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Obituaries

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Mike Tash: formerly of Westport. Contributed photoMichael Harrison “Mike” Tash, 17, Siesta Key, Fla., formerly of Westport, died Jan. 6, 2008, in Siesta Key.

The family said cause of death was a brain aneurysm. A memorial service will be held Friday, Jan. 25, Michael’s 18th birthday, at 5:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Westport.

Mike was born Jan. 25, 1990, in Greenwich. For most of his life, Mike resided with his mother, Denise Bloodgood, stepfather, Gerald Purgay, sister, Rebecca Tash, and brothers, Robert Tash and Ryan Purgay, in Westport.

For the past two years, Mike lived with his father, Steve Tash, and stepmother, Eva Tash, in Siesta Key.

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Friday, January 11, 2008

Alice B. Vornkahl, a Westport resident since 1926, died Tuesday at the Cambridge Manor in Fairfield. She was 102. Vornkahl, whose husband, Henry, died in 1985, worked in the Westport school system for many years as a cafeteria aide. She also volunteered for the American Red Cross and was active in the Westport Center for Senior Activities. She is shown celebrating her 100th birthday two years ago. See full obituary on the WestportNow obituary page.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

A native and long time resident of the Buffalo area, Mary Calandra passed into eternal life on Jan. 8, 2008, in Wilton, Conn. 

Mary is the widow of Nick E. Calandra, also of Buffalo, and taught for many years at Amherst Central Senior High School. She is mourned by her daughters, Christine Varian of Westport, and Barbara Moore of Silver Spring, Md., her sons-in-law Ed Varian and Spencer Moore, her grandchildren Nicholas Moore and his wife Nicole, Analissa Varian and Mariclare Varian, great-grandchildren Cassidy and Austin Moore, sister-in-law and dear friend Lil Galza, and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral mass was said at Assumption Parish in Westport on Jan. 11, 2008, with interment beside Nick in Resurrection Cemetery, Newtown, Conn.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in Mary’s name to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East is assisting the family with the arrangements.

Mrs. Alice B. Vornkahl, wife of the late Henry Vornkahl, died peacefully on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Cambridge Manor in Fairfield. She was 102.

Mrs. Vornkahl was born in Norrkoping, Sweden, on Dec. 7, 1905.

She came to Westport in 1926 and has been a resident for most of her life. She married Henry in 1929 and they were married for 56 years before his passing in 1985.

Alice worked in the Westport school system for many years. She volunteered at the Westport Red Cross and was active in the Westport Senior Center.

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

Philip D. Langlois, Sr., 80, of Old Saybrook , Conn., formerly of Westport and husband of Mary O’Connell Langlois, passed away Monday, Jan. 7, in Old Saybrook.

Mr. Langlois was born Aug. 28, 1927, in Springfield, Mass., son of the late Walter and Anna Doyle Langlois and had resided in Westport for 30 years before to moving to Old Saybrook seven years ago.

Prior to retiring, Mr. Langlois was director of pensions for several Fortune 500 companies. Mr. Langlois served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant JG during World War II and Korea. He is a member of the Elks B.P.O.E. Logde No. 1784 in Westbrook, Conn., and the Veterans of Foreign Post 10153 in Old Saybrook.

Survivors in addition to his wife of 55 years includes, one daughter, Barbara J. Neilsen of Old Saybrook; three sons, Philip D. Langlois, Jr., of Bethel, Conn.; Richard M. Langlois of Easton, Conn.; Kevin C. Langlois of Old Saybrook, one brother, Walter Langlois of Laramie, Wyo., nine grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial Friday at 1 p.m. at Assumption Church, 98 Riverside Ave., Westport. Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery, Greens Farms. Contributions in memory of Mr. Lnglois may be made to The American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road., Wilton, CT 06897.

The Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East, is in charge of the arrangements. 

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

John Goodrich Sibley died on Dec. 19, 2007, in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 84.

John was born March 16, 1923, in Charlotte, N.C., to George Lewis Sibley and Edith Goodrich Sibley. He attended Myers Park Elementary School, Alexander Graham Middle School and graduated Central High School in 1941.

He attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, receiving a degree in chemistry. He served in the Navy during World War II.

John married Mary Agnes Dent on June 10, 1947, in Charlotte. They lived in Houston, Texas, from 1957 to 1969, then moved to Westport. John and Aggie moved to Scottsdale in 2002.

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Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Christine A. Evans, a longtime Westport resident who volunteered for Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service and the Westport Police Marine Auxiliary, died Saturday in Bridgeport Hospital. She was 66.
Christine A. Evans: lived in Westport 39 years. Contributed photo

Evans, who moved to Fairfield three years ago, had lived in Westport for 39 years where she was with EMS since 1984. She served on its board of directors and was a teaching assistant for all EMT classes. She was also a member of Westport Senior Center and the Mellow Dears choral group, and the Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Wednesday Prayer Group.

Born Feb. 4, 1941, in Stamford, she was employed by the Stamford Board of Education at Stamford High School where she taught math for most of her career. See complete obituary on the WestportNow obituary page.

Friends are invited to attend a memorial service Saturday at 11 a.m. at Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 75 Church Lane. There will be no calling hours. Interment will be private.

Christine Alling Evans, 66, of Fairfield and a former longtime resident of Westport, passed away Saturday morning in Bridgeport Hospital.

She was born Feb. 4, 1941, in Stamford, the daughter of the late Kenneth D. Alling and Ethel Luckhurst Alling Pomeroy. She had resided in Westport for 39 years prior to moving to Fairfield three years ago.

Prior to retiring in June, she was employed by the Stamford Board of Education where she taught math at Stamford High School for most of her career. Chris is a 1958 graduate of Stamford High School, received her B.S. in mathematics from Williams College in 1962, and her master’s in 1968 from Fairfield University.

