Monday, December 11, 2023

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Obituaries

Joan C. Towle, 89

Joan (Hanson) Towle of of South Berwick, Main formerly from Westport, died Sept. 2 at Berwick Estates.She was 89.

Born March 16, 1931 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the daughter of David and Kathleen and (Roscoe) Hanson.

Wife of the late Bradford Towle for 27 years. Joan is survived by her two sons; Robert B. Towle of Rochester, NH and David A. Towle of San Marcos, CA; her brother David Hanson; two grandchildren; Christopher Towle and Michael Towle and two great grandchildren; Savannah Towle and Willow Towle. She was predeceased by her parents; and a son, Steven R. Towle.

Joan was a very loving person with a positive outlook on life. She had a deep appreciation for all of her family and friends and cherished the time spent with them. She will truly be missed.

Richard Festa, 87

Dick was a long time member of the Shore and Country Club. He was an active member of the Westport YMCA, having served on the board of directors for many years. 

He was instrumental with the governing board in its move from downtown Westport to its current location.

He was an avid squash player and also enjoyed competing in badminton at the “Y.” He loved playing golf with family and friends. He raised his family in Wilton. In his later years, he moved to Norwalk to his house on the Norwalk River near Long Island Sound. He moved permanently to Deerfield Beach, Florida four years ago.

There will be no calling hours due to COVID-19 and the burial will be private. A memorial service will take place at a future date.

James M. Curran, 59

In addition to the love of his life Stacie, his wife of 21 years, and his amazing children Dylan, Shea, Carly, and Charlie, he is survived by his beloved brothers and sisters, Kathy Hurley and her husband Tom of Boca Raton, FL, Chris Curran and his wife Diane of Shelton, Trish Adams and her husband Bill of Boca Raton, Florida and Michael Curran of Delray Beach, Florida, his loving mother-in-law Rhona Lieberson, and several nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles.

Jimmy was a loving husband and father who was dedicated to the care of his family and was a staple in the community, coaching his kids in Little League and basketball. Jimmy, known by some as Jim, was a die-hard Boston sports fan and enjoyed watching and attending as many Patriots and Red Sox games as possible.

His love of sports came at a young age as he played baseball, basketball, football, softball, golf, and anything in between. As an avid golfer, Jim was a longstanding member of Brownson Country Club, which became home away from home and a staple in his life.

He was known for his upbeat, loving, fun, and hilarious personality and will be missed by all.

Friends are invited to an outdoor Celebration of Life at his home away from home, Brownson Country Club Golf Course, on Monday, Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.

Maxima M. Trambert, 96

With her husband, she moved to Norwalk where he opened an office for the practice of obstetrics and gynecology.

As her children grew up, she worked toward and obtained a Teaching Certificate from Fairfield University. She taught Chemistry at Staples High school in the 1970s and 1980s, where a number of her students were recognized by the Connecticut Chemistry Society for their high standing in state competitions. She was very active in the Norwalk Chapter of Hadassah.

Maxima is survived by her three children, Jonathan Trambert (Dovelet Shashou) of Riverdale, NY; Ann Trambert (Chris Lewis) of West Hartford; Michael Trambert (Jacquelyn Klein-Brown) of Santa Barbara, California and five grandchildren: Steven, Emily, Jacob, Talia, and Sarah.

Maxima was buried in Santa Barbara next to her husband.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hadassah Hospital, in the form of memorial certificates.

Gilbert R. Santini, 57

He loved the Jets and played defensive lineman for the Coleytown Colts sporting #77.

He had a passion for science fiction and The Lord of the Rings. He was the king of Trivial Pursuit. He enjoyed books, cats and beer, not necessarily in that order.

He is survived by his siblings, in-laws and many nieces and nephews whom he adored. Jessica Santini (Billy DeLace ) of Norwalk; Michael Santini (Maureen, Patrick, Brendan and Caeleigh) of Cos Cob, ; Don Rice (Betsy, Tyler, Justin, Cami and Logan) of Trumbull; Jeff Rice (Cassidy, Jillian and Kyle) of Shelton,; and Wendy Storino (Frank, Brooke (Cardozo)) of Venice, Florida. He was predeceased by his parents Reynold Santini and Judith McCormick Santini.

A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 11 a,m at the Church of the Assumption in Westport for family and close friends in accordance with social distancing guidelines. A memorial service will be held at a later time when Covid restrictions are lifted.

Joan L. Minot, 94

Good friends, Averill and George Loh, introduced her to Henry S. Jacobson in high school. Several years and relationships later they married, moving to Ridgefield in 1953.

Henry was the son of Dorothy Blanchard Hammerstein and stepson of Oscar Hammerstein II, so Oscar’s shows and music were an exciting addition to their lives. They had four children.

After 23 years they called it quits and Joan married the much loved motorcycling riding thoracic surgeon, Henry D Minot III, who had five children. So now there were nine,.

Joan was known for great parties and being a member and sometimes president of two Ridgefield Garden Clubs.

