Darien Times

Ted Sheldon (76) passed away on October 13, 2021, from complications after a stroke several months earlier. He was born in Chicago on 6 August 1945 and grew up in Highland Park, IL. Ted was an All-American swimmer on the high school relay team and went on to Beloit College where he was captain of the swim team. While at Beloit College he met his future wife, Marianne Weber, and they married in 1969 while Ted was serving in the Navy. He was discharged as a Lieutenant in 1971 and returned to Chicago where he joined the advertising sales staff of the Chicago Tribune. Ted received his MBA from the University of Chicago. The family moved to Darien, CT in 1978 when Ted was transferred to...

Mark Jeffrey McNamara, 56, of Houston, Texas, died on August 20, 2021 following a difficult battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Karen and his son Patrick, his brothers Frank (Lisa) of Marblehead, MA and John (Christa) of Darien, CT, his sisters Moira (Lance) James of Marblehead, MA and Kathy (Bob) Hugin of Summit, NJ, his stepmother Lois McNamara of Vero Beach, FL and many nieces and nephews. Mark was born in Stamford, Connecticut to Francis J. McNamara, Jr. and Noreen O'Connor McNamara, and he lived in California, Washington, D.C. and Connecticut before relocating to Houston in 2011. Mark was devoted to his family and loved spending time with Karen and Patrick. Mark and Karen...

Jeanne C. Turkel of Darien, Connecticut, passed away on May 21, 2021 at the Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, Virginia, from complications arising from a serious automobile accident on April 30, 2021. Jeanne was born on January 26, 1943 in Plainfield, New Jersey, daughter of the late Cecil H. Crickenberger and Helen S. Crickenberger. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1963 and went on to get an MA degree from Columbia University and later a degree in Music from Manhattanville College. Jeanne's passions included pilates, ball therapy, tai-chi and long walks with her beloved dog Skye. She enjoyed a career as a Pilates Instructor and Piano Teacher. For the last 54 years,...

Thomas W. Smith, III of Lebanon NH, 97 years of Life, passed away January 11th, 2021 after a brief illness not related to Covid19. Tom is survived by his wife Adele "Topsy" Smith of Lebanon, NH; three children, Suzanne Smith Wright and husband Doug of New Canaan, CT, Hunter W. Smith and wife Sally Roumanis of Hamden, CT, and Stephen P. Smith and wife Jill of Milford, OH; his brother, Carter Smith of Perrysburg, OH; seven grandchildren, Kelly, Sara, Brett, Hunter, Stephanie, Molly and Lizzie; sixteen great grandchildren; other relatives and friends. Thomas was the oldest of three children born to Thomas W. Smith, Jr. and Dorothy H. Smith of Wilkinsburg, PA - a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. on...

Exeter, NH - Barbara A. Caswell, 80, a resident of Riverwoods in Exeter, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 after a period of failing health. Barbara was born In Lawrence, MA on August 30, 1940 to Charles and Edmee Bradley. She grew up in Andover, MA and attended Abbott Academy, graduating with the class of 1957. She was then accepted and attended Manhattanville College in New York, graduating with the class of 1961. Barbara was the wife of Paul H. Caswell, who predeceased her in 2009. She leaves behind two sons, Paul B. Caswell of Annapolis, MD, Dr. Philip Caswell and his wife Rupal of Sparta NJ., her daughter Carolyn Heinen and her husband Joseph of Sudbury, MA, and...

Raymond J. Dubrowski, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather passed away Monday, December 7, 2020 at the age of 94 in at his home in Vero Beach. Ray was born in Brooklyn, New York and became a winter resident of Vero Beach 36 years ago. He eventually built a home in Castaway Cove and made Vero Beach his full-time residence 24 years ago, moving here from Darien, Connecticut. Ray served in the US Navy aboard the cruiser USS Oklahoma City during WW II, including operations at the battle of Okinawa. Following his time in the service he graduated from Pace University in New York City and entered the accounting field with Price Waterhouse in 1953 in Los Angeles,...

Margaret (Peggy) Upton, 87, a resident of Manchester Center, VT, formerly of Nebraska and Darien, CT, passed away November 27, 2020 at Equinox Terrace in Manchester. Peggy was born in Gothenburg, Nebraska on June 21, 1933 the daughter of the late Oscar and Elenora Block Swanson. She attended local schools and did her undergraduate studies at Iowa State and Stamford University. She worked in the Real Estate business and managed the Stratton Mountain Employee Store. She was a member of the Trailblazers at Stratton, the Darien, CT Community Association and Tokeneke Club. She volunteered at the Thrift Store in Manchester and the South Londonderry Library. She enjoyed skiing, tennis and spending...

John Nichols Berry III, editor of Library Journal magazine for more than half a century, stalwart defender of freedom of speech, freedom of information and public libraries, died in New Hampshire on Saturday, October 10th of an apparent heart attack. He was 87. A giant in his field, John guided and mentored generations of librarians through his leadership at LJ, as a public speaker who traveled the world on behalf of libraries, and as a teacher at library schools across the country including Pratt Institute, Simmons College, University of Pittsburgh, University of Arizona, Dominican University and Louisiana State. A trademark of his tenure as editor-in-chief of Library Journal from 1969 to...

Jim Frederick passed away unexpectedly on October 7, 2020, a few days shy of his 60th birthday. James Bradley Frederick of Darien, CT was born October 13, 1960, and grew up in New Britain, CT, the son of Theodore (Ted) Frederick and Joyce (Chase) Frederick. Jim Is survived by his beloved wife, Doreen Franco and their 4 children, Cole Frederick (Minneapolis, MN), Tyler Frederick (Darien), Bobby Fitzgerald (Boston, MA) and stepdaughter Kendall Franco (Darien). Jim's parents instilled many values in him which became hallmarks of his life including the satisfaction enjoyed after a hard day's work, and the loyalty and trust earned from always having a friend's back. Paramount was the joy and...

