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Joseph Kessler
Joseph Kessler of Linden Lane, Stonington, died Wednesday 31 July 2002 at The Westerly Hospital, where he was admitted on 25 July. He was 94 years old.
The son of Franz and Mary Mikuta Kessler, Kessler was born on St Patrick's Day, 17 March 1908, in Astoria, New York. His family moved to Stonington in 1920, where Mr Kessler lived in the family's Stonington homestead for over 80 years, during which time he worked alongside his father and brother at the former American Velvet Company in Stonington Borough as a carpenter's foreman. On 6 May 1941, Joseph Kessler married Mary Moniz. He retired from American Velvet in 1973.
Mr Kessler and his identical twin brother, Louis, were among the first to construct houses along the Misquamicut, Rhode Island, shoreline. The first dwellings were constructed for use only in summer, but these were later converted to year-round use. Mr Kessler enjoyed golfing at the Pequot Golf Club, photography, and frequent vacations in Florida. He was also well-known for his annual role as Santa Claus at the Stonington Town Hall, where he distributed gifts to local children for over 15 years.
Mr Kessler was predeceased by his wife, Mary; older brothers, Frank and Karl, as well as his twin brother, Louis.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St Michael Church, Pawcatuck on Saturday 3 August 2002.
Gifts in Mr Kessler's memory may be made to the Felician Sisters, Our Lady of the Angels Convent, 1315 Enfield St., Enfield CT 06082-4929.
Harriet Patterson
Harriet I. Patterson, 93, the first woman faculty member at Eastern Connecticut State University to attain the rank of professor, died Saturday at the Mystic Manor after a long illness.
A native of Stonington and born on 12 March 1909, she was the daughter of William Robert and Harriet I. (Armstrong) Patterson.
Miss Patterson was a professor of education, specializing in social studies. A 1931 graduate of the Normal School in Willimantic, she began her career teaching social studies in Plainville. Four years later, she was a supervising teacher at the former Windham Street School. She received her B.S. degree from New York University in 1939, her master's degree in elementary education from Northwestern University in 1943, and her doctoral degree in curriculum and supervision in 1953 from the University of Connecticut.
Selected for professorship in 1958, Miss Patterson had started as an instructor in 1935, and was promoted to assistant professor in 1947, and associate professor in 1953. She was chairman of the Curriculum Committee, and was instrumental in the development and implementation of the team teaching program at the Noble School.
Miss Patterson was a member of the Connecticut Education Association, Teacher Education and Professional Standards Commission, National Education Association, National Council for Social Studies, Assocation for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and the International Reading Association.
Miss Patterson played the organ and piano for many years for the Christian Science Church in Willimantic. She is survived by a sister-in-law, Miriam Patterson of Westerly; and several cousins.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by a brother, William R. Patterson.
A graveside service will be held on 26 July in Stonington Cemetery.
Mary Ladwig
Mary T. (Feerick) Ladwig, 87, of North Water Street, Stonington, died Monday morning 8 July at Mary Elizabeth Nursing Center in Mystic where she had been a resident for the past two months.
Born in Boston on 9 June 1915, Mrs Ladwig was the daughter of James J. and Mary C. (Keyes) Feerick. Raised in Massachusetts, she attended the Burr School and was a 1932 graduate of Newton (MA) High School. She also was a 1935 graduate of the Newton/Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing.
A resident of Stonington since 1980, Mrs Ladwig was a communicant of St Mary Church. She also served as a volunteer at the Westerly Hospital and the Stonington Visiting Nurse Association.
Mrs Ladwig married Francis W. Ladwig in Auburndale MA on 28 December 1941.
In addition to her husband, she leaves a son, Theodore M. Ladwig and his wife Cynthia; a daughter, Mary Louise Johnson and her husband Dwight, all of Stonington; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a sister, Eleanor F. Bailey.
The family will greet relatives and friends at the Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl Street, Mystic on Wednesday from 6 – 8 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. until noon.
A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Thursday 11 July 2002 at St Mary Church, Stonington and interment took place in St Mary Cemetery.
Donations in Mrs Ladwig's memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Connecticut, 403 North Frontage Road, Waterford CT 06385.
George de Kay
George de Kay, 76, of Stonington and New York City, died of cancer in his Manhattan apartment on Saturday 22 February 2003.
Born and reared in New York City, Mr de Kay was a grandson of Charles Augustus de Kay, a literary and art critic of The New York Times who founded the National Arts Club in 1898. Mr de Kay was a graduate of Choate and Tufts and a member of the Century Association in New York and the Wadawanuck Club in Stonington.
Mr de Kay founded M. Evans, a publishing house, in 1954 with Mel Evans, a colleague at Doubleday & Co., where Mr. de Kay was the editor in chief of Permabooks, Doubleday's first paperback imprint. He worked with Herbert Katz, then his editor-in-chief, to expand the company over the years. Mr de Kay fostered the early careers of best-selling novelists and issued popular nonfiction as the president of one of New York's last independent publishing houses. In an era when independent publishers were gobbled up by vast conglomerates, M. Evans evolved from a packaging company that developed properties for larger publishers into a house with an eclectic list that included the early books of popular novelists like Donald Westlake, Dean Koontz, David Morrell and Eric Van Lustbader. In addition, Evans best sellers included "Aerobics" by Kenneth Cooper; "Body Language" by Julius Fast; "Meeting at Potsdam" by Charles L. Mee Jr.; "A Gift of Joy," the autobiography of Helen Hayes; and the house's most striking recent success, the revised "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution."
