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Obituaries

Friday, June 07, 2013

Norman W. Blomfield of Westport, husband of the late Evelyn Mary Raitt Blomfield, died June 4. He was 97.

Born in Montpelier, Vt., son of the late Rev. Stanley F. Blomfield and Bernice Haskin Blomfield, he attended the Munson Academy, Class of 1933, and later in life served as a school trustee, as did his father before him.

His education continued at Yale University where he graduated class of 1937. He had worked as a systems analyst for the former Burroughs Corporation (Unisys) until his retirement and then as a private consultant.

He and his wife of 61 years Evelyn also volunteered for the Peace Corps (RSVP) serving for some time in Venezuela. He was an avid tennis player, he enjoyed playing bridge and caring for his garden.

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Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Robert F. Lasprogato of Westport, husband for 22 years to Joan Tvardzik Lasprogato, died June 3 at Norwalk Hospital. He was 71.

Robert Lasprogato: 22-year Westport resident. Contributed photo

Born in Norwalk, son of the late Patrick and Marion A. Lasprogato, he has been a resident of Westport for 22 years. 

He was the Republlcan Registrar of Voters and a former Selectman of Westport, he is a member and former vice president of Sunrise Rotary, Sons of Italy, and Justice of the Peace. 

He was a well known radio personality at many Connecticut radio stations.  A drummer and leader of the Uptown Jazz Band, he traveled through Europe with the Easy Riders Jazz Band.

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Monday, June 03, 2013

UPDATE Robert F. Lasprogato, the Westport Republican registrar of voters and a former selectman, died tonight at Norwalk Hospital, according to a family friend. He was 71.

Bob Lasprogato performs at the Westport Center for Senior Activities last September. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Lasprogato has been hospitalized since May 19 after suffering a “heart-related” event, according to Marla Cowden, the Democratic registrar of voters.

Lasprogato, a well known drummer with his Uptown Jazz group as well as an actor and radio announcer, was elected registrar of voters in 2010.

He previously served as a selectman from April 2006 to November 2009 following the resignation of John Izzo from the board. Funeral services were incomplete.

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Funeral services for U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey will be held Wednesday at a New York City synagogue. His survivors include a daughter, Ellen Lautenberg Hendel of Westport.

Westporter Ellen Lautenberg Hendel with her father. File photo

The 89-year-old Lautenberg, a multimillionaire businessman and the last World War II veteran remaining in the Senate, died early today at a New York hospital after suffering complications from viral pneumonia.

The funeral is planned for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan.

Then Rabbi David Lincoln of Park Avenue Synagogue performed Lautenberg’s 2004 wedding ceremony to Bonnie S. Englebardt. (See WestportNow Jan. 28, 2004)  Lautenberg’s first marriage ended in divorce. It was also the second marriage for Englebardt, a widow.

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Sunday, June 02, 2013

Harvey L. Koizim of New Haven, formerly of Westport where he was a well known attorney and municipal judge, died May 31 at home. He was 86.

Born in Paterson, N.J., he was the son of Moses and Beatrice (Bernstein) Koizim. He graduated from Colby College and the Yale Law School, and is a veteran of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

He practiced law in the Westport area, served as a municipal judge, and founded County Federal Savings & Loan Association. Following his retirement as CEO of County Federal, he devoted himself to numerous New Haven community nonprofit organizations.

Beneficiaries of his guidance include Artspace New Haven, CitySeed, Edgerton Park Conservancy, HOME, Inc., the Long Wharf and Shubert Theaters, New Haven Farms, and the Historic Wooster Square Association.

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Friday, May 31, 2013

Robert Wachsler: 48-year Westporter. Contributed photo

Robert Wachsler, a 48-year resident of Westport, died May 25 in Portland, Ore., of complications due to Parkinson’s. He was 79.

Born in Bronx, N.Y. in 1934, he was educated at City College of New York and earned a Ph.D. in aviation psychology from Ohio State University.

He had a distinguished career at General Motors, BBD&O and was a well respected marketing consultant to CEOs of many of the world’s largest corporations.

He was an adjunct professor at the NYU Stern School of Business and Columbia University Business School.

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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Ali Wallace Mirza of Westport died May 17 of heart complications at Claremont McKenna College in California, where he had just completed his sophomore year. He was 19.

Ali W. Mirza:  2011 Staples grad. Contributed photo

Born June 13, 1993, he was the son of Liz and Mustafa Mirza of Westport. He is survived by his brother Akbar and grandmother Anis,

He is also survived by his many aunts, uncles, and cousins including Susan Mirza and her children Alexander, Christina and Sean of Greenwich, Salman and Neelum Amin and their children Raza and Yawer of Rye, N.Y. Samina Noorani of Stamford, Munawar Noorani and Fareed and Maria Ameen and their daughters Natalia and Sophia of London, Veronica and Marcus Casserd and son Zack of Bellingham, Wash., Ronald Cairns of Fremont, Calif., and many other friends and family members.

