United States High School Yearbooks by County
M. Dorothy McGrath, 88, mother of resident
M. Dorothy Donovan McGrath, 88, of 7 Attawan Ave., Niantic, died Nov. 6 at the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London.
She was born Aug. 9, 1911, in New London, the daughter of Patrick and Mary (Keefe) Donovan. Mrs. McGrath worked for many years as a secretary/bursar for St. Bernard High School and St. Joseph School. She retired in 1984.
Mrs. McGrath graduated from local schools and the New London Business College. She married James T. McGrath Aug. 19, 1937, in New London. He died in 1971.
Mrs. McGrath is survived by two sons, T. Thomas McGrath of Plano, Texas, and Richard McGrath of New Milford; a daughter, Therese Merola of North Haven; four sisters, Helen Galvin of New London, Margaret Marnett of Boynton Beach, Fla., Mildred Ferace of Waterford and Jane Donovan of Washington D.C.; 11 grandchildren, Debra, Nicholas and David Merola, Traci Belcher, Shane, Lauri and Patrick McGrath, Tera, Scott, Kenneth and Allie Nimer; and two great grandchildren, Casey Merola and Ashley Norkowski. She was predeceased by five brothers, Ronald, Kenneth, John, Arthur and William Donovan.
The Thomas L. Neilan & Sons Funeral Home of New London was in charge of arrangements.
Donations in her memory may be made to Saint Joseph Endowment Fund, c/o Saint Joseph Church, 17 Squire St., New London, CT 06320, or to the charity of the donor's choice.
James Barnes, 54, church sexton in Washington
James Barnes, 54, of Woodbury Road, Washington, died Nov. 2 at his home.
Mr. Barnes was born Aug. 20, 1945, in Kansas City, Mo., son of Helen (Henkel) Barnes of Mission, Kan., and the late Owen J. Barnes.
He was a Washington resident for the past 15 years and was sexton of St. John's Episcopal Church in Washington for 14 years.
Besides his mother, Mr. Barnes is survived by a brother, Bob Barnes of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; and a sister, Gwen Smith of Mission.
The Woodbury Funeral Home of Munson-Lovetere was in charge of arrangements.
Grace O. McNulty, 86, lifelong area resident
Grace O. McNulty, 86, of New Milford died Nov. 7 at her home. She was the wife of the late Thomas J. McNulty Sr.
Mrs. McNulty was born in Danbury Jan. 2, 1913, a daughter of the late Joseph and Anna (Karey) Oris. She was a graduate of Danbury High School and was a resident of the Danbury, Brookfield and New Milford area throughout her life.
Mrs. McNulty was last employed as an office manager for the Viking Wire Company of Danbury and had also been employed by other companies, primarily in the area of bookkeeping.
During World War II, Mrs. McNulty was employed as an inspector/machinist with the Barden Corp. of Danbury and contributed to the development of the Norden Bomb Site.
An avid gardener and grower of chrysanthemums, she was a member, with her late husband, of the Dahlia Society. She also enjoyed sewing, breeding and raising Basset Hounds and traveling throughout Ireland. Mrs. McNulty was a parishioner of St. Joseph Church, Danbury.
She is survived by two sons, Thomas J. McNulty Jr. of Danbury and John V. McNulty of East Haddam; a daughter, Zita A. Seymour of Southbury; six grandchildren; four great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, Danbury. Burial will be in St. Peter Cemetery, Danbury.
There are no calling hours.
The Hull Funeral Home of Danbury is in charge of arrangements.
Maurice A. Goldstein, 69, prominent local attorney
Maurice A. Goldstein, 69, a senior partner in the law firm of Cramer & Anderson, died Nov. 6 at New Milford Hospital (see story, Page S1).
He was born in Danbury Oct. 8, 1930, son of the late Irving and Sylvia (Worthman) Goldstein. He was a 1948 graduate of Danbury High School and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1952 and Boston University School of Law in 1955.
Mr. Goldstein served in the Judge Advocate Office of the U.S. Navy and in 1959 became a member of the law firm of Cramer & Anderson, where his colleagues say his guidance and wisdom will be missed.
