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OBITS (Steck; DeLucia; Giarratano; Playter; Julien (Mr & Mrs); Burnham;
Webster; Kochies; Keefe; Troccola; Caprilozzi;
Blanche R. Steck
Blanche R. Steck, a resident of Boynton Beach, Fla., died November 12, in Lake
Worth, Fla. She was the mother of Charlene Swanson of Newtown.
She was the wife of the late Donald J. Steck, who predeceased her in October
of 1997 - the year the couple celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.
Before retiring to Florida with her husband in 1979, Mrs Steck was active in
the Danbury community for 45 years. She was born in Shelton, on January 1,
1912, the daughter of Charles and Mary (Collins) Rumble.
In addition to her daughter, Mrs Steck is survived by another daughter, Donna
Metcalf of Snellville, Ga.; four grandchildren, Jon Swanson, Kirsten Swanson
Fitzgerald, Don Metcalf and David Metcalf; six great-grandchildren; and
several nieces and nephews, including Tom Steck of Newtown.
A funeral mass was celebrated at St. Mark's Catholic Church, with burial in
Boynton Beach Memorial Park.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Florence DeLucia
Florence Salce DeLucia, 81, of Fairfield, mother of Frank DeLucia of Newtown,
died November 19 in Cambridge Manor, Fairfield. She was the former owner of
Solly's Restaurant on Route 302 in Newtown.
Born in Bridgeport, she was an area resident all of her life.
Mrs DeLucia was the widow of Alexander DeLucia.
She was a member of St Francis Society of Our Lady of Fatima, the Altar Guild
of St Raphael's Church, Mt Carmel Society of Holy Rosary Church, the
Bridgeport Council of Catholic Women, Senior Citizens of Christ the King
Church, and Stern Village in Trumbull.
She was dearly loved by her family: her son Frank and his wife, Miriam; one
other son, John DeLucia and his wife, Sue, of Bridgeport; a daughter, Sally
Saja and her husband, John, of Easton; two brothers, Joseph Salce of
Bridgeport and Anthony Salce of Florida; eight grandchildren; 17
great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held November 23 in the Parente-Lauro Funeral Home Inc,
559 Washington Avenue, and in St Theresa's Church, Trumbull.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Helen Giarratano
Helen Giarratano, 86, of 44 Kiowa Drive, SW, Fort Myers Beach, Fla., formerly
of Danbury, wife of Samuel F. Giarratano, died in Fort Myers on November 22.
She was the mother of Michael F. Giarratano of Newtown.
Mrs Giarratano was born in New York City, October 22, 1912, daughter of the
late Frank and Helena (Rosenkranz) Rau. She moved to Danbury as a child and
had lived there until she moved to Florida in 1979. Prior to her retirement,
she had worked for many years as a children's nurse at Danbury Hospital.
She was a past member of St Joseph's Church, Danbury, St Joseph's Ladies
Guild, and a long-standing member of the Elizabeth Lodge, Danbury chapter. She
was an avid gardener who also enjoyed cooking and sewing.
In addition to her husband and son, she is survived by another son, Donald J.
Giarratano of Bridgewater; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and
several nieces and nephews.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at St Joseph's Church, Danbury, on November
27, at 11 am. Cremation has taken place in Florida. There will be no calling
hours.
Contributions may be made to a charity of one's choice. Green Funeral Home, 57
Main Street, Danbury, is in charge of local arrangements.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Brian D. Playter
Brian D. Playter, 42, of Washington Avenue, Waterbury, died unexpectedly
November 15, at Waterbury Hospital.
He was the brother of Patrice Playter of Newtown.
Mr Playter was born October 21, 1956, in Orlando, Fla., son of James Playter
and the late Helen (Dorsey) Playter. Formerly of Woodbury, Mr Playter was a
1975 graduate of Nonnewaug High School and had been employed by Big Y
Supermarkets for over 20 years.
Besides his father and sister, he is survived by another sister, Victoria
Gorman of Ft Lauderdale, Fla.; and five nieces, Jill, Erin, and Megan Murphy,
all of Newtown, and Erika and Patricia Boady, both of Ft Lauderdale.
A memorial service will be held November 28 at 11 am at the Woodbury Funeral
Home of Munson-Lovetere, Main Street South. Burial will follow in New North
Cemetery, Woodbury.
