Donald Daniel Abraham

Donald Daniel Abraham, longtime resident of Old Lyme, CT, and more recently of Niantic, CT, passed away on January 7, 2025, at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London, CT, shortly after celebrating his 88th birthday and Christmas with many of his family.

Don was born December 11, 1936, in Worcester, MA, to Sophie (Haggar) Abraham and Alexander J. Abraham. He grew up in Norwich, CT, on Brown Street and graduated from Norwich Free Academy in 1954. He lettered in baseball and played on the Intramural baseball, basketball, football, and badminton teams.

Don loved sports, especially baseball, and was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox. Rumor was he was able to be a bat boy at Fenway a few times during his childhood. Don was proud of his father’s baseball exploits in the local Norwich leagues. There was a pile of cracked wooden bats at the Brown Street home from Al’s home run hits. Don, his brother Raymond and father Alexander were all inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame.

Don joked that he was not the best student but earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in 1958 and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University in 1963. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity where he lived during part of his time at WPI. Don played baseball and soccer while at WPI.

Don worked on aircraft electronics for the Sperry Corporation in Long Island after graduating from WPI. In 1961 he began a long career at the Underwater Sound Laboratory (USL) in New London, CT, that spanned much of the Cold War. Early in his career he worked a 5-month co-op assignment on Fletcher’s Ice Island in the Arctic in the summer of 1962. He assisted in critical under-ice sound propagation and attenuation studies that ultimately helped the U.S. submarine fleet navigate more safely in those areas (recall the Nautilus was first submarine to transit under the ice in 1958). He told stories of polar bears, caribou, planes refusing to land on the pitted snowfield runway, and a Machiavellian manager.

In 1963, Don met and fell in love with Patricia Burnham, who had also recently started working at the USL as an Electrical Engineer. They married on Feb 1, 1964 in Norwich, CT, and later that year their first son Andrew Abraham was born. Don sold his beloved 1962 Corvette convertible and bought a VW Beetle for the new family. They moved to Bermuda so Don could continue underwater sound engineering at the USL Tudor Hill Laboratory. Don was part of a team that made seminal contributions to long-range sound propagation physics. Don and Pat made lasting friendships in Bermuda and enjoyed attending reunions for many years after the lab closed. While in Bermuda Don and Pat had two more sons, Douglas Abraham and Bruce Abraham.

The family returned to Connecticut in 1970 and moved to Old Lyme, mostly because of Don’s newfound love of golf and the recently constructed Black Hall Club. Don enjoyed many years of golf and comradery at Black Hall and valued playing in club and invitational tournaments. During this time Don supported Pat’s decision to pursue a career in nursing, including a return to school to earn an R.N. certificate. Don’s parenting style was initially stern but was tempered by Pat’s self-taught understanding of child psychology and learning. Don was a loving father and served as a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader in Old Lyme in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. He was always supportive of his three sons despite them not developing the baseball prowess that he enjoyed in his younger years. He loved tinkering in his workshop and fixing electronics in his spare time.

Don retired from the Submarine Sonar Department of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) (formerly Naval Underwater Systems Center & U.S. Navy Underwater Sound Laboratory) in June 1994. Don’s accomplishments included working with and managing a team to develop new thick- and thin-line towed array SONAR capabilities for the U.S. submarine fleet including miniaturized electronics and sensors. He was proud to be awarded the NUWC “Decibel” award for technical service and excellence as well as the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service award. Although he could not talk about details of his work, he instilled a curiosity in his children, all of whom earned engineering degrees.

After retirement he spent many winters in Cape Coral, FL, at a second home. Don enjoyed time in Florida with his brother Ray, sister Theresa and brother-in-law Frank. Golf was of course a prized pastime and he played many rounds at the Coral Oaks Golf Course, alligators, and all. While in Cape Coral he worked for several years in the local H&R Block office helping people with tax filings. He completed several tax certification courses and enjoyed the social aspect of working in the office and meeting new customers.

Although an electrical engineer, Don very much enjoyed mechanical hobbies. He enjoyed maintaining his different automobiles over the years including a Rover 2000TC, a Corvair, an MGB and a 1929 Ford Model A. Although his sons often questioned some of his home repairs, they lasted many years!

Don was a parishioner at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme and participated in the Men’s Club for many years. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus including helping with many pancake breakfast fundraisers in Niantic. Don started bowling again later in life and appreciated playing in a group in Groton until age 87, taking delight in ensuing lunches at The Shack restaurant.

Don and Pat moved to Niantic, CT, in 2022 to enjoy single-floor living. Don continued to be spoiled by Pat’s cooking and care right until the end of his life. The family is appreciative of neighborly support during his last year and the excellent care given by the New London DaVita Dialysis Center and the Yale New Haven Lawrence and Memorial Hospital Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit care providers.

Donald Abraham was predeceased by his father, Alexander Abraham, mother Sophie (Haggar) Abraham, and brother, Raymond Abraham. He is survived by his wife, Patricia (Burnham) Abraham of Niantic, CT, sister Theresa (Abraham) Christina and husband Frank Christina of Fort Myers, FL, son Andrew Abraham and wife Kerry O’Malley of West Palm Beach, FL, son Douglas Abraham and wife Mary Estacion of Ellicott City, MD, son Bruce Abraham and wife Teresa Abraham of Waterford, CT, sister-in-law Lauren (Kateon) Charlot, grandson Benjamin Abraham and fiancée Sharmaine Gregor, granddaughter Willow Abraham, grandson Adam Abraham, granddaughter Elena Abraham, granddaughter Mei Lin O’Malley, grandson Tian Bao O’Malley, great-grandson Izaiah Gregor-Abraham, and many nieces and nephews on both his and Pat’s side of the family.

Calling hours will be held on Friday, January 31st from 5-7pm at Fulton-Theroux Funeral Home, 13 Beckwith Ln., Old Lyme, CT. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 1st at 10am at Christ the King Church, 1 McCurdy Rd., Old Lyme, CT. Burial will follow at Duck River Cemetery, Old Lyme, with reception afterwards at Christ the King Church.