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Obituaries

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Matthew Morelli, 38, Norwalk police officer, died March 21. He was the son of Dennis and Roberta Gates Morelli, of Weston.

Born in Stamford, July 19, 1969, he grew up in Weston. Mr. Morelli was a U. S. Marine Corps veteran of the first Gulf War, and a Norwalk police officer for 11 years.

Survivors in addition to his parents include a daughter; Sydney Anne Morelli, of Australia, two brothers; Dan Morelli, of Weston, Brian Morelli and his wife Tiffany, of Bethlehem, their son Cole Morelli, and close friend Tammy Reade.

The family has this statement’ “Matthew became a Marine and police officer for all the right reasons. Duty, honor, country and community service. He had a profound sense of right and wrong; precise judgment; always there if needed. An avid outdoorsman, scuba diver and sky diver. His heart was as big as the outdoors he loved. He loved his farm and animals, but he loved his family above self; especially his precious daughter, Sydney Anne.”

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, 9:30 a.m.. in St. Matthew Church, 219 Scribner Ave. Burial with Police Department and Marine Corps honors will be in St. John Cemetery.

Friends may call today 5 to 9 p.m. at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Ave.

In lieu of flowers contributions are requested to Sydney Anne Morelli Trust, c/o Jacquelyn Conlon, Fitzmaurice and Siegel, 1281 E. Main Street Stamford, CT 06902.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Trudy Ann Studwell, age 63, of Westport, passed away on Friday, March 14, 2008, at her home surrounded by her friends and loved ones.

Miss Trudy was born in Greenwich in 1945 and was a resident of Southport for several years before relocating to Westport in 1984. She has a zest for life which included a love for food, music and traveling.

She worked for many years at STAR in Norwalk and the Westport Red Cross and a volunteer at Norwalk Hospital for many years. She was part of the CLASP family and will be dearly missed.

Survivors include her two sisters Joan Grey of Homosassa, Fla., and Georgianna Broadway of Van Nuys, Calif., as well as several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service celebrating her life will take place on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 11 a.m. in United Methodist Church, 49 Weston Road, Westport.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Roger W. Stabell, 65, of Westport, passed away Monday, March 10, 2008, at home.

Roger was born in Norwalk, Dec. 4, 1942 son of the late Frederick and Josephine (Masucio) Stabell and has been a life long resident of Westport.

He attended Westport schools and is a graduate of Staples High School. Prior to retiring on March 1, 2004, Roger was employed by the Town of Westport, Department of Recreation for 43 years.

Survivors include several cousins.

Friends are invited to attend a funeral service Friday at 10 a.m. in the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road. East., Westport, with the Rev. John H. Branson III officiating. Interment will follow in Willowbrook Cemetery, Westport. There will be no calling hours.

Memorial contributions in memory of Roger may be made to a favorite charity.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Gregory York Lamb, 55, of Westport, husband of Amy Lamb for the past 27 years, passed away Monday, March 10, 2008, at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York City.

Mr. Lamb was born in DeKalb, Ill., to James S. and Dolores (Lorry York) Lamb on Feb. 10, 1953. Mr. Lamb later moved to Chappaqua, N.Y., and graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1971. Gregory then went on to Denison University where he received his B.S. degree in economics in 1975.

Gregory, an avid soccer player, went on to play professional soccer for three seasons in the American Soccer League, two in the United States and one in Germany.

In 2007, Greg, with Amy, started the Connecticut Soccer League Men’s Under 23 soccer team in Westport. He was also very active in support of the Staples High School soccer program. Greg is a former Price Waterhouse CPA, a vice president for Citigroup, and a member of AICPA.

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Saturday, March 08, 2008

Elizabeth P. “Honey” Gilbertie of Delray Beach, Fla., and formerly of Weston and Westport, passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2008. 

Mrs. Gilbertie was a member of Ascension Catholic Church in Boca Raton, Fla.  While residing in Connecticut, she was a member of the Assumption Church in Westport and St. Francis of Assisi Church in Weston.

Mrs. Gilbertie, the youngest of 12 children, was born in Norwalk to Nicholas and Philomena (D’Amica) Vena.

Mrs. Gilbertie was predeceased in 2006 by her husband of 66 years, Salvatore J. Gilbertie.

