United States High School Yearbooks by County
Barbara Trowbridge, 69, mother of New Milfordite
Barbara Ellen Trowbridge, 69, of Brookfield died May 5 at her home. She was the wife of Stuart B. Trowbridge.
Mrs. Trowbridge was born in Bethel Oct. 18, 1930, a daughter of the late Leonard B. and Edna E. (Markle) Ferry.
She attended schools in Bethel and graduated from Bethel High School in 1948. She was employed for 25 years by the Bethel Board of Education. She was a teacher's aide for 20 years.
She loved spending time with family and friends and loved children and volunteering. She was an enthusiastic volunteer for the American Cancer Society, serving as a driver and as a fund raiser.
Mrs. Trowbridge served on the board of the Bethel Visiting Nurse Association and worked at the VNA-sponsored Bethel Well Child Clinic. She delivered meals for Meals-On-Wheels, was a fund raiser for DATAHR and also was a senior volunteer at the Danbury Welcome Center.
Besides her husband of 51 years, she is survived by two daughters and sons-in-laws, Suzanne and Dean Perry of New Milford and Sharon and Joseph of McLean, Va.; a sister, Elizabeth Tomascak of Brookfield; four grandchildren, Matthew and Tessa Perry and Michael and Jesse Lawrence; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by sisters Julia Bristol and Alice Prinz.
The Bethel Funeral Home was is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Bethel United Methodist Church, 141 Greenwood Ave., Bethel, CT 06801; or to the Bethel VNA, 1 School St., Bethel, CT 06801.
Joan Cimmino, 70, longtime Sherman resident
Joan (Schroeder) Cimmino, 70, of 37 Anderson Road, Sherman, died May 4 at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She was the wife of Robert V. Cimmino.
Mrs. Cimmino was born in Bronx, N.Y., May 25, 1929, a daughter of the late Alfred H. and Irene (Lynar) Schroeder.
She was a graduate of Central Commercial High School in the Bronx and later attended Hunter College in New York City.
Mrs. Cimmino had lived in Sherman for the past 30 years and had worked as a secretary at the New Milford Senior Center for the past 20 years. She was a member of the Bible Baptist Church in New Milford.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Cimmino is survived by a son, Christopher A. Cimmino of Sherman; two daughters, Karen I. Tucker of White Plains, N.Y., and Meredith A. Cimmino of Atlanta, Ga.; a sister, Doris Christensen of Stuart, Fla.; and two grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, Alfred Schroeder.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Helen Bonkowski, 74, mother of Bridgewater woman
Helen Bonkowski, 74, of Connecticut, formerly of South Bend, Ind., died April 30 in Spring Hill, Fla. She was the widow of Eugene S. Bonkowski.
Mrs. Bonkowski was born Nov. 18, 1925, in South Bend, Ind. daughter of the late Louis and Angela (Kania) Galeziewski. She moved to Connecticut in 1984.
She was a member of Z.B. Falcons Nest No. 80 and the American Legion Auxiliary, both in South Bend. She was also a member of the Bridgewater Grange, Bridgewater Fire Department Women's Auxiliary, the Hilltop Quilters and the Bridgewater Homemakers.
Mrs. Bonkowski is survived by two daughters, Cathleen Sullivan of Bridgewater and Pamela Robinson of Spring Hill, Fla.; two grandsons, Kevin and Keith Sullivan; and one brother, Stanley Galeziewski of South Bend.
Local memorial services will be held today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church in Brookfield.
Alice Morrissey, 83, was a Bridgewater resident
Alice (Condon) Morrissey, 83, of Bridgewater died May 5 at her home. She was the wife of Martin J. Morrissey.
Mrs. Morrissey was born Aug. 4, 1916, in New York City, daughter of the late William and Mary Ellen (Carter) Condon.
She was a 1939 graduate of Good Council College in White Plains, N.Y. She taught in the Thornwood, Valhalla and Elmsford, N.Y., school districts for 30 years.
Mrs. Morrissey was a member of New York State Retired Teachers Association and was a communicant of St. Francis Xavier Church. She was an expert knitter.
