United States High School Yearbooks by County
JOHN F. SHARPE
John F. Sharpe of Norwalk, a former longtime New Canaan resident, died Friday, May 5, at Norwalk Hospital. He was 80. Born Sept. 12, 1925, in Queens, N.Y., he was the son of the late John Henry and Anna Bohlen Sharpe. Mr. Sharpe served in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II. He was a longtime photo engraver with Wilbur in Darien.
He is survived by his wife, Lucia S. Sharpe of Norwalk; a son, Anthony Casella both of Darien; a daughter Maria Algeri; two brothers, Jerry Sharpe of Massachusetts and Raymond Sharpe of New Jersey, and two grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian burial was held Tuesday, May 9, at St John Church, Darien. Interment followed at Spring Grove Cemetery, Darien. The Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, Darien, handled the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association 2550 U.S. Hwy. 1, North Brunswick, NJ 08902-4301.
Marguerite "Mickey" MacLachlan Wall
Marguerite "Mickey" Mac-Lachlan Wall of Darien died Saturday, May 6, at home. She was 92. Born June 25, 1913, in Danbury, she was the daughter of the late George A. and Katherine Collins MacLachlan. Mrs. Wall attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart, Kenwood School in Albany, N.Y., and Marymount College in Tarrytown. She spent her junior year abroad, studying in Paris, allowing her the opportunity to travel extensively and develop life long friendships.
A longtime summer resident of Fairfield Beach, she enjoyed tennis and boating. She was a member of the Brooklawn Country Club, the Black Rock Yacht Club and the Fairfield Beach Club. Mrs. Wall was a volunteer at the Easter Seal Rehab Center in Stamford, a program for children with special needs now called the "Jump Start" Program. She was a resident of Sterling Glen for the past five years.
Mrs. Wall is survived by three sons, Peter M. Wall of Milford, Thomas J. Wall Jr. of Antigua, West Indies, and R. Michael Wall of Annisquam, Mass.; two daughters, Katharine A. Healy of Greenwich and M. Pamela Madden of New York City; a sister, Katherine M. Reilly of New Canaan; nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Thomas J. Wall; two brothers, G. Randal MacLachlan and Charles J. MacLachlan; and two sisters, Janet M. Stevens and Mary G. (Mae) Hodge.
Friends may call on Thursday, May 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road, Darien. A Mass of Christian burial will be held Friday, May 12, at 10:30 a.m., at St. John Church, 1986 Post Road, Darien. Burial will follow at Oak Lawn Cemetery, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the "Jump Start" Program at JCC, c/o: Sue McGraw, 1035 Newfield Ave., Stamford 06905.
Oswald Stewart II
Oswald Stewart II, 91, a former Darien resident, died Jan. 7, in Boston. Mr. Stewart, a mechanical engineer, was a financial adviser, providing financial security and retirement peace of mind for many clients for many years.
Born in Hyde Park, Mass., he graduated from MIT in 1939 with a degree in mechanical engineering. From 1940 to 1946 he served in the U.S. Army, entering as a second lieutenant and leaving as a major. He served in anti-aircraft units in the China-Burma-India Theater, transferring to the OSS in 1945 to help in the liberation of POWs of the Japanese, who were being held in Korea.
He first worked for a company that made weather balloons. Next he wrote and photographed for McGraw Hill's Factory magazine. During those years he and his family lived in Lexington and Marblehead, Mass., and Darien. For the rest of his professional life he lived in Bethlehem, Pa.
He was married
to Lucille (Buddy) Young. They met in college and kept in touch during the war. She was a Red Cross volunteer and her assignment was coincidentally the China-Burma-India Theater. He hitched airplane rides over the Hump and paid her several surprise visits. They had four daughters.
Mr. Stewart had several passions and avocations.
He skied with The Appalachian Mountain Club during his college years, and taught skiing in the Pocono Mountains during his Pennsylvania years. He loved sailing and taught sailing on the weekends on Long Island Sound when he lived in Connecticut. He loved to travel. His trips included traveling to the North Pole on a nuclear powered Russian icebreaker, and three trips to Antarctica with two of his daughters. In his retirement he served as a volunteer for several Boston organizations. He regularly attended Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts. He served as president of his MIT class.
