United States High School Yearbooks by County
Elsie Geary
Elsie (Fischer) Geary, 93, of the Weatogue section of Simsbury, died Aug. 4, 2004, at Plainville Health Care Center. She was the wife of the late Thomas John Geary.
She was born May 10, 1911, in Hartford, daughter of the late William and Dora (Seltenreich) Fischer, and had lived in Canton before moving to Weatogue 38 years ago. Mrs. Geary was employed as a private secretary at Connecticut Natural Gas for 29 years before her retirement in 1976. She was a member of St. Mary's Church in Simsbury.
She is survived by three nieces, Jean Weller and Helen Dardis, both of Southington, and Rae E. Frank Miller of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; four grandnieces and grandnephews; and seven great-grand nieces and great-grandnephews. Her sister, Helen Fischer, died Aug. 1.
The funeral was held Aug. 7 from the Vincent Funeral Home, Simsbury, followed by a Mass of Christian burial at St. Mary's Church, Simsbury. Burial was in Simsbury Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Animals, P.O. Box 17306, West Hartford, CT 06137-0306.
Mirko Jurkota
Mirko Jurkota, 58, of Southington, died Aug. 13, 2004.
He was born in Pula, Croatia, and he had lived in Southington since 1971. He was a member of St. Thomas Church. He was formerly employed by Accurate Forging, Bristol, for many years.
He is survived by his daughter, Deborah Jurkota of Avon; his former wife, Ljubica Jurkota of Southington; his mother, Angela Jurkota, in Croatia; and his sister, Elda Fabriz, in Croatia.
The funeral was private. Burritt Hill Funeral Home, New Britain, is serving the family.
William Ladieu
William C. Ladieu Jr., 47, of Bristol, died Aug. 15, 2004, at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, Farmington.
He was born July 1, 1957, in Southington, the son of Marion (Mayo) Ladieu Gorecki of Bristol and the late William C. Ladieu Sr. He was a resident of Bristol most of his life.
Besides his mother, he is survived by his stepfather, Stanley Gorecki of Bristol; a sister, Marsha Carrier of Rocky Hill; and a daughter, Mindy Funseca of Ravenna, Ohio. He was predeceased by a sister, Wilma Trudel.
The funeral was held Aug. 17 at the Scott Funeral Home, Terryville, and at St. Casimir Church for a Mass. Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol.
Linda Cook Filsinger
Linda Cook Filsinger, 56, wife of Carl T. Filsinger of Shelton, died Dec.15. She was born Dec. 20, 1952 in Norwalk.
She started working as a teenager at the original, family owned Uncle Joe's in Norwalk. She then worked for the Sheriff's department at Stamford Superior Court where she was a member of the Sheriff's Department Color Guard and was recognized for her efforts during the 1987 L'Ambiance Plaza Building Disaster in Bridgeport. She went to Butler Business School and worked as an office manager for 10 years before she followed her passions and opened a flower shop, Purple Pansies, in Hamden.
She was an avid sports fan and played softball in the Weston Women's league for more than 20 years. She loved her family deeply and lived for get-togethers and the holiday season.
In addition to her husband Carl Filsinger, she is survived by her mother-in-law Georgette Filsinger, and step-mother Cecelia Cook. She is also survived by seven siblings: Paula Solano, Victoria Cook, Raymond Cook, and Anthony Cook of Norwalk; Mary Jane St. Lawrence (Ed) of Quantico, MD; David Cook of Stratford; Anne Wein (Jason) of Bethel; and by eight nieces and nephews: Brian, Kaitlyn, Edmund, Ryan, Olivia, Jackson, Brayden, and Josephine.
She was predeceased by her mother Victoria Letizia Cook, father Raymond V. Cook and sister Carol Ann Cook.
Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road Wilton, CT 06897 or to the Leukemina & Lymphoma Society, 372 Danbury Road Suite 200, Wilton, CT 06897.
Norman E. Thoele
Norman E. Thoele, 81, of Wilton, died suddenly on Dec. 16 at Norwalk Hospital. Born in Norwalk, the son of the late Herman A. and Florence (Finch) Thoele, he was the beloved husband of Joan Clark Thoele for 55 years. A Naval veteran of the Korean War, he had served on the USS Wright. He was a corporate executive chauffeur for Stauffer Chemical Company in Westport.
His first love was family, and he enjoyed traveling and attending Naval reunions around the country with his wife Joan. He was an amateur mechanic and builder, able to build or repair just about anything. He also loved boating, and as a longtime member of the South Norwalk Boat Club, enjoyed spending many a day on the water with his family and friends.
He will be sorely missed by his wife, two daughters Dawn Malkin and her husband Boyd of Ridgefield, and Janice Dunn and George Goodridge of New Fairfield, and a son Brian S. Thoele and his wife Susan of Norwalk; cherished grandchildren; Erin Theodor and her husband Justin, Amy Malkin, Jennifer Thoele, and Andrew Dunn, as well as a sister Gladys Rising of Florida, and many other loving relatives and friends.
Memorial donations may be directed to: the Norwalk Hospital Foundation, Whittingham Cancer Center, 34 Maple Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06856.
Milton Martin
Milton J. "Mel" Martin, 70, of Bristol, died Aug. 6, 2004, at Bristol Hospital.
He was born Nov. 20, 1933, in Stockholm, Maine, a son of the late Victor Sr. and Sadic (Chamberlain) Martin. He lived in Plainville and Southington before moving to Bristol nine years ago.
