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Sharon Garelick, 59, temple president
Sharon Garelick, a former president of Temple Shearith Israel who had helped raise money to help both Israelis and Russians, died Oct. 28 in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where she had lived for several years. She was 59 years old.
Ms. Garelick moved to Ridgefield in 1987, and was executive director of The Jewish Federation in Danbury from 1987 to 1992. During that time she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Israel and those in need in the United States. Through her efforts and that of the community, many Russian families were resettled to the greater Danbury area.
Ms. Garelick served as president of Temple Shearith Israel from 1995 to 1996.
She was one of the original founders of the Greater Danbury Coalition for Community United, formerly known as A World of Difference, which is still an active group in the community.
She remained in Ridgefield until 1997.
She was born April 22, 1943 in Chicago and received bacehlor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana University and lived for many years in Indianapolis. She was the Hebrew Congregation Religious School director there as well as president of the National Council of Jewish Women Indianapolis Section.
Ms. Garelick “is remembered by her myriad of friends from all over the U.S. and in St. Thomas as being a warm, highly intelligent, generous, caring person — a true and loyal friend,” her family said.
She is survived by two sons, David and his wife, Marcy and their twin daughter and son, Sydney and Grayson, and Andrew and wife, Nancy, and their daughters, Emma and Lily; a sister, Susan McHugh; nephew, Jeff Flash and his wife, Heather.
Rabbi Jon Haddon of Temple Shearith Israel will conduct a memorial service Sunday, Nov. 24, at 2 at the synagogue at 46 Peaceable Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations in her memory be made to the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Development Department, 633 Third Avenue, New York NY 10017; specify the Eisendrath International Exchange which supports study in Israel for American high school students.
George Glaser, 72, IBM executive
George R. Glaser of 74 Indian Cave Road, a retired IBM executive who had lived here for 35 years, died unexpectedly Saturday, Dec. 21, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was 72 years old and the husband of Maureen Schneider Glaser.
Mr. Glaser was born in Jersey City, N.J., on Sept. 24, 1930, the son of the late George A. and Nora Prindiville Glaser. Jesuit-educated, he graduated from St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City and, with honors, from St. Peter’s College in 1950.
In both high school and college, Mr. Glaser was a track star. “He was an incredible athlete,” said his son, Jeff. “He was a cross country and middle distance runner of state champion level” and won interscholastic trophies at St. Peter’s College.
Mr. Glaser graduated from Officer’s Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
In 1953 he married Maureen Schneider, whom he had met when they were both teenagers. They would have marked their 50th wedding anniversary on March 21.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1954, Mr. Glaser joined IBM, where he spent his entire 38-year career. He began as a marketing representative, selling mainframe computers to businesses at a time when few people even knew what a computer was or what it could do. His years with I.B.M. spanned an era of the most dynamic change the information technology field had ever seen and he was credited with laying the groundwork for IBM’s current customer-driven strategy.
Mr. Glaser was promoted to several management positions including the Federal Systems Division, assigned to the Pentagon; the Data Processing Division, as branch manager in Cambridge, Mass.; and as director of Contract Relations in White Plains, N.Y.
The Glasers moved to Ridgefield in 1967 and were among the earliest homeowners at Twin Ridge, a then-new subdivision at the south side of town. Mr. Glaser often worked behind the scenes on community projects, such as sharing his wife’s interests and work in the Branchville School PTA and assisting the annual Ridgefield High School PTSA Scholarship Ball. He also helped his wife in leading a 1986 effort to save one of the village’s last American elm trees, threatened by a planned realignment of the Grand Union shopping center entrance. It was a successful campaign that gained national attention.
Mr. Glaser was happiest working outdoors in his yard, his family said. He enjoyed flower and rock gardening, and landscaping his property. He also enjoyed golf, especially with his grandson, Mark. “They spent endless hours together playing the game,” his family said.
He was also an avid fan of Notre Dame football.
“All who knew him for his fairness, his kindness, his generosity and his patience will remember him,” his family said. “He leaves behind a legacy of love.”
Besides his wife, Mr. Glaser is survived by three sons: Mark Glaser of Green Pond, N.J., attorney Jeffrey Glaser of Cary, N.C., and Drew Glaser of Bethel; and four grandchildren: Mark Francis Glaser of Green Pond and Jessica, Heather and Justin Glaser of Cary.