Mr de Kay is survived by his wife Miranda; two sons and a daughter from his marriage to Mary Elliman de Kay, who died in 1982: Colman, of Los Angeles; Sarah, of Claverack NY.; and Charles, of Chicago. He is also survived by a brother, the author James Tertius de Kay of Pawcatuck; two stepchildren, Alexandra Booke Millner of Los Angeles and Nicholas Booke of New York; and four stepgrandchildren.
A memorial service is planned in New York City.
Alfred Henry Sr
Alfred P Henry Sr, 83, of Stonington, died on Wednesday 5 February 2003 at the Mystic Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center where he had been a patient since June of 2002.
Born in Stonington on 22 December 1919, he was the son of Antone Arruda Henry and Maria Costa Henry. Mr Henry attended Stonington schools. He worked in the Borough at the Atwood Machine Company and at Plax. He was also a commercial fisherman aboard the dragger "Our Gang". He also worked as a rigger at the Electric Boat Company where he was master technician at the dry dock.
Mr Henry served in the Army in World War II. On 19 April 1943 he married Frances Bychowsky, who survives him.
Mr Henry was a communicant of St Mary Church in Stonington Borough, a member of the Nina Council Knights of Columbus and a 30-year member of the Westerly Lodge No. 678 BPOE. He was a life member of the Portuguese Holy Ghost Society, where he served as president from 1950 to 1952. He was also on the PHGS Board of Directors from 1953 to 1958. Mr Henry was also a member of the Hugo Simonelli Post 3263 Veterans of Foreign Wars of Mystic.
In addition to his wife, Mr Henry is survived by a daughter Barbar Jean Curioso of Pawcatuck; a son Alfred P Henry Jr of Stonington ; a sister Irene McDonough of Stonington; two brothers, Joseph Henry of Stonington and James Henry of Avon Park FL; a grandson Joseph Curioso III of Pawcatuck; and several nieces and nephews.
Mr Henry was predeceased by a brother Anthony Henry; and three sisters, Constance Roderick, Wilhelmina Whaley and Laura Campbell.
A mass of Christian burial was celebrated at St Mary Church, Stonington Borough, on Saturday 8 February 2003.
Contributions in Mr Henry's memory may be made to the Stonington Ambulance Corps, PO Box 424, Stonington CT 06378 or to St Mary Church, 95 Main Street, Stonington CT 06378.
Francis E Rose
Francis E Rose, 92, of Stonington, died on 19 January 2003 at home with his family. Born in Stonington Borough on 2 December 1910, he was the son of Joseph M and Mary Catherine (née Sylvia) Rose.
Mr Rose worked for 40 years at the Bradford Dyeing Association, from which he retired in 1975. An avid boater and fisherman, Mr Rose was a life member of the Westerly Yacht Club, the Portuguese Holy Ghost Club and an honorary life member of the Neptune Engine Company #1 of Stonington.
Mr Rose married Marion Vincent in 1936. She died on 16 November 2002. Mr Rose is survived by a son, Douglas R Rose of Mystic; seven grandchildren and 11 great-granchildren. He was also predeceased by a daughter, Susan Rose Taylor of Santa Barbara CA; and two sisters, Peg Holtzem of Mesa AZ and Celia Metcalf of Westerly; and a brother, Joseph Rose.
A memorial service was held at the United Congregational Church of Westerly-Pawcatuck on Wednesday 22 January 2003.
Donations in Mr Rose's memory may be made to the United Congregational Church, 9 Castle Hill Road, Pawcatuck CT 06379.
Verna Malloy
Verna M. Malloy, née Bailey, 73, of Stonington Borough, died on Friday 10 January 2003 at Hartford Hospital in Hartford CT.
The daughter of Paul B and Alice (née Sharp) Bailey, she was born in Millville NJ on 17 March 1929. She lived in Tenafly NJ for 40 years before moving to Stonington in 1995. She was married to John D Malloy.
A graduate of Westtown High School in Westtown PA, Mrs Malloy graduated from Pembroke College in Providence and received her degree in Library Science from Rutgers University.
During her long career, she worked as a children's librarian in private and public schools in the New York City area.
Mrs Malloy is survived by three daughters, Priscilla B Malloy and her husband Kenneth C Busick of Simsbury CT; Allison B Malloy of Little Compton RI; Stephanie M Pritchett and her husband John D of Vallejo CA; and a son John J Malloy and his wife Robin of Williamstown MA; a sister, Patricia Deuber of Millville NJ; a brother, Paul B Bailey Jr of New Haven, and six grandchildren.
A memorial service for Mrs Malloy was held at Calvary Church, Stonington Borough, on Thursday 16 January 2003.
Contributions in Mrs Malloy's memory may be made to The Women's Health Initiative of Brown University, c/o Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket RI 02860.
