United States High School Yearbooks by County
Robert Newman Jr., 56, attended church locally
Robert W. Newman Jr., 56, of Brookfield, died June 12 in San Antonio, Texas, after a sudden illness. He was the husband of Jane M. (Keaney) Newman.
Mr. Newman was born May 29, 1945, in Jersey City, N.J., son of the late Robert W. and Adelaide (Conklin) Newman Sr.
He was a graduate of Fairleigh-Dickinson University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He later received his master’s degree from the University of Bridgeport in business administration.
He worked for 19 years with Middlesex Mutual of Middletown, and for the past five years was chief executive officer for Summer Insurance Company in Brookfield. He had also served as national claim director for the Home Insurance Company of New York City.
Mr. Newman was a communicant of Our Lady of the Lakes Church, New Milford, and was a member of Loss Executives Association and New England Claims Executives Association and the American Legion Post of Seymour.
Besides his wife, he is survived by three sons, Jeremy, Todd and Glenn, all of Seymour; a stepdaughter, Katherine Stevens of Brookfield; and an aunt, Ruth of Brookfield.
The Cornell Memorial Home of Danbury handled arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Our Lady of the Lakes Church, 3 Old Town Park Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Ruth Lounsbury, 90, had 160 great-grandchildren
Ruth Mary Pickens Lounsbury, 90, formerly of the New Milford and Redding areas, died June 10 in Saint George, Utah, where she had resided for the past two years during a long illness. She was the widow of Everett Beezo Lounsbury and James Pickens.
Mrs. Lounsbury was an active churchgoer, loved children and had 14 foster children besides her own while living in Connecticut. Family and friends remember that she loved to serve others in the church community and children on an Indian reservation.
She is survived by eight sons, Donald and Kris of Utah, Everett of Arizona, Chet and Timothy of Oregon, Joseph of Connecticut and Washington, Peter of Washington and Mickey of New Milford; five daughters, Myra Howard of Utah, Marie Krzeminski of North Carolina and Sandy Brook, Susan Shores and Bonnie Nielsen of Utah; and 88 grandchildren; 160 great-grandchildren; 11 great-great-grandchildren; and over 250 direct offspring. She was predeceased by three grandchildren.
The Metcalf Mortuary of Utah was in charge of arrangements.
Nora C. O’Connell, 90, was a Sherman resident
Nora (Courtney) O’Connell, 90, of Sherman died June 17 at New Milford Hospital. She was the wife of the late Joseph K. O’Connell.
Mrs. O’Connell was born in Maharise, County Kerry, Ireland, Aug. 5, 1910, a daughter of the late James and Ellen (Crean) Courtney.
She had lived for many years in the New York City area, moving to New Milford from Cambria Heights, Queens, N.Y., in 1998.
She is survived by two sons, Patrick of Port Jefferson, N.Y., and Joseph of Sherman; a daughter, Eileen McSherry of Flagler Beach, Fla.; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford handled arrangements.
Leon St. Amand, 65, formerly lived in New Milford
Leon G. St. Amand, 65, of Tampa, Fla., died June 17 at Mease Countryside Hospital.
He was born in Berlin, N.H. He was a resident of Norwalk for many years and moved to Tampa in 1978 from New Milford.
Mr. St. Amand is survived by his wife, Eileen; three daughters, Donna Saunders of Nashville, Tenn., and Denise and her husband Tim Shindel and Lisa St. Amand of Tampa; three brothers, Fern of Melbourne, Fla., Robert of Spring Hill, Fla., and Paul of Norwalk; a sister, Theresa Linnell of Westbrook, Maine; and three grandchildren, Kellie, Alex and Nikki. He was predeceased by a brother, Roland.
A memorial service will take place at a later date in Florida.
The Curlew Hills Memory Gardens Funeral Home in Florida is in charge of the arrangements.
Margaret T. Deak, 87, lifelong area resident
Margaret (Trenka) Deak, 87, of 77 South Kent Road, Gaylordsville, died June 26 at her home. She was the wife of the late Victor J. Deak.
