Theodore “Ted” Davis Black (93 years old), a long-time resident of Lenox, MA and Clifton Park, NY died on Sunday, February 11, 2024 in Sellersville, PA. Born in a brick house in Albion, IN, Ted was the son of Harry Davis Black and Esther Pauline (Jerls) Black. He was a Purdue University graduate in Electrical Engineering and a drummer in the Purdue marching band. His first job out of college was with the General Electric company in Schenectady, NY and Pittsfield, MA, working on defense systems, retiring after 40 years.
Acknowledged for his signature sense of humor, he was master of the shaggy dog story (a long, rambling story or joke, typically one that is amusing only because it is absurdly inconsequential or pointless). He consistently produced guffaws and groans from his audiences over the years, either because the stories were funny or due to the pain from having to listen to them …
He was an enthusiastic carpenter, gardener, builder, and model train collector. Ted volunteered in the local community with the church, Black Magic Puppeteers, and SCORE retirees and teachers. One of his greatest joys was reading math and engineering books.
Ted and his wife, H. Geraldine Fry, were married in the Niskayuna Reformed Church in NY in 1956, having met through a Schenectady Methodist Church Young Adult Fellowship group. They celebrated 62 years of marriage before Gerrie passed in 2018. They moved to Pittsfield and later Lenox, MA, where they were active in the First Methodist Church of Pittsfield and, alternately, the Church on the Hill in Lenox. Upon retirement to Clifton Park, NY, they joined the Christ Community Reformed Church in Clifton Park, NY. They always chose the churches with the best choirs!
Surviving Ted are his sister Pamela A. (Black) Martin, daughter Janine (Nina) N. Black and son-in-law Barry Arkles (Tinicum Township, PA), four nephews, three grandchildren, one great grandson, and son-in-law Michael Coleman. Ted’s daughter, Peri N. (Black) Coleman, passed in 2021. Ted’s brothers, Jon and Eddie have passed. Jon was survived by his wife Diana J. Black and son Joshua A. Black. Ted was buried in the Fry family plot in the Niskayuna Reformed Church cemetery in NY.
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