United States High School Yearbooks by County
Kenneth R. Eriksen, 71, had been a Kent resident
Kenneth R. Eriksen, 71, of Brookfield died July 17 at The Kent. He was the husband of Gertrude (Matson) Eriksen.
Mr. Eriksen was born Feb. 12, 1932, in Danbury, son of the late Kenneth N. and Ruth (Lindskog) Eriksen.
He grew up in Danbury and had worked as a machinist for the Knudsen Corporation in Danbury for many years. He later went on to work as a contractor to local builders.
He was a World War II Army veteran, serving in the Battery B 963rd Field Artillery Battalion. He was a gentleman farmer, raising cows and horses, and a member of the Brookfield Sportsman’s Club and the Wesconn Widdlers.
Besides his wife, Mr. Eriksen is survived by many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will take place at the Newbury Congregational Church in Brookfield at a date and time to be determined.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Newbury Book of Remembrance, P.O. Box 597, Brookfield, CT 06804; or to Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, 405 Main St., Danbury, CT 06810.
Dr. Julian Estrada, 72, practiced for two decades in New Milford
Dr. Julian Estrada, 72, of 44 Candlewood Lake Road North, New Milford, died July 28 at New Milford Hospital.
Dr. Estrada was born Nov. 28, 1930, in the Dominican Republic, son of the late Mario and Onelia (Santamaria) Estrada.
He graduated from the University of Santo Domingo School in 1954 before moving to Hoboken, N.J., where he was an intern at St. Mary’s Hospital. He completed his residency at The Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y. and at Boston City Hospital. He was a member of The American Medical Association, The Connecticut Medical Society and The Litchfield County Medical Society.
In 1962, Dr. Estrada moved to New Milford and took over the orthopedic practice of Dr. George Lataif. He closed his private practice after two decades and began working at Wassaic Developmental Center in Wassaic, N.Y., until his retirement in 1995.
Dr. Estrada is survived by two sons, Julian Jr. of San Francisco and Andres of Boston; a brother, Daniel of the Dominican Republic; a sister, Cecilia Leroux of San Juan, Puerto Rico; and two grandchildren, Alexander and Samantha.
A memorial Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church, New Milford, at a date and time to be announced.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Donations in his memory may be made to The New Milford Hospital Foundation, 21 Elm St., New Milford, CT 06776; or to The American Heart Association, P.O. Box 5022, Wallingford, CT 06492.
Helen Rotella, 65, was sister of New Milford man
Helen G. Rotella, 65, of Toms River, N.J., died July 25 at Community Hospital in Toms River. She was the wife of Leon M. Rotella Sr.
Mrs. Rotella was born Oct. 7, 1937, in Danbury, the daughter of the late Robert and Helen (Hyatt) Gore.
She was employed as a mortgage broker for Union Savings Bank, retiring in 1996.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Rotella is survived by two daughters, Debora Keller and her husband Robert of Riverton, and Dawnmarie of Newtown; two sons, Leon Jr. and his wife Theresa of Monroe and Robert and his wife Lynne-Ann of Danbury; three sisters, Beverly Toth of Trenton, N.J., and Linda Mazza and Patricia Bickelhaupt of Bethel; two brothers, Ronald Gore of New Milford and Robert Gore Jr. of Stockbridge, Vt.; three grandchildren, Ashleigh Beck, Richard Beck III and Julia Rotella; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by four brothers, John, Richard, Rowland and Donald Gore.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 300 Research Pkwy., Meriden, CT 06450.
Vera Cooper, 89, was mother of Bridgewater man
Vera Esther (Bracken) Cooper, of Newtown died July 28 at Danbury Hospital. She was the widow of Jack Carter Cooper.
Mrs. Cooper was born May 9, 1914, in Norwalk, daughter of the late Elmer Francis Bracken and Ruth Meeker-Hawkins (Bracken).
She was a graduate of Norwalk High School and lived in East Norwalk until moving to Newtown in 1951.
