United States High School Yearbooks by County
Antonio Russo, 69, of South Salem
Antonio Russo died on Friday, Jan. 18 at Stamford Hospital in Stamford, Conn., while surrounded by his family. He was 69.
Mr. Russo had lived in South Salem since 1986. Born in Bovino Foggia, Italy, he was the son of the late Peter and Carmela Marseglia Russo.
He is survived by his wife, Victoria Drago Russo, of South Salem; two sons, Joe and his wife, Andrea Russo, of Stamford, and Frank and his wife, Lisa Russo, of Shelton, Conn.; a brother, Carlo Russo of Guilford, N.H.; three sisters, Maria Hajjar of Stamford, Rita Gianitti of Stamford and Nella Crowell of Guilford; along with five grandchildren, Frankiann, Michael, Anthony Joseph, Joie Nicole and Angelina Victoria Russo. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Ralph Russo.
A funeral procession will be leaving the Nicholas F. Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 10:20 a.m. and then proceed to St. Bridget of Ireland R.C. Church, 278 Strawberry Hill Avenue in Stamford for a Mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. Interment at Queen of Peace R.C. cemetery in Stamford will be at a later date. Family and friends may call the funeral home Wednesday, Jan. 23 from 4 to 8 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care, 1029 E. Main St., Stamford, CT 06902.
Richard Perry, 85, formerly of Waccabuc
Richard G. Perry died on Jan. 4 in Kent, Conn. He was 85, a former longtime resident of Waccabuc and member of the Waccabuc Country Club.
He was born on Nov. 17, 1922, to John Prince Hazen Perry and Adele Augustine Lloyd Perry in New York City.
After graduating from Kent School in 1940, Mr. Perry attended Princeton University before leaving to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a carrier pilot, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross. At the end of the war, Mr. Perry began a career in manufacturing and served as vice president of Gilbert and Bennett in Georgetown, Conn. until his retirement in 1986.
He married
Allene Ferguson Perry on Jan. 11, 1944 and they were married
for 62 years until her death in 2006. He is survived by his brothers, Samuel of Ft. Meyers, Fla., and Edward of Stow, Mass; his daughter, Anne Todd of Kent; his grandchildren, Kathy Todd of Cambridge, Mass. and Richard Todd of Williamsburg, Va.; and a number of beloved nieces and nephews.
In addition to the country club, Mr. Perry was a longtime member of the University Club in New York. After retirement, Mr. Perry returned to school and received a bachelor of arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in 1992 and then attended Columbia Graduate School. He enjoyed playing golf, tennis, gardening, mountaineering and backpacking.
Memorial services were held on Jan. 12 at St. Joseph’s Chapel at Kent School in Kent and at the Waccabuc Country Club in Waccabuc.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Kent School.
Marion Evangeline Nugent, 86, of Katonah
Marion Evangeline Nugent died on Nov. 12 at her home surrounded by her family. She was 86, and a resident of Katonah since 1953.
Ms. Nugent was born on Sept. 23, 1921, to Joseph and Marcella (Urell) May in Jersey City, N.J., and was raised in Ridgewood, N.J. She was a member of Saint Mary’s Church in Katonah.
On Oct. 21, 1944, she married
Paul Clarkin Nugent of Rutherford, N.J., who predeceased her in 1997.
Ms. Nugent was active in the Women’s Civic Club of Katonah from 1964 until this year and was a TWIGS (hospital volunteer) from 1970 to 1992. She was an accomplished artist, having exhibited her oil paintings and sold them at local art shows. She enjoyed playing bridge and also loved to travel.
She was a 1941 graduate of Bergen Junior College (now Fairleigh Dickinson University). Her family said that despite holding a number of jobs of significant responsibility, Ms. Nugent always said that her greatest accomplishment was raising her six children. She was dearly loved and will be sorely missed, her family said.
Ms. Nugent is survived by six children, Carol Nugent Melahn, Eileen Nugent and her husband, Dave Swoboda, Thomas Nugent and his wife, Beth, William Nugent, Patricia Creedon and her husband, Paul, and Barbara Christopher and her husband, Russell; her grandchildren, Ian Swoboda, Sara Swoboda, Emily Nugent, and Catherine Nugent; her brother, Joseph May of Chatham, N.J.; and many nieces and nephews.
The Funeral Mass of Christian Burial was held today at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Katonah.
Mary Eccher, 62, of South Salem
Mary Eccher of South Salem recently died at her home. She was 62 and a town resident for 32 years.
Ms. Eccher was born March 25, 1945, in Brooklyn, the daughter of the late Eugene and Johanna Reiser. She was the wife of Andrew for 29 years; mother to Andrew and his wife, Susan, Jason and his wife, Tressa, and David and his wife, Christa; and grandmother to Jessica, Tyler, Nicholas, and Hailey. Her family said she is lovingly survived by all who met her, including her beloved Molly and Moe.
Ms. Eccher was a true artisan, according to her family. For more than a 30-year period, she built Pannikins, her collection of handcrafted collectible foods, beverages and accessories, into a renowned and respected business in the miniature enthusiasts industry. In addition to being an artist, Ms. Eccher was a teacher who shared her love of miniatures with everyone.
