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Elizabeth Boda, 82, EKG technician
Elizabeth Pastwa Boda of Ridgefield, a retired electrocardiograph technician, died Nov. 14. She 82 years old and the widow of Julius Boda.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Mrs. Boda had spent most of her life in the Buffalo area, living in Williamsville. She had been an EKG technician for the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo and for a private physician.
She had lived at the Prospect Ridge congregate housing for several months.
“She really did like it here,” said her daughter, Nancy Anderson of Ridgefield. “They were absolutely wonderful at Prospect Ridge.”
Mrs. Boda loved children and animals, and enjoyed gardening and cooking, her family said.
Mrs. Boda is survived by her daughter: Nancy (Mrs. Robert) Anderson; a son: Julius S. Boda; three grandchildren: Kirsten L. Anderson, Jennifer Satterlee and David Anderson; and by five great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
There will be no formal funeral services.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Fund, 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511.
Concetta Stankey Barnes, accountant
Concetta “Connie” Stankey Barnes of New Milford, an accountant, died Tuesday, Nov. 19, at New Milford Hospital. She was 48 years old and the wife of Michael F. Barnes.
Mrs. Barnes was born in Bridgeport on June 30, 1954, a daughter of the late Paul Joseph Stankey and Madeline Stankey Roy of Newtown. She was a 1972 graduate of Ridgefield High School and graduated with a degree in accounting from Western Connecticut State University. She had lived in Newtown for 22 years before moving to New Milford three years ago.
Mrs. Barnes was an accountant, who had been working at the New Milford Public Library. “She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother and caring friend,” her family said.
Besides her husband of 29 years, Mrs. Barnes is survived by a daughter: Alison M. Flaherty of New Milford; four sisters: Pauline Stankey of Fairfield, Rose Cowell of Southbury, Madeline Christensen and Mary Stankey, both of Newtown; a brother: Robert Roy of Fairfield; a grandaughter: Cari Marie Flaherty; as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.
Services took place Friday evening at the Hull Funeral Home in Danbury, with a reception afterward at the First Congregational Church of Bethel. Cremation will be at the convenience of the family.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 31160, Hartford, CT 06150-1160.
Leon Bailey, worked at St. Mary’s, old ties here
H. Leon Bailey III of South Salem, N.Y., who had old ties to Ridgefield and worked at St. Mary’s Church, died suddenly on Friday, Oct. 18. He was 61.
A longtime South Salem resident, Mr. Bailey was born Aug. 1, 1941 in New York City, the son of Harry Leon Bailey Jr. and Alice Burke Bailey. He grew up on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.
Growing up, Leon Bailey, his sister Edith and their parents were weekenders in South Salem. Their father, Harry Leon Bailey Jr., was born in Ridgefield. The Baileys have lived in South Salem and Ridgefield for close to two centuries.
Besides having his own business, Mr. Bailey worked for many years at St. Mary’s Church here. In recent years, he worked for the Highway Department in the Town of Lewisboro. He was the president of the Lewisboro Civil Service Employees Association.
Mr. Bailey was a decorated member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 72, Norwalk. During his time with the auxiliary he held many positions including crewman, vice commander, commander, and finally coxswain. He, along with five other members of the flotilla, received the Coast Guard Group Action Award for search and rescue in Norwalk Harbor for retrieving a man injured in a boat accident.
Affectionately known as “the nice guy,” “Captain Ace,” and “Poppy,” Mr. Bailey was well known in Lewisboro, Ridgefield and surrounding areas. He always had a smile, joke or words of encouragement for those he met on his daily routines, according to his family.
His “one-day-at-a-time” approach and his steadfast faith should be a lesson to us all, said his family. “The loss of Leon has left a hole in the very fabric of our town and our family,” said his daughter, Theresa.
