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Frances Miles, 89, retired retailer
Frances Miles of 924 North Howe Street, Southport, N.C., who had lived in Ridgefield for many years, died Monday, Nov. 17, at Dosher Memorial Hospital, Wilmington, N.C. She was 89 years old and the widow of John F. Miles.
Mrs. Miles was born in Mamaroneck, N.Y., on April 4, 1914. For many years she managed Peters Children’s Store in Mamaroneck.
She had lived at Ballard Green for 26 years before moving to North Carolina in August. Here she had participated in the Meals on Wheels program and was a member of St. Mary’s Church.
Mrs. Miles is survived by a daughter, Carol O’Donnell and her husband Tod of Southport; and two grandsons, Thomas J. and Tyler Miles O’Donnell.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 9:15 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church, Ridgefield.
Burial will follow in Greenwood Union Cemetery, Rye, NY.
Friends will be received in the Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street, on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Pope John Paul II Center for Healthcare, 33 Lincoln Avenue, Danbury, CT 06810 or to the Meals-on-Wheels Program, 25 Gilbert Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
Alice Plummer, longtime Ridgefielder
Alice V. Plummer of Ridgefield, who was active in the Ridgefield Baptist Church, died on Monday, Aug. 25, at Laurel Ridge Healthcare Center. She was 76 years old and the widow of Capt. Gordon E. Plummer Jr.
Mrs. Plummer was born in Beverly, Mass., on Jan. 13, 1927, a daughter of Ruben N. and Signe Olsen Rutstrom. She was raised in Beverly and attended local schools.
After high school graduation, she went to work in a factory to help the war effort.
In 1946, she married fellow Beverly native Gordon Plummer, a Pan American World Airline pilot. Capt. Plummer died in 1984.
A resident of Ridgefield since 1955, Mrs. Plummer was a member of the Ridgefield Baptist Church. “She always loved the church and was a member of the choir for many years,” said her son, Ronald S. Plummer of Ridgefield.
Mrs. Plummer also enjoyed playing the organ.
She was also a former member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the women’s organization of the Masons.
Besides her son, Mrs. Plummer is survived by two daughters, Barbara L. Harris and her husband George of Bradenton, Fla., and Kristine L. Cormier and her husband Ronald of Rochester, N.H.; three grandchildren, Jennifer Cormier Hodgdon, Kim Zink and Jamie Breton; three great-grandchildren, Alex Smith, Emily Zink and Degan Hodgdon; and several nieces and nephews.
A son, Gordon Emerson Plummer III, a grandson, Christopher Cormier, a granddaughter, Carrie Cormier, a sister, Eleanor Campbell and a brother, Eric Rutstrom died before Mrs. Plummer.
Pastor James Bray led services Wednesday evening in the Ridgefield Baptist Church.
Burial will take place in North Beverly Cemetery, Beverly, Mass.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, Post Office Box 971, Danbury, CT 06813 or to the American Lung Association of CT, 45 Ash Street, East Hartford, CT 06108.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Florence Schuck, former resident
Florence Schuck, longtime resident of Ridgefield, died Oct. 29 at her home in Boca Raton, Fla.
Mrs. Schuck was an active member of the Ridgefield Garden Club, serving as vice president until they moved to Florida in 1972.
“Mrs. Schuck was born in Bristol, Tenn., but with her family always considered Ridgefield her home,” said her husband, Martin.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her son William and daughter Katherine and Katherine’s three children, Michael, Christina and Dominic.
Francis Fahey, 76, former official
Francis J. Fahey, a longtime Ridgefielder and former member of the Board of Finance, died Saturday, Dec. 13, at his new home in Sandy Hook. He was 76 years old and the husband of Catherine Selzer Fahey, who died in April 2002.
Mr. Fahey was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 7, 1927, a son of the late Francis and Estelle Fahey. He graduated from Regis High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. John’s University. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Mr. Fahey had a 40-year career with the American Can Company, retiring in 1986. His assignments took him from Brooklyn to Chicago to Baltimore and finally back to New York. He held a variety of financial management positions supporting the company’s metal can, meat packaging and flexible packaging businesses.
After retiring from American Can, he worked for several years for the U.S. Can Company.
Mr. Fahey, who had lived here since 1968, served as a Eucharistic minister at St. Mary’s Parish and was an active member of the Ridgefield Men’s Club. He also served on the town’s Board of Finance from 1981 to 1988.
During his retirement, he became an avid shopper and was familiar in town for his early morning shopping rounds, his family said. “He was always up-to-date on the specials at all the local grocery stores.”
His family said “Frank also enjoyed traveling and always looked forward to attending the many American Can retiree events in Las Vegas and Florida. He took great pleasure in helping family and friends with their travel plans. Frank met regularly with his many friends to play pinochle and was a much sought after partner.”
Mr. Fahey is survived by his son, Kevin Fahey and his wife, Christine; two daughters, Catherine DeCesare and her husband, Donald, and Virginia Aloise and her husband, Christopher; four grandchildren, Shaleighne Fahey, Caitlin Fahey, Elizabeth DeCesare, and Matthew Aloise; a brother, Edmund Fahey and sister-in-law Doris; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Church on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 10:15.
Contributions in Mr. Fahey’s memory may be made to the Regional Hospice of Western CT, 405 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Arduino Petrini, World War II veteran
Arduino J. “Dwino” Petrini of Ridgefield, a World War II veteran who was also a skilled toymaker, died on Tuesday morning, Dec. 16, at his home. He was 86 years old and husband of Josephine Bruschi Petrini.
