Percy Chubb III was a larger than life figure at the Victoria Foundation in Newark.
As former president and trustee of the Victoria Foundation, which he headed for three decades, Mr. Chubb was deeply committed to the mission of the independent grant-making institution: To improve the lives of children and families in need in Newark, New Jersey; and to protect water resources and preserve precious open space statewide.
Mr. Chubb died on March 18, 2016, at age 81. He passed away peacefully at Morristown Memorial Hospital with family by his side, according to Irene Cooper-Basch, executive officer of the Victoria Foundation.
The Victoria Foundation has been a longtime champion of New Community over the last four decades, having provided millions of dollars in grant funding for programs and services at NCC that help individuals achieve self-sufficiency.
“The level of commitment and support and that Percy Chubb and the Victoria Foundation have shown to New Community over many, many years cannot be overstated,” Richard Rohrman, CEO of New Community, said. “Percy’s vision for revitalizing Newark by investing in neighborhood-based organizations played a hugely influential role in supporting New Community during our early years in order to become the comprehensive community development corporation that we are today. We strive to honor his legacy by continuing to serve the communities in Newark to which Percy devoted much of his energies and his heart.”
Established in 1924 by Mr. Chubb’s grandfather, Hendon Chubb, and named after the founder’s mother, the Victoria Foundation has concentrated its focus and considerable resources on the residents of Newark since the 1960s.
It was during that decade that Newark experienced increasing turmoil that exploded into the Summer Disorders of 1967. Monsignor William J. Linder founded New Community in 1968, in the aftermath of the disorders, and it was the Victoria Foundation that provided Monsignor with seed money to get his vision off the ground.
“They have always been extremely supportive,” Monsignor said of Mr. Chubb and his family’s work through the foundation. “I think they realized it was a city that had very few people that cared about it.”
Monsignor, now board chairman, recalled years ago when he and Mr. Chubb visited New Community’s family housing on Sussex Avenue.
“That was typical of him. He was hands-on,” said Monsignor, who described Mr. Chubb’s personality as welcoming and friendly. “He wasn’t stuffy at all. He was just the opposite,” he added.
Beyond his work at the Victoria Foundation, Mr. Chubb was a very successful business executive at the multi-billion dollar insurance firm Chubb Corp. that was started by his great-grandfather in 1882. Mr. Chubb graduated from Yale University and served two years in the Army. He was also known as “Pi” to avoid confusion with his father, Percy Chubb II.
“I was personally blessed to have had the confidence and support of Percy Chubb,” Cooper-Basch wrote in an email sharing the news of Mr. Chubb’s passing with the wider community. “He was my boss for nearly 10 years, my mentor, and my friend.”
Mr. Chubb became president of the foundation in 1982. He is survived by his wife, the former Sally Gilady, and children, Lee, Sarah and Lucy, and their grandchildren.
“In his own words, ‘I take some pride in the notion that if we are going to invest in something we should really do it well. I wanted us to do things that would make a difference,’” Cooper-Basch wrote.
A celebration memorial service for Mr. Chubb is scheduled for May 14. For more information, contact the Victoria Foundation at 973-792-9200 or visit www.victoriafoundation.org.