Besides her husband of 56 years, she is survived by three daughters, Kathleen Sweeney of Chalfont, Pa., Alice Browne of Crompond, N.Y., and Patricia Snodgrass of Bridgewater; a sister, Anne Trow of Southbury; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Melissa Lynn Ives, 24, was born in New Milford
Melissa Lynn Ives, 24, of 21 Old Grove St., New Milford, died May 4 as a result of a one-car accident on Sunset Lane in Washington.
Ms. Ives was born in New Milford Sept. 22, 1975, a daughter of Donald Kriksciun of Washington and Maureen Jennings McBride of New Milford.
She attended New Milford schools.
Besides her mother and father, she is survived by two sons, Kyle and Dylan Bennett of Washington; a sister, Jessica Cruz of the United States Army at Fort Campbell, Ky.; a brother, Sgt. Barry Ives of the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas; a step-brother, Patrick McBride; a step-sister, Tanya McBride; a step-father, Patrick McBride; and her companion, Edward Antonowicz.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Midwestern Connecticut Council on Alcoholism, Elm Street, New Milford, CT 06776; or to MADD, 186 Danbury Road, New Milford CT 06776.
William Darling memorial service set for May 20
A memorial service for William J. Darling Jr., 38, of New Milford will take place May 20 at St. Francis Xavier Church on Route 109 in New Milford.
Mr. Darling died Feb. 13 after a brief illness. He was the husband of Michelle Walsh.
Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons, Evan and Shawn of Bradenton, Fla., formerly of New Milford; his mother, Marie Darling of New Milford; three sisters, Sheryl Moynihan of New Milford, Beverly Whitmore and Donna Matson, both of Kent; six nieces and nephews; a great niece; and a great nephew.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford is in charge of arrangements.
Aimee Willouer, 97, was a well-known antique expert
Aimee G. Willouer, 97, of the Northville section of New Milford, died May 9 at the New Milford Nursing Home. She was the widow of William T. Willouer.
Mrs. Willouer was born March 21, 1902, in Fremont, N.H., daughter of William J. and Melvina (Wallace) Gagnon.
She was a well-known expert in period antiques and a dealer for more than 50 years.
Mrs. Willouer's family moved to Bridgeport, and she attended Bridgeport schools, including Bassick High School.
In 1923, she graduated from the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, now Parsons School of Design. Her schedule there included a junior year abroad, rare at that time, with courses at continental art school and extended trips to Paris, Rome, Florence, London and other centers of arts and decoration.
In the 1920s, Mrs. Willouer managed interior decorating shops on Madison Avenue in New York and in Boston. In the early 1930s she was commissioned by Igor I. Sikorsky to design the interiors of his first three commercial aircraft.
Early in the Depression years she was riding through New Milford and saw an attractive, barn-like building beside the East Aspetuck River in Northville, which she thought would be an ideal location for an antiques shop.
On inquiry, she found that it was vacant and owned by Edwin Hendricks, a longtime resident of the area. He told her the building had been a well-known cider brandy distillery, and they came to a rental agreement.
Beginning with minimal stock, she collected antiques from the New Milford-Litchfield area. She called the shop The Old Brandy Mill and began a spring-to-fall business, specializing in high-quality American antique furniture.
About 1933, she married Mr. Willouer, whose family had collected old firearms and historic memorabilia in Philadelphia. They bought the Brandy Mill property and added a two-story living quarters on an end of the mill.
Together they assembled collections of early mechanical banks, decorated tinware and dolls that they sold to the founders of Sturbridge Village, and through buying complete estates, acquired individual pieces they crated and shipped to customers across the country.
The business continued for more than 50 years, until Mr. Willouer's poor health dictated its closing, about 1986. After his death, Mrs. Willouer lived alone with increasingly poor eyesight until a stroke in 1997 necessitated constant care.
Mrs. Willouer is survived by four nieces, Geraldine Gagnon-Warner and Judith M. Bartek, both of Bethel, Bernadine L. Gagnon of North Haven, and Edna M. Lang of Petaluma, Calif.; her sister-in-law, Mrs. Bernard Gagnon of Bethel; and a close family friend, Lawrence Banks of Redding.