She was retired as a longtime employee of Fabric Fire Hose in Sandy Hook, and later with Uniroyal. After her retirement in 1974, she continued to work for several years as a temporary employee with many local companies.
Mrs. Cooper is survived by two sons, David and his wife Patricia of Bridgewater, and James and his wife Karen of Ridgefield; a sister, Betty Sculley and her husband Norman of East Norwalk; five grandchildren, Kevin of Warren, Michael of Bridgewater, Glenn and his wife Heidi of Ladera Ranch, Calif., Scott and his fiancée Veronica Egan of Plymouth, Mass., and Suzanne and her fiancé Scott Porter of Ward, Colo.; three step-grandchildren; and a step-great-granddaughter.
She was predeceased by two sisters, Phyllis Tolles of Bethlehem and Ruth Bracken of Norwalk.
The Honan Funeral Home of Newtown handled arrangements.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Mental Health Association of Connecticut, Inc., 345 Main St., Danbury, CT 06810
Orlando Belmont, 89, father of New Milford man
Orlando Belmont, 89, of Cos Cob died July 26 at Greenwich Hospital. He was the husband of Yolanda (Forte) Belmont.
Mr. Belmont was born Aug. 2, 1913, in Greenwich, the son of the late Ernest and Anna (Volpe) Belmont.
He was a retired foreman with Pitney Bowes and an avid gardener.
Besides his wife, Mr. Belmont is survived by two sons, Ernest of New Milford and Robert of Michigan; a daughter, Ann Sgritta of Cos Cob; two brothers, James of Cos Cob and Anthony of Greenwich; two sisters, Lena Obuchowski of Stamford and Carmela Misuriello of Riverside; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by three sisters, Mary Capalbo, Jenny Cassuto and Josephine Carbino, and five brothers, Renaldo, Sabatino, Richard, Albert and Rudolph.
The Castiglione Funeral Home, Inc. of Greenwich was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Gail Quick, 67, had owned Time in a Bottle
Gail C. Quick, 67, of 92 Park Lane Road, New Milford, died July 25 at New Milford Hospital. She was the wife of Sherman Quick.
Mrs. Quick was born Jan. 4, 1936, in Bridgeport, daughter of the late John and Charlotte (Lee) Cleever.
She worked as a salesperson for Caldor before owning and operating Time in a Bottle of Newtown, Brookfield and New Milford. She retired in 2001. She was a New Milford resident since 2001 and a member of the Jim Beam Bottle Club.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Quick is survived by a son, Geoffrey of New Milford; a daughter, Marcie Cronin and her husband David of New Haven; a sister, Nancy Bagley of Bushnell, Fla.; and a nephew. She was predeceased by a son, Gary.
A memorial service will be held Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Grace Christian Fellowship, 174 Mt. Pleasant Road, Newtown. The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to The Quick Family, 92 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Henry L. Koza, 67, former New Milford resident
Henry Lawrence Koza, 67, of Valrico, Fla., died July 23.
He had resided in New Milford and Carmel, N.Y.
He was a traffic manager for Hollander Trading Corp. for 27 years.
Mr. Koza is survived by a son, Matt and his wife Sheryl of Valrico; a daughter, Nancy of Los Angeles; a brother, Tom Vila and his wife Fran of Morristown, N.J.; a sister-in-law, Rita Vila of Brewster; and two granddaughters, Danielle and Ashleigh.
The Dorsey Funeral Home of Ossining, N.Y., was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to The American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492, or to The American Diabetes Foundation, 300 Reasearch Parkway, Meriden, CT 06450.
Eileen Essig, 77, mother of New Milford woman
Eileen (Temple) Essig, 77, of 99-969 Aiea Heights, Aiea, Hawaii, died July 15 at her home. She was the widow of Robert J. Essig.
Mrs. Essig was born Nov. 16, 1925, in Long Island City, N.Y., the daughter of the late Albert and Josephine (Gadel) Temple.