For a few years she enjoyed having a landscaping business with Bill Rodier of Rodier Flowers and loved designing and landscaping custom made in-ground pools that blended with the environment.

Joan was a devoted member of a bridge club that lasted 60 years as well as a women’s investment group called Uptick for 45 years.

Only recently, due to failing eyesight, did Joan stop doing her own investing. She volunteered with Visiting Nurses, played tennis, and liked watching all kinds of sports on television.

After 55 years in Ridgefield Joan moved to the retirement community of Meadow Ridg There she played in croquet tournaments, was a member of the opera club and, for several years, did accounting on the store computer, stockpiling the store with bread.

Joan was predeceased by her daughter Abigail Jacobson and her husband Henry Minot III. She is survived by her brother, Dick Lochner- FL and her children; Kathryn Jacobson and husband Paul Cooke- CA, H. Paul Jacobson and wife Leny Jacobson- CT, Matthew Jacobson- KY; stepchildren; Abby Minot-CA, Sarah Minot Gelabert-CA, Henry D. Minot IV-CT, Ione Minot-VT and Reid Minot-TX; her grandchildren; Kiaora Fox-CA, Kathryn Jacobson-NY, Andrew and Alex Jacobson-Ct., Leah Jacobson-CA, Joan Cary Seymour-GA, Theodore Jacobson-NY and Eric Jacobson-KY; great-grandchildren; Osiris Fox, Isaiah and Ajala Fox-Kovach-CA; her many nieces and nephews by blood and marriages; good friends, Averill Loh and family and Jo Peacock.

Due to COVID-19 there will be no memorial at this time. In the end it’s all about LOVE and you Joan aka Mom aka Grandma were the shining example of love, humor, encouragement and wisdom. It will be so hard not to have you here but you are free now and you can see again. Thank you for leaving so much love in our worlds. We hope to pass it on as well as you did.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Connecticut Lion’s Eye Research Foundation, PO Box 848, Watertown, CT 06795.

Vincent D. Palumbo, 62

Vincent D. Palumbo of Danbury, formerly of East Haven and owner of Vincent Palumbo Salon in Westport, died Aug. 18 at home. He was 62.

WestportNow.com Image
Vincent Palumbo: salon owner Contributed photo

Vincent was born in New Haven on Nov. 7, 1957 son of the late Edmund E. “Chic” and Rosemarie Terrible Palumbo.

Survivors include children Dillon, Lukas and Ryder Palumbo all of Newtown, brother Edmund Palumbo of Las Vegas and his former wife Kirsten Palumbo.

He was a Navy veteran. Services and burial will be private.

Richard Schwaeber, 87

Richard Schwaeber of Westport died Aug. 21 at home. He was 87.

He was born in New York City to the late Arthur and Evelyn Schwaeber. He was a graduate of NYU and had his own CPA firm for over 65 years.

He was a resident of Westport for 24 years and was an avid classic car lover. He loved attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, antiquing and sitting by the water at Compo Beach.

He is survived by his wife Beulah of almost 67 years, daughter Andrea, sons Robert and Wayne, nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter and was predeceased by his son Jeffrey. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Heart Association.

Robert J.  Phillips, 77

Bob is survived by his loving wife Celeste, his sons, David Phillips of Portsmouth, and Mark Phillips and his wife Wei Shen of Brookfield, Wisconsin; his four granddaughters, Mia, Camryn, Olivia and Anna Phillips; his sister, Beverly Krasner and her husband Fred of Medford, Oregon; and a brother in-law Vincent Paolizzi of Ocean City, New Jersey and several nieces and nephews.

Kimberly C. Groglio, 61

For almost the next 20 years, while raising her own children and volunteering, Kim taught many happy preschoolers at the Darien Nature Center. She enjoyed her days there in the wonderful natural outdoor environment.

Kim was happiest spending time with her family in and around the water (or ocean) especially her favorite spots in Maine and Charleston, South Carolina. She loved to travel and was always planning the next trip.

She was an enthusiastic animal lover and always enjoyed rescuing cats throughout her life. She loved summer days at the beach, riding the waves and treating herself to favorite homemade ice creams.

Survivors, in addition to her husband and children include her sisters, Suzanne Nixon of Maine, Kristine Castay of Massachusetts, Kyle Smith of New Hampshire, their families, her parents and her in-laws.

Kim was a wonderful wife, mother, daughter, sister, colleague, teacher and friend. She will be missed by all those whose lives she touched. She and her family are forever grateful to those who stuck by her and helped during her deadly illness, including the excellent staff and friends at Whittingham Cancer Center.

A private celebration of life will be held at her favorite spot in Maine.

Donations in Kim’s memory may be made to Metavivor, an organization devoted to the advancement of research to find cures for Metastatic Breast Cancer, of which there are currently none, or the Metastatic Breast Cancer Project (a research collaborative between MIT’s Broad Institute and Harvard and MBC patients).