Robert Lindsey

ESSEX, CONN. — Robert Raymond Lindsey, 97, passed away on Dec. 1, 2014, in Essex, Conn., where he had resided since 2005.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 1, 1917, he was the son of Raymond and Mayme Overberg Lindsey. He was married for 62 years to Catherine Strout Lindsey, who predeceased him in 2005. They were also longtime residents of Darien, Conn.
Mr. Lindsey found early success as a child actor on the stage in Cincinnati, and on the pioneering radio station WLW, where he appeared in some of the original Proctor & Gamble soap operas. A graduate of Purcell High School in Cincinnati, he also studied at the Schuster Martin School of Drama. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Cincinnati. For the next decade, Mr. Lindsey pursued a career in acting, with appearances on New York and Broadway stages as well as many summer stock seasons with The Barnstormers Theater in Tamworth, N.H. It was during his time with The Barnstormers that he met his future wife. The couple maintained an interest in theater throughout their lives, eventually founding the Actors Playwright Workshop in Darien, which continues to present an annual program of new plays by aspiring writers. He also wrote a number of plays, many of which were produced in Darien and at Wesleyan University, where he studied with the noted poet and playwright Tony Connors.
Mr. Lindsey served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific in World War II. From an enlisted man, he rose to the rank of captain in the field artillery, where he served in various positions, including instructor, battery commander, and headquarters staff. Following the war, he served in the Officers Reserve Corps until the early 1950s. He received an M.B.A. in marketing from New York University in 1949, and began his work in advertising and marketing research. His later career included positions with American Home Products, Brell Associates, and Market Research Company of America. He served as vice president and director of research and planning at Batten, Barton, Durstin & Osborn, one of America’s leading advertising agencies.
Mr. Lindsey led an active life of ongoing interest in community theater, involvement in Darien civic affairs, and a love of the outdoors that was expressed through skiing, tennis, and sailing. He was a member of the Noroton Yacht Club. He was particularly fond of the time he spent in Maine, where he enjoyed vacations in the Bridgton area and summers on Chebeague Island in Casco Bay.
He is survived by three daughters, Margaret Lindsey Sanborn and husband Drew of Bridgton, Mary Sewall Lindsey of Kennebunk, and Catherine Lindsey Olinski and husband Michael of Middletown, Conn. He also leaves six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Essex Meadows Health Care Center for their many years of compassionate care.
A memorial service will be held at First Church of Christ, Congregational, 190 Court Street, Middletown, Conn., on Jan. 3, 2015, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Barnstormers Theatre, Box 434, Tamworth, NH 03886. To share a memory of Mr. Lindsey or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.rwwfh.com