United States High School Yearbooks by County
William Mathews, 73, former Roxbury resident
William Philo Mathews, 73, of Palm Harbor, Fla., died July 9 at his home. He was the husband of Labutius “Boots” Mathews.
Mr. Mathews was born in Milford. He had lived in Roxbury, Wethersfield and Cromwell before retiring to Florida.
He worked for the state for 25 years, mostly at the State Board of Education and Services for the Blind. He was president of A.L. Hodge & Son Lumber Co., a family-owned business in Roxbury.
Mr. Mathews was a Navy veteran of World War II, serving on the Ticonderoga. He was a member of the Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church and Gideons International.
Mr. Mathews was a volunteer with Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department and at Morton Plant Meese Hospital.
Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, William of Mesa, Ariz.; a daughter, Elizabeth Daly of Little Rock, Ark.; a brother, Charles of Ocala, Fla.; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
The Dillion-Baxter Funeral Home of Wethersfield was in charge of arrangements.
Mass scheduled tomorrow for Lucia Grenier
A funeral Mass for Lucia Boisevert Grenier, who died July 5 in Danbury, will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at 10 a.m. in New Milford.
The Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church, located on Route 109.
Dennis Grize, 51, owner of Nor’Easter Restorations
Dennis A. Grize, 51, of 11 Kelsey Lane, New Milford, died July 15 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury as a result of an automobile accident in Washington. He was the husband of Nancy (Harel) Grize.
Mr. Grize was born June 12, 1950, in Waterbury, a son of Jennie (Cocchiola) Grize of Middlebury and the late William Grize.
He was a painting contractor and owned and operated Nor’Easter Restorations of New Milford. He was an avid cook, gardener and fisherman.
Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by a son, Kristofor of New Milford; two daughters, Kelsey and Marina of New Milford; a brother, William of East Dennis, Mass.; a sister, Janice Mabasa of New Milford; several aunts and uncles; and several nieces and nephews.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford handled arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to New Milford Hospital Columbia-Presbyterian Regional Cancer Center, 49 East St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Elisabeth Posselt, 91, longtime active Kent resident
Elisabeth G. Posselt, 91, of Kent, died July 15 at The Kent. She was the widow of Oscar T. Posselt.
Mrs. Posselt was born Jan. 26, 1910, in Buhl, a village on the Swiss-German border, a daughter of Franz and Marie Griesser.
She left Germany alone aboard the passenger ship Europa in 1930 and settled in New York City, supporting herself as a maid, cook, au pair and seamstress. She met her husband in a night school English class, and they married in 1935. They purchased property on Macedonia Road in Kent in 1939 and became permanent residents in 1941.
She raised four children and became involved in the peace movement of the 1960s. She was passionate about music, art, nature and organic gardening. She was an avid reader and loved to participate in lively discussions about politics and literature.
Mrs. Posselt was a deacon of the First Congregational Church of Kent and sang in the choir. The family property remains an unofficial wildlife sanctuary.
She is survived by two daughters, Catherine Bachrach and her husband Bill of Kent and Elisabeth Barker and her husband Tony of Portland, Ore.; two sons, Ted of Oakland, Calif. and Harold and his wife Edie of Canterbury, N.H.; three grandsons, Abram Barker and his fiancee Michelle Barrett of Seattle, Wash., and Theo and Daniel Posselt of San Francisco; two granddaughters, Andrea Bachrach of Manhattan and Jaime Bachrach and her husband Timothy Clew of Brooklyn; a sister, Trudi Rok of Germany; a brother, Ernst Griesser of Germany; and two nieces and a nephew.
A memorial service will be held Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. at the First Congregational Church of Kent.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Kent Center School Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 794, Kent, CT 06757; or to the New Milford VNA Hospice, 68 Park Lane, New Milford, CT 06776.
Kenneth Barron Sr., 90, father of New Milford man
Kenneth Barron Sr., 90, of Norwalk died July 10 at the Strawberry Hill Care Center, Norwalk. He was the husband of the late Anna (Comstock) Barron.
Mr. Barron was born Dec. 29, 1910, in Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands, a son of the late Rev. Charles and Emma (Sibley) Barron.
He had been employed for over 40 years in sales with the Electrolux Corporation, formerly of Old Greenwich.
He is survived by a daughter, Kathleen Whitehead of Redding; a son, Kenneth Jr. of New Milford; two grandchildren, Kenneth of New Milford and Yvonne Buckley of Cornwall Bridge; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
The Bouton Funeral Home of Georgetown handled arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Fairfield County Chapter, 607 Main Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851; or to the Visiting Nurse Care Network, P.O. Box 489, Wilton, CT 06897.
Jonnah T. Wattoff, 38, was a New Milford resident
Jonnah T. Wattoff, 38, of New Milford and formerly of Los Angeles, died July 15 at New Milford Hospital. She was the wife of Matthew P. Wattoff.
Mrs. Wattoff was born Feb. 21, 1963, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the daughter of John Leonard and Patricia DeWitt of Poughkeepsie.
She was a graduate of Antioch College in Los Angeles. She married her husband in Rhinebeck, N.Y. in 1988.
Besides her husband and parents, she is survived by a daughter, Lisa of New Milford; a son, Alan of New Milford; three sisters, Marcia Ellis of Poughkeepsie, Allison Navarro of Platekill, N.Y., and Jennifer Warburton of Shirley, N.Y.; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial mass will be held today (Friday) at 4 p.m. at St. Francis Church, Route 109, New Milford. Entombment will be in the Community Mausoleum in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery.
