Joseph Denny Sargent, 83, of West Hartford, CT, beloved husband
of 57 years of Mary Tennant Sargent, passed away on Nov. 7, 2012 at
Hartford Hospital surrounded by his loving family. An entrepreneur,
philanthropist and avid outdoor enthusiast, Joe will be remembered
for his unique balance of integrity, generosity, smarts and grit.
He attended St. Paul's School (Concord, NH) and Yale University
'52, B.A. in Economics and Geology. In 1956, Mary and Joe,
with a few other adventurers, founded Sherburne Corporation, which
developed Killington Ski Area. Together they invested capital, cut
the ski trails, and put up the lifts that eventually lead to the
resort's opening in 1958.
Joe served as Chairman of Sherburne Corp. and S-K-I (successor
to Sherburne Corp.), one time owner of Killington, Mt Snow, Bear
Mountain (CA), Waterville Valley (NH), Sugarloaf (ME).
S-K-I was a public company and was ultimately sold in 1996.
At the time of his passing, Joe was actively serving as Chairman
of Bradley, Foster & Sargent (BFS), an investment advisory firm
he founded with two partners in 1992. Prior to starting BFS,
he was Managing Partner and Chairman of Conning & Co., an
investment firm specializing in the insurance business.
Revered for his business acumen and creativity, Joe was an early
pioneer in insurance private equity, and was actively involved in
starting and building many insurance companies including Executive
Risk and MMI. He also served as Non-Executive Chairman of
Beazley Group, a UK public insurance organization with operations
at Lloyd's of London, and as Director of Beekley Corporation, a
medical products manufacturer. He was also a Partner in Tennant
Capital Partners. Tireless in his efforts to support non-profits in
his community, Joe shared his many talents with numerous
organizations. Most notably he served as Director and Chairman of
the Board of Hartford Hospital and Director of Hartford Healthcare
for more than 30 years. He also served as current or past trustee
of YMCA of Greater Hartford, McLean, Wadsworth Athenaeum, The
Village for Families & Children and the Hartford Art
School.
Joe was also a member of Asylum Hill Congregational Church and The
Hartford Golf Club.
An avid outdoorsman, Joe particularly enjoyed the company of
family and friends in his two favorite places, Vermont and
Wyoming.
In his 20s, Joe and two others embarked on a 100-mile
rock-climbing odyssey and were credited with eleven first ascents
of rocky peaks in the Wind River Range (WY). Many treasured
moments were spent on the slopes at Killington, on summer
wilderness trips filled with fishing and backcountry hiking, and
family time at Trail Creek and Red Rock Ranch (WY).
In addition to his beloved wife, partner and adventurer, Mary
Tennant Sargent, Joe is survived by his four children and their
spouses: Robert and Anne Sargent (West Hartford, CT), Thomas and
Sarael Sargent (West Hartford, CT), Diane (Sargent) and Michael
Miller (Killington, VT), and Suzanne (Sargent) and Cort Jones
(Mendon, VT). He also leaves behind eleven grandchildren who
will remember him for his love, devotion to their interests and
accomplishments and sense of humor: Elizabeth, Kathryn, Owen,
William, Denny, Rob, Abigail, Christopher, Jack, Crawford, and
Rebecca.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of Joe may be made to
Hartford Hospital or the YMCA of Hartford. Donations to Hartford
Hospital should be directed to Hartford Hospital, Fund Development,
80 Seymour Street, P.O. Box 5037 Hartford CT 06102-5037 or online
at http://giving.harthosp.org. Gifts in Joe's memory will be
directed to the Hospital's Center for Education, Simulation and
Innovation. Gifts to YMCA may be made to 241 Trumbull Street,
Hartford, CT 06103 or online at www.ghymca.org.
To share a memory of Joe or condolences you may email a family
member for compilation at a later date.
Tagged:
obituary, Joseph Denny Sargent
