Darienite (https://darienite.com/tag/darien-obituary-january-2022)
Curtis B. Watkins of Carmel, New York passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 31, 2022. He was 72. The son of Alma F. Watkins, Jr. and Virginia L. Thayer, Curtis was born in Stamford on April 21, 1949 and grew up in Darien. A graduate of Darien High School class of ’67, Curtis went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in history in 1970 from Emory University.
Jane Eyre Repp of Norwalk passed away on Jan. 30, 2022. She was 91. She was born on June 21, 1930 in New York to the late Henry Norman Eyre and Therese Quanz Eyre. She attended Rye Country Day School and Miss Porters School.
Roland Creaser, 83, passed away at home in Largo, Florida, on Jan. 28, 2022, surrounded by family. Roland was born Dec. 10, 1938 in Englewood, New Jersey. He then moved to Antwerp, Belgium, with his parents.
Helen Jeanette Hanson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away in Shelton on Jan. 20, 2022 at the amazing age of 99. Helen was born on July 29, 1922 to Harold and Dorothy Schubert in Madison, Wisconsin. Helen loved music. After playing the cello in her childhood, she focused on singing.
Stephen Phillip Smith, 78, of Darien passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022. He was born in Salt Lake City to Phillis A. and Wayne S. Smith on May 30, 1943. Raised in Colorado, Steve graduated in 1966 with a B.S. in business/marketing from the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He married Judith H. Shafer in 1965. Steve began his career in sales with Hallmark Cards Inc. in Hartford and then moved to Long Island to work for Reynolds Securities in New York City.
Frederick Myers Perkins Jr. passed away peacefully on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 at his home in Houston. He was 93 years of age. He was born on Oct. 7, 1928, in Tallahassee, Florida, spending his childhood years in Jacksonville, Florida.
John P. Gerbasi, 88, a resident of Trumbull and previously a longtime resident of Norwalk and Darien, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at home. Born in Stamford on April 15, 1933, he was the son of John M. Gerbasi and Carmella N. Gerbasi of Stamford. John was raised in Stamford, graduated from Stamford High School, and served for two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He raised his family in Darien with his wife Priscilla E. Gerbasi, and for many years owned and operated the Priscilla Furniture store at 355 Post Road in Darien. He served as a volunteer coach for his two sons’ Darien Little League baseball teams and followed their sports and school activities closely over the years
John enjoyed restoring and dealing in early American antiques, following the stock market and current business events, horse racing, and maintaining the many friendships he made throughout his years in the furniture business in Fairfield County.
Florence Julia Brown Swain died Jan. 15, 2022, at the EagleCrest senior home in Roseville, Minnesota, where she had lived for 10 years. She was 100. Florence was born Dec. 10, 1921, in Albion, New York to Walter Leroy Brown and Theta Hakes Brown, and grew up nearby on her parents’ farm.
Connie Marie Hirt, the beloved wife to the late Fred J. Hirt, a resident of Darien and a former resident of Manhattan, passed away on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022, at Calvary Hospital, Bronx, New York. She was 92. Born on Jan. 17, 1929, in New York City, she was the daughter of the late Diego and Domenica (DiPasquale) Lupo.
Barbara Vale Andrews, 62, of St. Petersburg, Florida, passed away peacefully on Jan. 24, 2022, surrounded by her family. Barbara was born Feb. 21, 1959, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Shirley Massick Vale and Stanley L. Vale.
Jean Tyler, a life-long resident of Darien, passed away on Friday, Jan. 21 at Danbury Hospital with her family by her side. She was 89. Jean was born on March 6, 1932 in Darien and was the daughter of the late Samuel and Mildred Arcano. Jean graduated from Darien High School, class of 1950.
Eric P. Richards of New Canaan passed away peacefully at home and surrounded by his loving family on Jan. 14, 2002. He was 77. Born on Aug. 28, 1944 in San Francisco to Roland Richards and Beatrice “Betty” Richards both of Darien, Eric was raised in Darien on the family’s waterfront property on Five Mile River Road.
Lt. Col. Richard (Dick) H. Smith, USAF Ret., and his wife, Emma Jeanne Street Smith (Emmy), both from Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Florida, have each passed on from life on Earth to the next chapter in their lives together. Dick passed away on Nov. 24, 2021 at age 89, almost a year after Emmy’s passing on Nov. 27, 2020.
Nancy Lee Maher, a resident of The Linden assisted living community in Woodbridge, passed away at Yale New Haven Hospital on Jan. 23, 2022. She was 90. Nancy was born on Feb. 14, 1931, the first of four children to the late Albert and Mabel Lee of Darien, where she resided for most of her life.
Mark Christopher Lombardo of Darien passed away peacefully on Jan. 22, 2022 at Norwalk Hospital after his short battle with cancer. He was 58. Mark was born in Stamford to Carmen and Judith Lombardo on Nov. 13, 1963.