David Hazard Wordell Sr.

Born on July 26, 1936 in Fall River, MA to Harold and Florence Benson Wordell. Dave was a lifelong collector, historian and naturalist and as a young boy explored the Connecticut River in his beloved boat “Woody.” He spent many hours during high school and college working with Ellis Gifford and created an illustrated slide show, “Walks Around Fall River,” detailing historical locations on hiking trails through the woods of Little Compton, Tiverton and Somerset, MA. As a Boy Scout during this time frame, he was awarded the Harvey S. Firestone Metal for this project. Now, many sites have been preserved as Open Space Historical Parks.

With his interest in science and mathematics, Dave developed a simplified formula for the “Solution of Absolute Inequalities” while a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduating in 1958. This work was accepted nationally and published in the October 1956 School Science and Mathematics Magazine. He became a nuclear test engineer for Electric Boat in CT, on the earliest nuclear submarines working alongside Adm. Hyman Rickover on test runs.

David married Lois Duckworth in 1959 and they purchased Olde Ransom Farm in 1961, a historic Colonial farm in Salem, CT. He had a change in careers in 1970 and became a teacher in Waterford and spent the next 26 years teaching algebra. In addition to his teaching, Dave coached the Clark Lane’s Girl’s Softball team for 12 years and were state champions multiple times. He entered the Teacher in Space contest and became a Connecticut finalist for the first teacher in space. He went on to become an Ambassador speaking to schools and young astronaut clubs during the 1980’s.

Dave was the founder and first president of the Salem Historical Society in Salem, CT. He served as president of Eastern Connecticut Resource, Conservation and Development for many years and received the Governor’s Award for heading up a clean-up drive for the banks of the Connecticut River in the New England States. His great love of the CT River led to years of sailing his beloved boats, Polestar & Yankee from Essex, CT throughout Long Island Sound, Coecles Harbor and the beautiful islands along the New England coast with his wife and family.

Among his accomplishments, he researched and produced two multimedia documentaries in the 1980’s. “The Quarries of Selden Neck, a history of Connecticut’s largest island”, from the earliest Indian inhabitants to the massive quarry operation of granite paving blocks for the streets of New York City. The second documentary is the history of the Pony Express, “Bronco Charlie, Rider of the Pony Express” and has used it to teach in one room Amish schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as in public and charter schools in Florida and CT. In 2017, Dave was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the Salem Lions Club.

In addition to his loving wife of 66 years, Mr. Wordell is survived by his four children, Nancy W. Sinasky of Holden, MA., Ann Elizabeth W. Muoio of Sherman, CT., Susan W. St Onge of Jamestown, R.I. & Manalapan, FL., David H. Wordell, Jr of NYYC., five grandchildren, Charlotte Nader, Emmelia MacLeod, Nicholas Lutes, Heather Rand, Brooke Muoio and three great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend his viewing on Friday, June 6th, 2025 from 4:00 to 7:00pm at Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, 13 Lake Ave Niantic, CT. His Celebration of Life Service will be on Saturday, June 7th at the family cemetery in Salem at 2:00pm.