Obituaries from The Ridgefield Press

Ridgefield, Connecticut

For the year 2004

Alphabetical Name index 

(please see after this list for more descriptive info by date of death )

Agius, Aileen

Ancona, Nazzareno

Ancona, Philip

Archambault, Christine

Asselin, Sylvia 

Backer, Frances "Ruth"

Baggott, Craig W.

Baldwin, Janet

Banks, Richard A.

Bates, Virginia

Beardsley, Anne Marie

Bedini, Dominic J.

Bergen, Alfred

Biggar, Olga U.

Blum, Dr. Harry

Bollenback, Beverly

Boondas, William

Briody, Miriam

Brolin, Mary E.

Bruckenthal, Nathan

Brunetti, Joseph E.

Carbone, Catherine

Carboni, Linda

Casagrande, Peter P.

Cassar, Delano

Cassavechia, Irene

Cataldo, Lisa Ann

Cheney, Mary L.

Cice, Joseph

Cingolani, Dino

Clark, John G.

Clarke, Richard K.

Coffey, John

Cogswell, Dorothy Reynolds

Collischonn, Hans B.

Connell, Mary F.

Cooper, James

Corde, Joan

Czyr, Edward J.

Dallow, Bruce

De Filippis, Betsy

DeLuca, Laurie Ann

Devlin, Ruth

Dickinson, Barrus

DiOrio, Dominic

Docimo, Jeffrey "Jay"

Dodd, Edith

Dowling, John E.

Dubs, Veronica

Duffy, Gloria

Duffy, Darrell

Dunleavy, Joseph F.

Dwyer, John

Dwyer, Rosetta

Enlow, Paul

Esslinger, DJ

Evers, James P.

Ferris, Georga

Ferris, Herschel

Finch, Adelaide

Fischer, Carolyn Ferguson

Fleischman, Marvin

Forcelli, John P.

Ford, James A.

Foulds, John D.

Franceschini, Rose M.

Franco, Gwendolyne R.  

Freivogel, Mary E.

Gaeta, Anthony

Garrett, Stan H.

Gillespie, Joan

Glissmann, Frederick

Goodrow, Marguerite Maddock

Grandville, Francis

Grant, Frank R.

Grasso, John Charles

Greenwood, Earle

Griffith, Shirley

Harris, Kenneth

Hartle, James

Hatter, Roland D.

Heckel, Edwin

Helie, Geraldine

Henderson, Joan

Henderson, Richard

Hering, Karl W.

Herstein, Robert

Hill, Roger A.

Hitt, Richard B.

Holub, Edward M.

Howland, Thielo

Hughes, Ernest

Ingels, Gertrude

Ingraham, Francis S.

Jacobs, Dr. Robert

Jewell, Robert G.

Johnson, Miller A.

Johnson, Ruth D.

Jones, Douglas E.

Kaletta, Alfred J.

Kane, Ellen Johnson

Kane, Ethel G.

Kasuli, Alice "Elsie"

Kessler, Arthur

Kiley, Margaret Mary

Kinnear, John K. Sr.

Kolf, Joseph

Laughlin, Adaline

Lazarus, G. Leonard

Lazarus, Shirley

Legan, Carmella

Lorenzini, Peter P.

Lotspeich, Florence Mische

Manning, Michael

Manoni, Rino

Marino, Antonio

Martin, Delores

Martin, June P.

Mauceri, Bartholomew

McAleer, Margaret

McCarthy, Ruth L.

McClellan, Barbara

McEvoy, James J.

McMillan, Gail

Mennis, William

Miller, Charles N.

Minot, Dr. Henry D.

Moix, Jonathan

Monti, Hilda N.

Morgan, Martha

Morganti, Joseph

Mulvaney, Joseph

Murphy, Margaret

Najman, Leon

Nazzaro, Augustus

Nichols, David E.

Occhuizzo, John

O'Neill, Margaret "Peggy"

Oliveri, Maureen

Paige, Margaret

Passarelli, Eugenia

Pesce, Rosanna

Petersen, Gary T.

Phelan, C. Ray

Plaut, Nancy McHardy

Prosser, Winifred 

Reynolds, Maura Sullivan

Ribeiro, Rose

Risen, William "Tom"

Robak, Walter

Roberti, Martha

Robertson, Thelma

Rosa, Paul J.

Rossini, Gina

Russow, Erna

Salvestrini, Vilma

Schemm, Alexander

Schlierf, Brian

Schmitt, Frank L.

