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John Lester Lathrop
John Lester Lathrop, 78, of Titusville FL, formerly of Stonington, died Monday 14 January 2002 at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville FL. The son of Harry Lester Lathrop and Grace Amy Frink Lathrop, he was born on 8 March 1923 in Norwich CT.
Mr Lathrop graduated in 1942 from Stonington High School and later married Beverly Lathrop.
He served from 1943 to 1945 with the US Marine Corps in World War II, flying fighter planes, F4U Corsairs, for which he earned three Air Medals, two Presidential Citations, and one Unit Citation. Recalled to active duty during the Korean War, he served as a transport pilot in R4U-Flying Boxcars from 1951 to 1954, retiring as a major.
Mr Lathrop owned the John L Lathrop Real Estate and Insurance Co on Flanders Road in Stonington for over 35 years. He and his wife were active in many civic and community organizations. He was a member of Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington Borough, where he served on the Vestry for two terms, one as assistant treasurer, and on the Altar Guild as co-director with his wife. He was also a member of the Stonington Grange, the Stonington Historical Society, the Stonington Village Improvement Association, the Westerly Historical Association, the Hugo Simonelli Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the James W Harvey Post of the American Legion. He was a charter member of the Mystic Marine Aquarium, a past chairman of the Republican Town Committee, a past director of the Mystic Community Center, a found and past president of the Stonington Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Stonington Community Center during the time funds were being raised for the present building.
In 1999, Mr & Mrs Lathrop moved to Titusville FL.
In addition to his wife, Mr Lathrop is survived by two daughters, Nancy L Chambers of Belle Harbor NY, and Peggy L Knets of Groton; a son, John W Lathrop of Wallingford CT; two brothers, Charles of Titusville FL and Edwin of Sebastian FL; a sister, Amy J Bolin of Oceanside GA; eight grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
Donations in Mr Lathrop's memory may be made to Calvary Church Outreach Fund, 27 Church Street, Stonington CT 06378 or to the Stonington High School Class of '42 Library Fund, 176 South Broad Street, Pawcatuck CT 06379.
Albert R Bessette
Albert R Bessette, 79, of Stonington, died on Sunday 13 January 2002 at Pendleton Health Care in Mystic after a long illness. The son of Arsene and Rose Martin Bessette, he was born in Stonington on 30 May 1922. On 7 August 1948 he married Maryann Stewart. Mr Bessette attended Stonington schools and graduated in 1940.
Mr Bessette worked at Hamilton Standard Propellers in Pawcatuck before joining the US Army in 1944, at which time served as a rifleman with the 328th Regiment of the 26th Yankee Division in Third Army under General Patton. Following the war's end, Mr Bessette served as a military policeman in Vienna, Austria. He was awarded the Infantry Combat Badge and the Purple Heart.
Mr Bessette and his brother, Henry, owned and operated the Stonington Auto Station from 1947 to 1965. He worked for Shannon Motors until 1983. He worked for the Stonington Borough Highway Department until his retirement in 1986.
Mr Bessette was a member of the Stonington Ambulance Corps, which he was president of for more than 20 years. He was also president of the Stonington Fire District for 30 years. He was a life member, treasurer and oldest active member fo the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company of the Stonington Borough Fire Department. He had recently been honored for 50 years of service by the Company.
Mr Bessette was a member of the James W Harvey Post of the American Legion, the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society, and the New London County Ostomy Association. He was also active in the Boy Scouts of America.
A communicant of St Mary Church in Stonington Borough, Mr Bessette was a church usher for 40 years.
In addition to his wife, Mr Bessette is survived by three sons, Robert, Mark and Thomas, all of Stonington; two daughters, Eleanor Stargardter of Coventry CT, and Patricia Fletcher, of Weatherford TX; two sisters, Theresa Fallon of Pawcatuck, and Rita Leary of Windsor Locks CT; and 12 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by two sisters, Blanche Stillman and Mary Sylvestre; and four brothers, Eugene, Lionel, Henry and Edward.
