Obituaries
Max Gahwyler thumbnail obit 5-17-16

Dr. Max Gahwyler, Physician, Pharmaceutical Researcher, Pioneer in U.S. Horse Dressage Movement

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Dr. Max E. Gahwyler, or “Dr. Max” as he was affectionately known in the horse world, passed away this past Friday May 13 at his home in Darien. He was 92 years old, and a town resident for over half a century. Max was born in Switzerland on July 22, 1923, and spent his formative years mountain climbing and skiing in the town of Arosa, Switzerland. He studied internal medicine in Lausanne and Geneva, and met the love of his life, Doris Muller, in the early 1940’s. After the Second World War, the couple moved to the US.

Obituaries
Peter Tinnen-Strmiska no red eye obit 5-17-16

Funeral in Darien for 5-Year-Old Norwalk Boy Fatally Struck in Car Accident

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The funeral service for a 5-year-old Norwalk boy fatally struck by a car last week will take place Thursday at New Beginnings Community Church in Darien. Peter Tinnen-Strmiska was in the driveway of his home on Wood Acre Road in Norwalk at about 5 p.m., Thursday, May 12, when a relative pulled a vehicle into the driveway and struck the boy, according to numerous news reports. Police and an ambulance crew responded and rushed him to Norwalk Hospital, where he died. “I’m beside myself,” his mother, Kayla Tinnen, wrote that day in a post on the GoFundMe charitable donations website. “We lost him in a freak accident this afternoon.

Obituaries
Rodney Irizarry obit 5-16-16

Rodney Irizarry, 24, DHS Class of ’09, Loved Music, Giants and Mets Fan

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Rodney “RJ” Irizarry, Jr.,  24, of Darien passed away unexpectedly on May 11. He was born May 17, 1991 in Stamford, the son of Rodney Irizarry, Sr. and the late Kimberly Benedetto-Lamendola. He graduated from Darien High School in 2009. He was an avid sports fan, closely following the New York Giants and the Mets. RJ also pursued his love of music, teaching himself how to play the drums and the guitar.

Obituaries
Ann Bixler obit thumbnail 5-15-16

Ann Bixler, 99, Former Darien Resident, Featured on Billboard Ads in 1940s

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Ann Bixler, 99, a resident of East Rupert, Vt., passed away Tuesday, May 10 at home. She was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, Harold R. Bixler. Ann was born in Worcester, Mass., on Oct. 27, 1916, the daughter of the late Louis and Marguerite Thurston. Ann graduated from Classical High School in Worcester and attended Becker College, also in Worcester, where she was a member of Sigma Eta Phi Sorority.

Obituaries
Jacob Velasco-Navarro obituary 5-14-16

Jacob Velasco-Navarro, 16, Sports Fan & Player, Darien High School Student

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Jacob Ryan Velasco-Navarro of Darien passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer while surrounded by the love of his friends and family in Norwalk on Friday, May 13, 2016 at the age of 16. A big New England Patriots fan, Jacob loved sports and played lacrosse, football, and rugby while attending Darien High School. He loved traveling and seeing the world to experience new cultures and food, and especially loved sushi. He also enjoyed spending quality time and sharing a good laugh with loved ones. His family and friends think of him fondly as cool and laid back with the biggest heart, and remember him as the strongest of them all.

Obituaries
Joseph Costa obit 5-11-16

Joseph Costa, 62, Commodity Broker, Former Darien Resident

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Joseph Costa, a resident of Stamford and a former Darien resident for more than 30 years, passed away on Saturday, May 7 at Stamford Hospital. Born on Sept. 26, 1953 in New York City, he was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Frangione) Costa. He was 62. Joseph graduated the New York High School for Printing and was a longtime commodity broker on COMEX.

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Sheilah Cloud, Worked for UN, CBS, Conoco, Wee Burn Member, St Thomas More Parishioner

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Sheilah Tilbrooke Cloud of Darien died on May 2 at Stamford Hospital. Born in London, she was the daughter of Harold Ernest Tilbrooke and Margaret Chisholm Tilbrooke. She attended schools in England during World War II. After the death of her father, she and her mother emigrated to the United States. She graduated from Noroton Sacred Heart School in Darien and later attended business school in England.