Schutte, Lena

Scott, Frances Long

Scott, Maria "Masha"

Selnick, Lester L.

Shafer, Allen O.

Sharnik, Edith Eilertsen

Sharpe, Ian

Shay, Stephen J.

Silverman, Howard

Stevens, Lillian Scaglia

Sturges, Dorothea

Swartout, Eileen

Tessier, Dennis

Tighe, Benedict

Topazio, Sister Barbara

Tuccio, Rita

Tulipani, Janice

Tulipani, Joseph A.

Tuoti, Dixie A.

Turner, Richard G.

Violante, Michael

Vreugde, Rupert

Walmsley, Ella U.

Watts, Joan

Weaver, Helen

Welch, Craig K.

West, Christine Ann

Whitehouse, Francine J.

Whitman, Katherine McGill

Wilson, George F.

Wilson, Joyce Bending

Worrall, James V.

Wyatt, William L.

Yelinek, David

Zabarouskas, W. Mark

Zembron, Katherine

Obituaries by date of death

Dennis Tessier, 61, first president of Village Bank, Jan. 4

Robert Herstein, 95, commodities broker, father of two Ridgefielders, Jan. 5

Francis 'Frank' Grandville, 71, accountant, Wilton schools campus supervisor, Jan. 8

Paul Enlow, 77, corporate patent attorney, former Ridgefielder, Jan. 8

Virginia Bates, 81, homemaker, former Ridgefielder, Jan. 9

Dorothea Sturges, 90, operated ceramics studio here, Jan. 10

David A. Yelinek, 52, RHS Class of 1969, Jan. 11

Philip Ancona, 84, Navy World War II veteran, lifelong Ridgefielder, Jan. 13

Walter Robak Sr., 77, Navy veteran, Pitney-Bowes retiree, shot three holes-in-one, Jan. 13

Catherine Carbone, 70, retired nurse, longtime resident, Jan. 14

Margaret Murphy, former Ridgefielder, Jan. 16

Geraldine M. Helie, 86, fashion model and executive, real estate agent, Jan. 21

Joan Henderson, nurse, quilter, longtime resident, Jan. 22

Gloria Duffy, 60, native of Maine, Jan. 22

Joseph P. Kolf Jr., 75, 43-year resident, active at St. Mary's, Jan 23.

Dorothy A. Reynolds Cogswell, 85, teacher Ridgefield native, RHS 1935, Jan. 29

Joseph E. Brunetti, grocer, reporter, athletic leader, veteran, Feb. 1

Bartholomew J. Mauceri, 60, popular deacon at St. Elizabeth Seton, Feb. 2

Georga Ferris, artist and teacher, Feb. 2

John Edward Dowling, 82, attorney, public official, World War II hero, Feb. 5

Lena Cimarelli Schutte, 91, Ridgefield native, Feb. 7

Joyce Bending Wilson, 79, longtime Vassar Brothers hospital leader, Feb. 7

Delano Barbour Cassar, 71, biology teacher, Ridgefielder since 1965, Feb. 9

Nazzareno "Nano" Ancona, 72, lifelong Ridgefielder, well-known merchant, Feb. 22

Ian MacDonald Sharpe, 44, tax director and counsel at GE Equity, Feb. 22

James V. Worrall, environmental engineer, Air Force veteran, Feb. 23

Jonathan Moix, 27, RHS '94, graphic designer, friend of animals, Feb. 24

Kenneth Harris, 48, worked at Danbury Hospital, Feb. 26

Ernest Hughes, 76, manufacturing engineer, longtime Ridgefielder, Feb. 27

Adelaide "Pat" Newman Finch, 84, active in community, Feb. 28

Michael J. Violante, 49, architect, GOP Town Committee member, active in town, March 2

Richard K. Clarke, former Ridgefielder, March 2

Douglas E. Jones, 64, RHS '57, police lieutenant in Anchorage, Alaska, March 3

Helen Weaver, 79, postal worker, 50-year Ridgefielder, March 4

Margaret F. McAleer, 94, native of Ireland, Ridgefielder since 1946, March 4

Barbara "Bobbie" McClellan, 83, sang in choir, led bowlers, March 4

Richard A. Banks, 71, rodeo and performing rider, farm manager, March 8

Joseph A. Morganti, 73, Ridgefield native, RHS '49, co-owner of Morganti Inc., March 9

James J. McEvoy, 66, market research director, March 13

Frances "Ruth" Dingee Backer, 93, restaurateur, longtime Ridgefielder, March 14.