Patricia Ann(Canning) Matthews, a resident of Marco Island, Florida and a former 31-year resident of Wilmington, Delaware, entered into her eternal life on Wednesday August 19th at home with her loving daughter by her side. She fought a tough battle against cancer with the same positive attitude and strong faith in God that sustained her throughout her full life. She was 78. Patricia was born to the late Edward and Cecelia (Collins) Canning in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on July 26, 1942. She attended Liberty High School and was a member of the synchronized swimming team. She graduated from Kutztown State College in 1964 and was married to the late John E. Matthews Jr of Easton, Pennsylvania in...

Exeter, NH - Shirley R. Sanders, 85, widow of Henry Marshall Sanders, of Exeter and formerly of Darien, CT, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 26, 2020 at Riverwoods in Exeter, New Hampshire. She was born on September 7, 1934 at Fort Monroe, Virginia to Edward Galen and Doris Evelyn (Broadstreet) Reese. She was a graduate of Hampton High School in Hampton, Virginia, Class of 1952, and went on to attended Mary Washington College. Shirley was formerly an Editorial Assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was an avid reader, loved the game of bridge and enjoyed playing the piano. She also loved all the wonderful years at her vacation...

It is with the greatest sadness that we announce the passing of our mom on April 2nd, 2020, at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, VT. Anne Marie Daly Brown was Born July 8, 1936, in Stamford CT. She was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy high school and Southern Connecticut State College. She raised four boys with her husband, Tom Brown, in Darien, CT. Her career was centered around her love for food - both cooking it and teaching others. She was one of the earliest female entrepreneurs, running a catering company with three friends called Phantom Cooks - which was later the inspiration for a series of mystery books. (We like to think Phantom Cooks paved the way for Martha Stewart.)...

Irene Therese Roche Dunne passed away peacefully with family by her side on March 9, 2020, just 34 days after the passing of her beloved husband James Clement Dunne, proving that true love knows no bounds. Irene wanted to be with Jim. Born in New York City to a close knit family, Irene was the youngest of four children, the "baby" of the family beloved and happily spoiled by her siblings. Irene had a gorgeous operatic voice, and attended the Juilliard School under the sponsorship of a devoted patron. She also could play the piano beautifully by ear, and delighted friends and family with sing-alongs throughout her life. She met her husband Jim at a Fordham University party, which she had...

Ted Larson, 82 of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL and East Orleans, MA passed away peacefully on Dec. 6, 2019 after succumbing to injuries sustained during a bicycle accident in October. Ted was born in 1937 to John and Frieda Larson in Roslyn, NY. After graduating from Darien High School in CT in 1955 he went on to receive a BS in chemistry and economics at Cornell University and received an MBA from Columbia University. After graduation he worked for Union Carbide and then spent over 25 years in marketing and operations at General Foods. In 1966 he married Betsey Johnson at Wee Burn Country Club in Darien, CT and went on to raise his two children, Leigh and Sarah in Wilton, CT. After retiring...

Allen Daniell Haight, 90, died Wednesday, October 23, 2019 of natural causes. He was born in Greenwich, CT, graduated from the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey in 1948, received a B.A. from Brown University in 1952, and served in the Army in Korea before getting his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1961. He lived in Darien, CT for 35 years before moving to Hilton Head Island, SC in 2000 while commuting to Connecticut for work. Mr. Haight bought a company named Richard Dudgeon, Inc. in 1969. The company, which is still family-owned, is located in Waterbury, CT and manufactures hydraulic jacks and pumps for lifting buildings and bridges. In 1853, Richard Dudgeon, Inc. built its first...

SOUTHBURY - Louise Gockley, 94, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2019. She was a resident at Heritage Village in Southbury, CT since 1998 before moving to Pomperaug Woods in 2012. Louise was born in Boston, MA on July 13, 1925 and was the daughter of Peter and Elidia Mazzola. Louise was raised in Quincy, MA and received her Associates Degree from Boston University. Later she attended the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School. Louise moved to Darien, CT with her former husband, John Gockley, in 1958 where they raised their four children. In 1976, Louise returned to the workforce as a secretary/administrative assistant at Brinks Home Security in Darien. Louise loved spending time with her...

Barbara Ann (Jerabek) Martin, 80, a resident of Pelican Bay in Naples, Florida passed on June 19 at Lee Memorial Hospital in Ft. Myers. She was the daughter of the late John Charles Jerabek and Elizabeth Bestercy.
Barbara grew up in Stamford, Connecticut where she attended Sacred Heart Academy. She then graduated Paeir School of Art in New Haven studying Interior Design. She was recognized by the school's President for her outstanding talent. After graduating she opened her own interior design business (Design Associates) in Darien. During the winter months Barbra visited her Aunt Esther and Uncle Henry in Naples where she met Peter J. Martin. They married in 1980. This was Barbara's first...

On Friday, August 6, 2021, Charlene Ann "Sea" Vanderslice passed away peacefully at the age of 75. Charlene was born on July 11, 1946 in Haverhill, MA to Alvin and Charlotte (Fuller) Dyes. She attended Pentuket High School, UMASS, the Academy Modern, and studied Hatha and Raja Yoga in Boston, Meditation in Tibet and Feng Shui in Hong Kong. She is a graduate of the Feng Shui Institute of America and a professional member of Feng Shui International. In 1971, she met and married Ozair Shareef in New Orleans, LA, with whom she sailed around the world twice, climbed the Himalayas, completed safaris in Africa, and studied the great religions of the world. She fine-tuned her expertise as an...