Mr. Bailey’s survivors include his wife of 39 years, Virginia Gillette Bailey of South Salem; three daughters, Theresa Bailey Weir of New Fairfield, Mary Bailey King of Wingdale, N.Y., and Veronica Bailey of Ridgefield; two grandchildren, Mitchell James McGarry and Samantha Lee King, with one grandchild on the way, all of Wingdale; and a sister, Edith Calderelli of Medford, N.Y.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday at St. Mary’s Church, Ridgefield. Burial followed in the South Salem Cemetery.
Adlyn Gentry Anderson, local artist
Adlyn Gentry Anderson of Ridgebury Road, an artist who painted the Stations of the Cross at St. Elizabeth Seton Church, died at her home Friday, Jan. 3. She was 96 years old and the widow of George M. Anderson.
Mrs. Anderson was born in St. Louis, Mo., on Nov. 16, 1906, daughter of Monica Ketzner Gentry and William E. Gentry.
A graduate of the Pratt Institute of Art in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Anderson was an accomplished and talented artist. For many years she had worked with her husband in their professional photography business while raising their family in Crestwood, N.Y., in lower Westchester County.
In the 1930s, the Andersons acquired a weekend and summer home here. They moved to Ridgefield permanently in 1958. Mr. Anderson, a native of North Salem, died in 1961.
Besides portraiture, still life and landscapes, Mrs. Anderson most enjoyed religious painting, creating inspirational works of art for several area churches, including the Stations of the Cross for her own parish, St. Elizabeth Seton in Ridgebury. She also painted banners and tapestries for the church.
Mrs. Anderson is survived by three daughters, Sister Barbara Anderson of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Ann A. King and her husband David A. King of Gaylordsville, and Georgia E. Kula and her husband, Frank Kula of Danbury; five grandchildren, George A. Leonetti of Mims, Fla., Christopher S. Kula of Danbury and Monica King, David King and Timothy King, all of Gaylordsville; as well as two great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Monday at St. Elizabeth Seton Church.
Burial was in Holy Mount Cemetery, Eastchester, N.Y.
Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Elizabeth Seton Church, 520 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield 06877.
The Cornell Memorial Home in Danbury was in charge of arrangements.
Harold Althen, 72, retired engineer
Harold Rudolf Althen of Seven Lakes, N.C. a retired engineer and former Ridgefielder, died at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in North Carolina on Monday, Oct. 28. He was 72 years old and the husband of Evelyn Althen.
Born in Norristown, Pa., Mr. Althen graduated from Worcester Polytechnical Institute in Worcester, Mass. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and attained the rank of lieutenant in the Civil Engineer Corps.
Mr. Althen spent more than 35 years with Peabody Engineering Corp. in Stamford, and had been vice president of sales in the late 1980s.
The family moved to Holmes Road in 1978 and to Seven Lakes in 1994.
Mr. Althen was an avid reader and enjoyed playing golf. He was a member of St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church and had belonged to professional associations, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Besides his wife of 50 years, Mr. Althen is survived by two sons: Harold R. Althen III of Ridgefield and Robert S. Althen of Southbury; and by five grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 456, West End, NC 27376 or to the Seven Lake EMS, 969 Seven Lakes North, Seven Lakes, NC, 27376.
Boles Funeral Home of Seven Lakes is in charge of arrangements.
Jeanne B. Mennis, hospital volunteer
Jeanne B. Mennis of Chancellor Park, 640 Danbury Road, died on Thursday, Sept. 20, at Laurel Ridge Rehabilitation Center. She was 77 years old and the wife of William E. Mennis.
She and her husband had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Feb. 3.
She was born in New York, N.Y., June 4, 1924, a daughter of the late John B. and Anna (Ryan) Dolan.
A resident of Ridgefield for the past two and one half years, Mrs. Mennis had previously lived in Stamford, where she was a volunteer at St. Joseph’s Hospital and had been a Cub Scout den mother.
Before moving to Ridgefield, Mrs. Mennis was a member of St. Maurice’s Church and was a Eucharistic minister.
