United States High School Yearbooks by County
Elayne J. Rush, 72, had booth at Elephant’s Trunk
Elayne Julia (Duhan) Rush, 72, of 61 Poplar Drive, Southbury, died March 13 at her home. She was the wife of James J. Rush.
Mrs. Rush was born Aug. 4, 1929, in Bridgeport, a daughter of the late Stephen and Anna (Soltis) Duhan.
She moved to the New Milford area as a child and attended New Milford schools. In 1956, she returned to Bridgeport and resided there until 1976, when she moved to Southbury.
She was a collector of vintage memorabilia and jewelry and maintained a booth at the Elephant’s Trunk in New Milford.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Rush is survived by a son, Scott Cable of Newtown; three daughters, Sharon Beaudoin of Southbury, Roxanne Alfano of Waterbury and Laurie Cooke of New Milford; three brothers, John Duhan of Springfield, Mass., Alvin Duhan of New Milford and Michael Duhan of Florida; two sisters, Maryanne Cable of Torrington and Arlene Onorato of Jewett City; two half-brothers, two half-sisters; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
The Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Memorial Walk, Buy a Brick Program, at New Milford Hospital, c/o NewMil Bank, 291 Danbury Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Jason R. Rothe, 28, lived and worked in the area
Jason R. Rothe, 28, of Summit Drive, New Milford, died March 16 from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Mr. Rothe was born Jan. 9, 1975, in Danbury, son of Harry Rothe of New Milford and Donna (Chase) Rothe Williams of Bantam.
He was a sales representative for the Grainger Co. and also worked as a customer service representative for Outpost.com in Bethel and Kent.
He was an avid New Haven Ravens fan.
Besides his parents, Mr. Rothe is survived by his stepfather, Richard Williams of Bantam; two sisters, Laurie Swett of Warren and Amy Harrison of Kent; a stepsister, Kim Williams of Waterbury; and a step-grandmother, Gertrude Clarke of Bantam.
The Rowe Funeral Home of Litchfield handled arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Jason R. Rothe Memorial Fund, c/o NewMil Bank, New Preston, CT 06777.
Elizabeth Cairns, 89, mother of New Milford man
Elizabeth A. Cairns, 89, of Old Town Road, Ridgefield, died March 12 at Wilton Meadows in Wilton. She was the widow of James R. Cairns Sr.
Mrs. Cairns was born Nov. 20, 1913, in Queens, N.Y., the second of 14 children of Robert and Elizabeth (O’Keefe) Dillman.
She attended Long Island schools and lived on Long Island and Staten Island and in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and Ridgefield. For many years, she was a manager of Maggie’s Children Store in Wilton.
She was a member of the Mary Rebekah Lodge in Ridgefield and a member of the First Congregational Church of Ridgefield.
Mrs. Cairns is survived by three sons, James Jr. and his wife Lucille of Venice, Fla., Donald and his wife Marcia of New Milford, and Roy and his wife Laura of Mahopac, N.Y.; two sisters, Rita Abrams of Long Island and Katherine Lobracco of Indiana; a brother, Frank Dillman of Florida; nine grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
The Kane Funeral Home of Ridgefield was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to one’s own choosing.
Ruth Allinger, 78, was a New Milford resident
Ruth E. Allinger, 78, of Bear Hill Road, New Milford, died March 18 at her home. She was the wife of Henry E. Allinger.
Mrs. Allinger was born May 11, 1924, in Brooklyn, N.Y., daughter of the late John E. and Ida (Legenhauser) Merz.
She had been a resident of New Milford since 1972. She was a member of the First Congregational Church of New Milford, the New Milford Garden Club, the Thrift Mart in New Milford and Lake Waramaug Country Club.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Allinger is survived by two daughters, Virginia Bycholski of Tampa, Fla., and Janice Koudelka of Porta Gorda, Fla., and three grandchildren, Janice, Todd and Lindsey Koudelka.
Funeral services will be held today (Friday) at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 36 Main St., New Milford. Burial will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, N.Y.
Friends may call today from 10 a.m. to noon at the Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge St., New Milford.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
William Macartney, 74, father of New Milford man
William E. Macartney, 74, of 22 Caldwell Drive, New Milford, died March 15 at his home. He was the widower of Barbara (Brown) Macartney.
Mr. Macartney was born July 18, 1928, in Queens, N.Y., son of the late George E. and Marion D. (Marvin) Macartney.
He was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. He worked as an engineer at Perkin-Elmer. He was a resident of Nashua, N.H., before moving to New Milford in 1975. He was a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics and International Miniature Aircraft Association.
Mr. Macartney is survived by two sons, James of Weare, N.H., and Peter of New Milford; a daughter, Gail Vogel of Louisville, Ky.; a brother, Richard of New York; two sisters, Dorathy Perry and Ruth Stressler of New York; and three grandchildren.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the New Milford Visiting Nurse Hospice, 68 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
James McGugan, 64, was resident of Washington
James Blair McGugan, 64, of Church Hill Road, Washington, died March 16 at his home.
Mr. McGugan was born Sept. 7, 1938, in New Milford, son of the late Alexander and Sarah (McComaghie) McGugan.
