Obituaries
Gordon M. Tuttle, 85, long-time Darienite, Army staff sergeant

May 13, 2008

Gordon M. Tuttle, a Darien resident for 49 years who earned numerous medals for serving as an Army staff sergeant, died May 8, after a short illness. He was 85.

The son of the late Pierson Muir and Lucille Libby Tuttle of Short Hills, N.J., he was a graduate of Phillips Andover Academy, Yale College and Harvard Law School. Between college and law school, he served in Europe as a staff sergeant in the 46th Field Artillery Battalion of the 5th Infantry Division of the Third Army (Patton’s Army) and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

After law school, he worked briefly for Gould & Wilkie in New York City and then for Pruitt, Coursen, Oechler & McLaughlin, which was absorbed in 1955 by Avco Corporation to establish its own legal department. At Avco he held a number of executive positions, including general counsel for 15 years, and then served as vice chairman of the board. He retired in 1987, a year after Avco was acquired by Textron Corporation where he was also a senior vice president and a member of the administrative committee.

Quietly active in local affairs, he served at various times as a member of the Representative Town Meeting and its education and rules committees, and as a member of the boards of the Darien Library, the Darien Land Trust and the Wee Burn Country Club.

In his retirement, Mr. Tuttle enjoyed extensive travel, reading, bridge, world affairs, and participating in sports, but at all times his family was his greatest interest. His family and friends will greatly miss his “wise counsel, generosity and kind heart.”

Mr. Tuttle is survived by three children: Garrett M. Tuttle of Englewood, Colo., David P. Tuttle of New Canaan, and Ann Tuttle Koster of Cincinnati; seven grandchildren; and his special friend, Jane P. Kelly of Rye Brook, N.Y.
He was predeceased by his wife, Alice Wyker, in 1982.

Friends are invited to join the family for a celebration of his life from 4 to 6 on Saturday, May 31, at the Wee Burn Country Club, 410 Hollow Tree Ridge Road, Darien.

Memorial contributions may be made to Phillips Andover Academy, 180 Main St., Andover, MA 01810; Yale University, P.O. Box 2038, New Haven, CT 06521-2038; Darien Library, 35 Leroy Ave., Darien, CT 06820; or the Good Shepherd Orphanage, c/o Pura Vida for Children, P.O. Box 1692, New Canaan, CT 06840.




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