The Rev. Paul Murphy, parochial vicar of St. Mary’s Church, led graveside services Friday, Dec. 27, at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Ridgefield, 90 East Ridge, the Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Dept., 6 Catoonah Street, or to ROAR, c/o Marcia Libby, 1 West Mountain Road, all of Ridgefield, CT 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Susan Alm Hawks, 81, active in community
Susan Matarese Alm Hawks of 25 Mimosa Court, who was active in several Ridgefield organizations, died on Thursday, Oct. 24, at her home. She was 81 years old and the widow of Kenneth Hawks and of Carl Alm.
Mrs. Hawks was born in Providence, R.I., on Jan. 23, 1921, and attended Rhode Island schools. As a young woman she moved to New York where she at first worked on Wall Street, and later became a computer operator for Sears Roebuck and Company at its offices in Manhattan.
Mrs. Hawks had lived in Brooklyn, Yorktown and Hawthorne, N.Y., before moving to Ridgefield eight years ago. Here, she became active in the Ridgefield Senior Citizens, the OWLS, and the Ridgefield Chapter of AARP where she had served as a vice-president and board member. Her late husband, Ken Hawks, had been a volunteer fireman in Hawthorne, and Mrs. Hawks became a member of the Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary. She also attended St. Mary’s Church.
“She was always very active,” said her daughter Patricia Mastellone of Ridgefield. “She enjoyed people.”
Mrs. Hawks also enjoyed art, and both painted and sketched. She also crocheted and “loved to read,” her daughter said.
Mrs. Hawks is survived by a son: Carl Douglas Alm of Massapequa, N.Y.; two daughters: Susan P. Alm of Carmel, N.Y., and Patricia E. Mastellone of Ridgefield; two sisters, Rita Gronne of Wilton and Phyllis Claussen of New York City; nine grandchildren including Charles and Christopher Mastellone of Ridgefield; nine great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Services took place on Monday in the Amawalk Hill Cemetery, Yorktown.
Memorial contributions in Mrs. Hawks’ memory may be made to Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, 405 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Alfonso Iannacone, former Ridgefielder,
Alfonso Iannacone of Macungie, Pa., a former Ridgefielder, died Nov. 4 at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. He was 58.
The Iannacones moved to Bennett's Farm Road from Yonkers, N.Y., in 1977 with their two children. A son, Robert, was born here in 1985.
Mr. Iannacone worked for Por Hardware in Stamford.
He was born on July 11, 1944 in Naples, Italy, the son of the late Gina Vushick and Natalie Iannacone. He attended Queens Community College in New York.
Mr. Iannacone owned and operated Elite Trade Services, an import-export business in Macungie. He was a member of the Lehigh County Chamber of Commerce and was a former member of the Hardware Boosters Club in New York City.
Besides his son of Macungie, he is survived by a daughter, Lara of Allentown; a brother, Robert of Brooklyn, and his companion, Sharon Hibble of Limerick, Pa. A daughter, Natalie, died in 1997. He is also survived by his former wife, Frances R. (Nevins) Iannacone of Macungie.
Arrangements were incomplete at press time; The Schantz Funeral Home, 250 Main Street, Emmaus, Pa., was in charge of arrangements.
Barbara Kinslow, 72, volunteer tutor
Barbara Kinslow of Donnelly Drive, a longtime Ridgefielder who enjoyed tutoring in public schools, died Tuesday, Nov. 26, at Danbury Hospital. She was 72 years old and the wife of Hollis Andrew Kinslow.
Mrs. Kinslow was born April 28, 1930 in Winchendon, Mass., a daughter of Raymond and Edith Hastings. She grew up in Baltimore and graduated from the College of Wooster in Ohio, majoring in economics and math.
Mrs. Kinslow worked for several banks including Village Bank and Trust Company at its Wilton branch.
For more than 30 years, Mrs. Kinslow had provided volunteer tutoring in schools in Danbury, Ridgefield and Norwalk. For the past 10 years, she had been very active in the Norwalk Public School System Mentoring Program, teaching first graders at Naramake Elementary School how to read.
“Mom just liked helping people,” her son Mike. “She has always loved kids. She really excelled at tutoring and has won several recognitions for it.” Among the commendations was the Norwalk schools’ Diamond Award.
