Darienite (https://darienite.com/tag/darien-obituary-august-2022)
Elizabeth Sherwood Frank of Houston passed away on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. She was 27. Liz is the adored daughter of Jane and Stephen Frank and loving sister to William and Caroline. Liz was in her fourth year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.
Anthony Correnty of Darien passed away peacefully on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Stamford Hospital with his loved ones by his side. He was 94. Tony was born in Stamford on Sept. 7, 1928, to father Amedeo Correnty and mother Frances Lopiano.
On Sept. 8, 2022, Russell “Russ” Harding, former astronomer, astronomy educator, teacher trainer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, dedicated volunteer, avid skier, patron of the arts, world traveler, and beloved friend to many, died at Glen Hill Center in Danbury after a prolonged illness. He was 90. Often referring to himself as a misguided missile, Russ had a whimsical approach to life which brought much joy to those around him. Children especially loved his unusual taste in gifts for all occasions which were always fun and never practical.
Margaret Skelly, a resident of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, for 20 years and a 45-year resident of Darien, passed away on Sept. 12. She was 95. Margaret Doyle Kansas Skelly, the daughter of Lyndon Doyle and Jack Kansas, was born on Nov. 6, 1926 in Banes, Cuba.
A happy outlook, a loving wife, a good night’s sleep and a little Scotch. Those were the key ingredients to a long life according to Fred I. Smith who passed-away peacefully at the home he shared with his wife Marny in Easthampton, Massachusetts, on Aug. 22. Fred Inman Smith III was 98 years old and had lived an amazingly full and happy life. He was a resident of Darien and Norwalk for over 50 years, where he was an active member of the Darien Senior Men’s Club and the Silvermine Golf Club, a volunteer at Person to Person and SCORE, and a cherished member of every community he lived in from Tokeneke to Rowayton.
Howard Paul Smith passed away in Portland, Maine on Aug. 24, 2022. Born on March 25, 1933, he was the son of Howard Bull and Dorothy Paul Smith. Howard was brought up in Darien and attended the public schools there, including Royal School and Darien High School. He was known as “Howie” by his classmates.
Harry Van Benschoten of New Canaan and Naples, Florida died peacefully at his home on Aug. 31, 2022 at the age of 94 1/2. Harry was born in New York City on Feb. 18, 1928. He attended Dartmouth College and enlisted in the U.S. Army in September, 1946 through January, 1948 and served during the occupation of Japan after World War II.
Robert (Bob) Courtney McGee passed away on Aug. 22, 2022 at the age of 86. He was a Darien resident for 30 years and lived in Norwalk for the past 19 years. He was predeceased by his loving wife of 59 years, Carol Dawn McGee. Robert, the son of Percy and Carrie McGee, was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia.
Edmund W. Chang of West Newton, Massachusetts age 64, passed away after a more than two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64. Ed was born to Chinese immigrants Nelson Chang (1923-2020) and Edith Chang (Hsi), and grew up in Scarsdale, New York, and Darien. In 1980, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in urban studies and architecture from Northwestern University. After graduating, Ed worked as a designer for Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates before attending Harvard’s Graduate School of Design.
Jane G. Dolcetti, a 65-year resident of Darien, passed away at her daughter’s home in Norwalk on Aug. 22. She was 91. She was born in New Haven on March 13, 1931, to William Stack Greaney and Helen Dorothy Dunn. Jane grew up in Stamford and went on to graduate from Danbury State Teachers College.
100 years, 7 months. Alice B. Canavan passed away Thursday, July 21, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. She squeezed every last drop of life from the mortal one granted to her by God. She was a resident at The Willows At Springhurst nursing home. Formerly a resident of Darien for almost 60 years, she was previously a 20-plus year resident of Bellevue, Pennsylvania.
Velma Saire, 89, of Sewickley, Pennsylvania passed away in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 18. A native of Glassport, she was born to Virginia (Altman) and Albert Backstrom. Despite a childhood filled with obstacles, she was valedictorian of Glassport Junior/Senior High School in 1951 and attended the University of Pittsburgh, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education, Master of Education degree in school administration and doctorate in administration. In her 50-plus years as an educator, she shaped thousands of lives as a teacher, administrator, and college instructor in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, California, New Hampshire and Connecticut. While she referred to her experience as one of the developers of the Model School in McKeesport as the “Camelot of her career,” she was also honored to have had both high schools she led designated as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. She received countless awards in educational leadership including the Distinguished Woman in Education from the University of Pittsburgh, a Congressional Award for a distinguished career in education in 2000, and membership in the prestigious 100-member Headmasters Association during her tenure at Darien High School. After announcing “retirement” in 2000 from her position as assistant superintendent of Quaker Valley Schools, she continued to teach as an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University.
Gordon Joy Dean, 89, of Buckland, Massachusetts, died Aug. 17, 2022, his beloved partner Hedley Yost at his side. Gordon was born in Fall River, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Arthur Dean and Gladys Joy Dean. He developed an early interest in music that led to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sacred music from Boston University. He then completed a Master’s of Divinity at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge.
James Morgan Abbots died on July 17, 2022 at 1:42 p.m., due to complications from Type 2 Diabetes and other complications. He was 74. Jim was born in Danville, VA on August 13, 1947. Jim graduated from Darien High School in 1965 and was a multilingual graduate in 1969 of the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He could speak French, Vietnamese, German, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese and also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Malcolm J. “Mac” Burt, 93, of Norwalk and formerly of DArien, Noank and Ponce Inlet, Florida, died July 21, 2022, at his home surrounded by loved ones. He was born on June 11, 1929, in Katonah, New York, to the late Winifred and Malcolm S. Burt. As a young adult he was elected class president at John Jay High School, where he was active in the drama department. Malcolm, also known to friends and family as “Buddy” was a volunteer firefighter with the Katonah Fire Department. After graduating from Bowling Green University, Mac spent his career as marketing director at Duffy Mott and Cadbury Schweppes in Manhattan and Stamford.