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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Stacey Marie Williams was born May 30, 1968 in Sydney, Australia. The oldest of four siblings, Stacey grew up in Wilton, Conn.,  where she excelled as a gifted student and athlete and graduated from Wilton High School as part of the class of 1986.

She spent the summer working as a Congressional intern in Washington, D.C.. She went on to study history and English at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., and The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. She completed her bachelor of arts degrees from Hamilton College in 1991.

Upon graduation, Stacey moved to Westport. As an avid reader and master linguist, Stacey dedicated six years of her professional career as an editor for Scientific American Medical Journal, prompting an interest in medicine and her completing a post baccalaureate pre-med program at New York University.

A lover of animals and nature, Stacey was a well known icon in the Westport community, often seen with her dogs in Winslow Park or enjoying the sands and sunshine at our local beaches.

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Edwin R. Lasner, age 89 of Westport, died Tuesday March 4, 2008, after a long and gallant fight with Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Lasner was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., to Esther and Frank Lasner.

He graduated from Carnegie Tech in 1938 with a degree in management engineering. A member of the “greatest generation,” he joined the U. S. Navy, serving in the Seabees (with a stint on Tinian, where he helped build the runway from which the Enola Gay departed) and was honorably discharged as a lieutenant, with an American Theater ribbon and World War II Victory Medal in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.

After the war, he became a sales representative, then worked for the late A. O. Samuels in the developing aerosol industry. He married Bryna Jane, the daughter of A. O. and Ruth Samuels, in 1956.

His later career was in industrial real estate, as both a realtor and an investor, involved in the Trumbull Industrial Park and in the Westport New Englander (now the Westport Inn) and Greenwich New Englander Motor Hotels, later forming his own firm, the Edwin R. Lasner Company.

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Saturday, March 01, 2008

Paul J. LaMarche, 89, of Westport and Stony Creek, Conn., beloved husband of the late Rebecca Griswold LaMarche, passed away peacefully, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008, in his home with his loving family by his side.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul had been a Westport resident for 53 years. He was a graduate of Case-Western University with a B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering. Paul’s career included positions at the DuPont Company and the Allegheny Steel Corporation.

He also served as vice president and assistant general manager of the Chemical Division of National Distiller and Chemical Company, and retired in 1983 as vice president of Mobil Chemical Company and general manager of the Coating, Catalyst and Chemical Specialties Division.

He was a past director of National Petroleum Corporation and Reactive Metals Corporation and a former member of the Union League Club in New York City.

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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Donald John Miklus, a long term resident of Trumbull, passed away suddenly, Feb. 18, 2008. He was born on June 20, 1940 to John and Susan Chopchik Miklus in Fairfield.

Don graduated form Andrew Ward High School and received a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the University of Bridgeport in 1962. He served as an accountant with the City of Bridgeport and in 1966 took a position with the Town of Westport as an auditor.

In 1970 he was named controller and served in that role until 2001 when, with a charter change his title, with the same responsibilities, was changed to Finance Director.

During his tenure with the Town of Wesport, Don supported the following First Selectmen: John Kemish, Jacqueline Heneage, William Seiden, Martha Hauhuth, Douglas Wood, Joseph Arcudi, Diane Farrell and most recently, Gordon Joseloff.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Ward G. Brackett: Westport resident 59 years. Contributed photoWard G. Brackett,  husband of the late Esther (Tingle) Brackett, passed away Dec. 14, 2006, at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Conn.

Mr. Brackett was born April 2, 1914, son of the late Guy and Mary (Huntington) Brackett and had resided in Westport for 59 years. He was an artist who worked predominately in oils. Mr. Brackett was a longtime member of the Society of Illustrators, the Silvermine Arts Guild and the Westport Arts Center.

Mr. Brackett is survived by one son, Gordon H. Brackett of Westport.

All services were private.

UPDATE Donald J. Miklus, a key Town of Westport finance leader for more than four decades and the steady administrative presence under nine first selectmen, died Monday night, First Selectman Gordon F. Joseloff announced today. He was 67.
Don Miklus: served under nine first selectmen. WN file photo

Miklus, mostly recently finance director, was taken ill while driving with his wife Kristine back to their home in Trumbull from Cape Cod, Joseloff said in an e-mail message to town employees. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital but was unable to be revived, the first selectman said.

