Obituary: H. Henry "Hank" Liiv, 80, GE Executive

H. Henry “Hank” Liiv, 80, of Middletown, died unexpectedly on Friday, December 27, 2013, at Newport Hospital in Newport, RI. He was the husband of Tiina M. Liiv of Middletown, RI. Born in Tartu, Estonia, in 1933, he was the son of Otto Liiv and Irene (Vedler) Liiv.

Hank was an executive with General Electric for almost 20 years, including several years as Plant Manager in Angers, France. In 1974, he and Tiina founded International Manufacturing Services, Inc. (IMS) in Portsmouth, RI, a thick film technology company that has grown into a global leader in the field. An avid traveler and videographer, Hank shot and edited dozens of films of his travels around the world with Tiina. He was especially devoted to his homeland of Estonia, and was a founding member of the Estonian American Fund, which supports the development of projects in Estonia related to economics, healthcare and education. 

Besides his wife, he leaves a daughter, Karin E. Liiv, and her husband Rev. John E. Holt, of Cotuit, MA; and a son, A. Mark Liiv, and his partner Erin Mallory, of Petaluma and Loma Mar, CA. Hank was eagerly awaiting the imminent birth of his granddaughter Freiya Kai. He also leaves behind family members Aini Maripuu and her husband Eric Leslie of Middletown, RI; Loit Maripuu of Ann Arbor, MI; Julie Holt and Andrew Kambour of Washington, DC; Theodore Holt of New York City; and Maisie McDermott of Petaluma, CA. He was predeceased by his daughter, Ingrid Kai Liiv, in 1994.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, March 22 at 11:00am at the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, RI. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Estonian American Fund, P.O. Box 7369, Silver Spring, MD, 20907, or the MassGeneral Institute for Neurological Disease (MIND), 100 Cambridge St., Suite 1310, Boston, MA 02114-2548