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Sheila Slocum
Sheila Gaudet Slocum, 67, of Shawondasse Drive, Stonington, died on Saturday, 9 October 2004, at her home with family and close friends after a courageous battle with cancer.
Born in Bridgeport on 24 February1937, she was the daughter of the late Winifred J Gaudet and the granddaughter of the late Mabel G. Ackley. She graduated in 1955 with the last class from the old Fitch High School in Groton and worked as a bookkeeper at the Groton Bank on Thames Street.
On 27 June 1955 in Elkton MD she married Walter K Slocum Jr, who survives her.
Mrs. Slocum worked as a teacher's aide at the Deans Mill School in Stonington for over 25 years. An avid puzzle-assembler and game-player, she also loved music. In her youth as a member of the Poquonnock Bridge Baptist Church, she sang in the choir, and was also a soloist of the choir.
In addition to her husband of 49 years, she is survived by three sons, Walter K Slocum III and his wife, Pam, of Pawcatuck; Mark J. Slocum and his wife, Harriet, of Newport News VA; and Kevin J. Slocum and his wife, Kris, of Stonington; a daughter, Bethea L. Slocum of Stonington; grandchildren, Samantha, Chloe, Jordan, Quinn, Bailey, Avery, Welton, and Noel; one great-grandson, Zackery; a sister, Norma G. Ravanelle, and her husband, Richard, of Groton; nephew, Richard H. Ravanelle Jr.; and nieces, Nancy R. Fleming of Ledyard and Marsha R. Van Dyne of Voluntown.
Contributions in Mrs Slocum's memory may be made to the Stonington Ambulance Corps, PO Box 424, Stonington CT 06378, or to the Community Cancer Center, 365 Montauk Avenue, New London CT 06320.
Ruth Headen
Ruth Evelyn Headen, 90, of Stonington, died Wednesday, 6 October 2004, at The Westerly Hospital after a brief illness.
Born in East Hartford on 29 November 1913, she was the daughter of Robert and Fannie Hurlburt Ashwell.
She married Arnold Headen on 20 June 1943 and they made their home in Stonington. Mr Headen predeceased her in February 1988. She and her husband of 44 years enjoyed dancing as members of the Jolly Squares, the Ledyard Squares, The Anchor & Chain Round Dance Group and were also members of the Connecticut Association of Round Dance Teachers. She was a member of the Stonington Community Center's Golden Agers, a member of the SECT Community Center of the Blind Inc, and attended United Church of Stonington. An accomplished seamstress, she was self-employed until her retirement in making draperies and slipcovers for many customers in this area. During World War II she worked for Hamilton Standard Propeller in Taftville and also Colt Firearms.
Mrs Headen is survived by a son Robert Day of Naples FL and a daughter Shirley Reuss of Mystic; six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, three nieces and one nephew.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a brother, Raymond . Ashwell, and a sister, Harriet Hathaway, who were twins.
A funeral service was held at Mystic Funeral Home on Tuesday, 12 October 2004 at 10. Burial followed in Stonington Cemetery, Stonington.
Mrs Headen's family suggests memorial contributions be made in her name to the SECT Community Center of the Blind, Inc, 120 Broad St, New London CT 06320 or to the Stonington Community Center, 28 Cutler Street, Stonington CT 06378.
Robert Snyder Sr
Robert Snyder Sr at the North Stonington Fair in 2002
Robert Jenkins Snyder Sr, 79, died peacefully on Monday 4 October 2004 at his home in Stonington Borough.
Born on 30 March 30, 1925, in New York City, Snyder attended The Harvey School and graduated from Taft School. He went on to Williams College and graduated from the Cornell University V12 Program. He served as an officer in the US Navy in World War II. Following the war, Snyder worked for Bethlehem Steel in the Loop Program. He later became a partner with the investment firm of Ingalls & Snyder in New York City, where he worked for many years, until he decided to pursue his lifelong passion of working with boats. In 1980 Mr Snyder purchased, with two of his sons, Matthew and Robert Jr, Dodson Boat Yard which has been widely recognized as one of the leading boatyards in the Northeast over the past 24 years.
