Benjamin Chadwick of Chelmsford died of complications from Huntington’s disease on Wednesday, March 9. He was 79 and the beloved husband of Joy (Carpenter) Chadwick.

He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pa. on May 2, 1936, the son of the late Howard and Olyve (Betner) Chadwick.

Benjamin graduated from Wesleyan University and Yale Divinity School. He was a veteran of the United States Navy, and he was a naval officer stationed in Hawaii on the destroyer escort USS Lansing.

He was a longtime summer resident of both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket and was a sailor of some renown.

In addition to his wife, Benjamin is survived by his children Alden Chadwick and his wife Robin, Laura Chadwick, and Katherine (Trina) (Chadwick) Teele and her husband John; five loving grandchildren, Meaghan, Brandon, Austin, Julia, and Sara; and a brother, Howard Chadwick. He was the brother of the late Charles Chadwick.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 10 Billerica Road in Chelmsford. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, 505 Eighth Ave., Suite 902, New York, NY 10018 ot hdsa.org. Arrangements are in care of Blake Funeral Home, 24 Worthen Street in Chelmsford, blakefuneralhome.com.