United States High School Yearbooks by County
Lydia Gagnon, 87, was mother of area residents
Lydia Marie (Levesque) Gagnon, 87, of Fall River, Mass., died July 5 in New Milford. She was the widow of Joseph A. Gagnon.
Mrs. Gagnon was born May 13, 1915, in Fall River, the daughter of the late Arthur Levesque and Eugenie Labonte.
She was a Navy wife and traveled with her husband throughout his naval career. She had lived in San Diego, Arlington, Mass., and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
She is survived by a son, Roger and his wife Carolyn of New Milford; two daughters, Jean Couto of Marlboro, Mass., and Doris Worthington of New Milford; a sister, Rita Brandel of Ohio; 10 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a daughter, Dianne.
The Auclair Funeral Home in Fall River was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 40 North St., Danbury, CT 06810, or to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 120 Wall St., New York, NY 10005.
William F. Butler, 83, was a retired school principal
William Francis Butler, 83, of 8 Wedgewood Drive, New Milford, died June 27 at New Milford Nursing Home. He was the widower of Ruth (Hussey) Butler.
Mr. Butler was born Oct. 22, 1918, in Worcester, Mass., son of the late Edward J. and Josephine (O’Connell) Butler.
He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army. He was a graduate of Hyannis State Teachers College, Hyannis, Mass. He later received a master’s degree from Boston University.
He was a member of the faculty and then became principal for 20 years at Bourne Junior High School, Bourne, Mass. He moved to New Milford in 1999.
Mr. Butler is survived by two daughters, Mary Jo of Boise, Idaho, and Patricia Lieberman of New Milford; and four grandchildren.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to New Milford Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 102, New Milford, CT 06776.
Debra Turek, 43, was sister of New Milford woman
Debra Ann (Self) Turek, 43, of Hillsborough, N.J., died June 29 at Princeton Medical Center. She was the wife of Jim Turek.
Mrs. Turek was born June 21, 1959, in New Rochelle, N.Y., daughter of Rosemarie Self and the late Eugene Self.
She was raised in Brookfield and lived in Tustin, Calif., for 13 years, then lived in Hillsborough, N.J., since 1991.
She was an insurance underwriter at Allstate, where she worked 16 years. She served as the former secretary of both the Social Aquatic League Swim Team and the Hillsborough Little League. She served on the Hillsborough Credit Card program benefiting local non-profit organizations.
Besides her mother and husband, Mrs. Turek is survived by her children, Jason and Ashley; two sisters, Adrienne and her husband Ken Ventresca of New Milford, and Erica and her husband Marc Benedetti of Haverhill, Mass.; and four nephews, Matt and Andy Ventresca and Nick and Thomas Benedetti.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 p.m. at Grace Christian Fellowship, Route 6, Newtown.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the National Cancer Institute or to Montgomery Evangelical Free Church, 246 Griggstown Road, Belle Mead, N.J.
Flower donations can be sent to Grace Christian Fellowship, Route 6, Newtown, CT 06470.
Muriel G. Smith, 97, was a resident of Roxbury
Muriel G. Smith, 97, of 38 East Woods Road, Roxbury, died July 6 at the Lutheran Home, Southbury. She was the widow of Guy L. Smith.
Mrs. Smith was born Sept. 26, 1904, in Fowlerville, Mich., daughter of the late Roy and Erdine (Glenney) Benjamin.
She received her master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University in 1951 and taught in Michigan for 31 years.
She was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church and the Eastern Star of Belleville, Mich.
Mrs. Smith is survived by a daughter, Carol Marshall of Roxbury; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and six great-great grandchildren. She was predeceased by two sons, John and Lorraine.
The Carpino Funeral Home of Southbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Lutheran Home, 990 Main St. North, Southbury, CT 06488, or to Hospice of Connecticut, 237 East Aurora St., Waterbury, CT 06708.
Irene A. Melycher, 69, sister of New Milfordites
Irene Ann Melycher, 69, of Ocean Shore Boulevard, Ormond, Fla., died June 29 at her home. She was the wife of Ronald Melycher.