He is survived by three sons and two daughters-in-law, Ronny and Sharla Martin of Bristol, Danny Martin of Plainville, and Bryan and France Martin of Terryville; four brothers and three sisters-in-law, Roland and Marianne Martin of Burbank, Calif., Victor Jr. and Elenor Martin of Newington, Clinton and Leona Martin of Plainville, and Ronald Martin of Caribou, Maine; three sisters and a brother-in-law, Reona and Arnold porter of Pattern, Maine, Viola Caron of Fort Kent, Maine, and Arlene Martin of Bristol; five grandchildren, Ashley, Amanda, Jordan, Taylor and Austin Martin; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Allen and Alsime Martin, and a sister, Cecile Peterson.
The funeral was held Aug. 11 at Funk Funeral Home, Bristol, to St. Ann Church for a mass. Burial was held Aug. 12 at St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol. Memorial donations may be made to St. Ann Church, 215 West St., Bristol, CT 06010.
Francis Musto
Francis James Musto, 59, of Manchester, died at his home on July 29, 2004, after a long illness.
He is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law, Jennifer Musto of Bolton and Priscilla Musto Conners and her husband, Patrick, of Portland; two brothers, Anthony Musto Jr. and his wife, Joanne, of Southington, and Paul Musto of Florida; a sister and brother-in-law, Linda Killiany and her husband, Thomas; two grandsons; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two sisters, Joann Musto Hrbeck and Edith Musto. A memorial service was held Aug. 3 at the Della Vecchia Funeral Home, Southington . Burial was at the convenience of the family. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 2550 U.S. Highway 1, North Brunswick, NJ 08902-4301.
Louis Paige
Louis J. Paige, 84, formerly of Southington and Sandusky, Ohio, died Aug. 15, 2004. at Bristol Hospital. He was the husband of Ethelyn Paige.
Born in New Britain on Feb. 10, 1920, he was the son of the late Salvatore and Antoinette (Richards) Paige. He had lived in Southington, and during the 1960s he moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where he was employed by New Departure, a division of General Motors, for 37 years.
He is survived by a daughter, Jeanette Paige and her friend, Shayne Cummings of Bristol, a grandson, Randy Paige of Bristol; a granddaughter, Jennifer Williams of Meriden; three great-grandchildren, Jacqueline, Nicole and Elisa; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Robert Louis Paige, and four brothers and three sisters. The funeral was held Aug. 18 at the DellaVecchia Funeral Home, Southington. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.
Judith Slade
Judith (Leonard) Slade, 69, of Southington, Misquamicut Beach, R.I., Satellite Beach, Fla., and formerly of Cheshire, died Aug. 11, 2004, after a period of declining health from pancreatic cancer. She was the wife of M. William Slade Jr. for 48 year; they were married
Aug. 20, 1955, in Torrrington.
She was born Dec. 23, 1934, in Torrington, the daughter of the late Earle J. and Laura Duplain Leonard. She was the 11th-generation descendant of William and Judith Learned (Leonard), who came from England in 1632, settling in Charlestown, Mass. She retired from the business office of the Cheshire Department of Education after 23 years as manager of payroll. She had served as a volunteer at the Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island.
Besides her husband, she is survived by six children, Laurie Slade and her partner, James Bartelmo; Todd Slade and his fiancee, Nancy Brunetti; Lynn and her husband, Gary Beard; Karen S. Hekeler; Barry Slade and his wife, Victoria; and Kevin Slade and his wife, Heidi. She is survived by 16 grandchildren; Kate, Anne and Sara Bartelmo and Alex Soriano; Reid, Whitney and Kylie Slade; Eric and Matthew Beard; Kenneth Hekeler; Laura, Dylan and Brandon Slade; Max, Connor and Kirsten Slade; and David and Karen Brunetti. She also is survived by two brothers, Robert Leonard and his wife, Martha, of Torrington, and Francis (Ozzie) Leonard and wife, Rita, of West Hartford; and a sister, Marilyn, and her husband, Joseph Romanski, of Norwich. A Mass was celebrated Aug. 14 at the Immaculate Conception Church, Southington. Burial was in Hillside Cemetery, Cheshire. Memorial donations may be made to the Franciscan Hospice Care, 267 Finch Ave., Meriden, CT 06451-2715. The DellaVecchia Funeral Home, Southington, was in charge of arrangements.
Veronica Apruzzese
Veronica (Truzskowski) Apruzzese, 80, of Bristol, died Oct. 1, 2004. She was the wife of the late Charles A. Apruzzese.
She was born in New Britain, the daughter of the late Ignazy and Margaret (Bonczek) Truzskowski. She was retired from The Fafnir Bearing Company and she was a member of Saint Ann Church and its Ladies Guild. She lived in New Britain most of her life, moving to Plainville in 1965 and then to Bristol in 1995.
She is survived by one son, Patrick Apruzzese and his wife, Karen of Southington; a daughter, Veronica Hollis and her husband, Thomas of Harwinton; a sister, Jean Slapski of Southington; four grandchildren, Brianne and Patricia Apruzzese, Michael and Katherine Hollis; and many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and grand nephews.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Anthony and Joseph Truzskowski; and two sisters, Lottie Domijan and Mary Litz.
The funeral was held on Oct. 6 from the Kenney-Luddy Funeral Home, New Britain to Saint Ann Church, New Britain. Burial was in Saint Mary Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to The Junior Women's Club of Bristol to the Time for Life Fund Helping Children with Cancer, P.O. Box 1345, Bristol, CT. 06010-1345.