Mr. Goldstein contributed immensely in civic and community activities in New Milford, most notably as chairman of the Board of Directors of the New Milford Hospital Foundation from 1989 to 1999 and co-chairman of the recent Capital Leadership Program for the New Milford Hospital.
He was instrumental in the establishment of the New Milford Hospital-Columbia Presbyterian Regional Cancer Center that opened this year.
Among other civic activities, he was a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, former president of the New Milford Rotary Club and former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Housatonic-Shepaug United Way.
Mr. Goldstein is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, attorney Theodore H. and Helen Goldstein of Danbury; his lifelong friend, Hanley Meirowitz of New Milford; his nephews and their wives, Irving and Ellen Goldstein of Greenwich and their children, Amy and David, Stephen and Susan Goldstein of Wayland, Mass., and their son, Aaron, and Mark and Maria Goldstein of Glen Mills, Pa.; and his nieces, Dr. Diane Goldstein of Oakland, Calif., and Susan Kustaborder of Langhorne, Pa., and her husband, Craig. He was predeceased by a brother, Marvin C. Goldstein.
A funeral service was held Tuesday at Temple Sholom in New Milford.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the New Milford Hospital-Columbia Presbyterian Regional Center, c/o New Milford Hospital Foundation, 49 East St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Charles Skelly, 64, leaves family in New Milford
Charles Skelly, 64, of Countryside Manor, Bristol, died Nov. 1 at Bristol Hospital.
He was born in Danbury May 28, 1935, a son of Madeline Rieless and the late Charles Skelly.
Mr. Skelly attended Danbury schools and was a retired truck driver.
Besides his mother of New Milford, Mr. Skelly is survived by two sons, Sean and Steven Skelly; a daughter, Sharleen Skelly; four brothers, Steven, John, Walter and Michael Skelly; three sisters, Kathy Mazinski of New Milford, Margaret Wahlstrom of Danbury and Julieann DeBonis of Colorado; and grandchildren.
The Tomlinson Homestead of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897; or to Countryside Manor, 1660 Stafford Ave., Bristol, CT 06010.
Walter Blonski, 81, brother of New Milfordite
Walter R. Blonski, 81, husband of Marguerite (Donato) Blonski, of Fourth Street, Danbury, died at the Bethel Health Care Center Nov. 7.
He was born in Freeland, Pa., Feb. 10, 1918, a son of the late Ignatius and Ludwika (Pekala) Blonski. He was a graduate of Foster Township High School in Freeland and had attended Crandall Business School in Danbury and had taken courses at Western Connecticut State University.
Mr. Blonski moved to Danbury in 1937 and worked in the hatting industry for five years. He then worked for the Bridgeport Brass Co. during World War II.
He worked for Republic Foil/National Aluminum from 1947 until his retirement in 1984. He started as a rolling mill supervisor and later became quality control manager. At the time of his retirement he was quality assurance manager and consultant.
Mr. Blonski was one of the founding members of the Greater Danbury Section of the American Society of Quality Control.
He was a member of St. Gregory the Great Church in Danbury and was an avid flower grower. He and Mrs. Blonski celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary Oct. 26.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Blonski is survived by two sons, Ronald A. Blonski and his wife, Cathy, of Danbury and Father Joachim (Jan) Blonski of Aztec, N.M.; five sisters, Sophie Jasinski of Bethel, Mary Patren and Josephine Esposito of Danbury, Helen Schulze of Brookfield and Dolores Toussaint of New Milford; two grandchildren, Rebecca L. Blonski and Steven A. Blonski, both of Danbury; his dog "Casey"; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by an infant daughter, Marguerite, and three brothers, Joseph, John and Frank Blonski.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by his son, Father Joe, at St. Gregory the Great Church today (Friday) at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Peter Cemetery.
The Green Funeral Home in Danbury is in charge of the arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the St. Joseph Church Building Fund, 500 N. Mesa Verde St., Aztec, NM 87410.
Teresa Sullivan, 70, mother of New Milford man
Teresa "Terry" (La Magna) Sullivan, 70, of 27 High View Terrace, Bethel, died Nov. 15 at home. She was the wife of Michael L. Sullivan.
