Darien Obituary May 2018

William Shepard, Jr, 71, International Banking Executive, Active Volunteer

Ann Smith, 76, Worked at the New Yorker and for Area Newspapers

Clayton Hasser, 77, Journalist, Former Darien Resident

William Taubl, 52, Tank Commander in U.S. Marine Corps, Former Darien Resident

Asa Bisset, 73, Avid Skier, Hiker, Sailor, World Traveler

Patrick Zinna, Worked for Publications, Music Lover, World Traveler

Richard Schulten, 70, Anesthesiologist, DHS Graduate Who Married His High School Sweetheart

Richard Brau, 83, Former Darien Resident, DHS Basketball Standout

Peter Verbeck, 79, Award-Winning Ad Creator, Former Longtime Darien Resident

Paul Kreuch, 80, Bank CEO, Darien Youth Commission Member

Douglas Merkle, 83, DHS Class of ’52, Air Force Vet, Taught at Air Force Academy, Active Volunteer

Patricia Guckian, 81, Member of Darien YMCA, Red Cross Volunteer

Davis Margold, 78, Avid Boater and Skier, New York Stock Exchange Member

Lawrence Story, 81, Realtor, Longtime Darien Resident, Avid Sailor

Jack Tarantino, 94, Longtime Barber in Darien, Former Resident, WWII Veteran

Summer Picnic Series | End of Summer Family-Friendly Celebration at Grace Farms

Events Calendar

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | June 5, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | June 3, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | June 3, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | June 1, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 31, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 31, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | May 31, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | May 30, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | May 30, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 29, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 26, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 26, 2018

Obituaries

By DARIENITE.COM | May 25, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 24, 2018

Obituaries

By David Gurliacci | May 24, 2018

Name: Summer Picnic Series | End of Summer Family-Friendly Celebration at Grace Farms
Start: 2022-08-19T17:30:00-04:00
End: 2022-08-19T19:30:00-04:00
Location: Grace Farms

William “Bill” Brown Shepard, Jr., 71, of Darien and Naples, FL passed away suddenly on Tuesday, May 29 surrounded by his loved ones after complications from immunotherapy treatment for recently diagnosed metastatic melanoma. Bill was born in Summit, NJ to William and Mary Shepard. He graduated from The Pingry School and Wesleyan University, where he had a long high school and college swimming career. He passed on a deep love of competitive and recreational swimming to his children and grandchildren, and any Shepard family vacation always included being on the water. It was during college where he met his loving wife of 49 years, Midge, who came back the night they met and said to her friends “this is the first man I could consider marrying.”

After college they were married before Bill served a year in Vietnam as an officer stationed at a riverboat base.

Ann D. Valkenburgh Smith, known to her friends as Andie, died May 26, 2018. She was 76. Born in Boston, she was the daughter of Alice Schultz Valkenburgh and Roger Ransom Valkenburgh. After graduating from Phillips Academy Andover (1960) and Vassar College (1964), she became an editorial assistant at the New Yorker for staff writer Ved Mehta. She later moved to Darien and subsequently Greenwich, where she worked in various positions at The Wilton Bulletin, The Redding Pilot, and Community Answers, the Greenwich referral service where she served as the director of information.

Clayton Raker Hasser slipped peacefully from this world on May 31, surrounded by family. Born Jan. 28, 1941, the daughter of William and Betty Raker, Clayton grew up in Holden, MO and attended Christian College as well as the University of Missouri in Columbia where she received a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She raised her family in Darien, attending the First Congregational Church. Clayton blazed a trail for women returning to the workforce in the 80s, beginning as a freelance writer and quickly rising to become editor of Patient Care magazine in Darien and later publisher and vice president of publications for the American Academy of Family Physicians in Kansas City.

Gunnery Sgt. William Scott “Gunny” Taubl, USMC (Ret.) of Columbia, SC, died Tuesday, May 29, 2018 after a short battle with colon cancer. He was 52. Scott was married to the love of his life, Catherine Wilson Taubl, for 32 short years. Together they raised three sons.

Asa B. Bisset of Darien passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, May 28, surrounded by loved ones after a courageous battle with ALS. She was 73. She was born in Sweden to Axel and Signe Björkdahl. Asa was raised with her sisters Sylvia, Barbro and Annika. After graduating from the Stockholm’s School of Economics, she moved to New York, where she met her loving husband of 42 years, Alfred G. Bisset.

