Walter S. Cluett, 78, Little Compton

Walter S. Cluett, a long time resident of Little Compton, died Sunday, December 31, 2017, at the age of 78.  Mr. Cluett was meticulous by nature and an architect by profession who designed many complex residential and commercial buildings.  His work expressed beauty, grace and balance. He practiced in both Boston and Vermont.

Mr. Cluett had a love for sailing throughout his life, which began in childhood at the Sakonnet Yacht Club, in Little Compton. Sailing brought him from the shores of Rhode Island to the islands of the Caribbean.

In retirement Mr. Cluett studied boat design and building at The Landing School in Arundel, Maine. Here he applied his mathematical and architectural skill sets to his passion for sailing where he designed and built boats. Upon returning to Little Compton, he used his new skills to create intricate model boats, building models as real boats are built, down to each oar lock, cleat, and plank.  Some of his work has been published in the Ships in Scale magazine and is on display at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in BristoI.

He enjoyed a wide range of hobbies throughout his life.  These included fast cars, sculpture, painting, gardening, and puzzles - both mental and physical.  If it challenged his mind, he was interested. And, when challenged he performed with intellectual acuity and physical skill.

Mr. Cluett attended St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH, and is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.  He served in the US Army as an Airborne Ranger.

He is survived by his son, Kyre Cluett and family, and by his daughter, Sereyna Cagle and family.

Please join us in celebrating his life at St. Andrew’s by the Sea in Little Compton, Saturday, January 13, at 11 am. The service will be open to eulogies and will be followed by a reception on site at St. Andrew’s.