He was predeceased by Buddy and daughter Mary. He was survived by his daughters, Ann of Rockport, Mass.; Martha of Arlington, Mass.; and Cathryn of Denver Colo.; and five grandchildren. He was the eldest of four brothers, with Pearson of Chapel Hill, N.C.; David of Shirley, Mass.; and Reed of Marshfield, Mass. Surviving him.
A celebration of his life will be held Jan. 24, at 2 p.m., at 352 Mass Ave., Boston.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, 349 Lincoln Street #45, Hingham, MA 02043.
Curtis Fowle
Curtis Fowle, formerly of Darien and Lenox, Mass., died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at his home in Williamstown, Mass. He was approaching his 95th birthday.
Born in Aintab, Turkey, on Jan. 22, 1914 to Luther R. Fowle and Helen Curtis Fowle of the American Board Mission, he spent most of his youth in Istanbul. He came to the United States to attend Deerfield Academy and Williams College, from which he graduated in 1935 with a degree in economics. He then accepted a position with Standard Oil of New Jersey and remained with that company until his retirement in 1976.
Choral singing and gardening were two of Mr. Fowle's lifelong pleasures. He met his wife, the former Jean Smith, while singing with the Dessoff Choirs in New York City. Wherever the family lived, the Fowles sang in the church choir. He also sang with a madrigal group and with his family, teaching his children four-part harmony at an early age. He loved to weed, plant, rake and mow the yard wherever the family lived, and held a deep dedication to the eradication of dandelions and wild bamboo.
He married
in 1941 and enrolled at Columbia University to pursue a master's degree in business. That effort was interrupted by World War II. In 1947, the family moved to Old Greenwich, where Mr. Fowle was active in the Town Players and the First Congregational Church in Greenwich.
The Fowles lived in Bogotá, Colombia, from 1955 through 1957. They then settled in Darien, where Mr. Fowle was active in town politics, serving as a town representative and town moderator. He volunteered with the United World Federalists and United Nations, and was president of the local League of Women Voters branch for several years.
His lifelong interest in public affairs led him to correspond frequently with his senators and representatives, a practice he continued until very recently. He served on the executive committee of the First Congregational Church of Darien.
The Fowles retired to Kimball Farms in Lenox in 1990. A decade later they moved to Sweetwood in Williamstown to be nearer their children David Farnsworth Fowle and wife Helen Olshever of Williamstown; and Katharine Curtis Fowle Westwood of Lanesborough. Recently his elder son, Richard Lawrence Fowle and wife Virginia Brooke, joined the family there. His eldest, Ellen Lewis Fowle Wright, of Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., was with the family at the time of his death.
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Fowle is survived by four siblings: Wilson Farnsworth "Farny" Fowle of New York City; James Warren Fowle of Thetford, Vt.; Helen Joy Fowle Smith of Princeton, N.J.; and Richardson Fowle of Lebanon, N.H.; and five grandchildren: Adrianne Fowle Patnaud of Ventura, Calif.; Abigail and Samantha Westwood of Lanesborough; and Nathan and Jesse Fowle of Williamstown.
Burial will be in Thetford, where his extended family has maintained a home for many generations. A gathering in Thetford to celebrate his life will be held in the Spring.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those who wish to do so make a contribution to the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation through the Flynn-Dagnoli Funeral Home, 521 W. Main St., in North Adams, Mass.
J. Robert Costello
J. Robert (Bob) Costello, of Darien, died in his home on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Born Jan. 22, 1922, in Port Chester, N.Y., he was the son of the late John F. and Mary Clancy Costello.
A 1937 graduate of Stamford High School, Mr. Costello earned a diploma in accounting and business administration in 1941 from what is now Pace University.
A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, Mr. Costello served as a pharmacist mate, first class on Guadalcanal and Bougainvillea during battle years as part of the First Marine Amphibious Corp. His unit was awarded a Presidential Citation.
