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Alteo Cassavechia, World War II veteran, Ridgefield native
Alteo Cassavechia, 86, of Danbury, husband of Anna (Fiaschetti) Cassavechia died on Wednesday morning, January 19, 2005 at Bethel Health Care, Bethel, CT.
Mr. Cassavechia was born in Ridgefield, September 22, 1918, son of Nazzareno and Angelina (Giacomini) Cassavechia. He attended Ridgefield schools and was an enlisted World War II U.S. Army veteran having served with the Armored Division in the Tank Corps. He served from 1940 to 1945 when he was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
A heavy equipment operator, Mr. Cassavechia was a member of the Operating Engineers Local #478 and was employed in early years with the former Donald Torcellini Contracting Company, the former Nazzareno Marconi Contracting Company and retired with the Morganti Construction Company all of Ridgefield.
An area resident all of his life, he was known to be a jack of all trades, enjoyed woodworking, was an avid bowler, a member of the American Bowling Congress and the Men’s Industrial Bowling League.
He attended St. Peter’s Church, Danbury.
In addition to his wife Anna of fifty-six years, four sons, twin sons Harry Cassavechia and his wife Wendy, Larry and his wife Deborah, Robert Cassavechia and his wife Laura and Michael Cassavechia and his wife Cindy all of Danbury, a brother Anthony Cassavechia of Ridgefield, four sisters, Mary Federico of Mt. Kisco, NY, Elda Suita of Trumbull, Viola Giannarelli of Vero Beach, FL and Dorothy Samuelson and her husband Einar of Danbury, ten grandchildren, Marnie Lopriore, Duane Lopriore, Allison Cassavechia, Eric Cassavechia, Jaime Cassavechia, Lindsey Cassavechia, Meghan Medeiros, Kristen Medeiros, Jared Cassavechia and Kaylee Cassavechia as well as several nieces and nephews survive him.
Funeral services will take place on Saturday at 6PM in the Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home, 9-11 Granville Avenue, Danbury.
Interment will be private.
The family will receive friends in the Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home on Saturday from 3PM to 6PM.
Memorials to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 25 Third Street, Suite 410, Stamford, CT 06905 would be appreciated.
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.
James H. Jack, former resident
James H. Jack of Southbury, a former Ridgefielder, died on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2005, at the Lutheran Home in Southbury. He was 96 years old and the widower of Anna Pedder Jack.
Mr. Jack was born on Sept. 25, 1908 in Fall River, Mass. He was the son of the late Samuel and Jean Jack, both from Scotland.
Mr. Jack worked for many years in production supervision for the Velvaray Company and Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, both in Fall River, Mass. He also worked for Armstrong Tire and Rubber in Norwalk, later transferring to its plant in Hanford, Calif.
He was a lieutenant in the Somerset (Mass.) Fire Department and a member of the Massachusetts State Guard during World War II. He was a 59-year member of the Pioneer Lodge of the Masonic order in Somerset. He was also a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints in Southbury.
Mr. Jack is survived by four children, Robert H. Jack of Southbury, Kenneth P. Jack of Leesburg, Fla., Bette A. Ettinger of St. Cloud, Fla., and Connie Tarby of Southbury; 10 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Services and burial were private.
In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to the Lutheran Home, 990 Main Street North, Southbury, CT 06488, in Mr. Jack’s memory.
Arrangements were handled by Carpino Funeral Home, Southbury.
Emilie Jones, college administrator
Emilie Bidlingmeyer Jones of Ridgefield, a retired college administrator who became a local baker, died on Friday evening, Jan. 7, 2005, at her home. She was 63 years old and the widow of W. Merritt Jones.
Mrs. Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 8, 1941, daughter of Charles J. and Leah Ladd Bidlingmeyer. She attended Cincinnati schools, graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in history, the University of Akron with a master’s in education and from New York University with a master’s in college administration.
Mrs. Jones was a director of admissions at several universities and colleges and had been director of admissions at Pace University before her retirement.
An avid baker, Mrs. Jones in her retirement baked for the County Corners store at Joe’s Corner in town.
Mrs. Jones came to New York from Ohio in 1970 and to Ridgefield in 1975.
She was a former member of the College and University Admissions Board of the United States, Washington, D.C.
