Family, Friends Remember Noank Sea Captain Ben Rathbun

On the last day of his life, as he lay in a hospital bed, Capt. Benjamin F. Rathbun went sword fishing.

“He wasn’t with us in the present on the last day," said his wife of 60 years, Rosalie Rathbun. "What did he do all day? He sword fished all day long, and then went on a spiel about what went wrong with the fisheries. He spent his last day on the water …where he was meant to be.”

Benjamin Rathbun, 83, of Noank, died at Westerly Hospital on Sunday,
July 31. Rathbun battled Parkinson’s for 30 years, the past four of which were the toughest, his wife said.

“What took him was a bad infection in his legs. . .” Rosie said.  “. .But he was ready. He said it. He said, ‘I’ve had a good run.’ He told everyone that came to see him in the hospital that.”

Rathbun was many things; a father, husband, boat captain and
fisherman chief. He was also a local historian, authority on lighthouses, Noank Fire Company Life Member and Noank Fire District Commissioner. He sat on the New England Fisheries Management Council.

But it may be that Rathbun’s true legacy was that of storyteller turned well-regarded author. Rathbun had many stories; tall and remarkable, historic and amusing anecdotes, including ones about surviving deadly or destructive hurricanes. But perhaps his most famous (it was national news) was when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower tried to fish local seas to no avail, then asked Rathbun for help.

The charter boat captain schooled Ike on lures and pointed to a good spot. The 34th president landed some fish and Rathbun, a month later ended up with a tax audit. It was ultimately dropped. But that’s another story.

Ed Johnson of Noank wrote about Rathbun on a blog: “Ben survived the local schools, including the renowned teacher, Mary Virginia Morgan Goodman, (and he) survived the 1938 and 1944 Hurricanes with his family, built his first boat from a packing box in 1939, became an avid reader of history, and worked with his father as a commercial fisherman, including swordfish charters, before taking over as skipper of the “Anna R” in 1958."

Rathbun would write four books, the last of which were Captains B. F. Rathbun of Noank, about his seafaring father and himself, and Noank: Celebrating a Maritime Heritage.

The Rathbun’s have lived in Noank for generations; indeed, this
family of seafarers defines the history of the region. Ben Rathbun's maritime ancestors sailed to the area, Block Island to be exact, from England in the late 1600’s. They would settle in Groton in the 1700’s.

“He loved the water. He loved (Noank) and fishing. And he
did a lot. Not many people have had the chance to do so much,” Rosalie Rathbun said. “We had a wonderful life. No regrets.”

The couple traveled, she said, and “climbed the pyramids
in Guatemala and we went up the Amazon.”

“When I met him, he said, ‘Stick with me, Rosie, we’re going
places.’ And we did. We did,” she said.

His daughter Katherine - the couple had four children - said that talking about her father was “cathartic” for her mother.

“It’s going to be different without him,” Rosalie Rathbun said.

A gathering of friends and family to celebrate Ben Rathbun’s life is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on August 13 from at the Latham-Chester Store in Noank, Johnson said.

But first, a final story.

Johnson tells it well and Rosalie Rathbun fills in the blanks: A few
years back, Rathbun attended a friend’s funeral. When he returned home after the service, he told his wife over and over, “I want to enjoy my wake.”  So his daughter and a friend sat down and planned a party - his wake years before he would pass.

“The police were there to drive him around, we had food galore and more than 200 people came,” Rosalie Rathbun recalled.

Johnson summed it up this way: “…he insisted on having
his wake ahead of time, so he wouldn’t miss a good party. Without a doubt, it was one of the largest and best 'block parties' we’ve ever had in Noank.”