The Hull Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of the arrangements.
Jean M. Marsh, 77, was a New Milford native
Jean Marie Marsh of Candlewood Lake Road North, New Milford, died May 13 at New Milford Hospital.
Miss Marsh was born in New Milford Aug. 9, 1922, the daughter of the late Gerald and Marie (Baylis) Marsh.
She was a graduate of the Junior College of Connecticut, having graduating as a certified professional secretary.
Miss Marsh was employed by the Connecticut Department of Education in the New Milford Field Office for several years.
In 1943, she began her employment as a secretary for the Remington Arms Co. of Bridgeport, working with the company for over 40 years in the engineering department and later as secretary and administrative assistant to three of its presidents. She retired in 1983.
She was a member of the First Congregational Church of New Milford and a volunteer in its church office. She was a member of the New Milford Historical Society, serving as its secretary and a member of its Board of Trustees for several years.
She is survived by her brother, Donald G. Marsh of New Milford; three nephews; and several great nieces and nephews.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the First Congregational Church of New Milford Book of Remembrance, 36 Main St., New Milford, CT 06776; or to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, P.O. Box 5022, Wallingford, CT 06492-7522.
Charles Watts, 77, was a native of Washington
Charles Watts, 77, a former West Cornwall resident, died May 8 in Boaz, Ky. He was the husband of Dorothy L. Watts.
Mr. Watts was born Aug. 16, 1922, in Washington, son of the late Charles S. and Annie L. (Decker) Watts.
He left Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 1941 to join the Army. He served with the 1252nd Army Air Force Base unit.
He worked for the state of Connecticut and later for Sandmeyer Oil Co., now Scasco Oil Co., and retired in 1984 after 35 years.
Mr. Watts was a past master of Blazing Star Lodge in Cornwall, a member of the West Cornwall Fire Company and past commander and district commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 9856 in West Cornwall.
The town of Cornwall honored him with its outstanding citizen award in 1980.
Besides his wife of 52 years, Mr. Watts is survived by two sons, David C. of Sharon and Michael A. of West Cornwall; two daughters, Deborah W. Gasperini of Boaz and Diane M. Watts of Sharon; two brothers, Art Watts of Sharon and Russell Watts of New Milford; three sisters, Marguerite Haskell, Clara Murphy and Mary Adams, all of Kent; and four grandchildren.
The Kenny Funeral Home of Sharon was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Charlotte Hungerford Dialysis Unit, 540 Litchfield St., Torrington, CT 06790; or to West Cornwall Fire & Ambulance, West Cornwall, CT 06796.
John W. Anderson, 91, was born in New Milford
John W. Anderson, 91, of New Milford died May 12 at the Candlewood Valley Care Center, New Milford. He was the husband of Mary E. (Hipp) Anderson.
Mr. Anderson was born in New Milford Dec. 7, 1908, a son of the late John O. and Jennie (Knudsen) Anderson.
A lifelong resident, he graduated from local schools and was employed as a carpenter for the C.M. Beach Co., and Hanson and Sons Builders, both of New Milford, for many years, retiring 21 years ago. Upon retiring, he occasionally was requested to handle carpentry jobs on his own.
A lifelong member of St. John's Episcopal Church, New Milford, he served on the church's vestry, was a former head usher and volunteered in various capacities. He was a veteran life member of the I.O.O.F. Good Shepherd Lodge No. 65, New Milford, and was an avid gardener, with many of his neighbors enjoying the fruits of his labor.
Besides his wife, Mr. Anderson is survived by two daughters, Elaine A. Carlson of Kent and Barbara A. Ohmen of New Milford; two brothers, Everett W. Anderson and Raymond V. Anderson, both of New Milford; five grandchildren, Laurie E. Ohmen, Sharon Gray, Heather M. Carlson, Sarah E. Carlson and Andrew E. Carlson; and two great-grandchildren, Chelsea E. Gray and Jordan A. Gray; and several nieces and nephews.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church Book of Remembrance, 7 Whittlesey Ave., New Milford, CT 06776; or to the Connecticut Eye Bank and Visual Research Foundation, 100 Grand St., New Britain, CT 06052.