Mr. Petrini was born in Bridgeport June 22, 1917, a son of Ernesto and Rosa Radicioni Petrini. As a child, he moved with his family to the South where his father was a plantation manager. He then returned with his family, settling in the Branchville section of Ridgefield and attended local schools, including the old Branchville Schoolhouse on Old Branchville Road.
Mr. Petrini served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a construction machine operator with the 782nd Engineer Patrolling Distribution Company attached to the 6th Army. He built petroleum lines and airfields in the South Pacific, following the Infantry as it invaded islands.
During his 20 months in the South Pacific he participated in such campaigns as Luzon and New Guinea. “When he was serving in the Philippines, he often saw General McArthur coming to view the progress of construction,” said his son, Robert Petrini. He received several commendations and was ranked an expert rifleman.
Mr. Petrini was a retired heavy equipment operator, specializing in bulldozers and bucketloaders. He spent most of his career — nearly 40 years — with the former Bacchiochi Construction Company of Ridgefield.
“Everyone will tell you he was the best around,” his son said. “He loved his work. He once said to me, ‘It’s a joy to go to work every day.’ ”
He was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local #478.
An accomplished woodcrafter, Mr. Petrini was well-known for his toy making. He would create models of construction equipment, trains, old “woodies,” cars, and trucks. “He just had the joy of building them and giving them away — to anyone who appreciated the work,” his son said.
Mr. Petrini was a close friend of the late Mike Pontello, another toymaker, and the two would often compare notes and discuss designs at Mr. Pontello’s workshop.
“He was an incredibly mechanically minded man” who frequently helped family, friends and neighbors with projects like building decks, and repairing plumbing and electrical work, Mr. Petrini said.
In his youth Mr. Petrini also enjoyed hockey. In the 1930s, he played goalie for a semi-pro hockey team, based in Norwalk, often playing touring Canadian teams.
He and his wife, also a Ridgefield native, were married in January 1949 at St. Mary’s Church.
Besides his wife, Mr. Petrini is survived by his son, Robert J. Petrini and his wife Karin of Danbury, former longtime Ridgefield residents; two brothers, Geno Petrini and Vin Petrini, both of Redding; a sister, Evelyn Waters of Reston, Va.; and four grandchildren, Thomas, Nicholas, Michael and Matthew Petrini; and several nieces and nephews.
A brother, Julio Petrini, died before him.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 10:15 in St. Mary’s Church.
Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
There will be no calling hours.
Contributions in his memory to Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, Home Health Program, 405 Main Street, or to Immaculate High School, Mustang All Sports Program, 73 Southern Boulevard, both of Danbury, CT 06810 would be appreciated.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Evelyn Allen, 73, former resident
Evelyn Murray Allen of Charlottesville, Va., a former Ridgefielder, died Thursday, Dec. 18, in Charlottesville. She was 73 years old and the wife of Frederick E. Allen of Silver Springs, Md.
Mrs. Allen was born in Bridgeport March 20, 1930, daughter of the late James and Gertrude Kiely Murray. She graduated from Bridgeport High School.
She had been a Ridgefield resident for 33 years, moving to Newtown in 1996 and then to Silver Springs.
Mrs. Allen had been an executive secretary for Perkin-Elmer for eight years and later worked as a bookkeeper for a Danbury construction company.
She enjoyed gardening.
Besides her husband, she is survived by a son, William F. Allen of North Bethesda, Md.; a daughter, Leslie M. Hartten of Northglen, Colo.; a brother, John Murray of Greenville, Texas; and a granddaughter, Katherine Hartten.
Services will take place Monday, Dec. 29, at 11 a.m. at the Hull Funeral Home, 60 Division Street, Danbury.
Burial will be in Ridgebury Cemetery.
Friends may call at the funeral home from 10 to 11 Monday.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Fairfield County Chapter, 607 Main Avenue, Norwalk 06851.
James Baker, active in church
James Albert Baker, a former Ridgefielder who was active in the Methodist Church here, died on Friday, Nov. 28, in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 84 years old and the husband of Violet Baker.
Mr. Baker was born on May 21, 1919, in Buff Bay, Portland Parish, in the Jamaica West Indies, the youngest of six children of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Baker.
He completed his formal education in Buff Bay and, after working in the hardware and construction fields, migrated to the United States in 1945. He married Violet Stewart in 1950, and they settled in Ridgefield, where he worked at Conklin Farm. He later became a mechanic at Kellogg and Theiss Inc., the Cadillac-Pontiac dealership on Danbury Road.
He subsequently undertook training to become an electrician and worked at Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Company in Georgetown until his retirement in 1984.
Mr. Baker was an active member of the Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church where he served as head usher. He was a member of the Prince Hall Masons in Norwalk, and had been a worshipful master.
In 1988, the Bakers, who had lived on Bennett’s Farm Road, moved to West Palm Beach. There Mr. Baker became active in the Grace Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches.
“He had many devoted friends and family members in the community,” said the family. “He was well known for his humble spirit, Christian lifestyle, and willingness to lend a helping hand. He was a humorous man who greeted all with his famous smile.”
Besides his wife, Mr. Baker is survived by his children, Joan and her husband James Harris of Las Vegas, Nev., Janet Sims of West Palm Beach, James A. Baker and his wife Karen of Danbury, and Marcia Rodrigues of Upper Marlboro, Md.; nine grandchildren, Craig, Shanisha and Atira Harris, Michael and Keegan Sims, Kendra and Sage Baker, India and Edward Rodrigues III; and by three great-grandchildren.
His parents and his five siblings died before him.
Services will take place Saturday, Dec. 6, at the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach.
In his memory, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897.