Mrs. Jones is survived by three stepdaughters, Elise Montanari of Bethel, Sandra Lilly of Ashfield, Mass., and Karen McDonald of Truckee, Calif.; a brother, Vinson Bidlingmeyer of Cincinnati, Ohio; two sisters, Dottie Lewis of Cincinnati and Velnette Stumpf of Callawassie, N.C.; four stepgrandchildren, seven nieces and nephews and six great-nieces and -nephews.
A brother, Charles Bidlingmeyer, and two sisters, Leah Woodruff and Mabel Kreff, died before her.
Graveside interment services will take place at Cedar Grove Cemetery, Fairhaven, Vt.
A memorial service will take place on Monday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street.
The family will receive friends after 6.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Ridgefield Fire Department Ambulance Fund, 6 Catoonah Street, or to the Visiting Nurse Association, 90 East Ridge, both Ridgefield, CT 06877 .
Edith Loehmann, native of Germany
Edith Schrot Loehmann, a lover of hummingbirds, daffodils and William Wordsworth’s poems, died on Jan. 27, 2005.
Born in Germany in 1919, she immigrated to the United States when she was a child. She grew up in the Bronx, N.Y., where she met and married her husband, Dr. William T. Loehmann. They moved to Stamford in 1972 and to Ridgefield in 1988.
“She lived simply and quietly as the self-reliant matriarch of our family,” her family said. “She was predeceased nine years ago by her husband, the love of her life. Their love, which spanned over 60 years, was, and still is, an inspiration to us. Who we are today is a direct result of her calm strength and stoic character.”
Mrs. Loehmann is survived by two daughters and a son: Nancy Spielmann, her husband Steve, and their children, Chelsea and Casey; Laura Larrabure, her husband William, and their children, Mario, John, Sarah and Amy; and John Loehmann, his wife Elaine and their son Adam.
There will be a private service for the immediate family at a later date.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Ridgefield Meals on Wheels, 25 Gilbert Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
Mary Mikulewicz, loved animals
Mary Mikulewicz of Ridgefield, a New York City native who loved animals, died Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005, at Hancock Hall in Danbury of natural causes. She was 89 years old.
Mrs. Mikulewicz was born Mary Kostiw on June 25, 1915 at home, at 71 First Avenue, in New York City, a year after her parents arrived from Ukraine. She and her younger sister grew up and went to school in Manhattan.
Her parents, who believed in the benefits of country air and fresh food, sent them to spend their youthful summers at a farm in Colchester. After graduating from high school, she worked as a secretary to a lawyer and then to a real estate agent.
In the 1930’s, the family moved to a newly built home in Queens. She married Joseph Mikulewicz and they lived with her parents, raising a family. She developed a love of animals Ń “There were always parakeets or canaries in cages by the windows and during the war years, there were chickens in the back yard,” her son, Bil Mikulewicz, recalled. “A dog was always about, and every few years a rabbit or two. Her children added frogs, fish and guinea pigs to the mix.”
While raising her family, she worked as a sales assistant at the local Woolworth’s and then for many years as an orthodontist’s assistant. In 1997 Mrs. Mikulewicz and her husband moved to an apartment in Ridgefield to be near their son.
After her husband died in 1998, Mrs. Mikulewicz lived with her son Bil and his family before moving to Prospect Ridge Congregate Housing, where she enjoyed making new friends and successfully worked to change the restrictive no-pet policy.
“She was always interested in life around her,” her son said. “She was surprised herself at how much she enjoyed being in Ridgefield. She said at one point if she had realized how nice it would be, she would have moved here decades ago.”
Besides her son, Mrs. Mikulewicz is survived by a daughter, Katherine London; four grandchildren, Alex Mikulewicz, Maude Rich, and Karen and Steve London; two great-grandchildren, Jackie and Samantha Rich; and a sister, Anne Lafkoff, and her children.
A memorial service will be held in the spring.
E.F. Schoenbrunn, chemical engineer
Erwin Frederick Schoenbrunn of Ridgefield, a chemical engineer and church leader, died at his home on Tuesday morning, Jan. 18, 2005. He was 83 years old and the husband of Dorothy Rinehart Schoenbrunn.
Mr. Schoenbrunn was born in Newark, N.J., on July 15, 1921, son of the late Erwin O. and Katherine Stetter Schoenbrunn. He grew up in Newark and in his early teens, moved with his family to Plainfield where he attended schools. He was a member of the Class of 1944 at Princeton University where he received a bachelor of science in engineering and he earned a master’s in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949.