Friends may call November 28 from 10 am until the time of the service.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor's choice.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Margaret L. Julien
William Julien
Margaret Lennox Julien, 88, and William Julien, 87, former residents of
Newtown, died on November 16 at the Maricopa Burn Center in Phoenix, Ariz., as
a result of a tragic fire on November 1, which destroyed their home in Sun
City.
Mr and Mrs Julien will be remembered for their many contributions to the
community while they resided here. They were members of the Newtown
Congregational Church, where Mr Julien served as a deacon and Mrs Julien was
active in the Women's Federation. She was a founder and charter member of the
Newtown Woman's Club and served several terms on the Board of Directors.
Mr Julien was the first chairman of the Commission for the Elderly. While on
the commission he served as chairman of the building committee for Nunnawauk
Meadows Housing for the Elderly. He was director of Industrial Arts Education
for all the schools in Danbury. Before moving to Sandy Hook, he was director
of the Guidance Department at Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge,
Mass. and director of admissions at Endicott Junior College in Beverly, Mass.
They are survived by a son, Kenneth, and his wife, Pauline, of Southbridge,
Mass.; two grandsons, Scott and Robert; and a great-grandson, Nicholas. Mrs
Julien is survived by a nephew, David Walker, who resides in England.
Burial was in Southbridge, Mass. with private graveside services. Memorial
contributions may be sent to Ruth Rimmer, executive director of the Foundation
for Burns and Trauma, PO Box 80055, Phoenix, Ariz. 85000.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Katherine Burnham
Katherine (Kate) L. Burnham, devoted and beloved mother of Chelsea and Steven,
wife of Edwin, quilter, homemaker and physician's assistant, died November 20,
from breast cancer at the age of 52. She was the sister of Mary E. Burnham of
Sandy Hook.
Mrs Burnham was born to Drs Michael and Rhoda Burnham in New York City on May
20, 1946, and grew up in Weston. She graduated from Staples High School in
Westport and Hiram College in Ohio. After graduation, she attended Yale
University, where she received a master's degree in public health. She went on
to attend Duke University Medical School, receiving her physician's assistance
degree in Duke's first P.A. graduating class.
In 1978, she and her husband, Ed Kammerer, moved to Portland, Ore., where she
practiced as a physician's assistant for Kaiser Permanente until her death.
She is survived by her daughter Chelsea, 15; son, Steven, 11; and her husband,
Ed, all of Oregon City; her mother, Dr Rhoda K. Burnham of Weston; her two
brothers, Dr J. Randolph Burnham of Westport, and Michael S. Burnham of
Memphis, Tenn.; and six nieces and nephews. Her entire family mourns for her
deeply.
A memorial service will be held on December 6 at 4 pm at the Atkinson Memorial
Church, 710 Sixth St., Oregon City.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a trust established for her
children's education: The Katherine L. Burnham Trust, c/o Newtown Savings
Bank, P.O. Box 458, Botsford, Conn. 06404-0458.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Donald Alan Webster
Donald Alan Webster, 64, of Fairfield, father of Ted Hopkins of Newtown, died
on November 21, in St Vincent's Medical Center, Bridgeport.
Born on July 22, 1934 in Staten Island, N.Y., the son of Madeline S. Webster
Pettengill and the late Raymond K. Webster, Mr Webster had been a Fairfield
resident for the past 33 years. He was a graduate of Greenwich Country Day
School, the Hackley School, and received his BS degree from Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute in 1956, where he was a member of Alpha Chi Rho
Fraternity.
His professional accomplishments include quality control manager for Sunbeam
Electronics, Dictaphone Corporation, DuPont-Sorvall, General Datacom, and New
Haven Manufacturing. He was a past president of the Connecticut Section of the
American Society for Quality Control.
He received a US Patent for his specialized manufacturing techniques to
produce clear nylon test tubes used in medical research. After his retirement,
he was selected as a juror for the Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award, a national
award sponsored by the US government. He was unusually active with the
American Red Cross Blood Program, having donated over nine gallons of blood.
He was also active with the Boy Scouts of America, both in troops and explorer
posts. He had a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors.
