Eileen (Brenner) Willig, 96, of Southbury died February 3. Born in Adams, Mass., on August 8, 1921, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Alice Varno Brenner, and the wife of the late Claude F. Willig.

She was a resident of Newtown from 1949 until 2012, when she moved to Pomperaug Woods in Southbury.

Mrs Willig was a graduate of Adams (Mass.) High School. She went on to receive a BA degree from Simmons College in Boston, where she was a member of Academy, the college honor society. She received her MA from New Haven Teachers College and a sixth-year teaching certificate in secondary education from the University of Bridgeport.

Mrs Willig was an auditor for the United States government during World War II and later taught secretarial science at a junior college in New Haven. In 1949, she was hired as Newtown's first business education teacher and later became chairperson of that department. Mrs Willig retired in 1981 after working in Newtown for 32 years.

She was a communicant of St Rose of Lima Church. She also belonged to the Northern Fairfield County Retired Teachers Association, as well as the Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut, of which she was a life member. She was inducted into the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, an honorary teacher's organization, in 1958, and was still a reserve member of the group.

For 17 years, during tax season, she was a tax counselor for the elderly.

Mrs Willig and her late husband were very involved in round dancing (choreographed ballroom), which provided them the opportunity to visit many states and Canada. She belonged to local groups, as well as the International Choreographed Ballroom Dance Association. Mrs Willig and her late husband loved to travel and visited many countries in Europe as well as South America, Japan, and China. She also enjoyed gardening at her homes in Newtown and Southbury.

A stepdaughter, Claudette McGinty and her husband Jim of Manning, S.C.; a stepgrandson, Kevin McGinty of Albany, N.Y.; a stepgranddaughter, Sheila McGinty of Harwinton; along with three great-grandchildren, survive her. She is also survived by her caregiver and niece, two grandnieces, three great-grandnieces, and a great-grandnephew.

Her sister, Ruth Brenner Crawford, predeceased her.

Friends may call at the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, on Thursday February 8, from 9:30 to 10:30 am, with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 11 am. Interment will follow in Belleview Cemetery in Adams, Mass.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Eileen B. Willig Scholarship Fund, Newtown Scholarship Association, PO Box 302, Newtown CT 06470.

To leave an online condolence, visit honanfh.com.