Besides her husband of 49 years, Mrs. Kinslow is survived by a son, Michael Kinslow of Wells, Maine; a daughter, Suzan Kinslow of Phoenix, Ariz.; a sister, Jeanne Maljanian of Wilton; and three nephews and a niece.
The Rev. Bill Pfohl will lead a memorial service Friday at 2 in Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Norwalk Mentor Program, c/o Norwalk Public School System, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk CT 06852-6001, Attn. Donna Custer.
Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
David Kulo, New York Life executive
David Paul Kulo Sr. of 51 Remington Road, a retired executive with the New York Life Insurance Company who had been a member of the town’s Pension Commission, died on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Connecticut Hospice in Branford. He was 71 years old and the husband of Josephine Carney Kulo.
A Connecticut native, Mr. Kulo was born in Rockville on April 4, 1931, a son of the late Stanley and Sophie Sienski Kulo. He graduated from Fordham University in 1953 and served in the U.S. Army during part of the Korean War.
While stationed in France, he took a vacation trip to Ireland where he met Josephine Carney. They fell in love and the two were married in 1957.
In 1956, Mr. Kulo joined New York Life Insurance Company, retiring in 1995 as a corporate vice president. One of his last tasks at the company was to organize its sesquicentennial celebration, a weeklong event in 1995 that included programs at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall, and for which he hired such stars as Liza Minelli, James Earl Jones and Hal Holbrook, and at which General Colin Powell spoke.
At New York Life one of his areas of expertise was pensions, and during the 1980s into the mid-1990s, he served as a member of the Ridgefield Pension Commission, the volunteer agency that oversees town employee pension programs. He was also active in the Fordham University Alumni Association, assisting with fund raising for the school.
The Kulos moved to Ridgefield from West Islip, N.Y., in 1976.
For relaxation, Mr. Kulo enjoyed golf and collecting postage stamps, specializing in the stamps of Ireland, his wife’s native land.
“He loved life and he loved his family,” said his son, Carl. “He was generous with his time — he would go out of his way to make sure people were happy, and to help them.”
Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons: Carl Kulo of New York, N.Y., and David Kulo Jr. and his wife Louise and their son Thomas of Brewster, N.Y.; two sisters: Nancy Pinard of Sierra Vista, Ariz., and Rita Scruggs of Dennis Port, Mass.; and several nieces and nephews.
A brother, Father Carl Kulo, and a sister, Lucina Kulo Kohler, died before him.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday in St. Mary’s Church. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Road, Branford, CT 06405 or to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, 710 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Navio J. Ligi, 80, veteran and athlete
Navio J. “Eggsy” Ligi of 27 Roberts Lane, a World War II combat veteran who was also a star baseball player at Ridgefield High School, died Friday evening, Oct. 25, at the Hospital of St. Raphael, New Haven. He was 80 years old and the husband of Ridea Fuligni Ligi.
A Ridgefield native, Mr. Ligi was born on Sunset Lane on Aug. 15, 1922, a son of the late Alcide and Allegrina Biagiarelli Ligi. He attended Ridgefield schools and graduated from Ridgefield High School where he was a member and “star outfielder” on championship baseball teams of 1939 and 1940. Mr. Ligi continued to play baseball after high school and played in the Ridgefield Merchant’s League.
Shortly after high school, Mr. Ligi enlisted in the US Army and spent much of World War II in the European Theater. He served in the First Army in Normandy and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a member of the forces that liberated Paris and the Buchenwald Concentration Camp.
After the war, Mr. Ligi returned to Ridgefield and was employed at the Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill of Georgetown from 1946 until his retirement in 1988.
He enjoyed golfing and had won many tournaments and club championships at the Vail’s Grove Golf Club of North Salem, N.Y.
In 1997, Mr. Ligi received the annual sports award of the Ridgefield Old Timer’s Association.
He was a member of the Steel Workers Union and of St. Mary’s Church.
Besides his wife of 56 years, Mr. Ligi is survived by a son, Ridgefield Police Chief Richard J. Ligi and his wife Dale of Ridgefield; a brother: Dante J. Ligi and his wife Joyce of Ridgefield; a granddaughter: Rebecca Ligi of Norwalk; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
A grandson, Richard J. “Rick” Ligi, Jr., died before him.
The Rev. Robert P. Morrissey, pastor, celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial Wednesday in St. Mary’s Church.
Burial followed in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Contributions in Mr. Ligi’s memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association, 90 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
