Cecil Franklin Backus, Jr. died peacefully at his home in Cooke's Hope, Easton, Maryland. He was 94 years old.

Cecil, the youngest of three, was born to Cecil F. and Elizabeth Edsell Backus. His mother died in 1932, and his father married Alice Beaver Candee ("Aunt Alice") in June, 1935. After living in Wilmington, DE, the family moved to Centerville, MD. Eventually, they moved to the manor house on Kirkland Hall, a farm on the Miles River in Easton, Maryland which they had purchased several years earlier as a summer residence; now the site of Calhoun M.E.B.A. Engineering School. After his father died, Aunt Alice moved to "The Rest," a home along the Miles River designed by Cecil's father and completed in 1968.

Beginning at a very early age Cecil developed a lifelong love for sailing. Through young adulthood, he spent his summers on the Maryland eastern shore at Kirkland Hall along the banks of the Miles River. During most of those summers, beginning at elementary school age, he took a train to Oxford and spent time at Ralph Wylie's Boatyard, now Cutts & Chase, immersed in boat building, boat design and sailing.

Cecil attended Tower Hill School in Wilmington and St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. He graduated from Princeton University School of Engineering in 1951. While at Princeton, he was a member of the Princeton Yacht Club and the intercollegiate sailing team. After graduating Princeton, he was commissioned as a Navy Ltjg and served on 2 destroyers during the Korean conflict. Following his time in the Navy, he worked in banking and finance with various institutions, initially in New York City and later in Massachusetts.

In 1970, Cecil bought a North Sea fishing trawler, The Golden Promise; a 72-foot double ender. Together with three friends, he sailed the trawler from Scotland to the Azores and then onto Boston. He lived on The Golden Promise docked at Lewis Wharf in the Boston Harbor for six or seven years before selling the boat.

From Boston, Cecil moved to York Harbor, Maine and spent many days sailing his J-Boat, Puritan, on any waterway, whenever he could. "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." Jacques Cousteau

Cecil met Candace Carlucci in 1985 when she attended a meeting in York Harbor. She was Director of Alumni Affairs at Skidmore College at that time, and it was "love at first sight". Candy was an effervescent person, kind, smart and creative. They were married in 1986 on Christmas Eve, making their home in York Harbor ME.

Cecil and Candy faithfully traveled many times every year to visit Aunt Alice and oversee her care. In 1990, after making many trips to The Rest, Candy and Cecil left Maine and moved to The Rest when Aunt Alice required more care. They remained at The Rest after her death and purchased the property from her estate in 1992. In 2010, they moved to Cooke's Hope in Easton.

Cecil was kind, devoted and very active. He loved the Eastern Shore of Maryland, sailing, and his time in the Navy. Together, Candy and Cecil launched a successful enterprise in 2002, "Silent Sous", baker of custom cakes, which continued through the end of 2009.

Though he had stopped sailing about 12 years ago, Cecil always continued to look skyward to judge the wind and weather. He was fascinated, also, by the precious metals and stock markets, maintaining daily charts for many years. Above all else, he adored Candy, his wife of 24 years.

In addition to Candy, Cecil was predeceased by his parents, his sister Anne Backus Adams and his brother John Warner Backus.

Cecil is survived by his brother in law & wife, sister in law & husband, 6 nieces & their families , and 4 nephews & their families, and 13 grandnephews and grandnieces.