Charles Edward Dyson

Born in Winsted, Connecticut, January 24,1934, Charley was a friend and mentor to many. Some of his fondest memories were of growing up in that small community during World War II where he swam, fished, and explored with his three best life-long buddies.

Stories from that time and later illustrate Charley’s playful, kind, and compassionate nature. As a kid Barney, as he was known by his friends and relatives, was always off with friends having fun. Stories of him getting punished by the nuns at St Anthony’s School, where he was considered the class clown, were often told, Charley laughing hard even after many retellings. His favorite story was when he was sent to the Mother Superior’s office for discipline after a practical joke went wrong. Mother Superior requested that Barney recite ten Our Fathers and ten Hail Mary’s. After dutifully performing her request, and feeling he got off easy, Mother Superior took his little hand and was coming down hard with her ruler when Barney pulled his hand away and Mother Superior wacked her own hand with the ruler. She glared down at Charley but seeing the look of horror on his face, she said sternly, “Barney, if you promise to be a good boy you can go back to class now.” As he walked away from the office he heard Mother Superior break into laughter.

After graduating high school and working all summer, Charley and some of his Winsted friends decided to see about going to college. On a Friday morning, the guys got into one of the old jalopies they had and drove to the University of Connecticut in Storrs. They talked their way into admission at the office of the Dean and started classes the following Monday. The boys lived in “The Jungle” dorms, and, although most of their time was spent partying, Barney passed his classes while also running track. He dropped out in 1955 to marry and raise his three children, but finally graduated UConn in 1961.

Charley built up an employee benefits insurance business that he oversaw for fifty-eight years, primarily working with the University of Connecticut. On one occasion, after a UConn employee had died, Charley verified that the man had bought a life insurance policy more than twenty years earlier when first hired at UConn. Charley knew that many faculty and staff at UConn buy their life insurance policies and forget about their benefits or do not inform their family. Always ready to assist his clients through their hardest times, he called to inform the deceased’s spouse of the insurance policy. When Charley called, the widow was sitting at the kitchen table looking over all the bills, including medical bills that she had no idea how she was going to pay. She started to cry on the phone. She told Charley that she had no idea that her husband had bought a life insurance policy, one that would cover all her bills.

Charley’s benefits business and UConn was the love of his life, and after he retired at age 88, he was still eager to keep abreast of College Benefits Group happenings.

Charley’s other love was running. Charley was a dedicated runner from the 1950s. He ran hilly, long-distance miles almost every day through the streets of Storrs until he had to stop running due to health issues in his sixties. His best time at the Boston Marathon was 2:28 and at the New York Marathon he did 2:33. He won the Manchester Road Race in Connecticut in 1956, a prestigious achievement in the Hartford running community, running it consecutively for more than 41 years and completing 56 races altogether.

The Manchester race was held each year on Thanksgiving Day, which meant that Charley’s kids, who’d been waiting in the cold and, often, snow, for the finish, could then finally continue to the big family dinner in Winsted. His lateness at that family event and others was notorious.

Many stories make up our lives, hopefully more than most at the end will be made up of good deeds done. Charley had many stories during his life, and most were of fun, kindness, and compassion towards others. He will be greatly missed.

Charley died December 11, 2024, and leaves behind two children, Lesley Dyson Minearo (Rob) and Brendan Dyson (Katlyn), and was predeceased by his daughter, Hilary Dyson. He also leaves three grandchildren, Ian Minearo, Emma Dyson and Julien Dyson; his younger brother John Dyson (Margaret); and was predeceased by his sister and her husband, Loretta and Marvin Sheere. He leaves his nieces and nephews, Andy Sheere, Laraine Sheere Gell, Kate Sheere Adams, Brian Dyson and Sarah Dyson Swanson and their children. Charley was so happy to be part of his beautiful and accomplished extended family.