Joseloff ordered all town flags lowered to half staff in Miklus’s honor. Calling hours will be Thursday in Bridgeport with a service Friday in Trumbull and a memorial service in Westport on March 1. Details at the end of this story.

“I know that all Westport municipal employees as well as his many friends and colleagues in Westport, his hometown of Trumbull, and throughout New England mourn Don’s loss,” the first selectman said in his e-mail message.

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Monday, February 11, 2008

Mary J. Langlois, 77, of Old Saybrook, Conn., wife of the late Philip D. Langlois, Sr., passed away Saturday, Feb. 9 in Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, Conn.

Mrs. Langlois was born Aug. 17, 1930, daughter of the late Michael and Ann (Cullinan) O’Connell and had resided in Westport for 30 years prior to moving to Old Saybrook seven years ago. She is a former member of the Westport Young Women’s League and the Gourmet Club of Westport.

Survivors include one daughter, Barbara J. Neilsen of Old Saybrook;, three sons, Philip D. Langlois, Jr, of Bethel, Richard M. Langlois of Easton,  and Kevin C. Langlois of Old Saybrook; two sisters, Dorothy Moriarty and Patricia Kennedy borth of Springfield, Mass., nine grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. In addition to being predeceased by her husband of 55 years, Mrs. Langlois was also predeceased by one brother, Thomas O’Connell.

Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial Thursday at 1 p.m. directly at Assumption Church, 98 Riverside Ave., Westport. Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery, Greens Farms. There will be no calling hours.

The Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East, is in charge of arrangements. Contributions in memory of Mrs. Langlois may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT 06897  

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

David G. Rago, 39, beloved son of Alice Blendermann Rago, of the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, passed away suddenly on Feb. 3, 2008 in his home.
David Rago: 1987 Staples graduate. Contributed photo

Born in Valley Stream, N.Y., Dave was raised in Westport, and was a graduate of Staples High School, Class of 1987. He proudly attended the University of Oklahoma, and served as the team manager for the NCAA Championship winning Oklahoma “Sooners” basketball team.

For several years his career in the sports industry led him to destinations throughout the country, more recently settling in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport. He had been a sales associate for Invisible Fence Company. Dave enjoyed following many sports, and was especially fond of the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Mets.

Predeceased by his father, Daniel Rago, many wonderful memories will be embraced by his family including two sisters, Deborah McCloghry, of Southbury, Jennifer Norman, of Atlanta, Ga.; two nieces, Samantha and Meghan McCloghry; two nephews, Jackson and Charlie Norman; one uncle, Kenneth Blendermann, of Huntington Beach, Calif. Dave will also be missed by his Golden Retriever and canine friend of 15 years, Homer.

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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Nancy K. Kienzle, 73, of Westport, wife of the late Thomas C. Kienzle, Jr., passed away Saturday, Feb. 2 at home.

Mrs. Kienzle was born Aug. 1, 1934 in Brushton, N.Y., daughter of the late Harry R. and Christabell (Spaulding) Kerry and has been a resident of Westport for the past 42 years.

Prior to retiring in 2002, Mrs. Kienzle was a teacher for the Town of Westport for 29 years, teaching first in Coleytown Middle and then Staples High School.

She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her Master’s degree from Fairfield University.

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Saturday, February 02, 2008

Mary E. (Betty) Murray, age 82, of Westport, beloved wife of 58 years of William K. Murray, passed away suddenly on Friday, Feb. 1, 2008 in her home.

Born in Meriden, the daughter of the late Joseph and Helen Gilmartin, she had been a Westport resident since 1971. Betty was a volunteer “Cuddler” in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit at the Bridgeport Hospital for many years. She was a member of the Westport Women’s Club and sang in the choir of St. Luke’s Church.

She was a talented needlepoint artist and an avid watercolor painter. Betty and her husband belonged to the Cotillion Club and the “Beach Bunch ” of Westport.

Survivors in addition to her cherished husband Bill include four children: Maureen Logee and her husband Dean, of Danielson, Conn., Brian Murray and his wife Michele, of Milford, Patrice Murray and her husband Fred Breunig of Brattleboro, Vt., and Eileen Lantzas and her husband Tom, of Fairfield; nine grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Eugene Gilmartin.

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Note: WestportNow Publisher Gordon F. Joseloff is also First Selectman of Westport