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Christine Benedetto, resident’s mother
Christine Corello Benedetto, a longtime New Canaan resident and mother of a Ridgefielder, died on Wednesday, Dec. 20, at Laurelwood Rehabilitation Center on Danbury Road. She was 80 years old and the widow of Michael Benedetto.
Mrs. Benedetto was born in Norwalk June 27, 1920, a daughter of the late Salvatore and Teresa Corello. She had lived in New Canaan most of her life and attended New Canaan schools. She later worked in the food service field for the New Canaan school system.
A resident of Ridgefield for the past three years, she had previously lived in Norwalk. She was a former member of St. Aloysius Church of New Canaan.
A son, Michael S. Benedetto of Ridgefield, two daughters, Josephine Migliano of Stamford and Linda Smith of Norwalk as well as three sisters, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren survive her.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, Dec. 22, in St. Mary’s Church. Burial followed in St. John’s Cemetery, Springdale.
Evelyn Onken Beery, former Y leader
Evelyn Onken Beery of Ridgefield, who had been a leader in YWCA and YMCA circles in Brooklyn, N.Y., died on Dec. 13 in Danbury.
A graduate of Packer Collegiate Institute, she served on the boards of Brookwood Child Care and the Brooklyn YWCA and was at one time the Y’s acting director and one of the first two women elected to the Board of the New York YMCA in 1970. She was a member of the Civitas Club, Mrs. Field’s Literary Club, and the Junior League of Brooklyn.
The former wife of Dr. Edwin N. Beery, she is survived by two sons Edwin N. Beery Jr. of Craftsbury Common, Vt., and the Rev. William S. Beery, Ph.D., of Darien; by a daughter Lillian B. Willis of Ridgefield; by a brother George M. Onken and a sister Lillian O. Barnes; and by seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Dec. 22, at noon at Grace Church in Brooklyn Heights.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Brooklyn YWCA, Brookwood Child Care, the Packer Collegiate Institute, or Grace Church — all of Brooklyn.
Vytautas Banelis, insurance executive
Vytautas “Victor” Banelis, a former Ridgefielder who was a retired commercial life insurance executive, died on Thursday, Nov. 16, at his home at 130 Norton Street, New Haven. He was 74 years old and husband of the late Ivona Pranckevicius Banelis
Mr. Banelis was born in Panevezys, Lithuania, on Feb. 26, 1926, a son of the late Stasys and Ona Povilionis Banelis.
He attended schools in Lithuania and came to the United States in 1948, first settling in New York City. There he continued his education, graduating from St. John’s University and later attending New York University School of Law.
In 1972, he moved from New York to Pinecrest Drive. While here here he worked for General Reinsurance Life in Greenwich.
Mrs. Banelis, a medical technician, died in a car accident in 1976.
Mr. Banelis moved to New Haven in 1986.
Survivors include a son, Paul Banelis of Middletown,and his wife, Joan Andrews; a brother, Algimantas Banelis of Toronto, Canada; and two nephews, Kestutis Banelis and Vaidila Banelis.
A brother, Algirdas Banelis, died before him.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday in St. Mary’s Church in Ridgefield. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Josephine Baker, 100, former teacher
Josephine H. Baker, 100, who taught for 21 years at Ridgefield High School, died Sunday, Dec. 3, at Beacon Brook Health Care in Naugatuck. She was the wife of the late Louis F. Baker, and lived much of her long life in Ridgefield.
Born June 5, 1900, in Ridgefield, she was a daughter of the late Edward J. and Susan (Shea) Hurst. She was a graduate of Danbury Normal School and New Britain Teachers College with a bachelor’s degree.
Mrs. Baker worked for the Ridgefield Board of Education, teaching at Ridgefield High School from 1928 to 1949. She traveled extensively and collected and sold antiques in Ridgefield.
After the death of her husband, she moved to Danbury and was a member of St. Joseph’s Church.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church Thursday morning at 9. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Ridgefield.
There are no calling hours. The Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury, is in charge of arrangements.
Contributions in her memory may be made to Father Baker’s Home for Crippled Children, Lackawanna, NY.
