Uwe Walter Carroux, who was a resident of Greenwich for 38 years, died recently in Menlo Park, California.
He was born June 1, 1924 and raised in Hamburg, Germany. During the early 1940s Uwe purchased a sophisticated radio to listen to the BBC, Radio Moscow and the Voice of America in order to better understand current events, as well as to listen to big band swing jazz, which he enjoyed dancing to with his girlfriend. A neighboring girl, jealous of their relationship, reported them to the Gestapo who put Uwe in prison.
His mother, Anneliese Carroux, negotiated his release with his commitment to join the Navy where he initially served on U-boats as a communications officer. His experience included deployment in a submarine which hit a mine during a return to base in France. While evacuating at a depth of several hundred feet he panicked and started to swim quickly to the surface, only to be restrained by another sailor who forced him to surface slowly to avoid ‘the bends,’ probably saving his life. Uwe also survived being shot at point blank range by a Russian soldier whose gun jammed.
After World War Two, seeking employment, Uwe moved to London where his French surname proved invaluable. That was where he met his soulmate and the love of his life, Aino Lukka from Finland. Uwe and Aino married March 7, 1953 in Hamburg and then immigrated to the United States through New York’s Ellis Island. They were married 63 years, raising two sons, Charles and Thomas, who graduated from Greenwich public schools and Ivy League universities.
Uwe was a commercial banker. In New York, Uwe worked at Credit Suisse and the Irving Trust Company, and later at the international division of the Union Trust Company in Stamford, CT.
Uwe enjoyed traveling, was an avid reader and usually was the last person to leave the dance floor. He was also an active member of the Mercedes-Benz Club of America, participating in time trials, road rallies and touring continental America. During the gas shortages of 1979, he traded his 450 SEL for a turbo diesel and installed a custom, auxiliary fuel tank which enabled him to drive 1,200 miles before refueling.
Uwe demonstrated his character when Aino developed Alzheimer’s and he cared for her and loved her every single day. They would end each day by rubbing noses at bedtime, even when she didn’t always recognize him.
Uwe was pre-deceased by his wife and is survived by his two sons, ex-daughter-in-law Trisha Jenkins, daughter-in-law Roseann Wilcox Carroux, grandchildren Christopher and Courtney Carroux, and a half-brother, Hellmuth Carroux of Hamburg, Germany.