David Leroy Thorpe, 76, of Vero Beach, passed away on March 31, 2014, at VNA Hospice after a courageous battle with prostate cancer.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sandra; son, Dave, Jr. (Miranda); daughter, Susan Potz; four grandchildren; and sister, Pat Haydu (Richard).
He was born in Southport, Conn., and attended Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania where he received a B.A. in Political Science. Upon graduation Thorpe joined the Eveready Battery Products Division of Union Carbide Corporation as a Sales and Marketing executive in upstate New York where he rapidly advanced through successive management positions requiring multiple re-locations including a two year assignment with the family in Geneva, Switzerland.
Toward the end of his 26-year career at Union Carbide, Thorpe became Corporate Vice President of Marketing during which time he oversaw the creation and launch of the well-known “Energizer Bunny” advertising campaign which is still widely used today.
Upon his retirement from Union Carbide in 1984, he and four other partners formed Interim Management Corporation (IMCOR), a highly specialized interim management executive search firm based in Stamford, Conn.
Over the next 10 years Dave played a key role in growing the firm to 36 principals with offices in six states. The firm was sold in 2000 and he and his wife retired to Vero Beach.
From his early days as a young boy in Southport through his adult life, Thorpe maintained a very active passion for boating and fishing and was a past Commodore of the Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club in Westport, Conn. He and his wife also enjoyed cruising and made multiple trips along the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to the Bahamas.
On land, Thorpe enjoyed golf and was quite active in the community serving as President for his Neighborhood Association in Grand Harbor. He was on the Advisory Board of the Grand Harbor Golf and Beach Club and was Vice President of Development and Corporate Sponsorship for the Grand Harbor Community Outreach Program.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, April 7, at 3 p.m., at The Community Church of Vero Beach. In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Prostate Cancer Foundation or VNA Hospice of Vero Beach.
