United States High School Yearbooks by County
Dante S. Somma
Dante S. Somma, 84, of Norwalk, beloved husband of Lucy DeSantis Somma for 59 years, died Dec. 26, at St. Vincent's Medical Center.
Born in Norwalk, the son of the late Salvatore and Maria Ranungola Somma, he graduated from Norwalk High School, and was a naval veteran of WWII. He was also elected Norwalk councilman in 1960.
Somma had retired from the Norwalk Hour after 29 years of service in the composing room. He had previously worked for O'Brien Press for 23 years, then spent two years at City Press. He was a member of the CWA (formerly the International Typographers Union) for more than 50 years.
In addition to his loving wife, he is survived by two daughters, Maria Somma of NYC, and Patricia DiBartolomeo and her husband Joseph of Norwalk, as well as two cherished grandchildren, Lauren and Thomas DiBartolomeo, and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be directed to: St. Matthew Church, 216 Scribner Ave, Norwalk, CT 06850, or to: American Warrior, PO Box 337, Versailles, CT 06383.
Michael R. Testa
Michael R. Testa, 80, of Newtown, formerly of Norwalk, died on Dec. 28, at Norwalk Hospital. Born in Norwalk, the son of the late Samuel and Mary Testa, he had worked as a maintenance contractor for the Burndy Corporation.
Predeceased by his wife, Marie Nazzaro Testa, a brother Samuel Testa and two sisters Theresa Cutrone and Palmie Cusack, he is survived by a son Samuel Testa and his wife Karen of Newtown; a daughter Susan Hittner and her husband Harold, of Cary, N.C., five cherished grandchildren, Leigh Testa, Lindsay Grenier, Michael Testa, Jessica and Justin Hittner, and twin great-grandchildren Ava and Juliann Grenier as well as four loving sisters Patricia Grenier, Elsie Imri, Marie Tarzial and Jennie Holt and many nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated today at 11:15 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, with burial to follow at St. John Cemetery, Norwalk.
Aileen M. Agius, 75, was a Bridgewater resident
Mrs. Agius was born May 2, 1929, in Johnstown, Pa., daughter of the late Patrick and Anna (Mandichek) O'Dowd.
She was a graduate of the Jefferson Medical Center School of Nursing in Philadelphia. Prior to moving to Bridgewater 10 years ago, she was a resident of Ridgefield for 27 years.
She had been a member of St. Mary's Church in Ridgefield and was an active member of St. Joseph Church in Brookfield.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Agius is survived by two sons, Patrick and his wife Kate of Danbury, and Daniel and his wife Jacquelyn of Newtown; two daughters, Christine and her husband Dr. John Nelson of Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and Marianne Altobelli and her husband Ramon of Menasha, Wis.; a sister, Carol Anne O'Dowd of Johnstown; a brother, Patrick O'Dowd of Baltimore; seven grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by two sisters, Donnalee Kalinyak and Patsy Becker.
The Green Funeral Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in Mrs. Agius' memory may be made to the Praxair Cancer Center, c/o Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Ave., Danbury, CT 06810.
[Dated September 9, 2004]
Shirley Massena, 72, sister of New Milford woman
Shirley Arlene (Willis) Massena, 72, of Simeon Road, Bethel, died Dec. 29, 2004 at Danbury Hospital. She was the wife of Sam F. Massena.
Mrs. Massena was born Aug. 24, 1932, in Brookfield, daughter of the late Chester and Barbara (Couchevitz) Willis.
She was a graduate of Danbury High School, Class of 1951. She was a veteran of the Korean War, having served with the United States Air Force.
She and her husband owned and operated Massena Gardens and Massena Flowers.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Massena is survived by a son, Stanley and his wife Kandi of Danbury; two daughters, Sue Esposito and Sally Travis-Scott and her husband Timothy, all of Danbury; four grandchildren, Joshua and Joseph Esposito and Michael and Michelle Travis; a brother, Vernon Willis and his wife Evelyn of Florida; four sisters, Virginia Beck of Brookfield, Doris Tillman of Carmel, N.Y., Faye Ballard and her husband Robert of New Milford, and Barbara O'Connell and her husband Edward of Brookfield; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a sister, Beverly Willis.
The Cornell Memorial Home of Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to the Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, 405 Main St., Danbury, CT 06810.