A funeral mass was celebrated at St Mary Church, Stonington, on Thursday 17 January 2002, and burial took place in St Mary Cemetery.
Contributions in Mr Bessette's memory may be made to the Stonington Ambulance Corps, POB 424, Stonington CT 06378 or to the Bryan Bessette Scholarship Fund, c/o Stonington Youth Services, 166 South Broad Street, Pawcatuck CT 06379.
Josephine Tilney
Josephine Toy Collins Tilney, 96, of Bloomfield CT, formerly of Stonington, died on Saturday 12 January 2002 at Caleb Hitchcock Health Center in Bloomfield.
The daughter of Frederick Starr and Josephine Seymour Toy Collins, she was born in Hartford CT on 5 July 1905. She attended the Oxford School in West Hartford and graduated from Miss Porter's School in Farmington CT. She also attended the Boston School of Art. She lived mostly of her life in Cheshire and Stonington, where she was an artist.
Descended from Richard Lyman, Mrs Tilney was a member of The Descendents of the Founders of Hartford. She was also a member of the Colonial Dames of America and the Stonington Historical Society.
Mrs Tilney is survived by a son, Timothy Collins Tilney of Newark DE; a half-brother, Atwood Collins II of Bloomfield CT; and four grandchildren. Burial took place at Cedar Hill Cemetery
in Hartford.
Donations in Mrs Tilney's memory may be made to the Duncaster Expansion Plan, 40 Loeffler Road, Bloomfield CT 06002 or to the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Connecticut, 211 Main Street, Wethersfield CT 06109.
Mary Sylvestre
Mary Bessette Sylvestre, 86, of Stonington, died Friday 11 January 2002 at her home. Her family was with her at her death.
The daughter of the late Arsene and Rose Martin Bessette, Mrs Sylvestre was born in Stonington on 14 May 1915
She married Lionel Sylvestre on 25 May1940 at St Mary Church in Stonington Borough. Mr Sylvestre died in October 2000.
Mrs Sylvestre worked at the former Atwood Machine Co in Stonington and was a communicant of St. Mary Church in Stonington.
She is survived by three sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Linda Sylvestre, of Pawcatuck, George and Brenda Sylvestre, of Mystic, and Roger and Mary Sylvestre, of Wallingford; five daughters and three sons-in-law, Jeannette and Howard Eldridge of Pawcatuck, Lora and Peter Brodeur of Westerly, Irene and Joseph McKernan of Pawcatuck, Margaret Costa of Pawcatuck, and Elaine Fallon of Hudson MA; one brother, Albert Bessette of Stonington; two sisters, Theresa Fallon of Pawcatuck and Rita Leary of Windsor Locks; 23 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
She was predeceased by a sister, Blanche Stillman, and four brothers, Eugene, Lionel, Henry and Edward Bessette.
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Tuesday 15 January 2002 at St Mary Church, Stonington Borough, at 10 am. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery.
Contributions in Mrs Sylvestre's memory may be made to The Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut, PO Box 902, Uncasville CT 06382-0902.
Millie Kupidlowski
Millie Nardone Kupidlowski, 80, died on Thursday 10 January 2002 at the Westerly Health Center after a brief illness.
The daugher of Rocco and Adeline Antonino Nardone, Mrs Kupidlowski was born on 18 May 1921 in Westerly. On 25 November 1978 she married Alfred H Kupidlowski at St Mary Church, Stonington Borough.
Mrs Kupidlowski attended local Westerly schools. She worked at the Bostitch Company and later at JC Penney Co in Westerly. She was also a busdriver for the Stonington school system. She was a member of St Mary Church, where she was a longtime member of the choir. She and her husband had been active in variety shows in Stonington Borough and worked with the Teen Times radio show on WERI.
