United States High School Yearbooks by County
Elmer J. Morris, a former foreman for Connecticut Foundations in New Milford, died March 7 at the UPMC Bedford Memorial Hospital in Pennsylvania.
A resident of Everett, Pa., Mr. Morris was the husband of Olla Retta Imler Morris.
Besides his wife of 57 years, Mr. Morris is survived by a daughter, Alice L. Miller of Newtown; two sons, John R. Morris of Everett, Pa., and Elmer Thomas Morris of Washington; two brothers, Homer Morris of Chambersburg, Pa., and Leonard Morris of Clearville, Pa.; four sisters, Evelyn Whetstone and Minnie Whetstone, both of Manns Choice, Pa., Betty McCreary of Moresville, Pa., and Beda Rose of Beallsville, Pa.; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Arthur R. French, 70, a self-employed plumbing and heating contractor, died March 9 at Danbury Hospital.
Mr. French, of 8 Greenlawn Drive, Danbury, was the husband of Myrtle Whitlock French.
Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, Arthur Natale of Florida; six daughters, Kathleen Jowdy and Dotti McBreairty of St. Francis, Me., April Cannariato of Wallington, N.J., Diane Cossuto of Bridgewater, Sue Jones of Danbury, and Dawn French of New Milford; a sister, Marion Eaton of Manchester; 14 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Arthur R. "Arty" French Jr., in 1981.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Dialysis Unit at Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Ave., Danbury, Ct. 06810, or to a charity of one's choice.
Barbara Marjorie Boucher Ford, 91, of New Milford, died March 7 at Candlewood Valley Care Center, New Milford.
She was the widow of William Ford.
Her survivors include a son, Brian Ford of New Milford; two daughters, Patricia Friese Powell of Indian Wells, Ca., and Barbara Kurtz of Trumbull; 13 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Lisa Ann Zeidenberg, 31, of 127 West Mountain Road, Ridgefield, died March 8 as a result of injuries suffered in an automobile accident.
Miss Zeidenberg was born in New Haven, Aug. 18, 1966, a daughter of Irvin and Claire Zeidenberg of Milford.
Besides her parents, she is survived by four brothers, Robert Zeidenberg of Wallingford, Michael Ramos of New Haven, Gary Ramos of Washington Depot, and Francis Ramos of East Haven; two sisters, Aveva Zeidenberg of Milford and Linda Ramos of North Carolina; and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the animal welfare organization of one's choice.
A memorial Mass will be arranged for a date to be announced.
Frances Morris, 84, of 640 Kent Road, New Milford, died March 12 at The Kent, Specialty Care Facility, Kent.
Mrs. Morris was the widow of Clyde E. Morris.
She was born in Washington and was a resident of New Milford for most of her life.
Her survivors include a son, Clyde F. Morris of New Milford; four sisters, Gertrude Dutil of Kent, Ethel Boudrou of New Haven, Bernice Rosa of New Milford and Sunya Slocum of Wingdale, N.Y.; two grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 40 North St., Danbury, Ct. 06776.
Pearl "Toots" Schefkind, 85, retired owner and operator of Ronal's Paint & Wallpaper in New Milford, died March 13 at Danbury Hospital.
Mrs. Schefkind, of 1 Ezra Road, Danbury, was the wife of the late Morris Schefkind.
Her survivors include a son, Ronald Schefkind of Bennington, Vt.; two sisters, Alice Rovner of Trumbull and Madelyn Singer of Baltimore, Md; three grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, Alan Schefkind.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the United Jewish Center, 141 Deer Hill Ave., Danbury, Ct. 06810.
Helen A. Ahearn, 84, a retired secretary/bookkeeper for the former Bacchiochi Construction Co. in Ridgefield, died March 9 at the Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton, Ga.
She was the wife of John J. Ahearn of 211 Kramer St., Carrollton.
Mrs. Ahearn was born in New Milford March 6, 1914, the daughter of George and Lina Joyce Vincent.
