Mr. Ward S. Becker, Jr., a longtime resident of Hamden, CT, died Thursday, February 13 in New Haven, following a brief illness. Born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, on June 30, 1919, Ward Stringer Becker, Jr. was the son of the late Ward S. Becker, Sr. and Eleanor Porter Becker. The family moved to New Haven in 1925, and Ward, known throughout his life as Sam, attended Putnam Avenue School in Hamden, Hillhouse High School, and Roxbury (now Cheshire Academy) before going to the University of Pennsylvania. At Penn, he belonged to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and the Friars Senior Society and managed crew, one of the major sports at the university. He graduated from Penn's Wharton School of Finance in June 1941 with a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Following graduation, Sam worked for General Electric in Schenectady until the attack on Pearl Harbor, whereupon he enlisted in the US Navy and was sent to Naval Communication School at Harvard. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an ensign and joined the destroyer USS Ralph Talbot, where he served as Communication Officer. The ship participated in numerous actions in the south Pacific while he was aboard, most notably the Solomons campaign, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and the landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Sam left active service in early 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant, with a commendation for outstanding performance of duty during combat operations against the enemy. He served thereafter in the Naval Reserve, retiring in 1979 with the rank of Commander.

When he returned to New Haven after the war, he met Martha Norwood May of Hamden. They married in December 1946, and were together for more than sixty-two years, until her death in June, 2009.

Sam lived in Hamden for more than sixty years. He joined the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company in New Haven in 1950, becoming a Chartered Life Underwriter in 1962 and subsequently owning his own agency, the Underwriters Insurance Agency in Hamden. He was a past member of the New Haven Country Club, the New Haven Lawn Club, and the New Haven Rotary Club. He gave his time to numerous charitable organizations including the New Haven Red Cross and the United Way of Greater New Haven, and served as Treasurer of the Hamden Historical Society for many years. He was a fine bridge player, a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and an enthusiastic supporter of the UConn Lady Huskies basketball team.

He is survived by two daughters, Anne Becker of Mt. Kisco, NY and Susan Becker of Vienna, VA, and by two granddaughters, Elizabeth Bernat of Stockholm, Sweden, and Christine Bernat of Charlottesville, VA.

Friends may visit with the family at the Hawley Lincoln Memorial, 493 Whitney Avenue, New Haven on Wednesday from 10:00am until noon. Gifts in his memory may be made to the Hamden Historical Society, PO Box 5512, Hamden, CT 06518 or to Homes For Our Troops, 8 Main St., Taunton, MA 02780.