Richard John Cole, 90, of Newtown died peacefully on June 5. He was born in New York City in 1926.

His wife of 56 years, Birgitta; and his son, Christopher of Maryland, survive him. His son John predeceased him in 2009.

Mr Cole, or "Dick" as his friends called him, matriculated at Yale and then, as many young men of the time, entered the service in World War II. At the time, he was the youngest commissioned naval officer and served in the Pacific Theater. Later, Mr Cole sailed on the famous USS Midway, joining the ship in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a communications officer during the Korean War.

His postwar adventures took him to Hollywood and later what was called the "Far East," where he spent months at a time building an import-export business with his father. In 1960, he met the love of his life, Birgitta Öfling, in Miami Beach at the Miss Universe pageant. She was a contestant, Miss Sweden!

In 1962, the couple had their first son, John, who became an avid horseman. Christopher was born in 1966.

Mr Cole later moved to New York and became the president of the womenswear division of Manhattan Industries. While in that role, he helped launched the careers of many of the most famous designers of the 1970s and beyond, including Halston, Perry Ellis, Donna Karan, and Tommy Hilfiger.

In later years, he gradually slowed down, moving to Newtown in 2000. He loved the town and its people and sought to participate in local town policy.

He was beloved and will be missed greatly by his friends and family.

A celebration of his life will be scheduled for this summer.

Memorial donations can be made to the Brian J. Silverlieb Animal Shelter, 21 Old Farm Road, Newtown CT 06470; or the Skin Cancer Foundation at skincancer.org.

To leave an online condolence, visit honanfh.com.

The Honan Funeral Home of Newtown is serving the family.