Besides her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Sharon George of Carrollton; a sister, Vera Flanagan of Norfolk, Va.; a brother, George Vincent of Southbury; two granddaughters; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of one's choice.
Heidi Anita Lowrence, 50, a New Milford native and German language instructor in Jefferson City, Mo., died March 7 at her home in Jefferson City.
The 1965 graduate of New Milford High School was the wife of John W. Lowrence. She was born Dec. 16, 1947, in New Milford, a daughter of Hilda Krebser Schaltegger of New Milford and the late Herbert Schaltegger.
Besides her husband and mother, Mrs. Lowrence is survived by two sons, Nathan and Andrew, both of Jefferson City; three brothers, Herbert Schaltegger of New Milford, Fred Schaltegger of Atlanta, Ga., and Richard Schaltegger of North Attleboro, Ma.
Contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of one's choice.
Phillipe J. Rodrigues, 19, of Bethel, died March 13 in New Milford.
He was a resident of 61D Taylor Ave. He was a son of Agostinho C. Rodrigues of Southbury and Ruth V. Galhardo of Bethel.
Besides his parents, he is survived by his paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Joao C. Rodrigues of Ponte DeLima, Portugal; his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Angel Medina Savana Grande of Puerto Rico; two sisters, Lucinda Hotchkiss of New Milford, and Elisa Maria of Danbury; a step-brother, Antonio Galhardo of Portugal; a step-sister, Anna F. Galhardo of Portugal; and several nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Hanahoe Clinic, Main Street, Danbury, Ct. 06810.
Jon D. Chisholm, 56, an active member of the Danbury community who served as a coordinator at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House Emergency Shelter in Danbury, died March 13 at Danbury Hospital.
A resident of Danbury for the past 35 years, he was the husband of Marilynn Repole Chisholm.
Born in Brattleboro, Vt., he was a son of Priscilla Blanchard Chisholm of New Milford and the late Donald A. Chisholm.
Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by a son, Mark Chisholm of Danbury; a daughter, Leigh Murphy of Braintree, Ma.; a sister, Martha McMahon of New Milford; two brothers, Albert Chisholm of Milton, Ma., and Frederick Chisholm of Fayetteville, N.C.; a granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Murphy; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in Mr. Chisholm's name may be made to the Dorothy Day Hospitality House, P.O. Box 922, Danbury, Ct. 06813-0922, or to the Danbury PAL, 120 Main St., Danbury, Ct. 06810.
E. Paul Martin, 103, former first selectman
E. Paul Martin, 103, the last surviving New Milford veteran of World War I and a former three-term first selectman, died March 28 at his home on South Main Street in New Milford.
Mr. Martin's life spanned the invention of electricity to three decades past man's landing on the moon. He was the last person alive to remember The Great New Milford Fire of May 5, 1902, when much of downtown New Milford was destroyed.
At the time of his death, Mr. Martin was New Milford's oldest native son. He was honored on the occasion of his 100th birthday with a celebration at the VFW Hall.
He was born in the Grove Street section of New Milford June 29, 1894, a son of Edward P. and Margaret Flynn Martin.
Mr. Martin was predeceased by his first wife, Louise Helen Martin, who died in 1951, and his second wife, Alice Ferriss Martin, who died in 1982.
A veteran of World War I, he served the 35th Engineers in France.
Following his father's footsteps, Mr. Martin entered the plumbing and pipe fitting trade at an early age. He and his late brother, William, established Martin Brothers Plumbing and Heating in Washington, Conn., in 1921. They moved the business to New Milford in 1926 and continued operation until 1954.
Mr. Martin served three terms as first selectman from 1955 to 1961. During his years in office, he established the New Milford Planning Commission in 1955 and played a major role in bringing the Kimberly Clark Corp. to New Milford in 1958. He also established the first Town Improvement Committee.
He was tax collector for the New Milford Fire Association from 1952 to 1957 and also served as assessor for the association for many years.
One of the first to speak for the preservation of the old New Milford railroad station, he published "The Little Old Railroad Station" in 1987. This small book covered the history of the railroad station. He was also active in restoring rail service to New Milford and was a member of the Rail Service Restoration Society.
