Deceased August 27, 2020
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In Memory
Carl Apthorp, class president (2004–09) and 50th reunion chairman, of Aurora, Ohio, passed away on Aug. 27, 2020, at the age of 87. He was born in Cleveland, grew up in Aurora and spent summers at Surfside, Nantucket, Mass.
Carl graduated from Western Reserve Academy in 1950 and Amherst in 1954. He majored in Spanish and was a member of Delta Upsilon. He was co-captain of the lacrosse team and a member of the swimming team, earning the “A” in both. He was a member of the AFROTC, and upon graduation he was stationed at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod with the 58th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the 32nd Air Division. He then received an MBA degree in 1958 from Harvard Business School. His business career included executive positions with Norton Co. in Worcester, Mass.; Zapata Corp. in Houston; and Green Thumb Products Corp., a division of Stratford, in Apopka, Fla.
Upon retirement, Carl was an active member of The Church in Aurora. A lifelong writer and poet, he also loved to sing, play piano and strum tunes on the banjo and ukulele. He was devoted to both the Western Reserve and Amherst alumni associations. Above all, he valued his many relationships with friends and family.
Survivors include his daughters, Lucy Leske and Jenny Paradis, both of Nantucket; nephew, Geoff Apthorp, of St. Augustine, Fla.; niece, Lisa Doyle, Newbury, N.H.; and four grandchildren, all born on Nantucket: Justine Paradis of Concord, N.H.; Liza Paradis of Leavenworth, Wash.; Colin Leske of Encinitas, Calif.; and Wyatt Leske of Plymouth, Mass. He was predeceased by a son, Carl Rufus Apthorp IV.
An outdoor celebration of Carl’s life was held at the Moebius Nature Center in Aurora on Sept. 5, 2020.
Lucy Leske and Jenny Paradis