Darien Obituary March 2017

Obituaries

Heiden Beckwith, 88, Former Darien Resident Active in St Luke’s Church, Girl Scouts

By David Gurliacci | March 20, 2017

Heiden Beckwith died peacefully on March 17, surrounded by her son, three daughters, and spouses, most of her nine grandchildren, and her three-week-old great-grandson. She was 88 years old and had lived in Woodcrest Village in New London, N.H. for four years, where the residents and staff became her beloved second family. Heidi, as she was known, was born in Milwaukee to German immigrant parents. She attended the University of Wisconsin ’50, majored in Journalism and met her husband, Andy ‘49. They married in 1950 and initially settled in Milwaukee, and had their first two children, Mark and Andrea.

Obituaries

Daniel Doolittle, 81, Former DHS Hockey Coach, Brother of Darien Town Clerk

By David Gurliacci | March 19, 2017

Daniel M. Doolittle, 81, of Kennebunk, Maine, originally of Darien, died on Monday, March 6 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice in Scarborough, Maine. He was the brother of Darien Town Clerk Donna E. Rajczewski of Darien. Dan was born on May 20, 1935 to Dwight N. and Dorothy M. (Smith) Doolittle in Stamford. He attended Darien High School until 1953 and graduated from Williston Academy, Northampton, Mass., in 1955. Dan attended St.

Obituaries

William Jostrand, 47, Web Developer, Former Woodway Country Club Employee

By David Gurliacci | March 17, 2017

William Henry “Bill” Jostrand passed away suddenly on Thursday, March 9 at his home in Burlington, Vt. He was 47 years old. Born July 28, 1969 and raised in Riverside, he was a graduate of The Gunnery in Washington, Conn. and received his bachelor of arts from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.

Upon graduating from college, Bill spent a number of years working in the hospitality industry in Breckenridge, Colo.

Obituaries

Linda Weiss, 69, Worked at Airways International in Darien

By David Gurliacci | March 16, 2017

Linda Weiss, of Norwalk, passed away Monday March 13. She was 69. Linda was born March 20, 1947 in Greenwich to George and Josephine Weiss. Linda worked for many years for Airways International in Darien. She attended the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, in Stamford, to which she was very devoted and active in the community.

Obituaries

Mary Mulier, 84, Former Darien Resident

By David Gurliacci | March 16, 2017

This obituary is written in the first person, apparently by the deceased, Mary Caroline (Mohr) Mulier, herself:

I was born April,1932 in Detroit, and my parents were Harold and Florence Mohr. Growing up in Grosse Pointe in a special neighborhood and excellent schools was very important foundation for the future. I was fortunate to develop friends that lasted a lifetime, which ended peacefully at home March 14. After Grosse Pointe High School, I was able to attend Michigan State University graduating with a major in home economics and being a member of Alpha Phi. I then started in a career of retail sales and management that took me to Carson Pairie Scott in Chicago, Hudson’s and Saks Fifth Avenue in Detroit.

Obituaries

Diane Knisel, 83, Raised Family in Darien, Active Volunteer, Avid Golfer at Wee Burn

By David Gurliacci | March 15, 2017

Diane Knisel passed away peacefully on Monday, March 6, 2017, surrounded by her family. She was born in Clifton, N.J. on April, 10, 1933 to Ralph and Marie Taylor. She graduated from Butler High School in 1951, Sherwood Secretarial School in 1952, and later attended the Barbizon School of Modeling. Diane married Russell H. Knisel in 1955. Diane and Russ lived most of their lives in Darien, where they raised their four children.

Obituaries

Lisa Wahlquist, 95, Nurse in Russo-Finnish War

By David Gurliacci | March 14, 2017

Lisa Wahlquist, 95, passed away Thursday, March 9 at Norwalk Hospital after a brief illness. Born Lisa Marie Ronnberg in Lahti, Finland in 1921, she served as a nurse in the Russo-Finnish War before emigrating to Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1952 with her husband John Wahlquist and their young son. The family moved to Stamford in 1956 and later settled in Darien, where Lisa raised four children. She served as a domestic worker for much of her life and cared for family, friends, neighbors and family pets. She was an active member of the Vasa Lodge in Stamford until moving to Cassera Care in Norwalk in 1999.

Obituaries

Michael Louis Newton, 53, DHS Class of ’81, Restaurateur, New Haven Alderman

By David Gurliacci | March 14, 2017

Michael Louis Newton, 53, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., passed away on March 2, peacefully at his home after fighting a series of illnesses. Michael was born Sept. 19, 1963 in Norwalk. Son to David A. Newton of Middletown, Del.