Obituary: George Henry Linsley Jr., P.E., 81, of North Branford

Obituary courtesy of Shoreline Cremation:

George Henry Linsley Jr., P.E. passed away in the good care of Connecticut Hospice, on January 26th, 2023.

George had a life-long career in Civil Engineering and construction being known for his seawall expertise. Known to many as a person with a heart of gold, George had a scrappier side that manifested from a lifelong struggle with Autism and misunderstandings on how he perceived the world, and how he thought the world perceived him. George was fiercely loyal to family and expected the same in return, but was often disappointed. In his senior years, George reflected upon his life and found humor a good coping mechanism that helped him forgive and accept.

George grew up on the Linsley Farm on the shore of Linsley Lake in North Branford. He graduated from Hopkins School, and then UCONN with a BS in Civil Engineering He was licensed as a Professional Engineer. His Vietnam era military service included the US Army Reserves and National Guard, where he was assigned to the US Army Corps of Engineers for 8 years. After completing his military service, George returned to his hometown of North Branford and started his own successful construction company. George was a wiz at math, and could do complicated trigonometry in his head or on the back of an envelope. He saw patterns and trends easily, and became a successful amateur stock trader. Unfortunately, he was one of the victims of the World-Comm stock fraud scheme and that wiped out his retirement savings.

George was an avid fife player with the North Branford and Stony Creek Fife and Drum Corps for most of his life. George’s Grandfather Earl B. Colter was the master mechanic at the New Haven Trap Rock, and often gave young George rides on the steam engine. This instilled a life long love of steam trains that he turned into a hobby of collecting, going as far as to purchase the old #38 Steam Engine retired from New Haven Trap Rock/Branford Steam Railroad service in the 50’s.

George was predeceased by his younger sister Marilyn Linsley Stone, his Mother Jeanette Colter Linsley, his Father George H. Linsely Sr., his uncles Earl W. Colter and Ralph W. Colter, and his Aunt Natalie Colter Daly. He is survived by his two nieces Jennifer Stone Briggs and Carrie Linsley Stone Coreas. The family thanks Cousins Doug Colter (Carole Barber) and Adam Cost (Michelle Cost) who stayed with him in his years of need until the end. George leaves numerous cousins from the Colter, Linsley, Scranton, Bishop White, and Van-Wilgen Families.

A graveside memorial service and interment will be held at 12:00 pm on April 1st at Branford Center Cemetery. Donations in memoriam can be made to the Shore Line Trolley Museum.