He was a class of 2011 graduate of Staples High School where he was an avid volleyball player and a dedicated member of the Staples varsity volleyball team. He was also on the Claremont Colleges club volleyball team.

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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

William Filonuk Jr. of Westport, formerly of New Canaan, died May 25 in Yale- New Haven Hospital. He was 58.

William Filonuk Jr.: former New Canaan resident. Contributed photo

He was a managing director with BNY Mellon, an avid cyclist, musician, and writer. Hel completed both his BA in mathematics and his MBA in finance at Fordham University.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Susan Elizabeth Filonuk, and his son, David T. Filonuk, of Pittsburgh, Pa. He is also survived by his father, William Filonuk, Sr and his brother, James Filonuk and his wife, Jo-Anne and their children, Caryn, Jason and Matthew of Plainview, N.Y.

A memorial visitation will be held on Monday, June 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main St., New Canaan. Interment will be private.

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Marcia Beth Heller Jacobs of Westport died May 4 at Norwalk Hospital. She was 85.

She is survived by her children Jim, Ken, Tom and Joanna.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Unitarian Church of Westport on Saturday, June 1 at noon.

Peggy Marie Sanford of Westport died May 20 following a year-long battle with ALS. She was 72

Peggy Sanford: lover of the arts. Contributed photo

She was the wife of William Edward Sanford, her husband of 51 years. An avid reader and a sophisticated lover of the arts, she enjoyed painting, opera music, and Broadway productions in addition to playing tennis.

She was born in Chicago on April 8, 1941 as the only child of George and Ellen Hannu. She lived in Chicago until she moved with her family to Los Angeles in the 1950s. After graduating from UCLA in 1962 with a BS in business administration, she married Ed Sanford, and the two settled in Weston where they raised three sons and became heavily involved with Norfield Church.

She worked as a partner in her husband’s entrepreneurial endeavors and traveled extensively with him later in life.

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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

John Franklin: life in communications business. Contributed photo

John F. Franklin of Westport died May 19, following what his family said was a long and valiant fight against multiple serious health concerns, including Myelofibrosis and diabetes. He was 76.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, brought up in Detroit, Mich., he has been in the “communications” business for 52 years (47 of them as a Westport resident).

Much of that time was spent with BBDO, JWT and other famous initials in key creative positions. At age 23 he was creative director on Dodge car and truck TV advertising. 

At 35, he was president of The Broadcast Organization where his colleagues included Tommy Mottola, the Sony Records executive, and Lee Adams, lyricist of “Bye Bye Birdie.”

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John F. Franklin, a 47-year Westport resident who served as president of the Westport Arts Center and Westport Sunrise Rotary, died Sunday following a series of illnesses. He was 76. A family obituary said he waged “a long and valiant fight against multiple serious health concerns, including Myelofibrosis and diabetes.” The Westport Sunrise Rotary Club honored Franklin (above with wife Jeanne) in May 2011 for his work for the community. He received a Champion of the Arts Award in 2012 from the Westport Arts Advisory Committee. (See obituary here) (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Monday, May 20, 2013

Gerald Arndt, a former Westport resident, died April 15 in Carlsbad, Calif. from Parkinson’s Disease. He was 76.

Gerald Ardnt: had Westport practice with wife. Contributed photo

He had been a licensed marriage and family therapist in Westport, where he was in private practice with his wife Nancy,

He was born on May 10, 1936 in Kennan, Wisc. and graduated from Northland College in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology. After graduating from Northland College, he went on to earn a Master of Arts degree with the University of Minnesota in 1960 and a doctorate in education from the University of Rochester in 1969.

Some of his career highlights include developing a nationally accredited marriage and family master’s degree program for the University of Bridgeport (where he was a faculty member from 1969 to 1990) and serving as the area coordinator and therapist for Lutheran Family Services in Bridgeport from 1972-1985.

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

Jane Madden Roberts, a former Westport resident and wife of the late Frederick N. Roberts, died May 14. She was 82.

She was born in Forest Hills, Queens, N.Y. to the late Harold T. and Veronica D. (Stecher) Madden. She spent many years in Westport and Fairfield, but also enjoyed her life in Ridgewood, N.J., Pittsfield, Vt., and Trumbull.

She was a graduate of Cornell Nursing School in New York City, part of New York Hospital, where she worked as a registered nurse. She was a member of the Westport Garden Club and involved with the Connecticut Audubon Society in Fairfield.

Her most precious moments were spent raising her six loving children, spending time with her adored grandchildren and traveling with family and friends, her family said.

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Anthony Michael Cofelice, a former Westport resident, died May 15 in Fort Pierce, Fla. He was 54.

He was born in Westport and lived in Port St. Lucie. He worked in paving and heavy-equipment construction.

Survivors include his sisters, Lillian Mathieson of Norwalk, Mary Lou Paulter of Port St. Lucie, and Rose Marie Coleman of Rixeyville, Va.; and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Patrick and Josephine Cofelice.

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