Besides her husband, she is survived by three sons, Robert A. Mennis of Southbury, James J. Mennis and his wife, Patricia of Watertown, and Peter F. Mennis and his wife Pamela of Norwich, N.Y., and three grandchildren, Benjamin, Rachel and Timothy.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday in St. Mary’s Church. Burial was in the Cemetery of the Gate of Heaven in Hawthorne, N.Y.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Home School Association of Southbury Training School, Southbury, CT 06488.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Lester H. Lefferts Jr., 81, draftsman, first parking officer
Lester H. Lefferts Jr. of Prospect Street died on Saturday morning, Dec. 8, at Danbury Hospital. He was 81.
Mr. Lefferts was born in New York City on Aug. 3, 1920, a son of the late Lester H. and Anna Elderedge Lefferts. He attended New York schools. A World War II U.S. Navy veteran, Mr. Lefferts was a retired draftsman of mechanical engineering. In 1987, he became the town's first parking enforcement officer, a part-time job. He was a former resident of Astoria, Queens, N.Y.
He leaves no immediate survivors. There will be no calling hours.
Burial will take place at sea. A Celebration of Life will take place at Congregate Housing, Ridgefield, at a time to be announced. The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Barbara Johnson, volunteer with roots
Barbara Lee Johnson of New Road, whose ancestors helped to establish Ridgefield and who was active in both its civic and religious life, died of cancer on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 22, at her home. She was 73 years old and the widow of Joseph W. Johnson.
Although Mrs. Johnson was born in Greenwich, her direct ancestors for more than two centuries were Ridgefielders. In 1697, William Lees correct sp was among a handful of men who proposed the founding of the town. One of his family, Joseph Lee, settled in Farmingville in 1762, and Mrs. Johnson lived on land that had been owned and farmed by Lees for 200 years. Lee Road in Farmingville is named for her family.
Born on April 19, 1928, a daughter of the late Robert A. and Mary Maher Lee, Mrs. Johnson grew up both in Greenwich and in Ridgefield. Her father, a native of Ridgefield and a longtime director of the Ridgefield Bank, maintained the Lee family farm in Farmingville, though he spent most of his life in Greenwich. Her grandfather, Frederick C. Lee, had been a first selectman and a coal merchant in Ridgefield in the 19th Century, and her great-grandfather, Aaron W. Lee, was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Mrs. Johnson graduated from the Greenwich Academy and attended Colby Junior College. She worked for the Perkin-Elmer Corporation in Norwalk where she met her husband, Joseph. They were married on Flag Day, June 14, 1952. “She loved to tell how the flags waved each year on their anniversary,” her family said.
The Johnsons settled in Ridgefield shortly thereafter and had been married 46 years when Mr. Johnson, who was also active in the community, died in 1998.
A longtime supporter of Ridgefield youth sports and recreation programs, Mrs. Johnson was among the founders in the mid-1970s of the Ridgefield Family Y, whose building is now the headquarters of the Ridgefield Recreation Center. She was an aide at Ridgefield High School in the 1970s, and helped publicize many of the school’s theatrical productions in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Mrs. Johnson was the receptionist at St. Mary’s rectory for many years under Pastor Charles Stubbs.
“Her favorite activity was volunteering at Norwalk Hospital for the past 15 years, giving over 3,800 loving hours,” her family said.
Mrs. Johnson enjoyed playing badminton and tennis, traveling with her husband, being with her children and grandchildren, working outside, and walking. She was a communicant at both Sacred Heart Church in Georgetown and St. Mary’s Parish in Ridgefield.
She is survived by three children: Lee W. Johnson of Danbury, Wendy Johnson Perry of Lowell, Mass., and Lynne Johnson Briody of Ridgefield; one sister, Dorothy Pitt of Florida; one brother, Robert Lee of Florida: six grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
Two sisters, Elizabeth Lee and Jane Murphy, and a brother, Frederick Lee, died before her.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, Nov. 26, at Sacred Heart Parish. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association of Ridgefield, 90 East Ridge, Ridgefield, CT 06877 or the Whittingham Cancer Center, c/o Norwalk Hospital, 30 Stevens Street, Norwalk, CT 06850.
The Bouton Funeral Home in Georgetown was in charge of arrangements.