Mrs. Melycher moved to Florida 10 years ago from Danbury. She retired from Risdon Manufacturing Corp. after 22 years of service. She started as an inspector and worked her way up to assistant to the personnel manager.
She was a member of Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church, Flagler Beach, Fla., and the Moose Lodge No. 1263, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Besides her husband, she is survived by four daughters, Melinda Huber of Londonburry, N.H., Dianne Swartz of Prescott Valley, Ariz., Susan Mastrianni of Brookfield and Leanne Bonadio of Raleigh, N.C.; five bothers, George Loya of Connecticut, Steven Loya of New Milford, Joseph Loya and Andrew Loya of Bethel, and John Loya of Danbury; a sister, Mary Kayser of New Milford; and 14 grandchildren.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3900 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129.
Philip Schmidt, 51, was former Cub Scout leader
Philip J. Schmidt, 51, of Vista Drive, New Milford, died suddenly July 7 at New Milford Hospital after a short illness. He was the husband of Anne (McGowan) Schmidt.
Mr. Schmidt was born in Philadelphia June 3, 1951, the son of Irene (Blasick) and Charles Schmidt Sr. He graduated from Father Judge High School.
A resident of New Milford for 15 years, Mr. Schmidt was employed as service manager for Dobson Pools. He was a past leader for Cub Scout Pack 58 and was fondly known as “Leader Schmidt.”
In addition to his wife and parents, he is survived by his son, David P. Schmidt of New Milford; two brothers, Charles Schmidt of Macon, Ga., and Richard Schmidt of Winter Haven, Fla.; one sister, Carol Lutz of Drexel Hill, Pa.; seven nieces and nephews and one great-niece.
A memorial service will be held July 20 at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church, Route 109, New Milford.
A fund in Mr. Schmidt’s memory has been set up for his son, David. Donations may be sent to David Schmidt, care of Webster Bank, 54 Bridge St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Labina Sherwood, 83, had been a Roxbury resident
Labina Sherwood, 83, of Sarasota, Fla., died June 29. She was the widow of Walter D. Sherwood.
Mrs. Sherwood was born in Lodi, N.J., daughter of the late Peter and Henrietta (Roubos) DeGraff.
She grew up in Fair Lawn, N.J., and graduated from East Side High School and Business Secretarial School in New York. She was a Roxbury resident for many years.
She was secretary to the president of Scovill Hamilton Beach Corp’s Connecticut office, retiring in 1984.
She was an active member of Dartmouth College Alumni. She retired to Sarasota, Fla., and had been convalescing at the home of her great-niece, Mary Ann Bell of Ottsville, Pa.
Mrs. Sherwood is survived by many great-nieces and nephews.
The Donahue Funeral Home of Ottsville was in charge of arrangements.
Donald Sumple Sr., 65, brother of New Milford man
Donald J. Sumple Sr., 65, of Windsor died July 6 at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford. He was the husband of Mary Frances (Umstatter) Sumple.
Mr. Sumple was born Dec. 22, 1936, in Bridgeport, the son of the late Michael and Gertrude (Lucas) Sumple.
He was a resident of Newtown for over 37 years before moving to Windsor two months ago. He worked as an engineer with several companies throughout his career, including Nelco in Kansas and California. For the past four years, he worked with Hamilton Sundstrand as a project engineer.
In 1990, at 53, he ran and completed the New York City Marathon after many months of training.
Besides his wife, Mr. Sumple is survived by a daughter, Melissa Fenner and her husband Kevin of Manchester; two sons, Donald of Torrington and his fiancée Maria Fitzpatrick, and Jonathan of Pompano Beach, Fla.; a brother, Michael and his wife Pat of New Milford; a sister, Virginia Mueller of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and three grandchildren, Kyle, Jake and Maxwell. He was predeceased by a brother, Bernard.
The Carmon Windsor Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Francis Hospital Cancer Fund, 114 Woodland St., Hartford, CT 06105-1299.
Dorothy Grosso, 67, mother of Bridgewater woman
Dorothy “Dottie” (Miguel) Grosso, 67, of Oakland Heights, Bethel, died July 6 at Danbury Hospital. She was the widow of Peter J. Grosso.