Dr. Harry Blum, 105, physician, artist, mink farmer, longtime Ridgefielder, March 14

Alexander Schemm, 85, CPA, World War II veteran, March 14

Stan H. Garrett, 49, Silver Spring golf pro for nearly 20 years, March 15

Craig K. Welch, 58, insurance entrepreneur, RHS Class of 1963, March 15

Lillian Scaglia Stevens, 90, Ridgefield native, craftswoman, March 18

Linda Carboni, 47, worked on Hubbell space telescope, March 19

Rita Tuccio, former Miss Italy, homemaker, longtime Ridgefielder, March 22

John K. Kinnear Sr., 82, engineer, former Ridgefielder, March 26

Paul J. Rosa Jr., 76, longtime town official, GOP leader, March 26

James B. Cooper, 61, software professional, fought pulmonary fibrosis, March 29

Dr. Henry D. Minot, 86, retired surgeon, medical examiner, Naval aviator, school bus driver, March 31

Gina "Jean" Baldaserini Rossini, 88, Ridgefield native, April 5

Margaret "Peggy" O'Neill, 60, administrative assistant, active in cancer patient support, April 5

Antonio Marino, 72, retired cobbler, native of Italy, April 6

Vilma Salvestrini, 79, homemaker, longtime Ridgefielder, April 9

Margaret "Peg" Paige, 85, retired teacher, April 10

Herschel Ferris, 80, retired IBM contracts expert, April 10

Ruth Devlin, 87, owned real estate firm here, April12

Ruth L. McCarthy, 79, owned advertising agency, April 12

William Boondas, 85, retired businessman, native of Greece, April 14

Peter P. Casagrande, 87, Ridgefield native, WWII veteran, worked at Ridgefield News for 40 years, April 15

Irene Cassavechia, 79, longtime Ridgefield resident, April 15

John Charles Grasso, 47, cabinetmaker, sportsman, April 15

Nancy McHardy Plaut, 67, educator, April 16

Gail McMillan, 51, native of England, April 17

Margaret Mary Bohan Kiley, 77, longtime resident, theatre and hospital volunteer, April 20

Christine Archambault, native of Poland, owned market, April 20

Rose M. Franceschini, 87, lifelong Ridgefield resident, April 23

Howard Silverman, romantic artist, dramatist, longtime Ridgefielder, April 23

Nathan Bruckenthal, 24, first Coast Guardsman to die in battle since Vietnam, in Iraq, April 24

Francine J. Whitehouse, 39, GE Capital executive, April 26

William L. Wyatt, 65, RHS Class of 1957, led Little League team to World Series, April 26

Arthur Kessler, 77, chemical engineer, Yarnbee owner, April 29

Gary T. Petersen, 67, former resident, avid golfer, April 30

Katherine McGill Whitman, 89, retired secretary, former Ridgefielder, May 3

John P. Dwyer, 81, World War II veteran, former flight engineer, May 4

Joseph A. Tulipani, Ridgefield native, World War II veteran, May 5

Carolyn Ferguson Fischer, 91, native Ridgefielder, worked for Schlumberger, May 6

Shirley Thomas Griffith, 83, longtime Stamford city employee, May 7

Edith Eilertsen Sharnik, 48, RHS 1974, artist and framer, May 8

Mary F. Connell, 81, longtime Ridgefielder, May 9

Joseph Cice, 37, RHS 1985, social worker, child advocate, May 9

Michael J. Manning, 65, longtime Ridgefielder, active in community, May 15

Joseph Mulvaney, 84, carpenter, World War II veteran, RHS 1937, May 16

DJ Esslinger, 21, HVAC technician, May 18

Sister Barbara Topazio, 65, teacher, community volunteer, May 19

Martha Morgan, 79,  homemaker, volunteer, deacon, May 21

Alfred G. Bergen, 46, contractor, native of Vienna, May 21

Anthony J. Gaeta Jr., 89, native, plumber, World War II veteran, May 25

Richard Henderson, 48, pilot and writer, May 29

Miller A. Johnson, 79, air freight executive, active in community, May 31

Dominic J. Bedini, 84, native, mason,  D-Day paratrooper, Purple Heart winner, June 7

Florence Mische Lotspeich, 53, public health sanitarian, grew up here, July 7

Craig W. Baggott, 55, Hartford Courant editor, grew up here, June 9

Rino Manoni, 93, Ridgefield native, worked at Gilbert & Bennett, June 10

James P. Evers, 88, retired attorney and judge, June 12

Carmella Legan, 76, homemaker, Ridgefielder for 45 years, June 13

Lester L. Selnick, 80, electrical engineer, founding Temple member, longtime resident, June 15

