Charles Jared Ingersoll, a lifelong Chestnut Hill area resident and former Executive Vice President and Director of The Rittenhouse Trust Company (now The Haverford Trust Company), died Jan. 15 at Chestnut Hill Hospital after a short illness. He was 77.
Mr. Ingersoll, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in his later years, was a direct descendant of Jared Ingersoll, a signer of the United States Constitution. He was born at Chestnut Hill Hospital on Nov. 15, 1946, to Charles Edward Ingersoll and Alice Wood Levis. His grandfather, R. Sturgis Ingersoll, was a founding partner of the prominent Philadelphia law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll and served as President of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for 20 years.
After attending Chestnut Hill Academy, Mr. Ingersoll graduated in 1965 from Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY, where he was president of his class and of the Student Council. He then graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969, where he was president of Zeta Psi Fraternity.
Mr. Ingersoll began his professional career in 1970 with the Trust Department of the Fidelity Bank (now Wells Fargo). In 1979, he moved to Philadelphia National Bank, where he headed up the Personal Financial Planning Department. In 1985, he joined The Rittenhouse Trust Company, where he worked as an Executive Vice President and Director until his retirement in 2017.
Throughout his life, Mr. Ingersoll maintained deep involvement in community organizations and nonprofits. He served as a board member and past President of Woodmere Art Museum, board member and co-vice chair of Morris Arboretum, and trustee of Morris Animal Refuge, among others.
William Valerio, President and CEO at Woodmere, remembered him as "especially smart when it came to finance-related strategy and had a big heart. For Charlie, museums brought refinement, beauty and education to their communities, and he found it satisfying to be part of the team. Charlie was a refined person who also enjoyed his motorcycle, which he used to travel back and forth between Maine and Philadelphia.”
His children remembered him as a devoted father who balanced his professional life with rich personal interests.
"My father repeatedly told me how important family was," his daughter, Anna Ingersoll Creissen, said. "After losing his mother at age 17 and my being born when he was 22, our family life could have taken a difficult turn, but my father embraced fatherhood and its responsibilities. He made sure our lives were filled with extended family. Before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, he had a rich social life with memberships in various local clubs and organizations. The outpouring of love and kind words since his death is a legacy to his ability to make deeply personal connections with others from many walks of life."
His son, Andrew Wood Ingersoll, recalled how his father made time for hands-on projects and teaching moments: "Whether it was spending evenings and weekends over a year or more, filling our basement with a hand-built model train set, including teaching me how to use a huge band saw at age 9 or 10, learning how to replace brake pads (and bleed the brake lines) on his motorcycles, learning how to solder copper water lines or retiling a bathroom floor, he taught me that life could be full of interesting activities beyond just the typical 'fun' stuff (which we did plenty of), and it most certainly was not defined by one's job."
Andrew also shared how his father balanced corporate responsibilities with creative pursuits.
“How could it be that this senior executive with incredible fiduciary responsibilities was the bassist in a college band called the Magic Mushrooms, played a concert at an Andy Warhol party and one day when he got very hungry, proceeded to open and eat the Campbell's soup can that Warhol had signed?” he said. “Because dad couldn't help but live life to its fullest."
His cousin, Perry Benson, an architect, remembered him as an accomplished athlete and adventurous spirit.
"Early on, Charlie was a talented skater and with his sister, Trish, competed at Wissahickon Skating Club. Later, impressed with my cycling, he took up the sport, bought a motorcycle and rode on a bike tour in Italy along with rides from Wyndmoor to Penllyn," Benson said. "I met Charlie, Andrew and two of his friends, all about 17, in Colorado on a ski trip. 'Rocky Mountain Oysters' were featured on the menu of beefy entrees in the cowboy-themed Sopris Restaurant. When the boys realized what they were (bull testicles), a unanimous 'Gross!' crossed the table, amusing Charlie and me to no end. When one of them realized that he would be cool if he ordered the tender breaded pair. Not to be left out, the two others ordered the same thing!"
Ingersoll married Patricia Disston Brock in 1968 in Philadelphia; they divorced in 1998. He is survived by his daughter, Anna, of Chapel Hill, N.C. (married to Alain Jacques Creissen), and grandchildren, James Auguste Creissen and Cecilia Louise Creissen; and by his son, Andrew, of Wyndmoor (married to Chloe Short), and grandchildren Beatrice Ingersoll and Soren Ingersoll.
A memorial service was held Jan. 30 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill.
