United States High School Yearbooks by County
Edna M. Stewart Bennett, 75, longtime resident
Edna Marie Stewart Bennett, 75, of New Milford died July 29 in New Milford Hospital.
Mrs. Bennett was born Nov. 30, 1928, in Brooklyn, N.Y., a daughter of the late Edward F. and Margaret M. (Cowenhoven) Stimus.
She graduated from high school in Brooklyn and was employed by Canada Dry Ginger Ale in New York. Later, after moving to New Milford in 1962, she was employed by Winchester Electronic in New Milford.
Mrs. Bennett is survived by her longtime companion, Harold Condra of New Milford; a daughter, Marie Knopp of New Fairfield; three sons, Frank Stewart and his wife Jean of St. Petersburg, Fla., Joseph Stewart and his wife Paula of New Milford and Patrick Stewart of El Paso, Texas; a stepson, Donald Stewart and his wife Natalie of Plainville, Mass.; an adopted son, Peter Kolvik of New Fairfield; a brother, Noel Stimus of Kingston, N.Y.; two sisters, Margaret Teter of Charleston, W.Va., and Monica Tremont of Litchfield; five grandchildren, Gary and Tara Munsen of New Fairfield, Jennifer Gailey and her husband Justin of New Milford and Christopher and Jaclyn Stewart of New Milford. She was predeceased by three sisters, Grace Zukowski, Dorothy Stimus and Berniece Waffle, and a brother, Edward Stimus Jr.
A graveside service will be held at a later date. There are no calling hours.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the National Federation for the Blind, 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore, MD 21230, or to Father Flanagan’s Boys and Girls Town: Father Val J. Peter Boys Town Center, Boys Town, NE 68010.
Theresa D. Strand, 90, was active in New Milford
Theresa (Donovan) Strand, 90, of Sarah Pierce Assisted Living Community in Litchfield, died Aug. 4 at Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center in New Milford. She was the widow of Einar Strand.
Mrs. Strand was born April 30, 1914, in New York City, daughter of the late Joseph and Mary (Dunn) Donovan.
She was employed by Metlife Insurance Company’s management division in New York for 16 years. She moved to New Milford from Queens in 1974.
She was a past vice president of the New Milford Senior Citizens Club, past treasurer of Butter Brook Residents Association, a former member of the board of directors of the American Association of Retired Persons, member of the Advisory Board of Commission on Aging, and a member of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW 1672. She also volunteered at New Milford Hospital until 1989.
Mrs. Strand is survived by two daughters, Christine McGrath and her husband Stephen of Litchfield, and Katherine Mulvey and her husband John of Massapequa, N.Y.; and four grandchildren, Tom and John McGrath and John and Noreen Mulvey.
Friends may call at the Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge St., New Milford, today (Friday) from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated today at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church in New Milford. Burial will follow at Center Cemetery in New Milford.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut, 62 Commercial Blvd., Torrington, CT 06790.
Arthur Chamberlain, 79, was a Sherman resident
Arthur C. Chamberlain, 79, of 26 Orchard Rest Road, Sherman, died July 31 at his home. He was the husband of Patricia Chamberlain.
Mr. Chamberlain was born Nov. 3, 1924, in Yonkers, N.Y.
He served in the 15th Air Force during World War II, participating in 50 missions over Europe.
Mr. Chamberlain was an electrical contractor and former owner of Hammond Electric Co., Inc., of Mt. Kisco, N.Y. He worked his way from an apprentice in the IBEW Local 501 to serve as president and governor of the Westchester Fairfield NECA. He also served as president of the NYS group of NECA chapters, was on the Westchester Fairfield NECA Board of Directors for 15 years and served on the electrical licensing board for 16 years.
He was an active member and past president and a Paul Harris Fellow of the Mt. Kisco Rotary Club and a lifetime member of the American Legion.
Besides his wife, Mr. Chamberlain is survived by four children; nine grandchildren; a great-grandchild; two siblings; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association National Office, 225N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601.
