Monday, December 11, 2023

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Obituaries

Audrey L. Dake, 80

Audrey Lillian Dake of Guilford, a former Westport resident, died Sept. 9 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She was 80. She resided in Green Grove Nursing Home in Guilford for the last decade.

Audrey Lillian Sefcik was born Nov. 12, 1938 in Stamford to Lillian Mary Buczek and Stephen Frank Sefcik, the first of five children. She grew up in Vista, New York and lived in Connecticut the rest of her life.

She was a longtime resident of Westport where she raised her two daughters Allison and Robin.

An active member of Saugatuck Congregational Church, she enjoyed traveling the country, the Connecticut beaches, attending events on the Guilford Green, reading, and having coffee with friends.

Jerold M. Perlman, 81

Jerold M. Perlman of Wilton, a noted orthopedic surgeon and former Westport resident, died Sept. 9 from complications from multiple myeloma. He was 81.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York to Irving and Sara Perlman. He was raised in Brooklyn, graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in 1955 and Columbia College in 1959.

He went on to receive his MD from SUNY Downstate and, after serving in the Navy’s Public Health Service, practiced as an orthopedic surgeon in Fairfield for over 40 years.

He had an outstanding career and was beloved and respected by his patients and colleagues. He truly loved being an orthopedic surgeon.

Barbara D. Lobrano, 89

Barbara Drake Lobrano, a former Westport resident, died Sept. 3 at Brighton Gardens of Stamford, an assisted living facility, after successive hospital stays during the last few months. She was 89.

Barbara Jane Drake was born in Newton, Massachusetts, and was the granddaughter of Newman Drake, the founder of the Drake’s Cake Company, a large commercial bakery.

After graduating from the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts in 1947, she attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, graduating in 1951 with a B.A. in philosophy.

She subsequently worked at the Harvard Business School in Cambridge, and then married Alexander Flick Lobrano of Chappaqua, New York at Trinity Church in Boston on Jan. 2, 1954. The late Mr. Lobrano was the son of Gustave Stubbs Lobrano, fiction editor of The New Yorker magazine for many years.

Angela Sugarman, 84

Angela Sugarman, wife of the late William M. Sugarman, died Sept 7 at Jewish Senior Services in Bridgeport. She was 84.

WestportNow.com Image
Angela Sugarman : Sons of Italy founder. Contributed photo

She was born in the Bronx, New York on Jan. 21, 1935 and was the daughter of the late James and Adelina Paterno. She was a longtime resident of Westport where she was a founding member of the Westport Sons of Italy.

Survivors include one daughter, Lisa A. Costello and her husband Richard of Fairfield. She leaves behind many beloved family members and friends.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, Sept. 11 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. in the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. Friends are invited to attend a funeral at 11 a.m. following the calling hours in Saint Luke Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North, with entombment to follow in Willowbrook Cemetery.

Barbara Probst Solomon, 90

By James Lomuscio

Barbara Probst Solomon, a former Westport writer known worldwide for chronicling Spain under Gen. Francisco Franco — and locally for inspiring a film saying F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” was born in Westport — died today at her home in New York City, The New York Times reported. She was 90.

WestportNow.com Image
Barbara Probst Solomon was in the audience in 2015 for a screening of “Boats Against the Current,” a documentary about F. Scott Fitzgerald and wife Zelda’s stay in Westport in 1920. The former Westporter and author, essayist and journalist whose 1996 article in The New Yorker inspired the film, posed with filmmakers Robert Steven Williams (l) and Richard “Deej” Webb. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

The newspaper, quoting her family, said that Solomon, whose essays appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker and The New Republic among others, died of renal failure.

It also cited her book “Arriving Where We Started,” Solomon’s 1972 memoir choreographing her role in the anti-Franco resistance.

Locally, she is best known for her 1996 New Yorker piece “Westport Wildlife” that highlighted the town’s riotous past, influencing Westport filmmakers Robert Stevens Williams and Richard “Deej” Webb in 2015 to produce “Boats Against the Current.”

Nancy C. Boatwright, 89

Nancy Carolyn Blakely Boatwright of Gladstone, New Jersey, a former Westport resident, died Aug 28. She was 89.

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Nancy Boatwright: former Westporter. Contributed photo

She was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she graduated from Spartanburg High School and Converse College.

She had a contagious joy for living, a quick, dry wit that kept going until the end and an occasional (daily?) disregard for rules that defined her personality and made her friends wherever she went. Some of Nancy’s common replies included, “Sure!,” “Why Not?,” and “Woo Hoo!”

Often compared to June Allyson with a bit of Grace Kelly, Nancy had old-school movie star looks, flair and diction (from diction lessons as a child), and she never went out without a fresh coat of deep red lipstick and big sunglasses, which she wore even inside.

Marilyn F. Carrara, 82

Marilyn F. Carrara, a lifelong resident of Westport, died Aug. 29 at Norwalk Hospital. She was 82.

WestportNow.com Image
Marilyn F. Carrara: lifelong Westporter. Contributed photo

She was born June 25, 1937 in Norwalk and was the daughter of the late Peter and Eva (Shippey) Carrara. She was home-schooled and graduated from Staples High School. She was an avid reader and animal lover and was devoted to her family and friends.

Survivors include one sister: Joanne Marshall and her husband Howard of Westport, two nieces: Janice Ullrich and Nancy Sengstacken, and one nephew: Jay Marshall.

The family will receive friends on Wednesday Sept. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. Friends are invited to attend a funeral on Thursday Sept. 5 at 10 a.m., meeting directly at the United Methodist Church, 49 Weston Road. Interment will follow in Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main St. Condolences may be left online at http://www.hardingfuneral.com.

Neil W. Groglio, 65

Neil W. Groglio of Westport, formerly of Rye, New York, died Aug. 10. He was 65.

He was born to Theresa and Gerald Groglio in 1953. He graduated from Rye High School and later Pace University, before founding and operating numerous small businesses throughout his life.

In 1983, he met the love of his life, Marcia. For the next 35 years they shared their life and love, taking turns telling one another how lucky they felt to be married to each other. In 1993, Neil and Marcia joyfully welcomed daughter, Kelly, into their loving family.

For the next 26 years Neil wholeheartedly dedicated himself to the role of dad, in addition to devoted husband.

Phyllis Groner, 90, WestportNow Photographer

WestportNow.com Image
Phyllis Groner, a WestportNow contributing photographer for more than 12 years, died Thursday night. She was 90. Groner had been living in Meadow Ridge, Redding, since suffering injuries in a 2017 car crash in Westport. An avid amateur photographer, she began contributing photos to WestportNow in 2005 and quickly won fans for her variety of subjects ranging from nature scenes and sunsets to various hard news assignments. Her works were exhibited in several locations, including the Westport Library and Westport Center for Senior Activities. She was also active in various organizations, including the Y’s Women and the League of Women Voters of Westport. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westport Library. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Holly E. Bisset, 96

Holly Everly Bisset of Fairfield, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 24 at home. She was 96.

Born Suzanne Holly Everly at Bridgeport Hospital on Sept. 3, 1922, she was a native of Westport and St. Petersburg, Florida. She was a graduate of the Emma Willard School in Troy, New York and National Park College, Forest Glen, Maryland.

She was married to Capt. Andrew Walzer Bisset (USMC) Feb. 7, 1942 in Washington, D.C. Together they spent more than 67 happy years until he died in 2009. Holly spent her life primarily in Westport and Southport and Naples, Florida.

She was a member of, and sailor at, the Pequot Yacht Club, and active at the Fairfield County Hunt Club. She was an avid gardener and member, and past president of the Greens Farms Garden Club.