Dr. Robert Jacobs, 62, chemistry teacher and human rights advocate, June 16

John Occhuizzo, 83, World War II veteran, longtime Ridgefielder, June 17

Joseph F. Dunleavy, 83, World War II veteran, Ridgefield postal clerk, June 18

Hilda N. Monti, 71, longtime town hall worker, active in community, June 19

David E. Nichols, 61, IBM executive, Democratic Party worker and webmaster, town official, June 19

Stephen J. Shay Jr., 77, Stamford policeman for 48 years, June 19

Betsy De Filippis, 71, reporter, avid gardener, longtime resident, June 25

Karl W. Hering, 81, WWII veteran, Perkin-Elmer retiree, music lover, June 25

Eugenia Passarelli, 76, dressmaker for Norell, Saks Fifth Avenue, June 25

William "Tom" Reisen, 71, former resident, Ridgefield police volunteer, June 25

W. Mark Zabarouskas, 45, RHS '77, Navy veteran, July 3

Robert G. Jewell, 63, retired New York City policeman and firefighter, July 5

Joan Moll Watts, 68, Pepperidge Farms accounting supervisor, former Ridgefielder, July 6

Veronica Dubs, longtime Ridgefielder, July 6 

Janet Baldwin, 94, IT&T accountant, former Ridgefielder, July 7

Eileen Swartout, teacher, farmer, mountain climber, July 7

Francis S. Ingraham, 72, retired Olin manager, active in Methodist Church, July 9

Sylvia Asselin, 65, active in garden club, Keeler Tavern, July 12

Marguerite Maddock Goodrow, 81, Ridgefield native, July 14

William Mennis, 77, retired Mercantile manager, July 17

Edward M. Holub, noted engineer, longtime Ridgefielder, July 17

Lt. Col. Hans B. Collischonn, 79, former Wilton teacher, July 20

John "Jack" Coffey, 69, RHS '53, Navy veteran, building, July 22

Roger A. Hill, 53, petroleum engineer, taught at university, July 25

Shirley F. Lazarus, 72, mother of Ridgefielder, July 26

Charles Napier Miller, 42, grew up here, July 30

Earle Greenwood, 82, Navy veteran, marine chemicals manager, July 31

Bruce Dallow, 63, retired Pelham policeman, July 31

Joan Gillespie, 61, owned cleaning service, Aug. 6

Winifred Beckley Gillum Prosser, 78, outdoorswoman, produced famous fly rods, Aug. 12

Dino V. Cingolani, 76, baseball star wooed by major leagues, Aug. 16

Joan M. Corde, 67, homemaker, gardener, active with youth groups, Aug. 18

Brian Schlierf, 8, Ridgebury pupil, fire victim, Aug. 18

Laurie Ann DeLuca, 37, grew up in Ridgefield, Aug. 21

Miriam 'Mary' Briody, 77, worked for City of New York, Aug. 25

Ellen Johnson 'Mimi' Kane, 102, homemaker with an eye for wise investment, Aug. 28

Richard B. Hitt, 71, operated The Yankee Clipper, former assistant canine control officer, Aug. 31

Gwendolyne R. “Gwen” Franco, 76, restaurateur, antiques dealer, Sept. 3

Aileen Agius, 75, former Ridgefielder, retired nurse, Sept. 5

Peter Paul Lorenzini, 88, built many Ridgefield homes, was volunteer fireman, Sept. 7

Richard G. Turner, 85, machinist, former Ridgefielder, Sept. 10

Beverly Bollenback, 74, retired nurse, longtime Ridgefielder, Sept. 11

James Hartle, 62, IBM retiree, active in youth, church, school programs, Sept. 11

