Occupation: I am a retired baker. I worked in Bridgeport for 18 years at Nancy Lynn Bakeries, the Grand Union commercial bakery that was shut down in 1977. Then I worked for Newtown Manufacturing for two years, and at the Grand Union in the Southbury Plaza in-store bakery for eight years. I left that position in 1989.

Since then I have been spending more and more time on my photography, and I am a part-time professional photographer.

 

How Long In Newtown: I have lived here since June 1969. We moved from Arrowhead Lane to the mobile home park on Route 302, and have been in the same spot now for 26 years.

 

Family: My wife, Jeannette, died in March. She was a wonderful person, always smiling. I was married to her for 42½ years and she loved yellow roses.

Our daughter, Penny, works at the town hall.

Hobbies: I used to go ice-fishing in the winters, I love to go boating, and of course, I love taking pictures. Fishing is important, too. I always carry a rod and a camera. That’s the best of both worlds. The biggest fish I ever caught was 36 inches long at Lake Taconic in the late 1970s. A favorite pastime is getting together with my three younger brothers and my mom and playing pinochle. We are all great losers!

 

Pets: Well, I have a ceramic dog under the table that my daughter made. It’s a mutt with big floppy ears and this winter, I might move it over to the fireplace. We did have a poodle named “Paris” for 14 years that was so smart, it could understand spelling.

 

Favorite Reading Material: Magazines on photography equipment

 

Favorite Vacation Spot: We used to go to Lake Oneida, N.Y., every year for a week, and to Sylvan Beach and North Bay, near Lake Ontario.

 

Organizations: I joined the Flagpole Photographers in 1989, when I left the bakery, and I was vice president and then president from 1992 to 1995.

In 1990, I joined the Candlewood Camera Club and did a lot of volunteer jobs there. I’ve won ribbons in both clubs and made many friends through belonging to them. From 1999 to the present I have belonged to the CPPA (Connecticut Professional Photographers Association), and last year was Digital Photographer of the Year. My favorite subjects are vintage cars and flowers.

 

Most Vivid Memory About Newtown: The friends I have made here provide many vivid memories.

 

Personal Philosophy: You have to make the most out of life because it is so short. All of a sudden, you’re old. Where did all that time go?