Theodore Ward Havely Jr.

Theodore (Ted) Ward Havely, Jr. of Lexington, Kentucky, passed away April 19, 2016, in Houston, Texas. Ted was born on April 4, 1926 in Lexington, Kentucky, the son of Ethel Sea Carr and Theodore Ward Havely. He graduated from Henry Clay High School in January 1944 and enlisted in the Navy. Initially, Ted was assigned to the Navy V-12 Unit at Berea College, and subsequently to the Navy V-12 Unit at the University of Notre Dame. Ted was discharged from the Navy in 1946 and returned to Notre Dame to graduate Cum Laude with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was commissioned an Ensign in the Naval Reserve.

In 1947, Ted married Patricia Mendenhall and accepted a position with Shell Oil Company at the Wood River Research Laboratory. In his career with Shell, Ted worked at the Deer Park Refinery and subsequently at Shell offices in Atlanta, New York and Houston. Among many other accomplishments, Ted is fondly remembered at Shell as the father of Rotella T. He retired from Shell Oil in 1989.

Ted and Patricia had two children: Robert Seay, and Anne Elizabeth. After Patricia’s death, Ted married Aija Kaminskis. They had two children: Andrew Ward and Katherine Alide. When that marriage ended, Ted married Rebecca (Becky) Worthington. Rebecca brought two children into the marriage: Laura Lea Waldusky and Heidi Marie Waldusky.

Ted was preceded in death by his father who died in 1942 while serving as Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky; his mother in 1986; and his sister, Martha Havely Dwyer in 1993.

While fully engaged in his career, Ted made time for his passions. He enjoyed literature and classical music; taught classes for the American Sailing Association; played tennis; competed in AKC dog tracking events; enjoyed bowling; served on his neighborhood’s association board, and encouraged all of his children in their many and varied endeavors. Ever the engineer and genteel gentleman scholar, Ted brought a level of civility and class wherever he went.

Ted was an active outdoorsman. He spent many happy summers as a boy at his parent’s farm outside Lexington. As a young man, he achieved the level of Eagle Scout. As an adult, Ted enjoyed fishing, hiking, camping, astronomy, and especially sailing. He built “Vitrea”, a Long Island Sharpie sailboat (named after a Shell Oil Company machine oil), in his garage in Westport, Connecticut, and sailed it on Long Island Sound, and on Lake Lanier in Georgia. With his children and grandchildren he constructed many “instant” boats: “Kaija”, a sailboat in Michigan, the “No Lee Kee”, a canoe at Prairie Lake, and “The Ninja”, a rowboat in Florida.

After his retirement from Shell, Ted served his community in many capacities. He was President of the Houston Humane Society; he served as a “court visitor” for the Harris County Probate Court, visiting and reporting about wards of the Court and their guardians. Ted also volunteered with the Executive Service Corps of Houston as a management consultant to nonprofit organizations.

Ted and Rebecca loved their cabin on Prairie Lake in Cameron, Wisconsin. It was a place for Ted to share his love of fly fishing and fly tying with family and friends, as well a treasured gathering place for many extended family milestones and events. From Memorial Day to Labor Day family members scheduled vacations, showers, birthdays, anniversaries and retreats.

Ted is survived by his loving wife, Rebecca; his children: Robert, Anne, Andrew, Katherine, Laura and Heidi; his grandchildren: Michael, Jennifer, Kaia, Reagan, Brenna, Quinn, Connor and Lukas; and his great-grandson: Austin Theodore.

Friends are cordially invited to a remembrance of life with the family from 4pm-6pm on Saturday, May 7th at Carmelo’s Restaurant, 14795 Memorial Dr in Houston, TX. In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Ted to the Houston Humane Society at www.houstonhumane.org/giving.

Arrangements are under the direction of Brookside Funeral Home in Cypress Creek.