Survivors include his wife, Joyce Newcomb Webster of Fairfield; three other
children, David A. Webster of Dover Plains, N.Y., Deborah W. Heelan of Bethel,
and Melinda Hopkins of New York City; his mother, Madeline S. Pettengill of
Greenwich; a brother, Kenneth R. Webster of Denver, Colo.; six grandchildren;
and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial services took place on November 23 in the Spear Funeral home, 39
Benson Road, Fairfield. Graveside interment services were held on November 25,
at 10 am, in Putnam Cemetery, Greenwich.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mr Webster may be made to the
Connecticut Audubon Center, 2325 Burr Street, Fairfield, Conn. 06430, or the
Leukemia Society of America, Inc., 500 Summer Street, Stamford, Conn.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Ernest Kochies
Ernest Kochies, 71, of Newtown, father of Helen Ferrer and Cindy Rossetti of
Newtown, died November 21 in Danbury Hospital. He was the husband of the late
Anita (Griffin) Kochies.
Mr Kochies was born in Norwalk December 24, 1927, a son of the late Anthony
and Helen Falcone. He was a resident of Newtown the past 20 years.
For the past 10 years, Mr Kochies was the co-owner of Bank Equipment
Specialties Company of Newtown. He was a veteran of World War II and the
Korean War, serving in the US Marines and Merchant Marines.
He is survived by a son, Martin Kochies of Danbury; and one other daughter,
Liza Mazzaro of Danbury; two brothers, Anthony Falcone of New Jersey and
Donald Falcone of Norwalk; two sisters, Julia Tiano of Norwalk and Marie See
of Florida; and five grandchildren. Mr Kochies was predeceased by his son
Shawn in 1983.
Funeral services were held November 24 at the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main
Street, Newtown, and St Rose of Lima Church for a Mass of Christian Burial.
Interment was in St Rose Cemetery.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Bobbie-Jo Keefe
Bobbie-Jo Mary Keefe, 23, died November 22, after a brief illness.
Formerly of Sandy Hook, she is survived by her parents, Dennis H. Keefe, Jr,
and Mary Keefe of Pelzer, S.C.; her fiance; seven brothers and sisters; her
maternal and paternal grandmothers; several aunts and uncles; 18 nieces and
nephews; and one great nephew.
Condolences may be sent to her parents at 119 Arden Road, Pelzer, S.C. 29669.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
James G. Troccola
James G. Troccola, 78, husband of Ramona (Cook) Troccola, of Deland, Fla.,
formerly of Danbury, died in Deland on November 16. He was the brother of
Alphonso Troccola of Newtown.
He was born in Danbury, March 9, 1920, son of the late Alphonso and Susan
(DiLucca) Troccola. He was a graduate of Danbury schools and had served with
the US Army during World War II. He worked for the M.J. Stavola Co of Danbury
for many years, and had been a Florida resident for the past five years.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, James G. Troccola of
Naugatuck; two daughters, Judith Hawley of Danbury and Nancy Britton of New
York; a sister, Mary Zenobia of Danbury; two other brothers, Anthony Troccola
of Danbury and Patrick Troccola of Colorado; nine grandchildren; one great-
grandson; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first
wife, Geraldine (Feeley) Troccola in 1978.
A memorial service was held at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street,
Danbury, on November 22. Cremation was in Florida.
Contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, 300 Research
Parkway, Meriden, Conn. 06450.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998
Robert E. Caprilozzi
Robert E. Caprilozzi, 61, husband of Marlene (Dunlap) Caprilozzi, died at
Danbury Hospital on November 18. He was the father of Maria Lounsbury of
Newtown.
He was born in Danbury, April 9, 1937, son of the late Ralph and Julia
(Wilcox) Caprilozzi. He was a lifetime Danbury resident and a retired 20-year
employee of the City of Danbury Highway Department. He had also owned and
operated the former Capri Photography Studio, that specialized in wedding
photography, for more than 30 years.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons and a daughter-in-law,
Robert M. Caprilozzi of Danbury and Robert E. and Elizabeth Capri of New
Fairfield; a son-in-law, Daniel Lounsbury of Newtown; a stepson, Leroy
Provancher of Concord, N.C.; two sisters, Joyce Lippman of New Milford and
Judith Callahan of Danbury; seven grandchildren, Michael, Jayson, Barbie,
Ryan, Derek, Kirsten and Eric; and two great-grandchildren, Sean and Nickie.
He was predeceased by a son, Vincent M. Caprilozzi in 1980.
Funeral services were held at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury,
on November 21. Burial followed in Wooster Cemetery.
The Newtown Bee November 27, 1998