Mrs. Sullivan was born in New York City May 7, 1929, a daughter of the late Guiseppe and Assunta La Magna. She was married Nov. 23, 1947, and had been a resident of Bethel since 1954.
She worked in various offices in the area, including Danbury Hospital, Union Trust, Marcus Dairy, Grandway and Mr. Luongo of Bethel.
In 1979, Mrs. Sullivan earned her bachelor's degree in community health from Western Connecticut State University. She was a nursery school teacher and a member of St. Mary Church in Bethel. She also volunteered at the Johnson School in Bethel as a reading partner.
Besides her husband Mike, Mrs. Sullivan is survived by two daughters, Denise Sullivan of Madison and Ann Marie S. Priolo and her husband Randy of Mission, Texas; two sons, Mark Sullivan of New York City and Timothy Sullivan and his wife, Lyn of New Milford; and 10 grandchildren, Liza and Joseph Wadanoli, Rose Marie and Patricia Sullivan, Diana Maldonado, Timothy and Tyler Sullivan, Maranda, Michael and Morgan Priolo.
The Bethel Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897-2523 or to the Bethel VNA, 1 School St., Bethel, CT 06801.
Marianne Follmer, mother of Roxbury woman
Marianne Elodi (Peck) Follmer, a resident of the Lutheran Home in Southbury since 1992, died Nov. 2. She was the widow of Charles J. Follmer, former president of Eagle Parachute Company.
Mrs. Follmer was born in Chittenango, N.Y., daughter of the late Frank A. and Lita (Waggoner) Peck. She lived in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, New York City and Lancaster, Pa., while married.
Mrs. Follmer lived in South Egremont, Mass., for 25 years and lived at Heritage Village in Southbury until 1988 when she moved to Roxbury to live with her daughter.
She attended Hathaway Brown School in Cleveland and National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and studied at the John Murray Anderson School of Theater and Dance in New York City.
Mrs. Follmer successfully began a career in this area and appeared in many exhibition ballroom dance performances and several prominent theater productions in New York City, Lake Placid, N.Y., and Santa Barbara, Calif. She had been a member of the New York City Junior League and Actors' Equity Association.
She is survived by a daughter, Marianne Follmer Finn of Roxbury.
The Carpino Funeral Home of Southbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to a local animal shelter.
Mildred Greaves, 81, mother of Sherman resident
Mildred (Vopelak) Greaves, 81, formerly of 108 Clark Road, Naugatuck, died Nov. 14 at Beacon Brook Health Center, Naugatuck, after a brief illness. She was the widow of Stanley F. Greaves.
Mrs. Greaves was born Nov. 22, 1917, in New York, N.Y., daughter of the late Joseph and Anna (Katrak) Vopelak. She worked as assistant director of the town of Meriden Welfare Department.
Mrs. Greaves is survived by a son, Robert Gordon of Sherman; several grandchildren; and great-grandchildren.
The Buckmiller Brothers Funeral Home of Naugatuck was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the charity of one's choice.
Bert Williams Sr., 71, former Nestle employee
Bert D. Williams Sr. died Nov. 9 at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. He was the husband of Helen Williams of Lake Placid, N.Y.
Mr. Williams, 71, retired from Nestle in New Milford in 1992. He had been in the military and was a lifetime member of the VFW Post 1672 in New Milford.
Besides his wife, Mr. Williams is survived by six daughters, Lila Herne of Potsdam, N.Y., Ida Moquin and Betty Matoes, both of Lake Placid, N.Y., Rebecca Reidhaar of Dover, Del., Pamela Williams of McDonough, N.Y. and June Worley of Brookfield; two sons, Bert Williams Jr. of Columbus, Mo., and Rodney Williams of New Milford; a brother, Maritt Williams of Plattsburg, N.Y.; five sisters, Beatrice Burl and Alma Lawrence, both of Lake Placid, Florence Denton and Joyce Peck, both of Wilmington, N.Y., and Laura Roe of Schenectady, N.Y.; 34 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The Clarks Funeral Home in Lake Placid was in charge of arrangements.
