Beverly, and their two children, Jan Thornton and Mark McLellan. Robert will be remembered for his wit, his humor, his intelligence, his determination and competitive spirit. Private services will be held at Deep River Congregational Church, Deep River. A Celebration of Life is planned for 1 p.m. April 29, at Saybrook Point Pavilion, Old Saybrook. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Robert’s memory to the American Civil Liberties Union, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Ducks Unlimited, or the National Kidney Foundation Local Chapter in Hamden, CT.
June 30, 1933 - March 21, 202206/30/193303/21/2022
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Robert Randall McLellan, 88, died peacefully at home with his family Monday, March 21, 2022, in Madison. Robert was born June 30, 1933, in Providence, R.I., to Mildred (née Talbot) and Paul McLellan. Following High School, he served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, assembling torpedoes aboard CV-43, the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea. Returning to school after his naval stint, Bob graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. On April 9, 1955, he married his beloved high school sweetheart, Marjorie (née Downes) McLellan. Robert and Marjorie raised four children, Mary, Carole, Randall and Helen. Robert and Marjorie moved their family from Somerset, Mass. to Madison in 1969. Robert enjoyed a forty-three year career with The Travelers Insurance Company before retiring in 1998. He enjoyed his job and the people he worked with so much that the family worried a little...but he never looked back filling twenty-four retirement years with Marjorie sailing, playing Tennis and Bridge, and feeding the ducks every morning at Duck Island Yacht Club (DIYC). Robert was an active man. He coached Little League, (long before and long after his son played) and was a volunteer at the North Madison Fire Department. He took up sailing in 1974 and was a long-time member of the Duck Island Yacht Club (DIYC) in Westbrook, serving a term as Commodore. He was a skilled and highly competitive sailor owning a number of sailboats over the years starting with a Sunfish named “Ichiban”. Initially ‘bought for the kids’, one fateful day at the Madison Surf Club, someone sailed past Bob and the world changed for Clan McLellan. Bob judged a Sunfish too small for a large man to compete and so began a series of boats initially named after his girls: Cal 25 “Huggie Bear” (Marjorie), Niagara 31 “Merrimac” (Mary), a Ranger 28 “Carol”(Carole), a Ranger 26 “Merry Helen” (Helen), and then after U.S. Navy ships which included his much beloved O-Day 34-M “Hornet”, J/29 “Wasp”, and an Evelyn 26 “Pilar” (named after Ernest Hemingway’s fishing boat). A regular competitor in the world-renowned Off Soundings series, he frequently earned his place on their Nor’easter Trophy list and many others including the Outer Light, Commodore Fred Winslow, Fagan Memorial, Thundermug, Ballou Memorial and the Dr. Merrill C. Hills Award given to the DIYC member who the Board of Governors believes has made the most significant contribution to the sport of sailing. Off Soundings tries to keep the regatta challenging by assigning a time penalty to the boats that win frequently. He was particularly proud of being the second person in the history of the Off Soundings club to receive the highest cumulative penalty assessed to a boat. He competed across Long Island Sound with his dedicated crew, most having raced with him for decades, in Eastern Connecticut Sailing Association (ECSA) and DIYC regattas starting each season with the DIYC Spring Regatta, DIYC Wednesday Night Series (an event he launched), Off Soundings Spring Series, Essex Rum Challenge, North Cove Outer Light Classic, Fishers Island Round Island Race, Ram Island Invitational, DIYC Overnight, Off Soundings Fall Series, DIYC Fagan Series, and finishing with the always unpredictable weather of the DIYC Thundermug. He will be dearly missed by his long-time crew, Marjorie, Nick, Charles, Joan, Bill, Lee, Shari, Frank, John and Craig. His most steadfast crew member was his wife, Marjorie, who packed and repacked spinnakers for so many years, as well as being the lead time checker. All wish him fair winds and following seas. Robert was an avid Tennis and Racquetball player, and in more recent years discovered Pickle Ball to which he applied his usual competitive spirit. He also was a serious and competitive bridge player participating with several groups on the shoreline for more than a decade and, during the COVID shutdown, joined several on-line bridge groups. Robert is survived by his beloved wife of sixty-seven years, Marjorie; and their four children, Mary McKenna (McLellan) and her husband James McKenna, Carole McLellan, Randall McLellan and his wife Amy McLellan, and Helen McLellan; six grandchildren, Shannon Doherty and her husband Adam Mellion, Shane McLellan and his wife Blake McLellan, Zachary Waterfall, Noah Waterfall, Maggie McLellan and Grace McLellan. He is also survived by his brother Col. Paul McLellan USAF (Ret.), his wife Beverly, and their two children, Jan Thornton and Mark McLellan. Robert will be remembered for his wit, his humor, his intelligence, his determination and competitive spirit. Private services will be held at Deep River Congregational Church, Deep River. A Celebration of Life is planned for 1 p.m. April 29, at Saybrook Point Pavilion, Old Saybrook. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Robert’s memory to the American Civil Liberties Union, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Ducks Unlimited, or the National Kidney Foundation Local Chapter in Hamden, CT.

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