Noted Deaths 2008

As with every year, 2008 saw the passing of several notable figures in Newtown.

Louis D. Marchese, 93, Newtown’s first police chief, died December 29, 2007, at Danbury Hospital following a long illness. In a distinguished 30-year career dating to July 1941, he also commanded the State Police Training Academy in Bethany and was the first trooper to work at all 11 State Police Barracks. After his initial retirement, Mr Marchese was appointed the first chief of the newly formed Newtown Police Department in July 1971. Under his direction, the department grew to comprise 28 officers and ten support personnel at the time of his subsequent retirement in October 1987, when he was recognized as the state’s Senior Police Officer for years of service. He loved police work and never took a sick day in his 46 years on the job.

Longtime Sandy Hook School kindergarten teacher Alice Mary Rafferty, 93, of Sandy Hook died January 14, after a short stay in Filosa Convalescent Home, Danbury.

While not a Newtown resident, the Reverend William Henry Padgett, Jr, touched the lives of many members of St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook, taking a temporary assignment in 1998 at St John’s Church in Sandy Hook to fill in until the appointment of a permanent rector, and continuing there as rector until 2001. Rev Padgett, 83, of Shelton, died January 22 at St Joseph’s Manor, Trumbull.

Fred H. Bennett, 88, of Newtown, died February 15 at Bethel Health Care Center. A resident of Newtown since 1962, Mr Bennett was the owner of Poverty Hollow Antiques until his retirement in 1998.

Steven L. Tozser, 88, of the Botsford section of Newtown died February 21, in Danbury Hospital. A resident of Newtown for 58 years, Mr Tozser was a charter member of the United Fire Company of Botsford where he served in a number of positions over the years. He was also a former member of the Board of Fire Commissioners for the Town of Newtown. He served in the Connecticut State Police Auxiliary and the Newtown Police Auxiliary, where he directed traffic at Newtown churches on Sundays.

Michael John Leonard, 41, husband of Jean (Moore) Leonard of Newtown, died April 20, in Danbury Hospital. A resident of Newtown for 11 years, he was a former assistant chief of the Newtown Underwater Search and Rescue.

Olga Liteplo Paproski, 89, of Newtown died peacefully surrounded by her loving family at the home of her daughter in Wallingford on May 1, after a brave battle with cancer. She was the wife of the late Sam Paproski, a dairy farmer of Castle Hill Farm.

Mrs Paproski was known for her energy and accomplishments. She worked on the family farm, Castle Hill Farm, with her son, and was proud of her garden and yard. Mrs Paproski also managed the Paproski Tree Farm, making her popular wreaths and kissing balls, and supervised the Castle Hill Farm Pumpkin Patch/Corn Maze.

She was also known for her intricately decorated Ukrainian Easter Eggs, Pysanky. Mrs Paproski demonstrated and taught the ancient art throughout Fairfield County. For more than 25 years she hosted the annual Ukrainian Festival at her Hattertown Road home each August. She also spearheaded the Dodgingtown Island preservation, and belonged to Connecticut Farm Bureau, Newtown Senior Center, Newtown Democratic Committee, Bethel Extension Service, Dodgingtown Homemakers Club, Dodgingtown Firehouse Ladies’ Auxiliary, and Newtown Mother’s Club.

Katherine “Kitty” DeCesare, beloved wife of Salvatore C. DeCesare of Newtown, died at her home, May 6, after a long illness. Mrs DeCesare was a resident of Newtown since 1960 and was a founding member of Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Edmund Clark Platt II, 84, better known as Ned, died April 24 after heart surgery at Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla. Mr Platt and his wife, Lysbeth “Betty” Ann Walker, settled in Newtown where he started his career at Platt Lumber Company, which was founded in 1897 in Hawleyville by his grandfather and namesake. He built his first home on his grandfather’s farmland on Taunton Lane, where they lived for 37 years. He was a member and later honorary member of Newtown Rotary Club, a board member of Newtown Building Committee for more than ten years, member of the Men’s Social and Literary Club of Newtown Main Street, trustee and then honorary trustee of Booth Library, and active member of the Lumber Dealers Association of Connecticut. In addition to his involvement with the Boy Scouts and Little League, his favorite volunteer activity was flipping pancakes at the annual Rotary breakfast.

Mr Platt was best known for the “improvements” he made to everyday life. His inventions ranged from designing a way to close his Vermont Academy window at 5 am so he could awaken to a warmer room to adding hot water, electricity, and music to his Italian army tent; to installing a “hot tub” at their Walpole home made from an unused toxic waste drum with warm water heated from coils on the roof. His love of gadgets was legendary. He had one of the first microwave ovens, waterbeds, and TV remote controls in Newtown. The microwave, on sale at the lumberyard, was “on display” in his kitchen.

The Village Barber Shop and its patrons lost a familiar face when owner Shpendi “Frank” Ambari, 40, of Beacon Falls, died May 21 at Connecticut Hospice in Branford after a battle against brain cancer. He was an award-winning hairstylist and leaves many friends and customers from his businesses.