Patrick A. Zinna of Darien passed away on May 25 at his home. He was the son of Joseph A. Zinna and Dorita G. Zinna. Patrick grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and later attended boarding school at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies from American University in Washington, DC and pursued a career in the publishing industry. He lived and worked in Houston for many years at Upstream, Global Oil and Gas News Source.

Richard (Ric) James Schulten, beloved husband of Jane Hamlin Schulten and long-time Guilford resident, passed away at home on May 24, 2018. He was 70. He was born on Oct. 25, 1947 in Easton, PA, and is survived by sons Christopher Schulten of Middlefield, Connecticut, and Mark Schulten of London, England; and daughters Amy Schulten Batchelor of Brooklyn, New York, and Sarah Schulten Slater of Guilford, Connecticut. A graduate of Darien High School, Ric married his high school sweetheart Jane Hamlin on Aug.

Richard (Dick) Charles Brau, died peacefully Monday, April 30 at Lower Cape Fear Hospice in Wilmington, NC after an extended illness. He was born on May 15, 1934, in Bridgeport to the late Henry and Anna Hubert Brau. Richard graduated from Darien High School and Duke University in 1956. He played All-State basketball and continued to play golf upon retirement to Hampstead, NC, in 1995. After serving in the United States Army, Richard was in national newspaper advertising, including the N.F.L., for his professional life. He was an active Lutheran church choir member for many years. Survivors include his wife, Anne Holden Brau; his sister-in-law, Carolyn Brau; a niece, The Rev. Karen Brau; and a nephew, David Brau and their children.

Pieter Lighthall Verbeck, 79, of Chestertown, MD and formerly of Darien, passed away peacefully on May 21 at home. He is survived by Linda, his wife of 55 years.

Pieter was born on Aug. 28, 1938 in Syracuse, NY to Karl and Mary Lighthall Verbeck. He spent his childhood in Syracuse and went on to attend Syracuse University, graduating in 1961. He moved to New York, where he began a 40 year career in advertising. After a short stint at McCann Erickson, he moved to Young and Rubicam, where he learned how to be a copywriter.

Paul C. Kreuch Jr. passed away on Thursday, April 12. He was 80. Paul lived an incredible life, was loved by many and was a resident of Leesburg, VA at the time of his passing. He lived in Darien for over 35 years and was a well-known fixture at Uncle’s Deli and Colony Pizza, often arriving with his loyal dog by his side. Paul was the definition of a “people person” and he made a true connection with everyone he met.

Douglas Hall Merkle of Callaway, FL passed away peacefully from complications of pneumonia on Monday, May 20, 2018, at Select Specialty Hospital in Panama City, FL. He was 83. A beloved member of the community, he personified the values of integrity, service, and excellence long before they were officially adopted as the core values of the United States Air Force (USAF), and continued to do so throughout his life. Born July 31, 1934, in Detroit, he was one of two children of mathematicians John and Grace Merkle. When John took a position as an actuary in New York City, the family moved to Darien, where Doug and his identical twin brother were raised.

Patricia Ryan Guckian, of Norwalk, wife of the late William J. Guckian, left this world on May 23, at home. She was 81. Born to Frank and Catherine Ryan at Greenwich Hospital on May 31, 1935. A graduate of Greenwich High School, Class of 1953, she graduated from Greenwich Hospital School of Nursing in 1956. Pat was a member of St.

Davis “Buck” Margold, a resident of Rowayton, formerly of Darien and Stratton, VT died on May 7, 2018. He was 78. Mr. Margold spent most of his business career on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange as a member. He bought his seat in 1967 and joined the firm of Carlisle-Jacqueline, later working for Wertheim & Company and the specialist firm of MJ Meehan. He was on the board of the NYSE Luncheon Club, later serving as its president.

Lawrence Paul Story of Darien passed away on Tuesday, May 15. He had recently turned 81 years old.

Lawrence, known as Larry, was born on April 19, 1937 in Queens, NY to Henry and Mary Story. He attended Drew University before serving as a lieutenant in the Navy from 1959-1964 in the Pacific on USS Arnold J. Isbell. Larry and Lucille married in June 1964 and moved to Darien in 1966. Their most favorite times were sailing on Anjinsan II, their Tartan 3500, on Long Island Sound up to Edgartown or bareboating in the British Virgin Islands.

Jack Tarantino, 94, a resident of Norwalk and formerly of Darien, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 22, at home with his loving family. He was born on Aug. 25, 1923 in New York City to the late Giacoma and Henrietta Tarantino. He later moved to Stamford. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a medic with the 368th Engineer Regiment from 1943 to 1945.

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