He was a graduate of the former Washington High School, Class of 1957. He was a caretaker for various estates in the area. He was a member of the First Congregational Church in Washington.
He is survived by a sister, Katherine Buck of Washington.
A graveside service will take place in the spring.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the New Milford Visiting Nurse Association, 68 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Robert Whitehead, 87, farmer, volunteer, Washington native
Robert Griswold Whitehead, 87, of 70 Popple Swamp Road, Washington, died March 22 following a lengthy illness. He was the husband of Frances (Collins) Whitehead.
Mr. Whitehead was born June 15, 1915, in Washington.
He graduated from the former Washington High School and from Connecticut Agricultural College (now the University of Connecticut), Class of 1936. He was a fourth generation dairy farmer.
He operated White Ayr Farms for many years with his father and then with his son, Edwin, until his retirement in 1999.
Mr. Whitehead was a 30-year member of the Washington Board of Finance, a 65-year member and past master of the Washington Grange, and a former deacon and trustee of the First Congregational Church of Washington.
He was also director of the Connecticut State Farm Bureau, an original officer of Litchfield County 4-H Fair Association and a member of Litchfield County Dairy Committee.
He received the Connecticut State Farm Bureau Outstanding Member Award in 1980 and a certificate of appreciation for volunteer services to the town of Washington from the Washington Rotary Club in 1994.
Besides his wife, Mr. Whitehead is survived by a son, Edwin of Washington Depot; two daughters, Nancy Pickett of La Canada, Calif., and Susan Rood of Harwinton; a sister, Mary Bremner of Belleview, Fla.; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter, Deborah, and a sister, Laura Bradley.
Burial will take place at the Washington Green Cemetery in the spring.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Washington Ambulance Association, 100 Bee Brook Road, Washington Depot, CT 06794; or to Visiting Nurse Care Northwest, Inc., Federal Square, 24 Village Green Drive, Litchfield, CT 06759-3419; or First Congregational Church, Kirby Road, Washington, CT 06793.
Elizabeth Hatcher, sister of Bridgewater man
Elizabeth B. Hatcher, of Tucson, Ariz., formerly of Brookfield, died unexpectedly March 7.
Ms. Hatcher was the daughter of Walter J. Hatcher of Santa Fe and the late Eugenia B. Hatcher. She grew up in Brookfield.
Mrs. Hatcher was a 1965 graduate of Danbury High School and a 1967 graduate of Dean College. After college, she resided in Brookfield and Westport prior to moving to Tucson in 1980.
She was probably best known as a jewelry craftsperson. Her work was shown and sold across the country under her trademark, EBH. She was also a skilled silversmith and stone setter.
Ms. Hatcher’s first love was her jewelry, but she also possessed strong mechanical skills, which led to a career in office equipment service, then management at Pitney-Bowes in Connecticut and other firms in Arizona.
Besides her father, she is survived by two brothers, Robert of Middlebury and Walter and his wife Virginia of Bridgewater; two nieces, Kristen of Danbury and Jennifer of Brighton, Mass.; and a nephew, Peter and his wife Lisa of Alpine, Wyo.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of the arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Ann’s Place, Home of I Can, 1 Padanaram Road, Suite 201, Danbury, CT 06811.
John Egee Jr., 63, brother of Bridgewater woman
John B. Egee Jr., 63, husband of Doris “De” (Dickenson) Egee, died at his home in Becket, Mass, March 23 after a battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his family.
Mr. Egee graduated from Newtown High School and from Paul Smith’s College in Lake Placid, N.Y.
He served in the United State Air Force for four years. In 1971, he settled in Becket, Mass.
Mr. Egge was a member of the First Congregational Church of Becket. He was a past master of the Evening Star Lodge of Lee, Mass.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Egee is survived by daughter, Danielle of Dalton, Mass.; his son, J. Benton Egee III and his wife Kirsten of Becket; his granddaughters, Shelby and Taylor of Dalton; his sister, Elaine and her husband Dr. Peter Pratt of Bridgewater; his brother, David and his wife Dale of London; his sister, Leslie and her husband Donald Woolery of Glennwood, Minn.; and his brother, Paul of Southbury.
A memorial service will be held May 3 at 1 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Becket.
Memorial contributions may be made to Danbury Hospital, 11th Floor Oncology, 24 Hospital Ave., Danbury, CT 06810.
Margaret Higgins, 79, was mother of New Milfordite
Margaret L. (Lodge) Higgins, 79, died March 17 at Shore Memorial Hospital, Somers Point, N.J., following a long illness. She was the wife of David Higgins.
Mrs. Higgins was born in West Chester, Pa. She lived in numerous locations in the United States and Europe when she accompanied her husband in the U.S. Army.
She was a secretary with the Middle Department Inspection Agency in Marmora, N.J., for 10 years before retiring in 1995. She held a number of secretarial positions throughout her life.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Higgins is survived by a daughter, Peggy Lee Houghtalin of New Milford; five grandchildren, Michael, Eric, Elizabeth, Paul and Robert; and three great-grandchildren, Ryan, Kayleigh and Leighanne. She was predeceased by a daughter, Carolyn Danion, and a sister, Lydia May Suplee.
The Mackey Funeral Home of New Jersey was in charge of arrangements.