A memorial service will be held at the South Salem Presbyterian Church on Wednesday, Nov. 21, at 11. Tributes to Ms. Eccher may be left on the guest book at pannikins.com.
Kurt Buckhout, 60, teacher, coach and mentor
Teacher, coach, mentor, community leader - in Kurt Buckhout’s 60 years of life, most of which he spent in Lewisboro, he wore many hats, and influenced many people. Mr. Buckhout died on Monday morning, March 10, at Danbury Hospital.
“He was a man about town, ” Mr. Buckhout’s wife, Donna, told The Ledger. “He always had time for his friends and family, and he was always ready to lend a helping hand.”
Born in Plattsburgh on July 5, 1947, the son of Charles Buckhout of Bridport, Vt., and the late Phyllis Buckhout, Mr. Buckhout grew up in Lewisboro, attending school in South Salem and John Jay High School, where he earned a letter in four sports and served as the president of the class before graduating in 1965.
“He was always a joy to be around, a real nice, friendly individual, ” said town Highway Superintendent Peter Ripperger, who attended John Jay at the same time as Mr. Buckhout. “We have a couple of people in this town that are icons, and I consider Kurt among them. We’ve lost a part of our heritage.”
After graduating, Mr. Buckhout went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College in 1969, a master’s degree in education from the University of Bridgeport and a professional education degree from Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus.
In 1970, Mr. Buckhout began working in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, both as a physical education teacher and as a coach for track and field, football and wrestling. He taught in several of the district schools before retiring in 2006, but even after his retirement he was still active in the school community, helping coaches and performing the announcements at the district’s football games.
“It’s going to be difficult to imagine a football game next fall without his voice through the loudsspeaker, ” said Rich Beckley, the district’s athletics director. “He was a very intelligent, very dedicated, very professional man. He was loved within our school community, and his last few years in the district, he served as a resource to the younger teachers in the district.”
“It was a pleasure for me to work with Kurt, ” said Lewisboro Elementary School Principal Dr. Mary Flynn-Maguire. “He was such a bright, intelligent and generous man. He gave so much to our school that people won’t even know - things that he did without telling anybody.”
And he was active in the greater community as well, serving as president of the Truesdale Lake Property Owners’ Association for 13 years, and as vice chairman of the Lewisboro Republican Town Committee.
“A lot of people called him the mayor of Truesdale Lake, ” said Ms. Buckhout. “He was a charismatic man, with a sense of humor that grabbed everyone’s attention.”
“He’s done a tremendous amount of work, ” said former resident Brian Stone, a close friend of Mr. Buckhout’s. “I consider him a great friend, and I consider him to be a great person, and I think his loss is going to be felt by the community, and by the innumerable people who knew him from the schools.”
Mr. Buckhout is survived by his wife of 30 years; his father, Charles; three sons, Clint Buckhout of New Jersey, Brett Buckhout of Boulder, Colo., and Craig Buckhout of South Salem; his brother, Glenn Buckhout and his wife, Kathleen, of Stormville; his sister-in-law Janice Irving and her husband, Bruce; three brothers-in-law, Richard Beck and his wife, Denise, Thomas Beck and his wife, Suzanne, and Robert Beck and his wife, Tammy; as well as nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will take place on Saturday, March 15, at 11 in the South Salem Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Nadine Hundertmark officiating. The family will receive friends following the service.
Burial will take place in South Salem cemetery at the direction of the family.
Memorial contributions to the John Jay High School Booster Club, P.O. Box 305, Cross River, NY 10518 would be appreciated. Kane Funeral Home of Ridgefield, Conn., is in charge of arrangements.
E. Calvin Jessup, 82, resident’s father
E. Calvin Jessup died Feb. 28 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center. He was 82 and the father of Jean Filacchione of South Salem.
A resident of Poughquag since 1986, Mr. Jessup was born Sept. 8, 1925 in Stamford, Conn., and was the son of the late Benjamin Harrison and Harriet Louise Bottomley Jessup.
He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy Seebees, serving during World War II and stationed in the South Pacific. In 1946, he married
his first wife, the late Carolyn Lee Lerch, who died in 1984. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, taught Sunday School, had umpired his sons’ baseball games and played golf.
He was employed as a mechanical engineer for many years and most recently worked in his own business, JRC Mechanical in New Canaan, Conn.
On March 15, 1986, he married
Geraldine Garrett Jessup and retired to assist his wife in running a community care veteran’s home to help disabled veterans.
Besides his wife and daughter, Jean, Mr. Jessup is survived by three sons, John Jessup and his wife, Lynn, of Pound Ridge, Richard Jessup of Reno, Nev., and Christopher Jessup and his wife, Ann, of Danbury, Conn.; two other daughters, Kathi Jessup of Poughquag, and Mary Seeley and her husband, Jim, of Poughkeepsie; his step-daughter, Sharon Spears of N.C.; two step-sons, Gary Hein and his wife, Rita, of Poughquag, and Paul Hein and his wife, Bonnie, of Poughquag; 21 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a daughter, Carolyn Vigliotti, on March 31, 1996, four brothers and one sister.
A Memorial Service was held in his memory on Monday, March 3 at the Beekman Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the American Lung Association, 300 Winners Circle, Suite 300, Albany, NY 12205.
