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Born April 5, 1924, in Burlington, Vermont, he was the oldest of seven children Arthur and Helen Chatfield Bora.
Bora was a highly decorated veteran in World War II who received a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest military decoration for gallantry in action; Bronze Star with “V” Device; Bronze Star; Combat Infantry Badge; Purple Heart; Arrowhead for leading the troops across the Weser River in Germany in April 1945; and an Expert Infantry Badge.
He also served seven years in the Connecticut State Guard and received the Connecticut National Guard Medal of Merit in 1999. In 2006, he was one of only 10 veterans to be inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame.
He was known for having represented Rowayton in its annual Memorial Day Parade as its veteran every year for 45 years.
He served two terms as president of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and became the chamber’s first Honorary Member. He served 10 years as treasurer and was a 20-year member of the executive committee.
He was the chamber’s longest-serving member at the time of his death. Bora was Chairman of the Norwalk Bicentennial Commission in 1976, the largest such commission in the state at the time, a director of the United Way, the Norwalk Heart Fund, the mayor’s Historic Sites Commission, a member of the Community Development Action Plan Committee and a Little League team sponsor in Rowayton for 25 years.
He was active member of the United Church of Rowayton for 58 years.
Bora graduated from the University of Bridgeport, attended the Dramatic School of the Arts at Carnegie and the New England School of Radio Broadcasting.
Bora built and managed a real estate and insurance business in the Rowayton section of Norwalk over a 34-year period.
He is survived by his son, Douglas A. Bora, Jr. (Lorene) of Darien, Connecticut; his daughter, Carolyn B. Gould (George) of Concord, Massachusetts; two grandchildren; a great granddaughter; and his former wife, Jean R. Ross of Vero Beach, Fla.
A memorial service will be held at the United Church of Rowayton Saturday, June 6, at 11 a.m. Gifts may be made in his name to the United Church of Rowayton, 210 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton, CT 06853.
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