She lived in the New Milford area from 1952 until 1998, when she moved to Hawaii.
Mrs. Essig is survived by two daughters, Joanne Chapin of New Milford and Mary Essig-Morrow of Aiea, and three grandchildren, Amanda and Nate Chapin, and Adam Morrow.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Donations in her memory may be made to Hospice Hawaii, 860 Iwilei Road, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Adeline Thompson, 53, paraeducator in schools
Adeline “Addie” Thompson, 53, of New Milford died July 24 in New Milford Hospital after an extended illness.
Ms. Thompson was born Feb. 15, 1950, in Norwalk, a daughter of Lucell “Peggy” (Burke) Fenton of New Milford and the late Harold Thompson.
She moved to New Milford in 1956 and graduated from New Milford High School in 1968. She was employed by the former Candlewood Valley Bus Company for 15 years. She was the New Milford town van driver for a few years before beginning her work as a paraeducator at Hill and Plain School 10 years ago.
Besides her mother, Ms. Thompson is survived by a daughter, Rebecca Fisher of New Milford; three brothers, Leonard of North Hyde Park, Vt., Edward and his wife Bea of Liberty, Neb., and Richard and his wife Jane of Barre, Vt.; a sister, Flossie Jackson and her husband Alfred of Norwalk; a stepbrother, Richard Fenton and his wife Virginia of Danbury; and two grandchildren, Jessica and Robbie Fisher.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Adeline Thompson Memorial Fund, c/o NewMil Bank, P.O. Box 600, New Milford, CT 06776.
Gilbert Wadle, 69, was resident of New Milford
Gilbert “Meatball” Wadle, 69, of New Milford, formerly of Patterson, N.Y., died July 28. He was the widower of Ann (Bernsen) Wadle and Audrey L. (Smith) Wadle.
Mr. Wadle was born Dec. 27, 1933, in Minchweiler, Germany, son of Karl and Erna (Shoenfelder) Wadle.
He attended schools in Somers and Carmel, N.Y. He was owner and operator of Gil’s Diner and Catering Service, and later Meatball’s Deli and Catering, both in Patterson.
He was a member of the Patterson Fire Department and lived in Patterson and Somers.
Mr. Wadle is survived by two sons, Kevin of Ashville, N.C., and John of Hong Kong; a daughter, Lisa of Brewster; a sister, Rosemarie Perrin of Patterson; two stepsons, Harold Sterry of Brookfield and Brian Sterry of New Milford; three stepdaughters, Helen McBride, Ina Rapp and Teal Hope of New Milford; 12 grandchildren; and seven great grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held today (Friday) at 11 a.m. at The Dwyer Funeral Home, 23 South St., Patterson. Interment will take place at Maple Avenue Cemetery, Patterson.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Patterson Fire Department, P.O. Box 334, Patterson, NY 12563.
Anthony Caraluzzi Sr., 95, Bridgewater man’s father
Anthony Caraluzzi Sr., 95, of Bethel, formerly of Redding, died July 24 at his home. He was the widower of Julia (Pennachio) Caraluzzi.
Mr. Caraluzzi was born Dec. 9, 1907, in Bronx, N.Y., son of the late Louis and Filomena (DiTori) Caraluzzi.
After a 27-year career with the Gristede Brothers Grocery chain in Manhattan, he and his wife founded the Bethel Food Market — “Tony’s Market,” as it was affectionately known.
Mr. Caraluzzi is survived by four sons and their spouses, Louis and Rosemarie of Bethel, Edward and Pamela of Redding, Robert and Carol of Bridgewater, and Anthony Jr. and Roberta of Redding; a sister, Catherine Santangelo of Bethel; 12 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury handled arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Anthony and Julia Caraluzzi Family Scholarship Fund, Western Connecticut State University, 181 White St., Danbury, CT. 06810, or to the charity of one’s choice.
