United States High School Yearbooks by County
James T. Piskura, 85, grandfather of local man
James T. Piskura, 85, of 25275 Rampart Boulevard, Punta Gorda, Fla., formerly of Birch Drive, Bethel, died March 1. He was the husband of Ida (Tawyea) Piskura.
Mr. Piskura was born July 6, 1916, in Brookfield, son of the late Stephen and Katherine (Sacski) Piskura.
He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army military police, and was a participant in the battles of Rome, Arno, North Apennines and Po Valley. He was the recipient of the European African Middle Eastern Theater and American Theater Campaign ribbons. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He was co-owner of the Candlewood Artesian Wells, Inc., until he retired.
Besides his wife, Mr. Piskura is survived by a son, Richard of Punta Gorda; two brothers, John of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Adam of Danbury; two sisters, Mary Zuchack of Brookfield and Susan Gouveia of Rye, N.Y.; three grandchildren, Mark of New Milford, Jill Blankschen of Grescham, Ore., and Paul Scalzo; two great-grandchildren, Mark II and Jacleen; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by four brothers, Frank, Joe, Albert and William.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at St. Gregory the Great Church, 85 Great Plain Road. Entombment will be in St. Peter Cemetery Garden Mausoleum.
The Cornell Memorial Home of Danbury is in charge of arrangements.
Rosemary Dalla Riva, 58, had been hospital nurse
Rosemary (Perrotti) Dalla Riva, 58, of Maple Street Extension, Kent, died March 3 at New Milford Hospital following a long illness. She was the wife of Carl J. Dalla Riva.
Mrs. Dalla Riva was born Oct. 23, 1943, in Danbury, daughter of the late Philip and Mary (Tagliavento) Perrotti.
She graduated from the Danbury Hospital School of Nursing and attended Western Connecticut State University.
She worked at New Milford Hospital as a staff nurse, charge nurse, supervisor and infection control coordinator. She helped design and implement the infection control program at the hospital, participated in epidemiological committees and was known as an expert in her field. She retired in June 2001.
With a colleague, she helped initiate AIDS education programs in school systems. She worked with the hospital team to provide infection control education to many area high schools as well as at local senior centers.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Dalla Riva is survived by two sons, Craig and his wife Jennifer of Springfield, Mo., and Chris of Kent; two sisters, Carolyn Keenan of Danbury and Phyllis Kersting of Little River, S.C.; and several nieces and nephews.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the New Milford Hospital Foundation, 21 Elm St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Michael Tomascak Sr., 35, former K-C employee
Michael D. Tomascak Sr., 35, of Hundred Acres Road, Newtown, died Feb. 26 in Newtown as the result of a motorcycle accident.
Mr. Tomascak was born April 6, 1966, in Waterbury, son of Peter Tomascak of Brookfield and Yolanda Tomascak of Orlando, Fla.
He attended Brookfield schools, Brookfield High School and Shepaug Valley High School. He made his home in Newtown for the past two months.
He was a self-employed contractor for the past two years and previously had been employed by the Kimberly-Clark in New Milford for 13 years.
Mr. Tomascak was a member of St. Joseph’s Church, Brookfield. He was an avid motorcycle rider who previously had raced dirt bikes as a hobby.
Besides his parents, he is survived by his stepmother, Emmalee “Lee” (Martone) Tomascak; a son, Michael “Mikey” of New Milford; a daughter, Kayla of New Milford; his former wife, Karen of New Milford; five sisters, Andrea and Kim of Orlando, Wendy of Deltona, Fla., Donna Kinkade of Ingless, Fla., and Karen Elsenboss of Daytona Beach, Fla.; two brothers, David of New Milford and Brian Pierce of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
The Brookfield Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Tomascak Children’s Fund, c/o NewMil Bank, P.O. Box 600, New Milford, CT 06776.
Mildred Broadbrook, 74, longtime New Milfordite
Mildred Jennie Broadbrook, 74, of 20 Overlook Drive, New Milford, died March 1 at New Milford Hospital after a long illness. She was the wife of John J. Broadbrook.
Mrs. Broadbrook was born April 28, 1927, in Bridgeport, daughter of the late Peter E. and Beatrice A. (Gildart) VanKuren.
She spent her early life in Bridgeport, moving to New Milford in 1960.
Besides her husband, she is survived by a son, John Jr. and his wife Margaret of Naugatuck; two daughters, Bernice of San Francisco and Heidi Sabia and her husband John of Harwich, Mass.; four brothers, George VanKuren of Charlotte, N.C., Peter VanKuren of Milford and Milton and Robert VanKuren of Stratford; three sisters, Shirley Latham of Ansonia, and Pearl Ligouri and Joyce Miller of Trumbull; and three granddaughters. She was predeceased by two sisters, Evelyn Torok and Virginia Barnwell.
A private funeral will be held at the convenience of the family.
The Lillis Funeral home of New Milford is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Adell Nahom, 96, was mother of New Milford man
Adell (Metres) Nahom, 96, of 79 Park Ave., Danbury, died Feb. 28 at Harborside Healthcare-Glen Hill, Danbury. She was the widow of David Nahom.
Mrs. Nahom was born Feb. 19, 1906, in Dier El Kamar, Lebanon, a daughter of the late Alexander and Helen (Lawandos) Metres.
