Obituary for Tapan Sinha Roy
Tapan Sinha Roy passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 28th in his West Hartford home at the age of 82. He emigrated to the United States from India in 1958 to attend Yale University where he added two Masters’ degrees to degrees earned in India, his B.S. at St Xavier’s College and M.S. at the University of Bombay, now the University of Mumbai. While at Yale he married Gail Gefrich, his wife of 57 years. They raised their family in West Haven and North Haven before settling in West Hartford in 1990. On July 11, 1997, Tapan became a naturalized US citizen and enjoyed the privilege of exercising his right to vote.
Tapan worked at A.C. Gilbert before joining The Travelers Insurance Company in 1965. While at Travelers, Tapan did pioneering work to define the U.S. federal flood insurance program by simulating losses and establishing guidelines for magnitudes of losses and subsidies. His accomplishment earned letters of commendation from the Secretary of HUD, Robert C. Weaver, and the President of Travelers. Tapan advanced to the position of Director of Research and Development at Travelers before leaving in 1978 to become a partner at Liscord, Ward & Roy, Inc., an actuarial consulting firm based in New Hampshire.
While working full time, Tapan continued to be academically active through teaching engineering economy at New Haven College (renamed the University of New Haven in 1970), and statistics and game theory as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut. Tapan’s value as an educator was further illustrated by the ongoing requests to teach that he continued to receive through 2019.
Tapan’s aptitude for business and statistics led him to become an avid investor. He co-founded the Connecticut chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors with Jose Cabrera and headed other investment clubs in his local community. Through his strong ties to his Indian heritage, he became a founding member of the Bengali Association of Greater Hartford.
His friends and family knew Tapan as a lover of dry gin martinis, single malt scotch, a fine meal, celebrity biographies, history, politics, all things having to do with computers, and great stories where he was often a central figure and an instigator. Those who heard his stories would often note that Tapan sounded like quite the character, which he most definitely was. In retirement, family gatherings were a great source of pleasure and pride for Tapan and he often brought his stories to life for his grandchildren who shared his wit, creative thought, and interest in politics.
Tapan is survived by his wife, Gail Roy; his three children, Meera Roy, Robie Roy, and Monica Roy; grandchildren Mitchell, Dhillon, Evan, and Kyra; son-in-law Robin Datta; daughter-in-law Jennifer Roy; plus nieces, nephews and cousins in the United States and India. He was predeceased by his father, Biren Sinha Roy, his mother, Nilima Sinha Roy, and his younger brother, Tarun Sinha Roy.
Tapan’s ashes will be divided with half scattered at sea in the U.S. and half returned to his home country of India. Memorial services will be delayed to a later date. In the meantime, remembrances may be shared in the Facebook group, Tapan S. Roy Memorial, where his services will also be announced when they are scheduled. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tapan’s name may be made to Heifer International or to UNICEF.
Tapan worked at A.C. Gilbert before joining The Travelers Insurance Company in 1965. While at Travelers, Tapan did pioneering work to define the U.S. federal flood insurance program by simulating losses and establishing guidelines for magnitudes of losses and subsidies. His accomplishment earned letters of commendation from the Secretary of HUD, Robert C. Weaver, and the President of Travelers. Tapan advanced to the position of Director of Research and Development at Travelers before leaving in 1978 to become a partner at Liscord, Ward & Roy, Inc., an actuarial consulting firm based in New Hampshire.
While working full time, Tapan continued to be academically active through teaching engineering economy at New Haven College (renamed the University of New Haven in 1970), and statistics and game theory as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Connecticut. Tapan’s value as an educator was further illustrated by the ongoing requests to teach that he continued to receive through 2019.
Tapan’s aptitude for business and statistics led him to become an avid investor. He co-founded the Connecticut chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors with Jose Cabrera and headed other investment clubs in his local community. Through his strong ties to his Indian heritage, he became a founding member of the Bengali Association of Greater Hartford.
His friends and family knew Tapan as a lover of dry gin martinis, single malt scotch, a fine meal, celebrity biographies, history, politics, all things having to do with computers, and great stories where he was often a central figure and an instigator. Those who heard his stories would often note that Tapan sounded like quite the character, which he most definitely was. In retirement, family gatherings were a great source of pleasure and pride for Tapan and he often brought his stories to life for his grandchildren who shared his wit, creative thought, and interest in politics.
Tapan is survived by his wife, Gail Roy; his three children, Meera Roy, Robie Roy, and Monica Roy; grandchildren Mitchell, Dhillon, Evan, and Kyra; son-in-law Robin Datta; daughter-in-law Jennifer Roy; plus nieces, nephews and cousins in the United States and India. He was predeceased by his father, Biren Sinha Roy, his mother, Nilima Sinha Roy, and his younger brother, Tarun Sinha Roy.
Tapan’s ashes will be divided with half scattered at sea in the U.S. and half returned to his home country of India. Memorial services will be delayed to a later date. In the meantime, remembrances may be shared in the Facebook group, Tapan S. Roy Memorial, where his services will also be announced when they are scheduled. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tapan’s name may be made to Heifer International or to UNICEF.