She was a member of the Southern Fairfield County Retired Teachers Association and the Stamford Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

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Alfred Oestrich, M.D., of Saugatuck Avenue, Westport, passed away on Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008 surrounded by his family.

He was born in Hanau, Germany on June 27, 1911, the son of Baruch and Babette Spies Oestrich. After studying in Heidelberg, he left Germany for the University of Nancy, France. He continued and received his medical degree from the University of Basel, Switzerland.

He emigrated to the United States in 1937 and worked at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston for one year as a medical assistant, then as an intern at the Rumford Community Hospital in Main where he established his practice. During World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Medical Corps and was sent to Europe where he served as Battalion Surgeon and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes Section.

He received the Combat Medical Badge and the Bronze Star and was discharged with rank of captain.

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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Robert C. Schnitzer, a former actor, producer, educator, and theater administrator who was active in the Westport-Weston Arts Council and later the Westport Arts Center, has died at a Stamford retirement home, the Arts Center said today. The former Weston resident was 101.
Robert C. Schnitzer: in his younger years and at a Columbia reunion in 2002. Columbia University photos

He and his late wife, Marcella Cisney, also an actor, producer, director, educator and administrator, were active in the area arts scene and in the 1980s organized seminars and staged a series of play readings for the Westport arts organization.

Schnitzer was still active in his later years, often writing letters to newspapers while serving on his retirement community’s resident council as well as on the board of directors of The Players Club, a theater club in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan.

Born on Sept. 8, 1906, in New York, Schnitzer attended Horace Mann School and Columbia College. In his early professional years, he was an actor and later served on the faculties of Vassar, Smith, Columbia, and the University of Michigan. He served as Delaware state director and later as deputy national director of the Federal Theatre Project.

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Robert A. “Red” Graham, Jr., a Westport resident since the early 1940s, died on Thursday, Dec. 27, 2007. He was 94.

Graham, who was known as the “Charitable Emcee” for more than two decades, from 1972-1996, for devoting his services to many of the country’s top charitable organizations by performing benefit shows with his wife, Peggy, and never accepting a dime, was also owner of Red Graham’s Minuteman Travel, a business that ran for more than 50 years in Westport, and also co-owner of Westport-based WMMM-AM radio for more than 10 years.

Graham was a multi-talented athlete, entertainer and businessman along the way. His theatrical background goes back to his early childhood when he appeared in school plays at Fordham Prep and Mount Saint Michael’s Academy, both in the Bronx, New York. He was also listed as the Mount’s first quarterback in 1932.

His show business flare followed “Red” through college. While at Rutgers University, where he played freshman football in 1933, he was the recipient of the “Queens Players Award,” an honor that afforded him the chance to make guest appearances with Ozzie Nelson, George Olsen and Johnny Long orchestras.

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Robert A. “Red” Graham, a Westport resident since the 1940s who owned the Minuteman Travel agency and co-owned WMMM-AM radio, died today, his son, Mark, said. He was 94.
“Red” Graham: longtime Westporter. File photo

Graham spent more than two decades performing benefit shows for many of the nation’s top charities with his wife, Peggy, and was known as the “charitable emcee.”

A multi-talented athlete, entertainer, and businessman, Graham got his start entertaining in school plays at Fordham Prep and Mount Saint Michael’s Academy, both in the Bronx, N.Y. A full obituary is on the WestportNow obituary page.

Visting hours will be Sunday at the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East, Westport from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 10 a.m. at the Church of the Assumption, 98, Riverside Ave. Internment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

Westporter Fred M. Dressler,  a veteran programming executive at Time Warner Cable, died Monday of pancreatic cancer. The longtime Compo Parkway resident was 66.
Fred M. Dressler: longtime Time Warner Cable executive. File photo

In a statement, Time Warner Cable Chief Executive Officer Glenn Britt paid tribute to Dressler, saying he “was responsible for much of what Time Warner Cable stands for today.”

“Words cannot adequately express the sense of loss we all feel at this time,” Britt said. “His legacy will be felt for many years, not just in our programming department but throughout our organization and the industry. ... Fred was revered for his intellect, his wit, his perspective, his vision and his humanity. We will miss him very much.”

Dressler, who worked for 30 years at Time Warner Cable and its predecessor, American Television & Communications, retired in December 2006 as executive vice president, programming. See full obituary on the WestportNow obituary page.

Fred M. Dressler of Westport, a prominent and well-regarded executive in the cable industry, died on Dec. 24, 2007, after several months of battling pancreatic cancer. He was 66.
Fred M. Dressler: cable television executive. File photo

Recently retired as Executive Vice President of Programming at Time Warner Cable, Mr. Dressler first joined the cable TV business in 1976 and spent the next 30 years in various executive positions with Time Warner Cable and its predecessor company, American Television & Communications Corporation (ATC).

In his early years in the business, he managed cable systems in Shreveport, Los Angeles, Fresno, Calif., and Denver, Colo., before rising through the executive ranks at the company’s corporate offices.

He had a reputation as a tough, but honest and fair negotiator with programming networks seeking distribution on cable, which earned him various sobriquets within the industry, including the dean of MSO programming executives.

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George Michael Lowell born Feb. 15, 1932, died on Wednesday Dec. 26, 2007, of pancreatic cancer at the Richard Rosenthal Hospice Center in Stamford.

He celebrated 75 wonderful years of life and was grateful for each day.

George, most recently a resident of Ridgefield, also had resided in Weston, Houston Tex., and Tendoy, Idaho, over the years.

His love of people and his photography gave him much joy. His happiest moments were spent taking pictures of the mountains in Idaho and of his many experiences out West.

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