Elizabeth “B.J.” Geerer, 75, of Redondo Beach, Calif., and formerly of Newtown, died May 23, after a courageous battle with cancer. Mrs Geerer was a resident of Newtown for 30 years. She was a teacher at Newtown Middle School who was known for her compassion and quick wit. She was active in Meals On Wheels and Hospice for many years.

Silbina “Sibby” Hilario, 74, of Newtown, died June 4. She was vice president of her family’s business, Hilario’s Service Center and Hilario’s Super Variety.

Sydney R. Dobbs, 98, of Cushing, Maine, present holder of the Boston Post Cane and former Cushing town moderator, died June 17. Mr Dobbs and his wife Bettina were former longtime Newtown residents, having lived on Boulevard Lane Extension and raising their two children here before retiring to Maine. In February 1960, Mr Dobbs, who was by then serving as the fire chief at the Fairfield State Hospital and as PTA safety chairman, was appointed a member of the newly formed Advisory Committee for Civic Action. The committee included among its objectives the coordination of safety programs, encouragement of civic and legislative action, and the planning of the 1960s Governor’s Conference of Traffic Safety.

A year earlier Mr Dobbs represented the Patent Teacher Association of the Connecticut Board of Managers at the 14th annual Connecticut Safety Society conference at the University of Bridgeport. Mr Dobbs also served as state safety chairman of the Connecticut Parent-Teacher Association during the early 1960s.

John Dainiak, 85, of East Hampton, beloved husband of Grete Ellen (Hansen) Dainiak, died July 18. He had lived in Newtown for more than 45 years before moving to East Hampton 4½ years ago. Mr Dainiak was a member of the VFW in Newtown, the American Legion in Newtown, a member of the Lions Club in Newtown, and was a longtime member of the United Fire Company of Botsford.

Alice L. Mulligan, 85, of Salisbury, died July 27 in Noble Horizons Village. For several years, she served as a librarian in Newtown.

Homer Thawley Hopkins, 95, of Sandy Hook, died August 18. He received a BS from the University of Delaware in 1935, a master’s degree from Cornell University, and a PhD in plant physiology from the University of Maryland in 1951.

He worked for the Delaware State Board of Agriculture prior to his military service, and then as a chemist for the US Department of Agriculture, followed by the Food and Drug Administration. He was a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

 Some of his research included ion transport across living membranes, the nutrient composition of national food supplies, and the assessment of ecological and health effects of synthetic fuel technologies. In retirement, he was an assistant professor at the University of Maryland Institute of Applied Agriculture, as well as the volunteer coordinator of International Programs.

Casmer Thomas Pulieri, 84, died September 4, with his family by his side, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Mr Pulieri was co-owner of the Fireside Inn for many years.

Doris (Crocker) Bushaw, 80, of Danbury, died September 5. Mrs Bushaw received her bachelor’s degree from Danbury State Teachers College, a master’s degree from Columbia University, and a sixth year professional diploma from Southern Connecticut State University. Additional postgraduate work was completed at the University of Connecticut. During her distinguished career as an educator, she served as a teacher in the Darien Public Schools, and subsequently as a guidance counselor and assistant principal in Danbury. She retired in 1992 as the supervising principal of Hawley School in Newtown.

Always a professional, education mattered greatly to her and as a result she was highly regarded by the school community that she served. She was an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, National Association of Elementary Principals, and National Education Association.

E. John Scales, MD, 79, of Heritage Crest, Southbury, died September 12, at Danbury Hospital. He served as chief of professional services at Fairfield Hills Hospital from 1970 to 1981 and was superintendent of Fairfield Hills Hospital from 1981 until 1986. Dr Scales retired from psychiatry in 1990.

William Lewis Slocum, 86, died September 15 in North Carolina. He was a former resident and served at one time as assistant chief for Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department.

Pauline M. Gordon, 74, formerly of Newtown, died September 22 at Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta, Calif. Ms Gordon played with the professional softball team, The Raybestos Brakettes. Upon moving to Newtown with her family she was employed by Fairfield Hills Hospital for 30 years. Mrs Gordon was very active with the Little League in town, becoming the first female coach. She coached beside Don Skalandunas, Guy Cullen, Dr Hank Gellert, and others. She also coached Park and Recreation girls’ basketball, as well as refereed.

Ursula Eva Goebel died November 11. A longtime Newtown resident, she was married to Robert Goebel, who became director of internal medicine at Fairfield Hills Hospital. She founded Friends from Abroad, a host program for foreign doctors’ families at Fairfield Hills. She was a founding member of the Newtown Food Co-op and a volunteer counselor at the Danbury Women’s Center. She worked as the coordinator of the Young Parents Program at Danbury Hospital, started the Newtown Hikers in 1982, gave time to Friends of Music, and volunteered with Literacy Volunteers for almost two decades.

These people, and the many other Newtown residents and community contributors who passed on in 2008, will be greatly missed and remembered by those whose lives they touched.