He later served in the South Pacific aboard the Navy's first seaplane tender, the USS Wright. While in the Navy he attended Colgate, Northwestern and Harvard universities where he received training and earned a commission as a communications officer. He served as a communications watch officer on the staff of the admiral in charge of the amphibious support for the planned invasion of Japan.
After the armistice, he continued his service on this staff for an extended period aboard the USS Mount Olympus in Japan and China. For several years thereafter he was part of the former Naval Reserve unit in Noroton Heights.
He was employed by the former American Tobacco Company, from which he retired as marketing controller in 1983 after a 36-year career. In his early retirement, Mr. Costello enjoyed walking at Cummings Beach and the company of a group of Stamford gentlemen who met there each day and amusingly refereed to themselves as "The Over the Hill Gang."
After spending several winters in Florida, he moved to Spring Hill in 1994, where he and his wife Mary Jane enjoyed many happy years before returning to the area in 2005.
Mr. Costello was an avid golfer. He enjoyed listening to military music and boating whenever the opportunity arose. His greatest joy, though, was time spent surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He especially loved summer holidays spent around the pool in the backyard of the family home on Forest Lawn Avenue.
He was a member of St. John R.C. Church of Noroton and a founding officer of the Holy Name Society of St. Bridget of Ireland Parish in Stamford.
He was predeceased by his loving wife of 62 years, Mary Jane Gallagher Costello, and his brother Richard F. Costello.
He is survived by his 10 children, J. Robert Jr. (Lesa) of Tulsa, Okla.; Mary Ellen Georgoulis (the late Theodore) of Norwalk; Patricia A. Beirne (Kevin) of Stamford; Gerald J. (Deborah) of Westport; Maureen J. Gallagher (Donald) of Brecksville, Ohio; Thomas P. (Wade) of Fairfield; Christopher M. (Valerie) of Farmington Hills, Mich.; Rosemary Bedosky (John) of Stamford; Daniel X. (Michele) of Clear Lake, Texas; and Susan E. Brown (Scott) of Fairfield; 24 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Mr. Costello was additionally blessed with two wonderful companions in his final years. The Costello children are eternally grateful to Terry Jetter and Claude Forbin Scott for their love and friendship.
Friends may call at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road, Darien on Friday, Jan. 16, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m., at St. John Roman Catholic Church, 1986 Post Road, Darien. Burial will follow at St. John Roman Catholic cemetery in Darien.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Post 53-Ambulance, P.O. Box 2066, Darien, CT 06820.
Kenneth E. Fulton
Kenneth E. Fulton, 82, a resident of Westport, died Tuesday at his home. He was born in West Newton, Mass., the son of the late Gordon Russell Fulton and Mabel Stetson Fulton. He attended Dartmouth College for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Army Air Force as a tail gunner, flying 47 missions in the South Pacific during World War II. After three years in the war, he returned to Dartmouth, graduating in 1946.
He received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Tuck School of Business in 1948. Prior to retiring, he was employed as executive vice president for Kraft-General Foods in White Plains, N.Y. He was an avid golfer and enjoyed boating on the Sound, riding his motorcycle, traveling with his wife and listening to classic jazz music.
He was predeceased by his first wife and high school sweetheart, Carryl Donavan Fulton. He is survived by his wife, Dolores H. Fulton; two daughters, Cynthia Childs Fulton and Amy Fulton Kuzmicki; two sons, Kenneth Earl Fulton Jr. and Peter Gordon Fulton; one stepdaughter, Nancy H. Howes; two stepsons, Scott F. Hoffman and David Hoffman; a sister, Ruth Griffin; a brother, Donald Fulton; eight grandchildren, Timothy, Dennis and Carole Fulton, Peter, Derrick and Josie Fulton, Kacy Kapusta and Jessie Kuzmicki; and six step-grandchildren, Evan and Ryan Hoffman, Kayln and Justin Paul, and Skyler and Holland Hoffman.
A memorial service will take place tomorrow at the chapel in the West Newton Cemetery. The Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, is in charge of the arrangements. Memorial contributions maybe made to Connecticut Hospice Inc., 100 Double Beach Road, Branford 06405 or The American Cancer Society.
