Obituary of Theodore A Ulrich

Final Voyage

Theodore (“Ted”) A. Ulrich ’65, age 78, died on December 21, 2021. Born January 1, 1943, Ted grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He graduated with the Boulder High Class of 1961 and received an appointment to Kings Point, entering the Class of 1965. Ted participated in split sea year program, serving on the CS Long Lines laying TAT 3 across the north Atlantic. Ted also sailed out of pacific coast ports to the far east. He sailed on the SS Oregon. Ted graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree and a U.S. Coast Guard License as a Deck Officer. He also received a number of awards.

Taking a direct commission into the US Coast Guard, Ted served in the Port of New York in Marine Inspection.

Following his active duty, Ted remained in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and ultimately volunteered with the Transportation Command during the build up to Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Ted received the honorary title of Captain for his volunteer work during that time. In 2015 Ted was honored for Outstanding Professional Achievement by Kings Point Alumni Association.

Ted enrolled in Fordham University Law School and graduated with the Class of 1970. He served on the Law Review and received high honors at graduation. His law school experience spanned four years, as it was conducted in the evenings.

Ted served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. John M. Cannella of the Federal Southern District Court for one year, and at the end of that tenure he joined the second oldest law firm in the United States, Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft. Ted practiced Maritime and International Law and also accomplished another advanced law degree at New York University in 1974. Ultimately becoming a member of the firm, Ted served for twenty-four years at Cadwalader.

Wishing to return to his native Colorado, in 1994 Ted accepted an offer to join the Denver office of Popham, Haik, a Minneapolis-based law firm.

In Colorado, Ted was able to pursue his hobbies, woodworking and ship model building. Over the years he crafted several models, the Wapama, a west coast lumber vessel, and the States Line vessel, the SS Oregon, which he had sailed on in the Pacific.

Ted garnered an award for the model of the SS Oregon which was scratch-built. He also crafted a hull of the Energy Transportation cryogenic LNG carrier which Cadwalader’s maritime attorneys, working with the Chen family, caused to be constructed. He presented the half-hull to Dr. C.Y. Chen for display in honor of their involvement with Energy Transportation. Ted also worked on the design of the cryogenic tanks used on the ships. The vessels were constructed General Dynamics yard at Quincy, MA. The tanks were manufactured in (I believe) South Carolina.

One famous incident was when the shaft of one of the LNG ships separated off of the coast of the Philippines. Ted and is associate Bill Bush flew on a 747 full of spare equipment. Another Energy transportation vessel came alongside and the ships were “married”. The LNG was transferred from the moribund vessel to the spare ship. Numerous other marine events and casualties were handled by Ted also.

On February 28, 1964, Ted met Nancy Allison at a Block M dance in Great Neck. They were married on May 30, 1966 in Roslyn, NY. Subsequently they had two sons, Donald and Frederick. Sadly, Fred died in October 2021 as a result of cancer. Ted and Nancy lived in both Port Washington, NY and the Village of Plandome Manor. Nancy was the first woman mayor of that village.

Ted was also predeceased by his parents, Herbert and Martha Ulrich, of Colorado.

Ted is survived by Nancy, his son Don and his family, Jessica, twin grandchildren Rachel and Joshua, of Albany, his son Fred’s widow, Emilia and grandchildren Leo and Duncan Teasdale-Ulrich of Valatie, NY, and his brother, Don, of Denver Colorado.

Ted has “Sailed on Another Ship in Another Sea”

A memorial service will be held on February 19, 2022 at 2 PM MST in Denver and will be live streamed. First Plymouth UCC will be the host church. Please feel free to email Nancy at ycnanohio@gmail.com for more information.