Mr. Martin was a longtime member of the Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, The New Milford Historical Society, and the New Milford Trust for Historic Preservation. He served as a member of the 250th anniversary celebration for New Milford in 1957.
A talented tinsmith, he donated his collection of tinware depicting scenes of New Milford to the Historical Society in 1995.
He was a former trustee of the Fairfield Hills Hospital in Newtown.
A lifetime member of St. Francis Xavier Church in New Milford, he was the oldest member of the Housatonic Council 40 Knights of Columbus, a group he joined when he was 18 years old.
Mr. Martin had been involved for many years with the Water Witch Hose Company No. 2.
Active in veterans' affairs, he was a life member of the Commander Ezra Woods Post 31 American Legion of New Milford and the Andrew B. Mygatt Post 1672 Veterans of Foreign Wars of New Milford.
His survivors include two sons, Paul E. Martin of New Milford and William F. Martin of Boynton Beach, Fla.; a daughter, Sarah M. Cuddy of Bridgewater; 14 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Connecticut Community Care, 43 Enterprise Drive, Bristol, Ct. 06010, or the Rail Service Restoration Society, P.O. Box 601, New Milford, Ct. 06776.
Rita Lajoie Kaplanis, 68, former area resident
Rita Lajoie Kaplanis, 68, a former area resident, died March 18 in Mesa, Ariz.
A resident of Arizona since 1973, Mrs. Kaplanis was born in Maine Dec. 31, 1929, a daughter of William and Bernadette Lajoie.
Mrs. Kaplanis is survived by a son, Robert Kaplanis of Mesa, Ariz.; two daughters, Regina Gordan of Mesa and Renee Morgan of Sacramento, Calif.; a brother, Donald Lajoie of Danbury; four sisters, Bette Dumas of Mesa, Florence Negri and Teri Boulais, both of Danbury, and Irene Fuller of Roxbury; six grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Oncology Department of Desert Samaritan Hospital, 1400 South Dobson Road, Mesa, Ariz. 85202.
Services were conducted in Mesa.
Ellamae Wirag, 83, retired waitress
Ellamae Wirag, 83, died March 23 at the Glen Home Convalescent Center in Danbury.
Mrs. Wirag, of 6 Lois St., Danbury, was the wife of Robert C. Wirag. She was a retired waitress.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Wirag is survived by two daughters, Cathy A. Matusz of Durham and Lisa J. Casanova of New Milford; three sisters, Katherine Lownds, Margaret Jesionowski and Donna Peeler, all of Danbury; five grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 1818, Memphis, Tn. 38101-1818.
Katherine R. Harel, 71, former New Milfordite
Katherine R. Harel, 71, formerly of New Milford, died March 17 in a motor vehicle accident in Mesa, Ariz.
Mrs. Harel was the wife of Philip Harel Jr.
Mrs. Harel was born in Waterbury May 19, 1926. She attended Waterbury schools and graduated from the Traphagen School of Design in New York City.
She was a sales clerk at Barton's Store for several years while she lived in New Milford.
Mrs. Harel was a member of the Housatonic Art League during her years in New Milford, and she loved to line dance and spend time quilting.
In Arizona, she was a member of the Bernina Club, a quilter's club; the Quilter's Ranch; the Women's Club; and the Exercise Club.
Her survivors include two sons, Phil T. and John Harel, both of Mesa and formerly of New Milford; four daughters, Sandra Zwolak of Greer, S.C., Nancy Grize and Lori Michaud, both of New Milford, and Donna Tarro of Mesa; and 13 grandchildren - Jennifer and Brian Michaud of New Milford; Kristofor, Kelsey and Marnie Grize of New Milford; Jason and Michael Zwolak of Greer; Bruce, Aimee and Melanie Tarro of Mesa; Ryan Harel of Mesa; and Ashley and Melissa Harel of Mesa.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, 35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, Ct. 06067.
Services were held March 20 in Mesa. There will be a Memorial Mass April 18 at 10 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church in New Milford.
