Mrs. Lee A. Tregurtha passes at age 86; was namesake of Great Lakes vessel

Lee A. Tregurtha, 86, of Darien, CT, peacefully passed away at home on November 6, 2023, surrounded by her adoring family. Her name is familiar around the Great Lakes since she has a Great Lakes vessel named in her honor, as does her husband, Paul R. Tregurtha.

Interlake Steamship Co. wrote on its Facebook page: “It is with deep sadness that we share that Mrs. Lee A. Tregurtha, 86, wife of our Vice Chairman Paul R. Tregurtha and beloved namesake of our storied M/V Lee A. Tregurtha, passed away earlier this week. She was an important member of our Interlake family and will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

“In her honor, our fleet is flying our U.S. flags at half-mast and her namesake is also flying the Lee A. Tregurtha house flag.”

Her obituary follows:

Lee was born to James and Dorothy Anderson on February 5, 1937, in Lake Forest, IL. She was pampered by her brothers Edward (Ted) and James (Bim) Anderson, who felt she walked on water. Raised in a family of engineers, Lee stood apart as a creative artist, enjoying acting and music in high school and studying Architecture at Cornell University.

She continued to pursue her wide-ranging creative interests throughout her lifetime and was a prolific creator of art, practicing photography, oil painting, pastels, acrylics, pen and ink drawing, sewing, knitting, paper-mache, garden design, flower arranging, and even poetry. After her children were grown, Lee studied at the New York Botanical Garden, becoming a Certified Botanical Illustrator, and she was appointed to the Johnson Museum of Art Board at Cornell University. She also wrote and designed charming books for her grandchildren and, each year, created a unique and much-anticipated family Christmas card depicting the prior year’s highlights.

Lee met her husband, Paul R. Tregurtha, at Cornell University, and the couple married in 1958. They enjoyed 65 years of travel and adventure together, moving from Lake Forest, IL to Portland, OR, then Boston, MA, Ann Arbor, MI, Beaconsfield, England, East Greenwich, RI, and finally, Darien, CT, where they have resided for over 50 years. She and Paul (Trig) also spent many happy years in Sunapee, NH, and North Palm Beach, FL, where she will be missed by her many dear friends.

The matriarch of the Tregurtha clan, Lee loved her family more than anything. She found her greatest joy in surrounding herself with family members for fun gatherings that might include skiing, tennis, golf, boating, board games, and, of course, good food and lots of laughter. Wherever the family travels took the group, all locations were promptly considered “LeeLand” as she held sway over her unruly offspring and oversaw all the details and planning that made these events so special. Lee was always the heart and soul of the family circle.

Lee was kind to all, had a quiet, gentle disposition, and a wicked sense of humor she kept until the end. Her generous nature was evident in the ways she gave back to the community, serving on the School Board and as a room parent, acting as a Cub Scout Den mother, volunteering as a reader to the blind in Boston and at the Darien Community Association, a reading aide to Florida elementary school students, helping with the Darien Garden Club, and supporting Goodwill and many other charitable organizations.

One could not have known Lee without knowing of her four-legged friends. She had many pets over the years and loved them all, but Scamper, Patches, and Tugger were her best buddies in the years after her children were grown, and she mothered them well.

Lee leaves behind her devoted husband of 65 years, Paul R. Tregurtha, and their children, Dory Tregurtha Croskey, Ted Tregurtha, Susan Tregurtha Marshall, and Tracy Tregurtha Child. Her love and devotion will be forever remembered by her children’s spouses, Tom Croskey, Marci Tregurtha, Newt Marshall, and David Child, as well as her fourteen grandchildren, Annabelle Croskey Nielsen and Jonathan Croskey, Katie, James, Jack, and Andrew Tregurtha, Cooper, Wyatt, and Payton Marshall, Hayley, Maxwell, Benson, Dennis, and Kirby Child. Her older brother, Ted Anderson, with whom she was very close, will also miss her deeply, as will the rest of her extended family of many nieces and nephews. Her loss will be acutely felt by the many others in her vast group of family and friends.

A memorial service will be held on November 18, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Noroton Presbyterian Church, 2011 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.

Read the obituary, and find out where you can send memorial contributions here: https://lawrencefuneralhome.com/tribute/details/3646/Lee-Tregurtha/obituary.html

Algoma’s tanker Birgit Knutson renamed Algoluna

The formerly Norwegian-flagged product/chemical tanker Birgit Knutson, purchased last year by the Algoma Central Corp., will be renamed Algoluna. The name and registry now appear on the Transport Canada website. The tanker, which was built in 2010 in China, is currently moored at Sarnia, ON, undergoing modifications and renaming. Her AIS signal has yet to be updated to the new name.

Link for watching Whitefish Point museum’s Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Ceremony