Mrs. Deak was born March 27, 1914, in Kent, a daughter of the late Paul and Anna (Gavel) Trenka.
She had lived the greater part of her life in New Milford.
Mrs. Deak is survived by a son, Anthony and his wife Harriet of Bridgewater; three sisters, Josephine Gawel and Caroline Deak of New Milford and Angie Bilski of Anson, Maine; seven grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Holy Cross Polish National Cemetery, c/o Ester Kibbe, 303 West Meetinghouse Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Mary Alice Coen, 78, was a local real estate agent
Mary Alice (Flannery) Coen, 78, of 42 Hilltop View Road, New Milford, died June 26 at Pope John Paul Center for Health Care in Danbury. She was the wife of the late Gerald Coen.
Mrs. Coen was born April 20, 1923, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
She spent her early life in Canada and was a graduate of the University of Toronto.
She had worked for many years for BOAC in both Bermuda and New York. She had lived in New Milford since 1961.
Upon moving to Connecticut, Mrs. Coen became a longtime real estate agent with Goodfellow Ashmore Real Estate Agency in Danbury. She had later worked as an independent insurance agent at Donald F. Hackey Associates in Ridgefield.
Mrs. Coen is survived by a son, Kevin of New Milford; a daughter, Kathleen of Toronto; and three sisters, Helen Flannery of Toronto, Kay Sawdon of Niagara Falls, Canada, and Margaret Waghorn of Corbeil, Ontario, Canada.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Lucy Marra, 67, mother of New Milford woman
Lucy A. (Sciole) Marra, 67, of Falmouth Court, Brookfield, died June 29 at the Filosa Convalescent Home. She was the wife of the late Alphonse Marra.
Mrs. Marra was born April 15, 1934, in Bronxville, N.Y., daughter of the late John and Julia (DiPietro) Sciole.
She was a graduate of Tuckahoe High School in New York. She lived most of her life in Tuckahoe and lived in Stamford for four years before moving to Brookfield in 1989.
She was employed as a receptionist for G.E. Capital for seven years, retiring in 1994.
Mrs. Marra was a member of St. Joseph’s Church in Brookfield, the Senior Group of Newtown and the Widows and Widowers of Brookfield and was a volunteer at Danbury Hospital.
She is survived by a son, Thomas and his wife Jayne of Bristol; two daughters, LuAnn Treszi and her husband Guy of New Milford, and Sally Hessenius and her husband Chris of Brookfield; a brother, Matthew Sciole of Fort Wayne, Ind.; a sister, Mary Albanese of Milford; nine grandchildren, David and Jessica Liss, Thomas, Michael and Lucas Marra, C.J., Allison, Angela and Craig Hessenius; and several nieces and nephews.
The Brookfield Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Kimberly Richter, 35, sister of Roxbury woman
Kimberly Ann Richter, 35, of 274 Railtree Hill Road, Woodbury, died June 30 at Danbury Hospital.
Ms. Richter was born Oct. 28, 1965, in Bridgeport, a daughter of Thomas A. and Carole (Wilcox) Richter of Woodbury.
She was a Woodbury resident for four years, having previously lived in Southbury.
She was the owner of Kimberly Klean, an aircraft detailing service.
Besides her parents, Ms. Richter is survived by a daughter, Courtney of Wethersfield, and two sisters, Lyn Clear of Woodbury and Dawn Richter-Renihan of Roxbury.
The Carpino Funeral Home of Southbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Courtney Marie Richter Trust Fund, c/o Carpino Funeral Home, 750 Main St., Southbury, CT 06488.
John Pecor Sr., 59, father of New Milford woman
John A. Pecor Sr., 59, of 45A Virginia Ave., Danbury, husband of Mary Jimmetta (Durkin) Pecor, died July 2 at Danbury Hospital.
He was born June 11, 1942, in Danbury, a son of Ruth A. (Cunningham) Pecor of Danbury and the late Herman R. Pecor.
He served in the United States Army during the Berlin crisis and was employed by Knapp Tree as a line tree foreman until an injury required him to leave.
