Bryce Blakely Jr.

ORLEANS, MA -- Bryce Blakely Jr. was born June 28, 1925 in Beverly, MA, the only son of Scots-Irish immigrants Brice and Hester Harte Blakely, He died peacefully on Nov. 17, 2017 at the age of 92, surrounded by family, at The Terraces Orleans in Orleans, MA. Bryce grew up in Beverly and Brookline. He earned the money to go to Boy Scout summer camp with a paper route, and was a graduate of Brookline High School in 1943.

On his 18th birthday, Bryce enlisted in the US Army/Air Force, to serve in WWII. In mid 1944, with the rank of Sergeant, he was deployed to the 15th Air Force, 485th Bomb Group, 828th Squadron based in Venosa, Italy. He served as radio operator/waist gunner in a B-24 Liberator, and he completed 15 bombing missions flying north along the Apennines, over the Alps and back, to bomb enemy territory. As the war in Europe ended, he returned home just before turning 20. He attended Northeastern University under the GI bill, and in 1948, met Lillian Nicholson, the love of his life. He graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering, joined the Bell System / New England Telephone in Boston, and married Lillian in 1951.

Early in his career, Bryce’s job took the family to NH for two years where he hiked the White Mountains, installing microwave towers to modernize telephone communications. He also worked on the US government project to plan and install the DEW (Defense Early Warning) Line along the Arctic Circle to detect incoming missiles from Russia. From 1957 to 1959, his job took the family to NJ, where Bryce worked on the Bell Labs team to design the first international communications satellite, Telstar. He invented and patented encoding algorithms to increase the bandwidth in undersea cables, and sold the patent to the Bell System for $1.

Bryce and Lillian returned to Massachusetts, raising two children and living in Canton for 50 years. Bryce managed various systems engineering programs until his retirement from the Bell System in 1983. In 2008, they moved to Linden Ponds Senior Living in Hingham. In August 2016 they moved to The Terraces Orleans, to be near their daughter. Bryce was a 50-year member and lay leader at the United Church of Christ in Canton. He sang bass in the choir for decades, and was generous with his time and talents. He helped with the construction of the Ponkapoag Civic Association, served on the Board of Canton Scholar Dollar, and chaired the Troop Committee of Boy Scout Troop 26. In retirement, he was a founding member of the Canton Help Line. And, he was a lifetime member of the Free Masons.

Bryce was a humble, happy man who lived a long, wonderful life. He enjoyed being outdoors, swimming, hiking, x-country skiing, and tending his vegetable garden. Designing and building fine furniture for his family was a favorite hobby. He loved family trips and camping vacations in his pop-top camper and later family visits at the chalet in Freedom, NH. We will forever miss his big hugs, his winks, the twinkle in his eye, his ability to make others smile, and his ability to see the best in every person.

Bryce was a devoted and supportive son, husband, father, and grandfather. In addition to Lillian, his beloved wife of 66 years, he is survived by daughter Carol Counihan and son-in-law Tim Counihan of Lexington and Orleans, and son, Robert Bryce Blakely and daughter-in-law Reverend Cindy Blakely of Bloomfield Hills, MI. He was the proud grandfather of Chris Counihan and Geoffrey Counihan of Boston, and Lydia Blakely and Abigail Blakely of Bloomfield Hills.

A private graveside service will be held at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, MA. A Celebration of Bryce’s life will be held Sunday, December 17 at 2 pm at the United Church of Christ in Norwell, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bryce’s memory may be made to the USO at: https://uso.org

For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com