Darienite (https://darienite.com/tag/darien-obituary-november-2022)
William Jerome Bellis (Bill), of Darien, CT, passed away peacefully on Jan. 12, 2023, at the age of 92 surrounded by his family. He bravely fought lung cancer for over a year. Bill was born on May 12, 1930, in New York City to the late William Bellis and Anne Gallagher Bellis. His parents were immigrants from Liverpool, England and Donegal, Ireland respectively.
David Macowan Sinclair passed away Dec. 15, 2022 at his home in Darien. He was 94. Dave was born in Philadelphia in 1928. He grew up in Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he attended the Germantown Friends School.
William “Bill” Robert Zarrilli, a lifelong resident of Darien, passed away peacefully, while surrounded by the warmth of family on Dec. 8, 2022, after a fierce battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 72. He was born on Oct. 14, 1950, to Francis and Madeline Conti Zarrilli.
Margaret T. Dwyer, 84, passed away on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. Born April 2, 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Genevieve Exner. She was married to the late Joseph A. Dwyer. A long-time resident of Wilton, Marge spent many years working in the Darien Town Hall, in the office of the first selectman. Among many of her interests, she took the most joy in cooking for family and friends.
Katherine Margaret Simpson, 22, died on Nov. 15, in Chicago. She was born in San Francisco on Feb. 9, 2000. It soon became apparent that the name “Katherine” did not fit the girl, so she was always called Kate or Katy or Kiki.
Patricia Caughey Coker, wife of William Thomas Coker, died peacefully at home on Hilton Head Island at the age of 80 years old. Pat was born Oct. 8, 1942, in Washington, D.C. She is predeceased by her parents, Major General and Mrs. John Hart Caughey, and her son, Brendt DeWitt Coker. She grew up in various cities in the world due to her father’s rising military career. She graduated from Washington and Lee High school in Arlington, Virginia, and graduated from Florida Southern University in Lakeland, Florida. While in college, the always venturesome Pat twice jumped out of an airplane while her dad was going through jump training as part of the leadership at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
E. Cotton Rawls, Jr. of Darien passed away peacefully at Stamford Hospital on Saturday, Nov. 12 after a heart attack. He was 80. Cotton was born on June 1, 1942 at Stamford Hospital to Dr. Cotton Rawls and Jean Beardsley Gledhill Rawls.
Robert Lucas Fischer, 80, of McLean, Virginia and Nantucket passed away from complications of Parkinson’s disease on Sept. 26, 2022. The oldest of three sons, Lucas was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on Aug. 8, 1942 to Hans and Mary Kay (Brinkman) Fischer and subsequently raised in Darien. He attended MIT earning B.S. degrees in political science and government as well as aeronautics and astronautics.
Edward G. “Ted” Ballard, Jr. of Needham, Massachusetts passed away suddenly at Massachusetts General Hospital on Oct. 30, 2022, surrounded by his loving family and leaving to mourn many other dear family and friends. He was affectionately known as “Ted,” “Teddy,” or “Bones” and is survived by his wife, Kathie, three sons, Will, Michael, and Phillip, and sisters, Lynn and Holly. Ted was born in Nashville in 1945. He spent his childhood in Oil City, Pennsylvania, Larchmont, New York, and teenage years in Old Greenwich.
Robert Stephen Shankman, 77, passed away peacefully on Oct. 31, 2022. Born in Norwalk on April 3, 1945, he was the son of the late Louis and Florence Vogel Shankman. He graduated from Cherry Lawn School in Darien. Bob (as he liked to go by) served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967.
W.P. “Peter” O’Neill died on Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Philippines of a brain tumor. He was 97. Peter was born on Dec. 20, 1924, to Connecticut parents Gladys Elizabeth and John Daly O’Neill, both born in Stamford and long time residents of Darien.
Edward Marc Axelrod, 74, of Darien passed away peacefully on Oc. 31. He was born July 10, 1948 in Brooklyn, NY. Ed graduated from Brunswick High School in Greenwich, CT and received his B.S. from Syracuse University with a major in accounting. He began his career at Price Waterhouse and received his CPA license in 1973.
Irene Crowe Swanson, 93, formerly of New Canaan, passed away Sept. 20. She was the wife of the late Edward S. Swanson. Irene was born in New Haven, the daughter of the late Fred and Susanna Bredin Crowe. She attended West Haven High School and the Hartford Hospital School of Nursing, where she obtained her registered nursing license.