Besides his wife and mother, Mr. Pecor is survived by two daughters, Karen De Los Santos of Danbury and Mary Savino of New Milford; a son, John A. Pecor Jr. of Danbury; two sisters, Elizabeth A. Cooper of Danbury and Wanda Wilson of Virginia; four brothers, Ronald Pecor and Herman R. Pecor Jr., both of Danbury, and Mark and Dean Pecor, both of Tennessee; five grandchildren, Kristin, Jessica, Fauston Jr., Courtney and John III; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Peter Church today (Friday) at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Peter Cemetery.
The Green Funeral Home in Danbury is in charge of the arrangements.
Merrill Golden, 91, New Milford native, businessman, volunteer
Merrill S. Golden, 91, of Canterbury Road, New Milford, died July 13 at home. He was the husband of Marjorie (Louis) Golden, who died in 1996.
Mr. Golden was born April 25, 1910, the son of Joseph I. and Eva (Effron) Golden. He was a lifelong resident of New Milford and never lived more than a mile from where he was born. He was a World War II veteran, serving with the Army Air Corps.
Mr. Golden graduated from New Milford High School in 1926 and attended New York University and Lehigh University before joining with his father and his brother, Lawrence Golden, in operating Golden & Sons clothing store on Bank Street in New Milford.
After his father’s death in 1948, he and his brother continued to run the store until they retired in 1970.
Mr. Golden’s involvement in the New Milford community was extensive. He was a founder of Temple Sholom, and in his later years he was an active volunteer at New Milford Hospital and the New Milford Visiting Nurse Association.
He was a former longtime member of the New Milford Board of Education. Among the other organizations he served were the New Milford Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber’s Village Fair Days Committee, New Milford Community Ambulance, the New Milford Fire Association, the Lions Club, Water Witch Hose Co. No. 2, the American Legion, the John Pettibone Memorial Scholarship Committee, the Historical Society, the town’s 250th Anniversary Committee (in 1957), the New Milford Water Company and the advisory board for the former State National Bank.
Mr. Golden was inducted June 23 into the New Milford High School Hall of Fame for his contributions to the community.
He was an avid philatelist and had one of the largest collections of postmarks in the country.
Mr. Golden is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Dorothy G. and Kimball Hunt of Bloomfield; a son and daughter-in-law, Louis Golden and Margaret Buchanan of West Hartford; five grandchildren, Eli Hunt of New York City, Regina Hunt of Bloomfield and James, Daniel and Julia Golden, all of West Hartford; a sister, Ruth Katz of Baldwin, N.Y.; a brother and sister-in-law, Walter and Nettie Golden of Stamford; a sister-in-law, Naomi Golden of Wellfleet, Mass.; and many nieces and nephews.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to the Marjorie and Merrill Golden Fund of Temple Sholom, P.O. Box 509, New Milford, 06776, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Josephine Akridge, 88, mother of New Milfordite
Josephine Burnette Akridge, 88, of Danbury, died July 17 at Harborside-Glen Hill Health Care Center, Danbury. She was the widow of Willard M. Akridge.
Mrs. Akridge was born June 23, 1913, in West Pierpont, N.Y., a daughter of the late John and Lillis (Tupper) Burnette. She attended schools in New York and was a graduate of the Flushing General Hospital School of Nursing in Flushing, N.Y.
She moved to Danbury in the early 1940s and worked as a private duty nurse at Danbury Hospital.
Mrs. Akridge was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the St. Barnabas Guild of Nurses and the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Bethel.
Mrs. Akridge is survived by a daughter, Merrily Michaud of New Milford; two sisters, Jeanne Bednarski of Syracuse, N.Y., and Alma Duford of Morristown, N.Y.; three grandchildren, Ronald Frank of Danbury, Cherie McLaughlin of Lima, Ohio and Nancy Mazzarella of Stafford, Va; five great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Her funeral service will be held today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at the Hull Funeral Home, 60 Division St., Danbury, with the Rev. Dombrowski officiating. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery, Bethel.
Memorials may be made to Danbury-Bethel Seventh Day Adventist Church, 67 Turkey Plain Road, Route 53, Bethel, CT 06801.