Olga Usky Biggar, 83, former Stamford official, Sept. 16

Gertrude Ingels, 88, retired purchasing agent, Sept. 17

June Pascoe Martin, 84, homemaker, artist, longtime Ridgefielder, Sept. 17

Frank R. Grant, 79, Navy veteran, retired police detective, Sept. 18

Frederick R. Glissmann, 68, artisan, historian, longtime Ridgefielder, Sept.18

Mary L. Cheney, 75, former VNA administrator, Sept. 19

Ella Urban Walmsley, former Navy employee, Sept. 20

Dixie A. Tuoti, 93, nurse, longtime Ridgefielder, Sept. 21

Katherine Zembron, 80, worked for New York City schools, Sept. 23

Edith Forcelli Dodd, 83, longtime Branchville homemaker, Sept. 23

Marvin Fleischman, 68, physicist, ham radio operator, Sept. 24

Maureen Oliveri, 50, credit analyst, outdoorswoman, Sept. 25

Ethel G. Kane, 90, homemaker and artist, Sept. 26

Erna Russow, 92, native of German, fled Nazis, widow of Dr. Erich Russow, Oct. 8

Sarah Barrus Dickinson, 83, summer resident, Oct. 8

John D. Foulds, 78, Pepsi-Cola executive, native of England, Oct. 9

Roland D. Hatter, 70, retired caretaker, tree surgeon, Oct. 9

Rosetta Dwyer, 80, teacher, attorney, longtime Ridgefielder, Oct. 15

Benedict Tighe, 77, monsignor who served here as Benedictine priest, Oct. 17

George F. Wilson, 76, Ridgefield native, volunteer firefighter, worked for Morganti, Oct. 19

Anne Marie Pokorny Beardsley, lived here many years, worked for Ethan Allen, Oct. 22

Edward J. Czyr, 71, builder, former Lions Club president, Oct. 22

Janice Hunt Tulipani, 74, longtime Ridgefielder, active in community, Oct. 25

Adaline "Addi" Laughlin, 67, crafts leader, Ukrainian egg expert, Oct. 25

Rosanna Pesce, 93, seamstress, active at St. Mary's, Oct. 29

Dominic DiOrio, 90, tool and die maker for Hughes Aircraft, RHS 1933, Nov. 1

Maria D. "Masha" Scott, 92, teacher, writer, scholar, native of Russia, Nov. 5

Allen O. Shafer, 85, former school board chairman, World War II veteran, Nov. 6  

Thielo G. Howland, 92, toy company executive, former Navy intelligence agent, Nov. 6

Edwin Heckel, 86, electronics technician, longtime Ridgefield, World War II vet, Nov. 7

Thelma A. Robertson, 81, active in church and volunteering, longtime Ridgefielder, Nov. 8

Mary E. Brolin, 81, retired teacher, medical secretary, wife of school administrator, Nov. 9

Augustus "Gussie" Nazzaro, 86, worked at Gilbert and Bennett, Nov. 9

Ruth D. Johnson, 82, retired VNA worker, 55-year Ridgefielder, Nov. 10

Jeffrey James "Jay" Docimo, 37, bank manager, sports coach, Nov. 12

Frank L. Schmitt, 82, worked for AT&T, World War II veteran, Nov. 12

Christine Ann West, 53, RHS 1967, loved the outdoors, Nov. 12

John G. Clark, RHS 1967, graphic designer, historic district official, Nov. 13

G. Leonard Lazarus, 82, retired aerospace engineer, Nov. 14

Darrell Duffy, 32, Ridgefield High Class of 1991, Nov. 18

James A. Ford, 72, military food broker, Marine veteran, Nov. 18

Leon Najman, 71, engineer, community volunteer, 42-year resident, Nov. 19

C. Ray Phelan, 86, Ridgefield native, former town official, Nov. 21 

Mary Elisabeth Freivogel, native, RHS 1941, bookkeeper, Nov. 24

Martha Meier Roberti, native of Switzerland, longtime Ridgefielder, Nov. 25

Rupert "Dutch" Vreugde, 76, aerospace engineer, spied on Nazis as boy, Dec. 11

Alice "Elsie" Kasuli, 90, seamstress, active in cancer society, Dec. 15

Maura Sullivan Reynolds, 84, former Ridgefielder active at St. Mary's, Dec. 16

Tina Roberti Morazzini, 87, Ridgefield native, Dec. 16

Rose E. Ribeiro, 88, longtime Ridgefielder, native of Finland, worked for the Luces, Dec. 19

Frances Long Scott, 84, writer, journalist, community volunteer, Dec. 19

John P. Forcelli, 81, star baseball player, lifelong Ridgefielder, Dec. 20

Alfred J. Kaletta, 75, Amtrak executive, active in community, Dec. 24

Lisa Ann Cataldo, 39, active in schools and at St. Mary's, Dec. 25

Delores Hayward Martin, 69, former resident, well-known waitress, Dec. 29

To obtain the text of an obituary on this page as it appeared in The Press, send the person's name, date of the Press issue or of the death, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and $4 to cover costs to Jack Sanders, 91 Olmstead Lane, Ridgefield CT 06877. 

Index of Press obituaries, 1875-1999 

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