Irving Chase Sheldon, 99

Saunderstown, R.I.

Irving Chase Sheldon, the son of James Rhodes Sheldon, Jr. and Marjorie Starkweather Chase, died peacefully at his Gould Way home in Saunderstown, R.I., on Sept. 8, 2020.

Born in Narragansett, R.I., Irving died 99 years later at his home in Saunderstown, just seven miles to the north.

An ROTC graduate of Yale University, Irv saw his college days cut short so that he could graduate in three years and join the United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet. Raised on boats and a man of the sea, he was to serve as lieutenant on the combat information center bridge of Destroyer 678, the USS McGowan. He regarded his time of service and the friendships he established aboard as some of the best moments of his life.

Upon completion of his naval training and prior to his deployment aboard the McGowan, Irv married Shirley Webster. Once he’d returned from the war the two settled in the north end of North Kingstown and raised four children. Spending wonderful summers in Saunderstown, where both their extended families resided, continued the connection to that community. Shirley’s family home in the village was their final residence for 50 years.

He was absolutely all about boats, mainly those with sails. If he was not on one or building one, he was reading about one. An experienced navigator, he participated in many ocean races and enjoyed cruising the coast of New England, eventually making it down to Florida and the Bahamas in his sloop North Star, a journey he’d repeat on the Herreshoff 32 ketch Wings. For many summers he and Shirl could be found cruising the coast of Maine, finding warmth in each other’s company amidst a sometimes foggy, gray landscape.

A lover of all things Herreshoff, he took immeasurable pride in building a few small craft designed by the great Captain Nat. His first was a Catspaw tender Gem, now at IYRS. In the late 1990s, Irv built Quetenis, a Haven 12 1/2, which is seen throughout the bay and is often moored at the Saunderstown Yacht Club (SYC). He gained great satisfaction writing, and many years later, reading his detailed journals of the construction process of various boats.

A lifelong member of the SYC, he served many roles including as Commodore from 1969-1971.

Irv was an avid reader, writer and researcher, providing detailed accounts of the Saunderstown area and nautical history including the book Saunderstown; each account was skillfully illustrated by Shirley, an accomplished artist.

In the final years of his life, after losing Shirley in 2017 in her mid-90s, he took his greatest pleasure in his place on earth in the village of Saunderstown, by the shores of Narragansett Bay, looking out over Dutch Island to the east.