Mrs. Grosso was born Aug. 21, 1934, in Danbury, a daughter of the late Frank and Sundae (Manzi) Miguel, Sr.
She was a lifelong resident of the Danbury/Bethel area and attended Danbury schools.
She is survived by two daughters, Gwen of Bridgewater and her fiancé Robert Ponsky, and Petie Pollard of Bethel; three brothers, Frank Miguel Jr. of Bradenton, Fla., Philip Cavalier of Long Island, N.Y., and Albert Cavalier of Danbury; two grandsons, Troy and Elliot Pollard; and several nieces and nephews.
The Bethel Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to Praxair Cancer Center, c/o Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Ave., Danbury, CT 06810.
R. Lee Weston, 88, had been a Bridgewater resident
(Rose) Lee Weston, 88, died July 1 at Candlewood Health & Rehabilitation Center, New Milford.
Mrs. Weston was born June 13, 1914, in Worcester, Mass., daughter of the late Israel and Etta Greece.
She attended schools in Worcester before moving to New York City. In 1961, she moved to New Fairfield and worked for National Shoe Store. She retired as supervisor in 1986 from Berkshire Shopping Center.
She lived in Danbury from 1978 until 1993 when she moved to Bridgewater.
Mrs. Weston is survived by a son, Mitchell of Bridgewater, and two grandsons.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
C. Robert Ohmen, 89, was active in the community
C. Robert Ohmen Sr., 89, of 9 Mountain Laurel Road, New Milford, died July 11 at The Kent. He was the husband of Marie (Scavillo) Ohmen.
Mr. Ohmen was born July 17, 1912, in Warren, son of the late L. Alfred and Ruth (Whitlesey) Ohmen.
He was a graduate of New Milford High School, Class of 1931, where he was president of the class. He was a Navy veteran of World War II, serving in the Seabees.
Mr. Ohmen was the owner of the New Milford Foundry and Machine Company, where he started working Sept. 8, 1927, and became a member of the firm in 1937. He purchased the company in 1962. At one time, he was a co-owner of Washington Plumbing and Heating.
Mr. Ohmen was very active in New Milford. In October of 1979, he was honored with a testimonial for his 50 years of service to the town.
He served nine years on the Board of Assessors, served nine years on the Board of Education, and was a member of the Town Hall Annex Building Committee, the first Sewer Commission and the New Milford High School Building Committee (regarding its former location on Sunny Valley Road).
Mr. Ohmen was a charter member and past president of the New Milford High School Men’s Booster Club, past captain and past chief of Water Witch Hose Co. No. 2, a member of Litchfield County Fire Chiefs Plan, and a member and past president of the New Milford Lions Club. He was made a Melvin Jones Fellow for dedicated humanitarian services by the Lions Clubs International Foundation.
He was a member and past Noble Grand of IOOF, a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1672 and a director of New Milford Ambulance Association.
He served on the Board of Managers of New Milford Hospital, was superintendent of New Milford Water Company for 16 years, a corporator of New Milford Savings Bank (now NewMil Bank), a member and past president of the New Milford Plumbers Association, a member of Lake Waramaug Country Club, and secretary of the Boy Scout Troop No. 58 Committee for 15 years.
Mr. Ohmen was a member of the First Congregational Church in New Milford, serving on its Board of Trustees. He served two terms as chairman on the Board of Trustees.
Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, C. Robert Jr. of New Milford; a daughter, Charlene Janecek and her husband William of Chester; a French daughter, Danielle Reynes of France; a brother, Richard of New Milford; two sisters, Thelma Aldrich of New Milford and Christina Johnson of Bridgewater; three grandchildren, Jennifer Termini of Chester, Joseph Janecek of East Haddam and Jason Janecek of Chester; and two great-grandchildren, Ashley and Cheyenne Termini. He was predeceased by a brother, Minor, and a sister, Katherine Caldwell.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Water Witch Hose Co. No. 2 Scholarship Fund, 8 Grove St., New Milford, CT 06776; or to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, 282 Washington St., Hartford, CT 06106.