Douglas Andres, 78, IBM official, gardener
Douglas R. Andres Sr. of 15 Bridle Trail, a retired IBM manager and an avid gardener, died on Saturday, Jan. 27, at Laurelwood Rehabilitation Center. He was 78 years old and the husband of Annette Menzola Andres.
Mr. Andres was born in the Bronx, N.Y. on April 17, 1922, a son of the late Frank and Maude La Tourette Andres. When he was a boy, he moved with his family from the Bronx to Staten Island, where he grew up. He attended New York University and, during World War II, was a Navy chief petty officer aboard a landing craft in the Pacific.
Mr. Andres worked for IBM for 39 years, joining the company in 1945. He had been manager of personnel programs, and spent much of his career overseas, based in France and in Japan, from which he served IBM sites in the Middle East, Africa and the Far East. He was a compensation specialist whose job was to compare benefits given to IBM’s overseas employees with those offered by other companies to make certain IBM’s were competitive or better packages.
Mr. Andres came to Ridgefield 25 years ago after his second tour with IBM in Paris, but through much of his later retirement years continued to visit France. “That was his second home,” said his daughter, Susanne Andres of Ridgefield. “He used to go every year for five or six weeks. He’d wouldn’t even make reservations; he’s just rent a car and explore.”
Mr. Andres’ passion, however, was gardening. He took early retirement from IBM in 1984 to spend more time in his garden and his greenhouse.
“He was in the garden from 7 a.m. until after dark,” Ms. Andres said. “He used to have an enormous flower and vegetable garden.”
Mr. Andres always shared his bounty, his daughter said. “He assisted a lot of the neighbors in starting their gardens each year. And when the vegetables were ready, he’d be knocking on their doors with gifts.”
Besides his wife of 54 years and his daughter, Mr. Andres is survived by a son, Douglas R. Andres Jr., of Lake Oswego, Ore., as well as three grandsons, Karl Andres, David Andres and Jesse Andres.
A memorial service will take place at a time and place to be announced.
There will be no calling hours.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford, CT 06492.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
G. Congdon Wood, led cancer research
G. Congdon Wood, Ph.D, of Pumping Station Road, a scientist who distributed money for research into the causes and cures of cancer, died Monday, Oct. 9, at Danbury Hospital. He was 84 years old and the husband of Bari E. Wood.
For many years, Dr. Wood administered research grants and distributed clinical fellowships for the American Cancer Society at its New York City headquarters.
Dr. Wood had also been a pioneer in studying the effects of insecticides and discovered that successive generations of arachnids could become resistant to poisons.
“He was one of the first people to notice insecticide resistance,” said Bari Wood. His doctoral thesis in 1953 showed how generations of spider mites developed an immunity to insecticides. “This was before anyone knew anything about genetic resistance — when people were still using DDT,” Ms. Wood said.
Dr. Wood was born in New York City and grew up there, a son of the late Gilbert C. and Beulah Field Wood. He attended The Choate School and received his bachelor’s degree from Haverford College in 1938.
While doing graduate work at Harvard University a year later, Dr. Wood was a member of a Harvard Department of Zoology collecting expedition to Texas and Panama. During the expedition he discovered two new species, including a snake, that were subsequently named for him.
His studies at Harvard were interrupted by World War II. “He was a Quaker so he eschewed the idea of being an officer,” his wife said. “But he believed in doing his duty and joined the Army.” He became a sergeant in the transportation corps, serving in both the European and African theaters.
After the war, he resumed his studies at Cornell where he received his master’s and doctoral degrees.
Dr. Wood spent 26 years at the American Cancer Society, selecting and administering grants. “He was the one who decided their merit and whether the researchers were continuing to do what they were getting the grants for,” his wife said. He would often visit schools and other research centers to inspect the work being done by scientists.
The Woods met at the American Society where Bari Wood was working in the library. He recommended her for a job as assistant editor of the society’s publication, “CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.”
“He sort of started my writing career by recommending me for that position,” said Ms. Wood, who is the author of a half dozen novels, two of which have been made into Hollywood films.
He was a supporter of and inspiration for her writing. “He was the last of a fine American tradition,” Ms. Wood said in a 1995 interview. ”I have never felt anything from him but pride. All of my heroes have many characteristics of my husband.”
“He was a wonderful, wonderful man — a real gentleman of the old school,” she added.