Mr Snyder's many interests included journalism, storytelling, bicycling and prestidigitation. A longtime resident of Stonington Borough, Robert was an active member at Calvary Episcopal Church, having served both on the vestry and the music committee. He was a member of the hand-bell choir and enjoyed being a lay reader and chalice bearer. Mr Snyder was a Burgess, a volunteer fireman, and also served on the board of the Stonington Village Improvement Association and the Borough of Stonington Planning and Zoning Commission. A longtime member and trustee of the American Yacht Club in Rye NY, he was also a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Wadawanuck Club, the East Haddam Fish & Game Club and the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club.
Mr Snyder is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Martha Templeton Perry; his daughter, Anne; his three sons, Matthew, Robert Jr, and Peter; their spouses Amy Grier Cochrane, Marne Giffen Snyder and Paul Damian Ellithorpe. There are also four grandchildren, Edie, Henry, Marjorie and Charles, and two brothers, John T. and William B.J. Snyder.
The funeral service was held at Calvary Church, 27 Church Street, in Stonington Borough on Thursday 7 October. The family requests that contributions in Mr Snyder's memory be sent to Calvary Church, Calvary Music School (both at 27 Church Street, Stonington CT 06378), Stonington Village Improvement Association (PO Box 18, Stonington CT 06378) or the Stonington Free Library (PO Box 232, Stonington CT 06378).
Thomas Lewis
Thomas G. Lewis, 52, of Stonington, husband of Billie Vacca Lewis, died Monday 27 September 2004.
A graveside service will be held at 11 am Friday at the Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic.
Alvida Garity
Alvida Garity (left) with friend Elvira Souza
Alvida Lewis Garity, 96, of Stonington, died on Sunday 26 September 2004, at The Westerly Hospital after a brief illness.
Born on School Street in Stonington Borough on 20 August1908, she was the daughter of Manuel and Wilhelmina Lawrence Lewis. She married Raymond Garity on 16 August 1947, in Stonington. Mr Garity died in 1986.
Mrs Garity was a school teacher at the former Borough school for 35 years, and later taught music at the Mystic Middle School.
A lifelong member of St. Mary Church in Stonington, she served as organist for more than 83 years, beginning at the age of 13. Mrs Garity was recognized by Bishop Daniel Reilly with a Diocesan Proclamation for her lengthy service.
For more than 40 years she volunteered to play weekly at the Mary Elizabeth Nursing Center in Mystic. She also played on a regular basis for the Stonington Senior citizens, for The Daughters of Isabella, of which she had been a member since 1926, and for the Our Lady of Fatima Society. For her volunteer efforts, she was given the Volunteer of the Year award from the State of Connecticut.
Mrs Garity was very active in all aspects of the Stonington community. Generations of Portuguese immigrants were helped by her when they arrived in Stonington. She found them housing, jobs, and taught them English. She was well known for her apple pie, sticky buns and sweet bread. She was dedicated to her church, town, family, and large circle of friends whom she cherished. As a member of the Thursday morning breakfast club, or her line dancing group, she remained an active participant in the community.
Mrs Garity served as Clerk-Treasurer for the Borough of Stonington from 1944 to 1946.
She was predeceased by her brother, Alfred L Lewis Sr, and two nephews, Alfred L Lewis Jr and Donald Lewis.
She is survived by great niece Susan White, and her husband David, and their children Christopher, Gregory, Marc and Amy-Rose; Alfred and Teresa's children, in addition to Susan, Michael Lewis, David Lewis, Linda Breault, and Paul Lewis; Donald's children, Dane Lewis, Donna Lewis, Le-Anne Schonnecker and Jim Lewis, and their mother Nancy; and her special children of the Almeida family, Joseph, Jaime, Matilde Rezendes and Alvida Veit.
A funeral Mass will be held at 10 am on Thursday 30 September 2004 at St Mary Church, Stonington Borough. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery. There will be no procession from the funeral home. Relatives and friends may call at the Mystic Funeral Home, Route 1, Mystic, on Wednesday from 4 to 7.30 pm.
