Sept/Oct 2021 – In Remembrance

In Remembrance is an occasional column featuring short obituaries of CAS members who have recently passed away. These obituaries and sometimes longer versions are posted on the CAS website; search for “Obituaries.”

The Songbird

Andrew W. Moody (FCAS 1997)

1952-2020

Andrew “Andy” Moody of Madison, New Jersey, died unexpectedly in November 2020.

He was born in Bangor, Maine, the son of Dwight Campbell Moody and Frances (Drew) Moody. He grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut, graduated from Central Connecticut State University and began work in an actuarial training program at the Aetna Insurance Company in Hartford. There he met Rebecca Murr and married her in December 1979. He held positions at Crum and Forster, Signet Star Reinsurance Company, Platinum Re and finally Renaissance Re, from which he retired in March 2020. Moody was an active member of the Presbyterian Church of Madison and the Harmonium Choral Society. He enjoyed photography, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and Legos. In his later years he turned to bicycling for exercise in place of his long-time hobby of running.

One of Moody’s many friends described him as having a “great mind for trivia” and a “quirky sense of humor that always pushed you to think harder.” He was known for his passion for music and his lovely singing voice. Another friend said, “It was such a joy to sing with Andy in Harmonium. What a joyful spirit. What a beautiful voice. What a tender heart. He will be greatly missed.”

His brother Peter Moody and sister Christine DesRoches predeceased him. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Peter and Sarah; siblings Dwight, Stephen, Caroline Mandly, Elizabeth Merz, Constance Knott and Abigail Ashley; his siblings’ spouses; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

The Civic-Minded Nature Lover

Edward R. “Ted” Smith (FCAS 1966)

1931-2019

Edward R. “Ted” Smith, 87, of Grantham, New Hampshire, died in October 2019.

He was born in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Seymour and Marilla (Atwood) Smith and graduated from Watertown High School in Connecticut and Union College in Schenectady, New York. After serving in the U.S. Air Force (1954-1956), he went to work for The Hartford Insurance Group. He worked there for over 35 years, rising to the level of executive vice president and chief actuary before retiring to New Hampshire in 1989.

While living in Connecticut, Smith became involved in civic activities, chairing the Avon Planning and Zoning Board, and serving on the Selectboard and the Board of Trustees for the Avon Congregational Church. He also served as chair of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in Hartford. In retirement, Smith became a member of The First Baptist Church of New London. He volunteered for and served on the board of The Fells, a historic estate in Newbury, New Hampshire, that was once owned by the 19th-century American statesman John Milton Hay. Smith loved to boat on Lake Sunapee with his grandchildren. He also enjoyed landscaping and playing bridge. For about 20 years, he owned a second home in Sanibel, Florida, where he volunteered his time for the organization Care and Rehabilitation of Wildlife.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Martha (Forristall) Smith; three children, Richard (Anne) Smith, Douglas (Kathleen) Smith, and Cynthia (Michael) Amatucci; and six grandchildren and two step grandchildren.

Civil Rights Actuary

John M. “Jack” Bragg (ACAS 1957)

1921-2019

John Mackie Bragg died in April 2019 at the age 97. A former president of the Society of Actuaries, he was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. At 19 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, serving in World War II. He earned a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Manitoba and was persuaded to pursue actuarial science instead of physics. His career began with The Great-West Life Assurance Company and then the Life Insurance Company of Georgia (LOG) recruited him to establish its actuarial department. His career climb with LOG ranged from chief actuary to president, to CEO and chairman. In 1978 he started his own consulting company, Bragg Associates Inc., which was in business until 2019.

Bragg was a prolific contributor to actuarial literature, but one of his greatest achievements was the abolition of racial pricing at the LOG; this triggered ending the practice throughout the industry in the early to mid-1960s. He served as president of the American Council on Life Insurance and as a member of the International Consulting Actuaries Society, and he was an elder and choir member at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Reportedly, he was the Atlanta Braves’ #1 fan.

Bragg is survived by his children Ian, Nancy Bragg Koppes and Linda Bragg Cuthbertson; eight grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Joan Ellen Griffin and his eldest son David George Wilfred Bragg.

Actuary, Mayor, Financier, Farmer

Glenn Oakes Head (ACAS 1953)

1925-2012

Glenn Head, the former chair and major shareholder of First Investors Consolidated Corporation (FICC), died in 2012. He was born in Peoria, Illinois, and grew up in Springfield. As a boy, he worked at a Dr. Pepper bottling plant and at a local bowling alley. He attended the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and in 1947 he worked at the Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company of Iowa. He earned his FSA in 1952 and served as chief actuary and director of the U.S. Life Company from 1953 until 1962. First Investors’ owners hired him in 1962 to start a life insurance company, which became First Investors Life (FIL). He and partner David Grayson acquired control of the holding company, FICC, through a leveraged buy-out in 1968. FICC also owned a broker dealer, First Investors Corporation, and an investment advisor, First Investors Management Company. Later on, Head was responsible for FICC building a transfer agent and acquiring a savings bank. When Head and Grayson acquired First Investors, it was primarily a sales organization, with $55 million in assets. Upon Head’s retirement in 2004, the First Investors Funds had over $6.6 billion in assets.

As a member and president of the Board of Education for Madison, New Jersey, Head attracted the attention of local Republicans, who encouraged him to run for mayor, which he won in a three-way contest in 1972. His other pursuits included earning his commercial pilot’s license and farming soybeans and corn.

He married Carol Atwood in 1954; the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2004. Survivors include his children and grandchildren.

The Statistics Professor

Donald C. Weber (ACAS 1959)

1925-2013

Donald C. Weber, 88, of Oxford, Ohio, passed away surrounded by family. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, to Walter and Florence (Hinke) Weber. He grew up in Marathon City, Wisconsin, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving in WWII and the Korean Conflict. In between his two enlistments, he attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating with a degree in education in 1949. He returned to the University of Wisconsin after his second enlistment, this time earning a master’s degree in mathematics in 1954. He worked as a teacher and an actuary in North Dakota and Wisconsin for several years before returning to graduate school at North Carolina State University in 1963. He earned a Ph.D. in biomathematics from North Carolina State in 1970. He spent the rest of his career as a professor of statistics at Miami University, starting in 1967 and retiring in 1989. He married Elaine Dorothy Steckling at Zion Lutheran Church in Wausau in 1957.

Weber was a devout Christian and long-time, active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Hamilton, Ohio. His other passions included teaching, travel, classical music and Miami sports, especially basketball and football. He was preceded in death by his brother Allan. His survivors include four children, Lynn (Steven) Rohr, Mark (Becky) Weber, Heidi (Per) Sorensen, and David (Beth) Weber; nine grandchildren; sisters Joan Weber and Lois Caraway; and sisters-in-law Margaret Weber and MaryAnn Steckling. ●