Mr. Schoenbrunn was a World War II U.S. Army veteran, serving in the Signal Corps. Eighteen months of his three-year tour of duty were spent in the Philippines.
Mr. Schoenbrunn moved from Needham, Mass., to Ridgefield in 1958. He held research positions in the Sharpless Corporation, the National Research Corporation, the Escambia Chemical Corporation, and the American Cyanamid Company. He retired from the Engineering Research Section of American Cyanamid in 1990.
He was a member of the American Chemical Society and received the Julius A. Kuck Award for Outstanding Service to Western Connecticut Section in 1998. He was also a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and had a long and abiding interest in the development of science.
After his retirement in 1990, he became a volunteer at Danbury Hospital. His special interests included running, hiking, reading, beekeeping, and travel. He completed several marathons, including the Ridgefield Half-Marathon.
Mr. Schoenbrunn served as a former treasurer of the Mamanasco Lake Park Association. He also belonged to the “Wilton Lunch Bunch,” a group of retirees.
Active in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Georgetown, Mr. Schoenbrunn served on the church council, was a Sunday School instructor and was active with the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Besides his wife, Mr. Schoenbrunn is survived by a son, Frederick Rinehart Schoenbrunn and his wife Kim of Salt Lake City, Utah; three daughters, Carol Lambiase and her husband Ali Hebshi of Bethany, Mary Magnoli and her husband Mark of Harwinton, and Laura Bradford and her husband Brent of Syracuse, N.Y.; a brother, Alfred G. Schoenbrunn and his wife Lydia of West Simsbury; and nine grandchildren, Nicholas Schoenbrunn, Lynze Schoenbrunn, Jacob Magnoli, Zachary Magnoli, Ryan Bradford, Matthew Bradford, Aaron Hebshi, Leila Hebshi, and Shoshana Hebshi; and a great-grandson Frank Udvoch, as well as several nieces and nephews.
A sister, Marie Schaefer, died before him.
Services will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 44 Portland Avenue, Georgetown.
Burial will take place in York, Pa., at a later date.
Friends will be received in the Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street, on Friday from 6 to 8.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, Home Care Program, 405 Main Street, or to the Praxair Cancer Center, Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Avenue, both of Danbury, CT 06810, or to the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 44 Portland Avenue, Redding 06896.
John Seemar, electrician, veteran
John C. “Jack” Seemar Sr., an electrician and a longtime Ridgefielder, died Monday, Jan. 24, 2005, at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He was 67 years old and the husband of Grace V. “Ginger” Seemar.
A native of New Canaan, Mr. Seemar was born on Dec. 6, 1937, a son of the late Frank F. and Hilda Weil Seemar. He grew up in New Canaan and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. A Ridgefielder since 1969, he had been an electrician, and belonged to Local #501 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
Mr. Seemar had two sons with muscular dystrophy.
In 1973, when James “Jimmy” Seemar was nine years old, his father told a reporter, “We know Jimmy won’t live to adulthood. There’s no cure, no treatment. So there’s no expense Ń I wish there was. I’d walk around the world.
“I sometimes feel like punching holes in the wall Ń the frustration, knowing what’s going to happen to him and there’s nothing that can be done.”
Jimmy died in 1979 at the age of 14.
“He heroically cared for his two sons diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and he always felt that God chooses special parents for special children,” his family said this week.
Mr. Seemar followed current affairs in town and in the nation, and from time to time penned letters to the editors of The Press and other publications. He “always felt free to speak his mind to local and federal officials about current events, and most recently attended two peace marches in New York City and Washington, D.C.,” his family said.
Mr. Seemar enjoyed yard work, cutting firewood, hiking, fishing, and the outdoors in general.
Known for his sense of humor, Mr. Seemar “was a good and kind man who will be greatly missed,” his family added.
Besides his wife, Mr. Seemar is survived by two sons, John C. Seemar Jr. of Woodbury, and Jerry F. Seemar of Ridgefield; a brother, Frank Seemar; and a sister, Eleanor Cheavens.
Services will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury.
Friends may call at the funeral home Saturday between 4 and 7.
Burial will take place in the spring in Salisbury Cemetery.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Heifer Project International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock AR 72203.
