United States High School Yearbooks by County
Walter LaGrave Sr., 73, father of New Milford man
Walter A. LaGrave Sr., 73, of 23 Brennan St., Naugatuck, died March 10 at Beacon Brook Health Care Center in Naugatuck. He was the husband of Mary (Amyotte) LaGrave.
Mr. LaGrave was born April 27, 1929, in Burlington, Vt., son of the late Weldon and Beatrice (Franklin) LaGrave.
He retired after 30 years from Consolidated Industries in Cheshire. He was a communicant of St. Francis Church in Naugatuck.
Besides his wife, Mr. LaGrave is survived by four sons, Ernest of New Milford, Walter Jr. of Thomaston, and Wayne and Lawrence of Naugatuck; and eight grandchildren.
The Buckmiller Brothers Funeral Home of Naugatuck was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in Mr. LaGrave’s memory may be made to Waterbury Hospice Visiting Nurse Association, 50 Brookside Drive, Waterbury, CT 06720.
George Poodiack, 88, father of New Milford man
George Poodiack, 88, died March 6 at Ashlar of Newtown. He was the widower of Margaret Poodiack.
Mr. Poodiack was born Jan. 10, 1915, in Danbury, the son of the late William and Anna Poodiack.
Before his retirement he worked for Dolan Oil Company for many years.
Mr. Poodiack was a World War II veteran and served in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his son, George W. Poodiack and his wife Lynn of New Milford; his daughter, Peggy Harris of Danbury; two granddaughters, Melissa Della Corte of Newtown and Barbara Cyr of New Milford; one grandson, George Poodiack of New Milford; and four great-grandchildren, Arianna Della Corte, Aidan Della Corte, Zachary Cyr and Kyle Cyr. He was predeceased by five brothers and three sisters.
There are no calling hours.
Jatinder Singh, 20, was brother of New Milfordite
Jatinder Singh, 20, of 16 Harmony St., Danbury, died March 11 at Danbury Hospital.
Mr. Singh was born Aug. 22, 1982, in India, son of Daljit Kaur of Danbury and the late Sukhwant Singh.
He was a graduate of Danbury High School. He was attending Naugatuck Technical College.
Besides his mother, he is survived by four sisters, Sharanjeet of New Milford, Amarjeet of Derby and Harjeet Kaur and Gurdeep Kaur of Danbury.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury handled arrangements.
Stephen Landon Jr., 79, lived in Washington Depot
Stephen L. Landon Jr., 79, of Washington Depot died Feb. 18 at New Milford Hospital. He was the widower of Joanne (Woodworth) Landon and Frances S. (Sweat) Landon.
Mr. Landon was born Jan. 9, 1924, in New York, N.Y., son of the late Stephen L. and Elizabeth (Russell) Landon.
He graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He worked as a sales manager at Cannon Mills Corp. He was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War.
He was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington.
Mr. Landon is survived by three sons, Russell of Norwell, Mass., Stephen of North Carolina and Matthew of Brooklyn, N.Y.; a daughter, Linda of Santa Monica, Calif.; a brother, Howland of Grass Valley, Calif.; and two grandchildren.
The Hufcut Funeral Home of Dover Plains, N.Y., was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in his memory may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Washington, CT 06794.
Betty O. Coles, 61, was legal secretary and lifelong resident
Betty Olson Coles, 61, of New Milford died March 11 at New Milford Hospital. She was the wife of Jay C. Coles.
Mrs. Coles was born March 6, 1942, in New Milford, a daughter of the late Arthur and Mildred (Anderson) Olson.
She was a lifelong resident of New Milford and a 1960 graduate of New Milford High School.
She worked as a legal secretary for several local attorneys, most recently for the law office of attorney Terry Pellegrini. She was a member of the Litchfield County Legal Secretaries Association.
Mrs. Coles was an active member of John’s Episcopal Church in Washington. She took part in the church’s Altar Guild and Vestry and was a former Sunday school teacher.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Coles is survived by three brothers, Robert Olson and his wife Kathy of New Milford; Gerald Olson and his wife Zita of Torrington, and Donald Olson and his wife Clarissa of New Milford; two sisters, Lorraine Schultz and her husband Edward of New Milford, and Barbara Carlson and her husband Bob of Bomoseen, Vt.; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Kenneth Olson.
A memorial service will be held tomorrow (Saturday) at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington. Cremation will take place in Connecticut Crematory Corporation in Stamford.
A gathering of friends will be held tonight (Friday) from 6 to 8 p.m. at Colonial Funeral Home, 87 Park Lane Road, New Milford.
Memorials may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church Altar Guild, Washington Green, CT 06793, or to the New Milford Hospital Cancer Center, 21 Elm St., New Milford, CT 06776.
Isabel Davis, 96, worked at New Milford Hospital
Isabel Antoinette (Tiemann) Davis, 96, of New Milford died March 15 at New Milford Hospital. She was the widow of Edward H. Davis.
Mrs. Davis was born July 29, 1906, in Newtown, daughter of the late Hermann Newell Tiemann Sr. and Belle Louise Minor. She was the granddaughter of Robert Crannell Minor, a prominent landscape artist of the 1800s, whose works are in the Smithsonian and other museums across the country.
She was a direct descendant of John Minor of Woodbury, who on Feb. 3, 1703, interpreted between local Indians and colonists to negotiate a land purchase for what is now known as the town of New Milford.
She was a registered nurse, graduating from the Danbury Hospital School of Nursing with the Class of 1927. She was employed at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester for many years, and also worked at New Milford Hospital, retiring after many years of service in the emergency room.
Mrs. Davis was a member of St. Andrew’s Church in Marble Dale. For the past several years, she made her home at Candlewood Valley Health & Rehabilitation Center in New Milford.