In addition to her husband, Mrs Kupidlowski is survived by a son, David Kupidlowski of Carpenteria CA; a stepson Robert Kupidlowski of Woonsocket RI; three sisters, Mary Manette, Gilda Ahern and Louise Fusaro, all of Westerly; a brother, Ralph Nardone of Cheverly MD; two grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
She was predeceased by two sisters, Palma Patterson and Constance Bontempo; and a brother Girard Nardone.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at St Mary Church, Stonington Borough, on Wednesday 16 January 2002 at 10 am. Burial will be in St Mary Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to St Mary Church, 95 Main Street, Stonington CT 06378.
Marshall Noble
Marshall Hays Noble, 78, of Pawcatuck, died on Wednesday 9 January 2002 at the Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, New London.
Born on 22 February 1923 in Mansfield LA, he was the son of Col Howard F and Susan Nabors Noble. He was a graduate of Culver Military Academy and Princeton University. He did graduate work at Yale and Cornell Universities.
On 1 July 1976 he married Carolie Woods in Washington DC.
Mr Noble served with the Army Special Forces in World War II. After the war, he was a career Foreign Service office, posted to southeast Asia. He also served as deputy chief of mission in Luxembourg. He later did admission counselling for applicants to the State Department.
Mr Noble was treasurer of the former Stonington Visiting Nurses Association, and treasurer and president of the Wadawanuck Yacht Club in Stonington.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two stepsons, Valentine Hollingsworth III of Dover MA and Arthur W Hollingsworth of Dallas; three stepdaughters, Tracy Hollingsworth of Alexandria VA, Dr Helen M Hollingsworth of Wayland MA and Laura H Hollingsworth of Farmington; and three granddaughters.
Funeral services were held at Calvary Church, Stonington, on Saturday 12 January. Memorial contributions may be made to the Community Cancer Center, c/o Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, 365 Montauk Avenue, New London CT 06320, or the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut, 403 North Frontage Road, Waterford CT 06385.
Elizabeth Fairbrother
Elizabeth Groton Fairbrother, 59, of Canterbury CT, died on Wednesday 2 January 2002 at the William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich after a 20-year struggle with cancer.
Mrs Fairbrother graduated from Williams Memorial Institute in New London and in 1966 received a bachelor's degree in early childhood education from the University of Rhode Island, where she did further graduate work, as well as at Temple University.
Mrs Fairbrother was one of the original teachers of the Head Start program at the University of Rhode Island and also taught kindergarten in both Stonington and Westerly public school systems. She later taught at The Rectory School for a year. Mrs Fairbrother in her youth was an avid equestrienne and showed prize-winning heifers at the Eastern States Exposition. She also enjoyed tennis and swimming.
Mrs Fairbrother married Charles W. Fairbrother on 15 January 1970. Moving to Canterbury in 1975, she became involved in a variety of civic and community affairs. She was a member of the Canterbury Historical Society, for which she was curator of archives and chair of its Municipal Historian Committee, and was instrumental in getting Canterbury Green on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000 she received the ANECIIS Regional Heritage Award. She was also a member of the Arthur Basto Archaeological Society, the Wadawanuck Club of Stonington and the Plainfield Historical Society, where she was awarded a Preservation award.
In addition, Mrs Fairbrother did volunteer work at the Prudence Crandall Museum; the Killingly Historical Society; the Norwich office of the American Cancer Society. In 1995 she received the American Cancer Society's Courage award presented to her by Connecticut Governor John G Rowland.
Mrs Fairbrother is survived by her husband; her parents, John and Betty Groton of Stonington; two sons, Charles B Fairbrother and John H G Fairbrother, both of Canterbury; a brother and sister-in-law, John and Alice Groton, of Stonington, and goddaughters and nieces Sara and Sophie.
Contributions in Mrs Fairbrother's memory may be made to the WW Backus Hospital, Oncology Department, 326 Washington Street, Norwich CT 06360.