Dr. Wood, who retired in 1983, had many interests including entomology, coin collecting, and conservation, and had been working on his memoirs at the time of his death. “He was a man of very wide scope,” Ms. Wood said.
Dr. Wood was a member of Sigma Xi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and was a fellow of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. He belonged to the Union Club in New York and was active with the Nantucket Conservation Society and the South Street Seaport.
The Woods had lived in Wilton before moving to Ridgefield. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Dr. Wood had lived in Weston.
Besides his wife, his survivors include four sons: Christopher S. Wood of Woodbury, Jonathan S. Wood of Ridgewood, N.J., David F. Wood of Concord, Mass., and Andrew R. Wood of Wilmington, N.C.; and nine grandchildren.
Another son, Gilbert C. Wood III, and a sister, June Wood, died before him.
A graveside service will take place Friday at 1 p.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx, N.Y.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Anita Ialongo, 92, 64-year Ridgefielder
Anita Principi Ialongo of Ridgefield, a homemaker, companion, and award-winning needleworker, died on Monday, Jan. 3, 2005 at Danbury Hospital. She was 92 years old and the widow of Francesco “Frank” Ialongo.
Mrs. Ialongo was born in Oneonta, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 1912, to parents who were visiting the United States from their hometown of Orchiao, Di Pesaro, Italy. She returned with her parents to Italy and attended schools there and lived in Orchiao until the age of 18, when she returned to the United States, first settling in Norwalk.
In 1940, Mrs. Ialongo moved to Ridgefield and had lived here ever since. In early years, she worked for the former Danbury Shirt Factory. For 33 years, she was a companion and housekeeper for the late Barbara Lowe Fallass of Cross River, N.Y.
When she was in a convent school in Italy, Mrs. Ialongo learned needlepoint, an art she practiced throughout her life. Her work won blue ribbons, especially at the Danbury State Fair, where they were exhibited under the Big Top.
She had been a member of the O.W.L.S., enjoying many of their trips, and of St. Mary’s Church.
Mrs. Ialongo is survived by a son, Robert L. Marinelli and his wife, Dorothy, of Ridgefield; three granddaughters, Lisa Mollica of Gilbert, Ariz., Lesli McDevitt of New Milford, and Mary Elizabeth Marinelli of Ridgefield; a grandson, Timothy R. Marinelli of Ridgefield; and four great-grandsons.
Her husband, a well-known tailor, died in 1979.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 10:15 in St. Mary’s Church.
Burial will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery at the convenience of the family.
There will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association, 90 East Ridge, or to the Ridgefield Fire Department Ambulance Fund, 6 Catoonah Street, both Ridgefield, CT 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Owen Williams, 22, scholar and skater
Owen Martin Williams of 375A Harvard Street, Cambridge, Mass., who was both a scholar and a championship figure skater, died on Thursday, Oct. 12, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He was 22 years old and had lived at 20 Silver Hill Road.
Mr. Williams was born in Danbury, June 14, 1978, a son of Dorothy (Martin) Williams of Ridgefield and the late George 0. Williams.
He attended Greens Farms Academy of Westport and graduated from the Harvey School of Katonah, N.Y., as valedictorian of the Class of 1995.
He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, double majoring in economics and management. He graduated in the Class of 1999, achieving a 5.0 cumulative average for four years and attaining degrees in both economics and management.
He was enrolled in the doctoral program for economics at Duke University at the time of his death.
Before his college years, Mr. Williams was a nationally ranked figure skater who, by the age of 13, had won nearly 37 medals in scores of competitions. In 1992, he finished seventh in the nationals, and had earlier won three first place gold medals in the Mid-Atlantic Competitions.
He started skating at the age of six at the Ridgefield rink and a year later was skating competitively. While at Harvey School, he was practicing an average of five hours a day.
He was a member of Zeta Phi Fraternity at M.I.T. and attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.
Besides his mother, he is survived by a brother, Julian O. Williams. of London, England.
Friends are invited to attend a Celebration of Life reception on Sunday, Oct. 29, after 10 a.m. at 20 Silver Hill Road.
Memorials in Owen’s memory may be made to the Owen M. Williams Scholarship Fund, in care of Robert J. Creamer, Esq., 412 Main Street Ridgefleld CT 06877
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