Alexander Dahm, 74, had family in area towns
Originally from Bronx, N.Y., he lived in Danbury for 20 years before moving to Florida 13 years ago where he was the owner of Holiday Express Livery Service.
He served proudly with the U.S. Marine Corps and previously worked for Batesville Casket Company in Queens, N.Y. for 19 years.
"Big Al" will be sadly missed. His unconditional love and generosity truly made him a "Dad" to everyone who knew him.
In addition to his wife of 42 years, he is survived by two sons, Christopher Dahm and his wife Dana of Warren, and Richard Authelet and his wife Margie of Danbury; three daughters, Susan O'Neil and her husband John of Brewster, Mass., Stacy Burden and her husband Kevin of Hopkington, Mass. and Sandy Servidio of New Milford; a sister, Roberta D'Angelo of Mahopac, N.Y.; a nephew, Robert Nizoleck of Sherman; a niece, Kimberly Hamilton of Mahopac, N.Y.; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by a daughter, Darlene Westby, and a son, David Dahm.
A celebration of his life will be held at King Street United Church of Christ, Danbury, tomorrow (Saturday) at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery, Danbury. There are no calling hours.
Memorials may be made to the Treasure Coast Hospice, 5090 Dunn Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981.
[Dated June 18, 2008]
Beverly Swisher
Beverly Swisher, 70, a former longtime Norwalk resident, loving wife, mother and grandmother, died with her family by her side, Monday, March 15, 2010.
Memorial service: Private. Please contact the family for information.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Beverly's name to Odyssey Hospice, 6940 River Park Circle, Fort Worth, Texas 76116.
She worked for Playtex, Fuji, and Motorola as an executive secretary, and was a member of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church. She was preceded in death by her father, Ralph Herrmann, and sister, Judy.
Survivors include her husband, Gerald Swisher; mother, Evelyn Roush; children, Kathryn Tryon, Corrine Haynes, Robin Tryon and husband, Daniel, Stephen Swisher and wife, Kathleen, Mark Swisher and wife, Susan, Paul Swisher, Maria Swisher-Brothers and husband, Gary, Peter Swisher and wife, Stacy; grandchildren, Jessica, Katie, Kristen, Elijah, Jeremy, Sarah, Bryce, Ian, Stephen, Elizabeth, Maya, Lydia, Jordan, Noah and Liam; and brother-in-law, John Swisher.
Francesco `Frank' Diurno
Francesco `Frank' Diurno, 69, husband of Mafalda DiBerardino Diurno of Norwalk, died March 17, 2010, at the Norwalk Hospital after a long battle with ALS. He was born on April 26, 1940, in Monte Sant Angelo, (Foggia) Italy. He was the son of the late Lorenzo and Libera Giordano Diurno. When he was 13 years old, he began his career in furniture making in Italy and at 21, he and Mafalda were married
and moved to the U.S. to begin their future. He began working with various contractors, building homes and became a master of all aspects of carpentry, and was especially known for his finish work and meticulous detail in everything he crafted.
His workmanship brought him to the attention of Earl Smith of the New Canaan Fuel and Lumber Co., where he was employed for 33 years. He took great pleasure in being with his family and especially enjoyed his grandchildren. Diurno's home and garden were his pride and he had a passion for making homemade wine, fishing, swimming in the ocean, vacationing in Narragansett, R.I. and the beautiful surroundings while in Vermont.
He was a past member of the St. Ann's Club in Norwalk, and enjoyed working at its annual festivals.
He is survived by his wife, Mafalda; sons, Lorenzo and his wife, Filomena of Wilton, Frank and his wife, Gloria of Norwalk, and Mario and his wife, Amanda of Fairfield; by his daughter, Lena and her husband, David Owens of Norwalk; and by seven grandchildren, Tina and Roman Musilli of Wilton, Matthew and Jonathan of Norwalk, Trey and Phoenix Dominick of Fairfield and Alyssa Owens of Norwalk.
He is also survived by his sister, Giovanna Murgo in Pesaro, Italy. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Philip's Church and he was laid to rest on March 20 in Riverside cemetery in Norwalk. Donations in memory of Frank may be sent to The ALS Association, Connecticut Chapter, 4 Oxford Road Unit D4, Milford, CT 06460. The Diurno family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the staff of vitas Hospice Care, to Norwalk Hospital and to family and friends for their comfort and support during this difficult time.