Lois P. Jaruk, 84, lifetime New Milford resident
Lois (Piersall) Jaruk, 84, of New Milford died July 30 at Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center. She was the widow of Michael Jaruk.
Mrs. Jaruk was born July 31, 1919, in Bridgeport, daughter of the late Isaac and Mae (Medicott) Piersall.
She lived in New Milford her entire life and worked as a bank clerk at the New Milford Savings Bank until her retirement in 1982.
Mrs. Jaruk is survived by two cousins, Irma Vuille of New Milford and Lois Axsom of Yardley, Pa., and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her son, Michael.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the New Milford VNA Hospice, 68 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776, or to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, P.O. Box 5022, Wallingford, CT 06492-7522.
Lawrence Capozziello Sr., 71, local woman’s father
Lawrence A. Capozziello Sr., 71, of Newtown died Aug. 2 at Danbury Hospital. He was the husband of Alicia Capozziello.
Mr. Capozziello was born March 8, 1933, son of the late Nicholas and Esther (Hagan) Capozziello.
He served in the Army during the Korean War. He was the former owner and operator of N.C. Capozziello and Sons for over 50 years, retiring in 1995.
Besides his wife, Mr. Capozziello is survived by three sons, Michael of California, Lawrence Jr. of Waterbury and Chris and his wife Lori of Newtown; two daughters, Patricia Oberg and her husband Carl of New Milford and Susan Marcinek and her husband David of Newtown; three brothers, Vincent and his wife Marilyn of Milford, Thomas of Florida and John and his wife Fern of Beacon Falls; a sister, Regina Carmpolucci of New Jersey; and eight grandchildren. He was predeceased by two brothers, Leonard and Joseph.
The Spadaccino Community Funeral Home of Monroe was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Salesians of St. John Bosco, Salesian Residence 1000 Ave., Marrero, LA 70072.
Victor Osborne, 71, brother of local woman
Victor H. Osborne, 71, of Corbin Road, Hamden, died Aug. 2 at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.
Mr. Osborne was born Sept. 20, 1932, in Hartford, the son of the late Howard and Helen C. Osborne.
He earned an associate degree at the University of New Haven. For about 10 years he was a police officer in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. His favorite story was arresting Albert DeSalvo, who later became known as the Boston Strangler.
Later he worked for the Hartford Insurance Company as a safety engineer with United Airlines. He was also safety manager at Yale University from 1969 until his retirement in 1992.
Mr. Osborne is survived by a sister, Lillie Allen of New Milford; two daughters, Susan Price of Gardenerville, Nev., and Victoria Schneider of Fulton, Mo.; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Southern Connecticut Chapter, 2911 Dixwell Ave., Hamden, CT 06514.
Alma Farinha, 93, was a resident of New Milford
Alma Farinha, 93, of New Milford, formerly of Sea Bright, N.J., died July 28 at her home. She was the widow of Albert Farinha.
Mrs. Farinha was born Feb. 16, 1911, in Elizabeth, N.J., a daughter of the late William and Mary (Daube) Farinha.
She was a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother.
Mrs. Farinha is survived by a daughter, Joan King and her husband Charles of New Milford, and two grandchildren, Susan Breed of San Francisco and Douglas Breed of Denver. She was predeceased by a daughter, Carole Ann Breed.
The Colonial Funeral Home in New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorials may be made to the New Milford Animal Welfare Society, 8 Dodd Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
David Knutson, 69, served on Roxbury Land Trust
David H. Knutson, 69, of Roxbury, formerly of New York City, died Nov. 30 at his home. He was the husband of Kirsten B. Knutson.
Mr. Knutson was born in St. Paul, Minn., son of the late Harry E. and Violet I. Knutson.
He graduated from Harvard College cum laude in 1956 and from Harvard Law School in 1961. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Denmark from 1961 to 1962.
