Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Sponsors

Obituaries

Nicola Cianciullo, 91

Nicola Cianciullo of Westport died Aug. 25. She was 91.

Hours of visitation for friends and family will be held on Thursday, Aug. 29 between 4 and 7 p.m. at Collins Funeral Home, 92 East Ave., Norwalk. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, Aug.30 at 10 a.m. at Saint Luke Roman Catholic Church, 84 Long Lots Road, Westport.

Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farm Road, Westport.

In lieu of flowers, donations made in Nicola and Katherine’s memory may be made to Sant Luke Roman Catholic Church.

Judith R. Palmer, 86

Judith Richer Palmer of Lauder Lakes, Florida, a former Westport resident, died July 23 after suffering a stroke at her home. She was 86.

She moved to Westport in the 1960s, where she was active in the Westport chapter of B’nai B’rith. She retired to Florida in the 1980s.

She was the sister of the late Adrienne Biegel Grossman of Westport and Wilton. She is survived by her two children, Jodi Palmer of Illinois and Thomas Palmer Jr. of Connecticut. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Donations in memory of Judith may be made to: Boys Town, Boys Town, NE, http://www.boystown.org.

Colin McCabe, 64

Colin McCabe of Bethel, formerly of Westport, died Aug. 19 at home. He was 64.

WestportNow.com Image
Colin McCabe: Staples grad. Contributed photo

He was born in Westport to Alma Gail and Gene McCabe and attended Staples High School, Proctor Academy and Ithaca College. He moved to Bethel in 1999.

He was a finish carpenter most recently with Fairfield County Mill Works. He was a former member of the Weston Gun Club

He loved to take trips to warm climates. His treasured spot was the family cottage on the Rideau Lakes in Perth, Canada. He was a kind, gentle, funny man who was loved by many and will be missed by all.

Dorothy M. Vogel, 86

Dorothy M. Vogel of Washington, Maine, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 20 at Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta. She was 86.

She was born on Feb. 12, 1933, daughter of Charles Mitchell and Mary Puzzak Mitchell in Norwalk.

She attended local schools in Westport and graduated from nursing school at UConn. She attended grade school with her husband-to-be. Before her retirement she was a charge nurse at Carolton Chronic Care and Convalescent Center in Fairfield.

She enjoyed choral singing, knitting, crocheting, nursing and breeding Bichon Frise dogs. She was a member of the Fairfield County Chorale.

Mary S. Brooks

Mary S. Brooks (Sexton) of Trumbull, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 6.

Mary Susan Sexton was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Ruth Montgomery Sexton and Horatio Clay Sexton. She attended Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. She then graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s Degree in English.

While at Purdue she pledged and became a member of the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma. This was to be a lifelong relationship.

Mary lived in Westport for 35 years before moving to Williamsburg, Virginia In 2018. She moved back to Trumbull to be closer to family.

Bernardine M. Alward, 89

Bernardine M. Alward (Binnette) of Westport died Aug. 12 at home. She was 89.

WestportNow.com Image
Bernardine Alward: longtime Westporter. Contributed photo

Bernardine and her husband Al enjoyed living and raising a family in Westport for more than 50 years. She loved the beach, swimming, and meeting with her “beach bum buddies.”

She was an active member of Saint Luke Parish in Westport, loved to play bridge with friends and at the Woman’s Club, and was an avid reader who frequented the Westport Library. For many years she and Al enjoyed being regulars at all the restaurants around Westport where their children worked, in particular, Mario’s, the Mansion Clam House, the Georgetown Saloon, and Tavern on Main.

Their house at 10 Salem Road will always be remembered by her children, grandchildren, extended family and friends as a place where everyone gathered to celebrate every occasion.

Richard G. Prutting, 74

Richard Gerald Prutting of Naples, Florida, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 13 after suffering a massive stroke while visiting Houston, Texas.  He was 74.

He was born on Jan. 30, 1945 in Coral Gables Florida but spent most of his youth in Ellington, Connecticut before completing high school in Westport, where he was a major basketball player for state championship contending Staples High School. He spent one year at Georgetown University before pursuing a business career. Dick was also a member of the U.S. Naval Reserves, stationed in Glenview, Illinois.

After marrying, Dick and Margret moved to Danbury, where he operated a nearby vending business for many years. He coached many youth baseball teams including several state championship Babe Ruth League All Star teams. Though a fierce competitor, Dick had a light-hearted style and was a positive influence on many young men whom he coached.

After visiting friends several times in the area, Dick and Margret made the big move to Spinnaker Drive in Naples, where he supervised the building of their new home in which they lived very happily for 20-plus years.

Jack G. Kovatch, 90

Jack Gene Kovatch of Westport, an accomplished artist and educator who devoted his life to his loves of art, anatomy, and teaching, died July 4 in Bridgeport. He was 90.

WestportNow.com Image
Jak Kovatch: artist, educator. Contributed photo

He was born on Jan. 17, 1929 in Los Angeles, the son of Jack and LaVinia Blanche (Abernathy) Kovatch.

He spent over 60 years teaching art design students. Most recently he was a Silvermine School of Art faculty member, teaching drawing, figure and anatomy.

In 1949, he first exhibited work at the Los Angeles County Museum — at the age of 20.

Olive T. Stevens, 93

Olive T. Stevens of Columbus, Ohio, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 14 at Worthington Christian Village, Columbus. She was 93.

She was born in East Haven on July 18, 1926, to the late Earl and Jane (Dinnen) Thomas and was the youngest of five children. Olive grew up in Connecticut and was very proud to be called a Connecticut Yankee. She worked in banking before becoming a full time mother. She volunteered at church teaching Sunday School and being part of the Westport Young Woman’s League.

She will be remembered for her wonderful sense of humor and as a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt.

She was preceded in death by her husband Franklyn Eugene Stevens; also by her two brothers Robert Thomas, Earl Thomas, Jr., and two sisters Shirley Prentice and Muriel Trower. She is survived by her four daughters, Debbie Conley of Vero Beach, Florida, Carol (Michael) Barnes of Atlanta, Georgia, Valerie (Bill) Knapp, Worthington, Ohio, and Liz (Paul) Chewning of Lexington, Kentucky. She is also survived by nine grandchildren, Alan Chewning, Abigail Bowers, Jeff Chewning, Kyle Barnes, Kelsey Barnes, Gabe Conley, Elatia Conley, Hillary Spears and Steve Knapp; and eight great-grandchildren, Gabe jr, Maddy, Olivia, Tommy, Coraline, Lucy, Bennett and Quinn. Olive also is survived by her nieces, Marilyn Prentice and Priscilla Stoelzel; and many great nieces and nephews.

Lillian Goss, 86

Lillian Prakelt Goss of Hanover, New Hampshire, a former Westport resident, died Aug. 10 in Norwalk. She was 86. She was the mother of former Westport First Selectman Diane Goss Farrell.

WestportNow.com Image
Lillian Goss: former Westport teacher. Contributed photo

She was born on March 20, 1933 and was the daughter of Gerhard Arthur Prakelt, and Lillian Lawson. On Sept. 11, 1954, she married Donald Carpenter Goss in Townshend, Vermont, her lifelong husband for 57 years.

Lillian attended Long Branch New Jersey High School and graduated from Cushing Academy, a preparatory school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts in 1951. She was a dedicated alumna of Cushing Academy and served as chair of the Alumni Fund. In 1992, she accepted the position of trustee of Cushing Academy.

She attended Wheelock College in Brookline, Massachusetts and then transferred to Mills College in New York City where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1956. She continued her education at Fairfield University, earning a Master’s degree in special education in 1981.