Contributions may be made in Mrs Garity's memory to St Mary Church 95 Main St., Stonington, CT 06378.
The Lewis family invites you visit www.mysticfuneralhome.com for directions, obituary information and an online memorial registry to leave a note of condolence.
Katherine McLean Knox
Katherine McLean Knox, 92, formerly of Stonington, died on 23 September 2004 at the Westerly Nursing Home.
Born in Detroit MI on 31 March 1912, she was the daughter of John Frederick McClean, a stockbroker and Olympic track medalist, and Georgianna Grant McClean.
Mrs Knox graduated from the Liggett School and Vassar College in 1933, where she was involved in theatre. After graduation, she went to work as an assistant buyer at R H Macy & Co.
On Valentine's Day of 1936 she married Samuel Doughty Knox, who became a vice president of Bambergers, a New Jersey department store owned by Macy's.
Mrs Knox lived in Glen Ridge NJ from 1949 to 1966, during which she was a member of the Junior League, served on the board of the Mountainside Hospital in Monclair NJ and was a troop leader for both the Cub Scouts and the Girl Scouts. She also founded a local Boys Club. She remained committed to the Girls Scouts, to which she was awarded a lifetime membership, for years, becoming a board member at the local, regional and national levels.
Moving to Stonington full time in 1966, Mrs Knox became active in the annual campaign of The United Way. She was president and a dedicated member of the Stonington Garden Club and a secretary of the Wadawanuck Club.
Mrs Knox's connection with Stonington began upon meeting Mr Knox in 1933, when they weekended with his parents, Mr & Mrs Herbert Howard Knox, of Darling Hill, and during World War II, when she lived there with her two small children. She was an avid sailor, serving as crew on the family's Lightning Hot Canary, with Mr Knox as skipper in many regattas. She won the Wadawanuck Yacht Club's Commodore's Cup women's race in 1959 and represented that club in the Adams Cup finals.
Mrs Knox was also a dedicated bridge player for her entire life, becoming a member of the American Contract Bridge League. She was an enthusiastic bird-watcher in New Jersey, Stonington and throughout the United States. She travelled to California, Arizona, the Caribbean and Central America in search of birds. She particularly enjoyed an annual trip of birders to Block Island and was a strong supporter of the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.
Mr Knox died in 1997. Mrs Knox is survived by her sister, Josephine Wunsch, of Grosse Pointe MI; her brother John F McClean Jr of Hilton Head SC; a daughter, Susan Jacqueline Knox of New York City and Stonington; a son H Howard Knox II and his wife, Patricia Kitchings, of Stonington; and a grandson Davis Kitchings Knox of Stonington.
Contributions in Mrs Knox's memory may be made to The United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and to the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center.
A memorial service will be held at Calvary Church, 27 Church Street, Stonington Borough, on Saturday 16 October 2004 at 10.30 am.
Christopher Conradi
Christopher Conradi, 39, died in a boating accident in Long Island Sound on Saturday 18 September 2004.
Born in Mystic on 26 September 1965, Conradi attended local schools and graduated from Fitch High School in 1983. He attended Northeastern University in Boston where he earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering.
He worked as an industrial engineer for the Thomas G Faria Company in Uncasville, eventually becoming vice president of manufacturing. He had recently completed, in spring of 2004, a 2 and 1/2 year program at Boston University in which he received at masters of business administration in executive management.
On 27 September 2002 he married Dana Murphy and they, along with her two sons Chad and Tyler, lived in Stonington Borough.
In addition to his wife and his stepsons, Conradi is survived by his father and stepmother Don and June Conradi of Westerly; his mother Brenda Conradi of East Lyme; his brother and sister-in-law Randall and Diane Conradi and nephew Jonathan and niece Jennifer, all of Stonington; his sister and brother-in-law Katherine and Bernard Cerles and their children Audrey and Philip, of Plymouth, MN.
A funeral service was held at Calvary Church in Stonington Borough on Thursday 23 September 2004.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Christopher Conradi Memorial Fund, c/o Chelsea Groton Bank, 2 Water Street, Mystic CT 06355