Mr. Knutson practiced law in New York City. He was an associate with Lord, Day & Lord from 1962 to 1969 and served as secretary and senior attorney at Freeport Minerals Company from 1969 to 1986. He earned master’s degrees from the New York University School of Law in corporation law in 1990 and in taxation in 1994.
He served as president and treasurer of the Roxbury Land Trust from 1986 to 1996. He was a member of the Harvard Club of New York and the American Bar Association.
Besides his wife, Mr. Knutson is survived by a daughter, Clara of Roxbury; a brother, Daniel of St. Charles, Ill.; and two sisters, Ruth-Christine of Paris and Mary Hurtley of St. Paul.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Washington at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at Roxbury Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory may be made to New Milford Visiting Nurse Hospice, 68 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776, or to the Roxbury Land Trust, P.O. Box 51, Roxbury, CT 06783.
Sydney Biddle, 86, artist and New Preston resident
Sydney F. Biddle, 86, of New Preston died Dec. 4. He was the husband of Flora Biddle.
Mr. Biddle was born in Philadelphia. He attended Harvard College before serving in the Navy from 1941 to 1945, when he was discharged as a lieutenant commander. He later graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and received a law degree from Columbia University.
He worked in law and insurance until his retirement in 1985, at which time he became a painter, creating drawings and prints in his studios in New Mexico, New York and Connecticut.
Besides his wife, Mr. Biddle is survived by a daughter, Alexandra Basinski and her husband John of Jenkintown, Pa.; two brothers, Stark and Oliver; four stepchildren, Michelle Evans, Duncan and Cully Irving, and Fiona Donovan; nine step-grandchildren; and two step-great-grandchildren.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to The Fabric Workshop & Museum (Acadia Summer Art Program), 1315 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19107.
George J. Bonis Sr., 77, father of New Milford men
George Joseph Bonis Sr., 77, of Greenlawn Drive, Danbury, died Dec. 1 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was the husband of Sarah (Ishee) Bonis.
He owned and operated GJ Bonis & Sons Property Management for 30 years. He enjoyed fishing, boating and spending time on the water. He loved agriculture and cooking.
Besides his wife, Mr. Bonis is survived by two sons, George Jr. and his companion Kathy DiCecca of New Milford, and William and his wife Cheryl of New Milford; two daughters, Georgia Smelcer and her husband Allen of Danbury, and Sarah Brookins and her husband Robert of Fort Ann, N.Y.; nine grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; a brother, Tony of Norwalk; and two sisters, Helen Parillo of Westport and Peggy Migliaccio and her husband William of Preston.
He was predeceased by two brothers, Orain Ready and Cashmere, and two sisters, Ann and Loretta.
The Cornell Memorial Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford, CT, 06492.
Ronald Baker, 69, stepfather of New Milford man
Ronald Baker, 69, of Rockledge, Fla., formerly of Danbury, died Dec. 4 at Brevard Hospice in Rockledge. He was the husband of Sadie (Bailey) Baker.
Mr. Baker was born Aug. 15, 1935, in Bridgeport, son of Eleanor and Arthur C. Baker Jr.
He attended Bethel and Danbury schools and graduated from Pawling High School, Class of 1954. He was employed for 24 years at Branson Ultrasonic Corporation, where he was an inventory control manager. He retired in 1990.
At one time Mr. Baker was the number one duckpin bowler in Connecticut and among the top 10 in the United States. He was a member of the Professional Bowlers Association and won state and regional tournaments.
He was a resident of Florida since 1990 and also enjoyed golf. He was a member of St. Anthony’s Maronite Catholic Church of Danbury and Ascension Catholic Church of Melbourne, Fla.
Besides his wife, Mr. Baker is survived by a stepdaughter, Joanne Marinelli of Manchester; two stepsons, Joseph DeBroske of New Milford and James DeBroske; five step-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Anthony’s Maronite Church, 17 Granville Ave., Danbury, CT 06811.
