Frank Gorshin: lived here 1980-1998. File photoFormer Westporter Frank Gorshin, the master impressionist and character actor best known as the Riddler on the 1960s �Batman� television series, died Tuesday in Burbank, Calif.. He was 72.

Gorshin lived in Westport from 1980 to 1998 and often was seen driving around town in a silver-colored Rolls-Royce bearing a license plate that said STOLEN.

He received an Emmy nomination for his role on the “Batman” series and more recently brought comedian George Burns to life in a one-man Broadway show.

Gorshin died at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he had been hospitalized for three weeks.

W. Michael “Mike” Bliss, a longtime member of the Westport business community and active and dedicated community volunteer, died Wednesday, his family said today. He was 56.
Mike Bliss: longtime community volunteer. WN photo

“Mike will be fondly remembered as a loving husband, a devoted father, and an active and dedicated member of the Westport community where he resided for the last 25 years,” a family statement said. “He was a successful and generous businessman, a respected leader and teacher, and a treasured friend to many.”

Son of Mrs. Jane Bliss and Dr. William Bliss, Mike Bliss was born in 1949 in Ames, Iowa. He attended Iowa State University on a football scholarship and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1974 after serving in the U.S. Army.

A longtime member of the Westport business community, he was affiliated with the financial planning firm Westport Resources Management, Inc. since 1986, first as an investment advisor agent, and since 1987 as a portfolio manager.

Charlie Moffat, who served on the staff of the Westport/Weston YMCA for 37 years as a member services representative, custodian,  health center attendant, and chief of laundry operations, has died at the age of 68, the YMCA announced today.
Paul Newman was among those paying tribute to Charlie Moffat on his retirement in 1998. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Moffat, known for his cheery “Have a nice day!” greeting, died Thursday after a long illness.

At a retirement tribute offered on the occasion of Moffat’s 61st birthday on March 26th, 1998, retired YMCA Executive Director Matt Johnson said that Moffat had been one of the most dependable and conscientious YMCA employees he ever worked with. 

Johnson recalled fondly the Monday night men’s fitness group in which Moffat played volleyball at the YMCA.

James Katten Woog, longtime Westport resident and volunteer in civic affairs, died today at Norwalk Hospital. He was 82 and worked until his death as a stockbroker.

Born Nov. 11, 1922, in Crestwood, N.Y, he was the son of the late Sidney and Carolyn Katten Woog. After graduating from Roosevelt High School at age 15 he entered Antioch College, where he was elected as the community manager, and served as a student on the board of trustees.

Following graduation from Antioch he joined the Merchant Marines as a radio operator. His service during World War II included several crossings of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was in Japan just a few weeks after V-J Day.

Following the war, Woog joined the training program for Merrill Lynch, and embarked on a career as a stockbroker. He worked for almost 60 years, first in New York and later from his home in Westport.

Pete McGovern: “We’ll all miss him.” Contributed photoPete McGovern, a PR legend, longtime Westporter and local gossip columnist, died Thursday at Norwalk Hospital, his wife, Phyllis, said today. He was 90 and had been in failing health for some time.

Perhaps best known outside of Westport for his two decades as publicist for Jackie Gleason, most townspeople knew McGovern from his Westport Minuteman “Sense of Rumor” column. The somewhat surreal gossip feature ran from the newspaper’s inception in 1994 until about two years ago.

Rumor defied time, place and writing conventions as McGovern melded the town’s Who’s Who from different time periods. Revered for making the past prologue, the column was nonetheless devoured by gossip-hungry readers.

McGovern, always quick to mention he was born in the back of a Jersey City police paddy wagon on Valentine’s Day, 1915, was a garrulous raconteur. He lunched regularly with newspaper cronies at the VFW or Mario’s and seemed to bask in his Rumor celebrity status as he strolled Main Street or the Compo Beach area near his former Bluewater Hill home.