She is survived by her grandsons, Shawn of New Milford and Darryl of Danbury, and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a son, George.
The Lillis Funeral Home of New Milford handled arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 247 New Milford Turnpike, Marble Dale, CT 06777.
Georgiabelle Parsons, 85, native of New Milford
Georgiabelle E. Parsons, 85, of Bethel died March 16 at Danbury Hospital. She was the wife of Wilson F. Parsons.
Mrs. Parsons was born May 15, 1917, in New Milford, a daughter of the late John and Anna (Onemus) Sharra.
She moved to Bethel as a young girl, attending local schools and graduating from Bethel High School in the Class of 1934.
Mrs. Parsons was employed as a bookkeeper in the office of First Selectman Frederick Judd of Bethel for several years and later continued her employment as a bookkeeper for the Osborne and Barnes Construction Company of Danbury.
She was also employed as secretary to Dr. Ruth Haas at the Danbury State Teachers College, now Western Connecticut State University, in Danbury and was the business services officer at the Henry Abbott Regional Technical High School in Danbury until her retirement in 1976.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Parsons is survived by two sons, George of Bethel and Gregory of Citra, Fla.; five sisters, Beverly McGuire of Hawaii, Phoebe Sprindis of Brookfield, Jacqueline Gilman of Windsor, Rhodaett Fairchild of Danbury and Barbara Steinhauer of New York; four grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, George F. Sharra.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today (Friday) at 10 a.m. at St. Mary Church, Bethel. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery in Bethel.
The Bethel Funeral Home of Bethel handled arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bethel Visiting Nurses Association, 1 School St., Bethel, CT 06801.
Rosalie Bogdan, 79, sister of Bridgewater woman
Rosalie A. Bogdan, 79, previously of Brewster, N.Y., died March 10 in Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor, Fla. She was the widow of Michael Bogdan.
Mrs. Bogdan was born Sept. 19, 1923, in New York City, daughter of the late Anthony and Frances (Tantillo) Gargiulo. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in the Bronx.
She lived in Brewster for 40 years and was a member of St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, past vice president of the Tonetta Heights Lake Association and a member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Brewster VFW No. 672, the Italian American Social Club of Putnam County in Brewster and the Elks Lodge 2101 in Brewster.
She also worked as an EKG technician for Putnam Hospital Center in New York. While living in Florida, she became a member of St. Ignatius Antioch Church in Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Mrs. Bogdan is survived by two sons, Michael of Hayworth, N.J., and Karl of Palm Harbor, Fla.; two daughters, Frances Lovell of Tarpon Springs and Hellene Berman of Palm Harbor; three sisters, Alma Malfara of Croston, Md., Lucille DelGatto of Bridgewater and Theresa O’Connor of Danbury; and seven grandchildren, Kimberly of Manhattan, Michael III of Hayworth, N.J., Sarah and Andrew of Palm Harbor, Jason Lovell of Tarpon Springs, David Berman of Peekskill, N.Y., and Melissa Berman of Grand Rapids, Mich.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Anthony and Vincent Gargiulo, and a brother in law, John Malfara.
The Beecher Funeral Home of Brewster handled arrangements.
Sandra Scalzo, 54, sister of New Milford woman
Sandra B. Scalzo of Scuppo Road, Danbury, formerly of Auburn Street, Danbury, died March 15 at Danbury Hospital.
Mrs. Scalzo was born Oct. 29, 1948, in Danbury, daughter of the late Michael and Stella (Viverios) Scalzo.
She was a graduate of Danbury High School. She worked as a waitress at Three Brothers Diner in Danbury.
She is survived by a son, Jason and his wife Darlene of Danbury; four sisters, Phyllis Steiner of St. Petersburg, Fla., Stella Koval of New Milford, Beverly Nickerson of Naugatuck and Renee Girard of Danbury; and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
The Cornell Memorial Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to St. Gregory the Great Church, 85 Great Plain Road, Danbury, CT 06811.
Memorial service scheduled for John Kalafus
A memorial service for John Kalafus, a former Shepaug faculty member, will be held May 25 at 1 p.m. at the Washington Town Pavilion in Washington Depot.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Sears will officiate, and several longtime friends will participate in the service.
A reception will follow the ceremony. In addition, a tree in Mr. Kalafus’ memory will be planted along River Walk, the half-mile walking path located at the playing fields.
Mr. Kalafus died Dec. 10, 2002, and was buried in his hometown of St. Clair, Pa. He lived in Washington for more than 40 years and taught at Washington High School and Shepaug Valley High School.
F. Arthur Potter, 84, longtime Washington farmer, volunteer
F. Arthur Potter, 84, founder of the Tamarack Hill Farm in Washington, died March 17 at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Ariz. He was the husband of Jean (Fenton) Potter.
Mr. Potter was born Nov. 28, 1918, in Ossining, N.Y. He graduated from Cornell University in 1942.
He served in World War II in the invasion of Kiska in the Aleutian Islands with the Tenth Mountain Division, and with General George Patton’s 89th in Germany.
Mr. Potter was a farmer, woodsman, hunter, fisherman, singer and storyteller. Family members and friends remember him living every day of his 84 years with dignity, compassion, reverence and determination.
Mr. Potter was active in Washington, serving as chairman of the Board of Tax Review for many years. He was a member of several committees and sang in the choir at the Washington First Congregational Church.
Besides his wife of 62 years, he is survived by six children, Mark and his wife Martha of Weston, John and his wife Anne of Washington, and Timothy and his wife Linda of Washington, Frederick A. Potter II and his wife Laryl of Cedar Lakes, Ind., Carol of Montague, Mass., and Diana Hill and her husband David of Tucson; 15 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Washington at a date to be announced.
