In Memoriam
Paul F. McAlenney
Paul McAlenney ’64 died on April 16, 2026. Here is his obituary followed by essays that he wrote for two reunion books.
Obituary
Paul McAlenney
1964 Yale graduation
Paul Francis McAlenney, of Simsbury, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2026, at the age of 84. He was the son of Edward Joseph McAlenney and Jean Malone McAlenney. A lifelong resident of the greater Hartford area, Paul grew up in West Hartford and later made his home in Simsbury.
Paul attended Loomis Chaffee School and went on to attend Yale University for his undergraduate and law degrees. While at Yale, Paul was the coxswain for the heavyweight crew team for four years, which was one of the highlights of his life. He clerked for a federal judge for one year and then joined the law firm of Day, Berry and Howard, which later became Day Pitney in Hartford, CT. Paul very happily practiced law with them for 44 years and made many lasting friendships through his work.
Paul McAlenney
in recent years
He was a devoted member of Saint Mary’s Church in Simsbury and was actively involved in his community, serving as former president of Easter Seals Connecticut and as a member of the Board of Directors for Favarh and the Montgomery Company of Connecticut and New Hampshire. Paul also served as Secretary of the Simsbury Free Library.
Paul and Debra were married for 47 years and raised their two children in Simsbury, CT. Throughout their marriage they were fortunate enough to travel often and spent a semester at a university in Angers, France, where they were immersed in learning the French language and culture. Paul loved his family, his bulldogs, jazz, golf, and Block Island.
Paul is survived by his loving wife, Debra McAlenney of Simsbury; his son, Ben McAlenney of Simsbury; his daughter, Chloe Blumberg and her husband, Jordan, of Simsbury; and his grandchildren, Hudson and Finley Blumberg. He was predeceased by his brother, Edward McAlenney.
There are not enough words to express the heartfelt thanks that Paul’s family feels for the people who accompanied them on this journey, especially the care partners, nurses, hospice team, special event coordinators, and front desk staff at McLean Health in Simsbury. Additionally, Paul and his family extend their gratitude to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit at Yale University for the opportunity to participate in their study of the drug Aducanumab, which ultimately gave them more precious time together. Paul donated his brain to this study in hopes of advancing treatment for this devastating disease.
To truly honor Paul’s memory, if you have any concerns about your cognitive health, please seek testing and treatment early. And when you are out for your next round of golf, please remember to wear a hat and sunscreen.
Calling hours will be held on Tuesday, April 21, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at Vincent Funeral Home, 880 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at 11:00am at Saint Mary’s Church in Simsbury, followed by burial at Simsbury Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Saint Mary’s Church, Simsbury, or to the Yale School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Disease and Research Unit, 1 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510. Thank you, Paul, for making every day a gift.
Yale heavyweight crew, 1964, Paul McAlenney, coxswain (kneeling)
Essay, 50th Reunion Book
by Paul McAlenney
May 2014
Let’s see. Last time I told you about what I was doing 25 years ago, and I introduced you to my wife, Debby, and to our two children, Ben and Chloe, then four and two years old. After twenty five more years our family members are the same. Along the way there were also Eli, Max, and Genevieve, three English bulldogs (one at a time). They have now been replaced by two cocker spaniels, Tucker and Daisy, who are both currently with us.
After 45 years of law practice, doing mostly corporate and business transactional matters, I reached our mandatory retirement age of 70, and have been retired since the end of last year. Debby is still busy as a preschool teacher, our son Ben is living with us at home, and our daughter Chloe and her husband, Jordan, are living and employed locally. Chloe has her master’s degree in special education and teaches in that field at a local elementary school.
Judging from what I have read, a number of you have had some interesting travel experiences. I think that is great and I read the reports with interest. We have pretty much remained local. For almost twenty-five years we have vacationed in the summer at the same spot, reachable by car in just a few hours. One exception was a great six months Debby and I spent together at a small university in northwestern France a number of years ago. I think we even sensed then that it was likely to be a one-time opportunity.
I am looking forward to our 50th reunion. I hope to see some old friends and crewmates there. Yale and the crew are two of the highlights of my life, for which I am infinitely thankful, and of which I will forever be proud.
Essay, 25th Reunion Book
by Paul McAlenney
May 1989
Following graduation in 1964, I continued at Yale at the Law School, graduating in 1967. After a one-year clerkship with a federal judge in Connecticut, I joined the law firm of Day, Berry & Howard in Hartford where I have remained in private practice to date. I am very happy with my firm and career, in which I concentrate in business transactions and corporate tax matters.
I worked pretty hard as a law student and young lawyer. The hard work may in part explain why I remained a bachelor until age 36. At any rate, luck came my way in 1976 when I met Debra Boger and we were married in November two years later.
My life to date might easily be split into the pre-Debby and post-Debby eras. Pre-Debby was largely education, the best years of which were undergraduate at Yale, and career development. The post-Debby era has involved the birth and development of close personal relationships, the growth of my own inner spirit through the foregoing, and the enjoyment of many of the wonderful “things” of the world in the company of my now lifelong companions.
For me, the best things so far are clearly the incredible relationship that has grown between me and Debby and the gift to us both of our two children, Ben and Chloe. Perhaps it's because I was “solo” (as we used to say) for so many years that I now particularly savor the strong personal relationships I have with my family. The solo years were great, but for someone who didn’t know whether it would happen, now that it has, I feel specially enriched by a fullness of life that seems almost too good to be true.
I am 46 years old, with a two-year-old and a four-year-old. I don't have any college-age kids or teenagers. Although many of you may be sighing with relief that that’s behind you, for me it is clearly a large part of the excitement that lies ahead.
Actually, I am not sure that our son Ben will ever go to college, although today I think I’d bet on it, and at least high school seems a sure thing. Ben has Down’s Syndrome, which means that he is delayed in both his mental and physical development. But thanks to an enlightened special-education program and a great mother, he’s off to a super beginning and has a bright future. After all, how many kids who are age four can boast having ridden a school bus or van for the last three years?
Ben is a big part of the reason why I referred above to a growth in my inner spirit. We “normals” tend to associate retardation with something that is worse or lesser. Although having Ben we know that he is slower and will achieve less than some, we also see now that in some very real ways he is gifted beyond most who are “normal.” Somehow he personifies joy, simple honest goodness, and an innocence and purity of spirit that support my conclusion that his special genetic chemistry makes him truly as special as he is different.
For the future, I guess I’d most like to see my kids grow up respecting honesty and some of the old values that we all worry are disappearing. Beyond that, their individuality will take them where it does and I'm content to fill the role of coach and not master. I guess that’s easy to say now before they have taken off in any real sense on their own. We shall see. (Lest the foregoing be misconstrued, I am not saying that I wouldn't care if Chloe didn't want to go to Yale.)
In closing, I hasten to add that I do plan to come to the reunion and that I do support Yale. I guess you could say that because we have twice now chosen to have an English bulldog around the house as a pet, I may in some way savor being reminded of those good old days.