Contributions in her memory may be made to New Milford Hospital ~Columbia-Presbyterian Regional Cancer Center, 21 Elm St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Mary Bucinsky, 86, was a lifelong area resident
Mary Bucinsky, 86, of 6 Cathryn St., New Milford, died July 8 at New Milford Hospital.
Ms. Bucinsky was born Aug. 8, 1914, in Sherman, daughter of the late Paul and Katherine (Gawel) Tuz.
She spent her early years in Sherman and was last employed as a supervisor at the former Audio Dynamics.
She is survived by a brother, Joseph Tuz of New Milford; three sisters, Julia Anderson and Anna Lescrynski of New Milford and Veronica Alferson of Sherman; and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial mass will be held today (Friday) at 11 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Church, Route 109. Burial will be at the family’s convenience.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford handled arrangements.
Richard P. Carroll, 70, of Kent, well-known artist
Richard Carroll, 70, of Kent, died Aug. 8 after a short illness. He was the husband of Charlotte Carroll.
Mr. Carroll was born in Springfield, Mass., son of the late Bernard and Elizabeth Carroll.
He graduated from Syracuse University in 1954 with a bachelor of fine arts degree.
He worked for 22 years with the Young & Rubicam advertising agency both in New York and Detroit as an art director, producer and director of TV commercials.
He formed his own freelance business and worked for 20 years with many advertising agencies.
He loved woodworking, photography, cryptanalysis, painting, jewelry making and exploration of printing techniques such as lithography and etching. Mr. Carroll helped form a printing cooperative, Road Kill Press, in Kent, where he learned and then taught others the skill of printmaking.
His paintings are in private and public collections throughout the world.
He became interested in botanical art and his egg tempera renderings have been shown at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh and at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.
Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, Timothy of Cleveland, Ohio; two daughters, Wendy of Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., and Nancy and her husband Brad Wakeman of Seattle, Wash.; and a brother, Bernard of Centerville, Ohio. He was predeceased by a son, Steven.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the New Milford Visiting Nurse Association Hospice, 68 Park Lane Road, New Milford, CT 06776.
Mildred Clark, 83, was mother of local doctor
Mildred (Stoorza) Clark, 83, of 5 D Summit Drive, New Milford, wife of the late Morris L. Clark, died Aug. 13 at New Milford Hospital.
Mrs. Clark was born in Port Chester, N.Y., Nov. 12, 1917, daughter of the late Louis and Anna (Singer) Stoorza. She moved to Danbury at an early age. She was a graduate of Danbury High School, Class of 1934.
Mrs. Clark was a communicant of St. Joseph’s Church and was active in the St. Joseph’s School Guild. She was a longtime volunteer at Danbury Hospital until her retirement in 1976 when she moved to Wells, Vt.
She was active in the Woodman’s Association in Wells, having returned to the area and New Milford in 1992. She had been a communicant of Our Lady of the Lakes Church, New Milford.
She is survived by one son, Dr. Morris L. Clark of Roxbury; two daughters, Mary Ellen Comstock of Southbury and Helen Ann Stevens of E. Englewood, Fla; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Interment was in St. Francis Cemetery, New Milford.
The Lillis Funeral Home in New Milford handled arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to New Milford Hospital Building Fund, 21 Elm St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Frank Atkinson, 83, had lived in New Milford
Frank Atkinson, 83, died Aug. 10 at the New Milford Nursing Home.
Mr. Atkinson was born Sept. 7, 1917, in Niantic, son of George and Louise Atkinson.
He lived most of his life in Yonkers, N.Y., until he moved to Bridgeport.
He was honorably discharged from the Army, where he served in the Anti-tank Division, 15th Infantry Regiment in the Middle Eastern Theater Company in Europe, Africa and Germany.
He received the Bronze Service Arrowhead Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge and Army of Occupation Medal of Germany.
After the war, Mr. Atkinson worked for the C, R & L Bus Line until 1975. After that, he worked for the state of Connecticut until he retired.
Later in his life, he moved to Bethel and made his home with his niece, Joan Nutting.
He is survived by a sister, Beulah; several nieces and nephews, Joan and Dick Nutting of Bethel, Raymond and Rosemary Dyer of Waterbury, Richard and Carol Dyer of Florida, Arline Dick of Maryland, Beulah Merritt of Utah, Patricia Schlaefer of California, and Lyn Channey of West Hartford; several great-nieces and nephews, Richard, Nancy and Martha Nutting, Richard , Sherri and Emery Pager, Cathy Dick, Duane, Todd, Shaun, Richard and Eugene Dyer; three great-great-nephews, Tyler and Alexander Nutting and Dillon Dyer. He was predeceased by his brother, George and sister, Claire Dyer.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of funeral arrangements. A memorial service will be held in October, with details to be announced.
Donations in his memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Helen T. Reed, 86, sister of New Milford woman
Helen T. Reed, 86, died Aug. 8 at her home in New Fairfield.
Mrs. Reed was born Oct. 21, 1914, in Hyde Park, N.Y., a daughter of the late James and Margaret (Hughes) Patterson of Brewster, N.Y.
She graduated from Brewster High School in 1935 and was a longtime resident of the area for over 30 years.
She was a beautician at the Village Center Beauty Salon and was a member of Sacred Heart Church, Putnam Lake, N.Y.
Mrs. Reed is survived by two sons, Richard of New Fairfield and Peter of Pawling, N.Y.; four grandchildren, Carey, Stephen, Kevin and Shayne; two sisters, Regina Dower of New Milford and Isabell Yurick of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She was predeceased by a brother, George Patterson and two sisters, Margaret Patterson and Marion Lasher.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church. Interment will be private.
The Beecher Funeral Home of Brewster handled arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, 4 Liberty St., Danbury, CT 06810.