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Mary Droney, 89, Active in St. Thomas More Church

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Mary (May) Droney, 89 years old, passed away recently. She is survived by her husband of the past 63 years, John “Jack” Droney. Born in Castlederg, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland to the late Hugh and Madge Gallagher McHugh, she has been a resident of Stamford or Darien for the past 70 years. Mary was active with the former Stephen’s Ministry Program at St. Thomas More Church and volunteered at the William and Sally Tandet Center for Continuing Care, a nursing home next to Stamford Hospital, for many years.

Obituaries
George Gordon 5-6-16

George ‘Sandy’ Gordon, 70, Attorney, Received Bronze Star in Vietnam War, Raised in Darien

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George Brady “Sandy”” Gordon died Thursday, April 28 at home. Sandy was born May 12, 1945, in Kansas City, Mo. He grew up in Darien, doing what he loved most, sailing the Atlantic waters in the family sailboat “Genie.” He received his bachelor’s degree from Saint Lawrence University in 1963 and his law degree in 1974 from The University of Alabama School of Law. He was a retired captain of the United States Army and a veteran of the Vietnam War, receiving the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” for Valor for his service.

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Muriel Cissie Wakeman obit 5-3-16

Muriel “Cissie” Wakeman, 97, Active Volunteer in DCA, Noroton Presbyterian Church

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Muriel (Cissie) Wakeman, 97, a longtime resident of Darien, died on April 29 at her home. Born May 2, 1918, she was the daughter of Frank C. and Martha Swindells Evitts. She grew up in Stratford and attended the University of Connecticut at Storrs and the University of Bridgeport before earning an AA degree from Edgewood Park College in New York. After college she worked as a journalist at The Fairfield News, where she met her husband, Norman Burr Wakeman. She later served as clerk of probate in Stratford.

Obituaries
Obituary Michael Taylor 5-3-16

Michael Taylor, 26, DHS Class of ’08, Standout in Tennis, Passionate Sportsman

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Michael Francis Taylor, 26, of Darien died unexpectedly on Saturday, April 30, 2016. Michael, known to friends and family as Mike, was the son of Annmarie (Squatrito) and Francis Taylor of Darien. He was raised in Darien and was a graduate of Darien High School in 2008 and Villanova University in 2012. In addition to his mother and father he is survived by his sister, Kathryn E. Taylor of Darien and many aunts, uncles and cousins living across the country. Michael was kind, witty, adventurous, sincere and generous and will be greatly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

Obituaries
Dottie Wheeler obit 5-3-16

Dottie Wheeler, 91, Sold Houses, Restored Historic Homes, Entertained on Stage & at Home

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Aurora Dorothy Wheeler, 91, of Mystic and formerly of Darien, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family on Wednesday, April 27. She is survived by her husband, Malcolm F. “Mac” Wheeler. An active businesswoman and well-known hostess in Darien and Newport, R.I., Dottie Wheeler (as she was known) lived most recently in Mystic at StoneRidge with Malcolm, her husband of 66 years. Dottie Wheeler was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the daughter of Andrew Anastopoulos and Yolande (Cardullo) Anastopoulos. In the 1930s, they moved Dottie (with her brothers, William and Vincent) to the family home on Pyrgos, Greece.

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Curtis Dwyer, Teacher, Father, Darien Resident

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Curtis Tredwell Dwyer of Darien and Lawrence, N.Y., a teacher and father, died on April 27, surrounded by his family. He was the son of the late John Charles McCarthy and Sheila Browne McCarthy of Lawrence, N.Y. A graduate of The Gunnery School, he received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and master’s degree from Manhattanville College. He is survived by his two children, Casey Dwyer of Philadelphia and Madeline Dwyer of Darien; his sister, Winifred Post, of San Francisco; and his brother, Robert McCarthy, of Safety Harbor, Fla. A small service for family and friends is planned for late May. In lieu of flowers, donations to Mercy Hospital, Rockville Center, N.Y. would be appreciated.

Obituaries
obit Alfred Lawton thumbnail 4-30-16

Alfred Lawton, 94, Former Woodway Country Club Member

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Alfred A. Lawton of Williamsburg Va., formerly of New Canaan, passed away April 28, 2016. He was born Jan. 20, 1922 in Hinsdale, Ill. to Dr. Thomas and Mrs. Lawton. He attended Davenport High School and the University of Iowa as an undergraduate, then law school, and was a member of the Iowa Bar.