She emigrated from Lebanon to Mexico in 1908 and resided in Mexico until 192,4 when she moved to Lawrence, Mass. She married David Nahom and lived in Lawrence until 1926, when they moved to Danbury.
She was active as an American Red Cross volunteer, a member of St. Ann’s Melkite Church and the former Christian Mothers which became St. Ann’s Ladies Guild.
Mrs. Nahom is survived by a son, Edmund of New Milford; three daughters, Georgette Morey of Danbury, Helen of Los Angeles, and Carol Beers of Brockport, N.Y.; 19 grandchildren; and 23 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a daughter, Emily Gowdy, a son, George, and a great-grandson, Jason.
The Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Ann’s Church Building Fund, 181 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811.
Paul C. Johnson, 45, was a resident of Warren
Paul C. Johnson, 45, of Brick School Road, Warren, died Feb. 26 at New Milford Hospital. He was the husband of Sharon (Hastings) Johnson.
Mr. Johnson was born April 24, 1956, in Bristol, a son of Robert E. and Sandra (Percival) Johnson of Bristol.
He was raised in Bristol and had resided in Brookfield before moving to Warren, where he lived for the past 14 years.
He was the owner of Northwest Music, repairing musical instruments and giving music lessons. He was an accomplished jazz musician and enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Besides his wife and parents, he is survived by a stepson, Donald Cizik of Lexington, Ky.; two stepdaughters, Sharon Salwan of Danbury and Jennifer Marshall of Danville, Ky.; two sisters, Lee Ann Johnson of Alabama and Gail Ricard of Bedford, N.H.; and several nieces and nephews.
The Funk Funeral Home of Bristol handled arrangements.
Anne-Stuart Hamilton, 54, was a Sherman author
Anne-Stuart Hamilton, 54, of 18 Quaker Ridge Road, Sherman, died Feb. 26 at her home. She was the wife of Robert A. Barsily.
Mrs. Hamilton was born Jan. 15, 1948, in Baltimore, daughter of the late Donald and June (Sappington) Hamilton.
She spent her early life in Westport and Weston and lived in New York City from 1968 to 1996. She moved to Sherman in 1999.
She was the author of “A Great Party.” The book is scheduled for release in September by Prentice-Hall.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Hamilton is survived by two brothers, Donald of Trumbull and James of New York City, and a sister, June Gillespie of North Haven.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford is in charge of arrangements.
Dorothy Bowman, 83, mother of New Milfordites
Dorothy (Doerr) Bowman, 83, of 940B Heritage Village, Southbury, died March 4 at New Milford Hospital. She was the widow of Douglas C. Bowman.
Mrs. Bowman was born April 12, 1918, in Queens, N.Y., a daughter of the late Frank and Helen (Iden) Doerr.
She was a resident of New Milford from 1965 until moving to Heritage Village in 1997.
She is survived by two sons, Douglas and Dana of New Milford; a daughter, Dawn Pancoast of New Milford; a brother, Frank Doerr of Montville, N.J.; and eight grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held today (Friday) at 9:45 a.m. at the Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge St., New Milford. Interment will follow at the Center Cemetery, New Milford.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, Connecticut Chapter for Research, 35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, CT 06067.
Chester Hrostek Jr., 52, owned Chet’s driving school
Chester J. (Chet) Hrostek Jr., 52, a longtime Danbury resident, died Feb. 28 after being stricken by a heart attack.
Mr. Hrostek was born in Bridgeport, the son of Helen and Chester Hrostek of West Palm Beach, Fla.
He moved to Danbury at an early age. He played football for Danbury High School and later coached both Little League and DAYO football. He was an enthusiastic golfer and was well-known for his hunting and fishing prowess.
He worked as an apprentice carpenter, subsequent to becoming a journeyman. He founded the Barwall Construction Company.
Upon his retirement from the construction industry, Mr. Hrostek established the New Milford Driving School and shortly thereafter acquired Chet’s Driving School.
He is survived by a son, Chester III and his wife Wendy of New Milford; a daughter, Denise of Danbury; his former wife, Linda Cyr; and a sister, Brenda of Danbury.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Ave., Wallingford, CT 06492, or to a trust fund that will be set up in the near future for his daughter, Denise.
Elizabeth Gonnoud, 43, lifelong New Milford resident
Elizabeth “Libby” Gonnoud, 43, of New Milford died March 3 at New Milford Hospital. She was the wife of James E. Gonnoud.
Mrs. Gonnoud was born Dec. 28, 1958, in New Milford, the daughter of the late Edward and Margaret (Hill) Shrack.
She was a lifelong resident of New Milford and attended New Milford schools. She was previously employed by Balor Electronics, formerly in New Milford, and until her death was employed as a home health aide by Geron Nursing and Respite Care, Inc., in New Milford.
She was an avid flower gardener, and she enjoyed vacation cruises.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Gonnoud is survived by a daughter, Rachel Lee Oster and her husband Andrew of New Milford; a brother, Edward Shrack and his wife Judy of New Milford; a sister, Marie Millican of New Milford; a granddaughter, Elizabeth Rae Oster of New Milford; several nieces and nephews; and two great-nieces and two great-nephews.
The Colonial Funeral Home of New Milford was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Breast Cancer Research, c/o the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897; or to the March of Dimes, 1275 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605.
