STONINGTON — David Motherway Jr., a longtime resident and coach in the community and a member of the town’s Board of Finance, was one of two men killed in a boating crash late Friday off Latimer Point.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection confirmed Sunday afternoon that Motherway, 54, and a friend, Colorado resident Brian Collie, 52, were both found dead Saturday morning after emergency responders were called to the scene of an apparent boat crash off the coast of Latimer Point.
Both men were pronounced dead shortly after emergency responders arrived. Members of the Connecticut Environmental Conservation Police, Stonington police, volunteer firefighters with the Stonington Borough, Quiambaug and Mystic fire departments and staff with the U.S. Coast Guard were all involved in the response.
Motherway, a father of three and former youth sports coach in the community, was elected to the Board of Finance as a Republican in 2019 in his first bid for public office.
A near lifelong Stoningon resident and longtime husband of Kathie Motherway, he worked for Massachusetts-based Athenahealth, a company that provides network-enabled services for health care. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1991 and an MBA from the University of Chicago in 2002, where he had become friends with Collie.
According to a preliminary investigation, a passing motorist made an emergency call after discovering a 21-foot center console boat adrift off the shore of Latimer Point around 7:10 a.m. Saturday. A Coast Guard helicopter could be seen flying over Latimer Point, just east of Stonington as officials conducted a rescue response.
Emergency officials responded and discovered Motherway and Collie both dead on board, officials indicated. A preliminary report suggested that the boat struck a breakwater sometime Friday evening, according to a DEEP press release.
The cause of the crash and manner of death remain under investigation. Any witnesses or those with information are asked to contact the Connecticut DEEP at 860-424-3333.
