Darienite (https://darienite.com/tag/darien-obituary/page/30)
Rita L. Viteretto Ritch, a lifelong Darien resident, passed away on March 25 at the Stamford Hospital at the age of 70. Rita was born on June 11, 1946 in Greenwich. She is the daughter of the late James “Bull” Viteretto and Rose Marie DePiro. Rita worked as a hairdresser for CCB Haircutters. She is survived by her son David Ritch and daughter Kelli Ritch.
Joyce Brunnemeyer Palmer of Wallingford passed away peacefully on March 21 at the age of 86. Joyce was born on July 4, 1930 in Aurora, Ill., the daughter of John Emil and Pauline Brunnemeyer. A dancer, artist and performer from a young age, Joyce was a graduate of West Aurora High School and the University of Illinois, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. While at the university, Joyce was a member of the Marshall Fields Fashion Board. Joyce was a Daughter of the American Revolution.
Jane Spokesfield Ayer Hamilton, daughter of the late William and Audrey Spokesfield died peacefully on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at the age of 79 after a valiant battle with cancer. Jane was born October 7, 1937, in Fall River, Mass. She was raised in Darien and left Darien to attend Colby College. She later returned to town after marrying David Ayer to raise their three daughters. She was very active in the Darien community, serving as a deacon at the Noroton Presbyterian Church for many years.
Carol Ruth Lombard Lutz, a resident of Greenwich for more than five decades, died Monday, March 6 at her home in Mystic at age 86. All of us are unique, but some are unique in a unique way. Carol was extremely intelligent, skipping grades and graduating from St. John’s University by age 19 in 1950. Trained by Jesuits in philosophy (and chemistry), she continued to read, question and discuss theology and politics until almost the end.
Heiden Beckwith died peacefully on March 17, surrounded by her son, three daughters, and spouses, most of her nine grandchildren, and her three-week-old great-grandson. She was 88 years old and had lived in Woodcrest Village in New London, N.H. for four years, where the residents and staff became her beloved second family. Heidi, as she was known, was born in Milwaukee to German immigrant parents. She attended the University of Wisconsin ’50, majored in Journalism and met her husband, Andy ‘49. They married in 1950 and initially settled in Milwaukee, and had their first two children, Mark and Andrea.
Daniel M. Doolittle, 81, of Kennebunk, Maine, originally of Darien, died on Monday, March 6 at Gosnell Memorial Hospice in Scarborough, Maine. He was the brother of Darien Town Clerk Donna E. Rajczewski of Darien. Dan was born on May 20, 1935 to Dwight N. and Dorothy M. (Smith) Doolittle in Stamford. He attended Darien High School until 1953 and graduated from Williston Academy, Northampton, Mass., in 1955. Dan attended St.
William Henry “Bill” Jostrand passed away suddenly on Thursday, March 9 at his home in Burlington, Vt. He was 47 years old. Born July 28, 1969 and raised in Riverside, he was a graduate of The Gunnery in Washington, Conn. and received his bachelor of arts from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y.
Upon graduating from college, Bill spent a number of years working in the hospitality industry in Breckenridge, Colo.
Linda Weiss, of Norwalk, passed away Monday March 13. She was 69. Linda was born March 20, 1947 in Greenwich to George and Josephine Weiss. Linda worked for many years for Airways International in Darien. She attended the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, in Stamford, to which she was very devoted and active in the community.
This obituary is written in the first person, apparently by the deceased, Mary Caroline (Mohr) Mulier, herself:
I was born April,1932 in Detroit, and my parents were Harold and Florence Mohr. Growing up in Grosse Pointe in a special neighborhood and excellent schools was very important foundation for the future. I was fortunate to develop friends that lasted a lifetime, which ended peacefully at home March 14. After Grosse Pointe High School, I was able to attend Michigan State University graduating with a major in home economics and being a member of Alpha Phi. I then started in a career of retail sales and management that took me to Carson Pairie Scott in Chicago, Hudson’s and Saks Fifth Avenue in Detroit.
Diane Knisel passed away peacefully on Monday, March 6, 2017, surrounded by her family. She was born in Clifton, N.J. on April, 10, 1933 to Ralph and Marie Taylor. She graduated from Butler High School in 1951, Sherwood Secretarial School in 1952, and later attended the Barbizon School of Modeling. Diane married Russell H. Knisel in 1955. Diane and Russ lived most of their lives in Darien, where they raised their four children.
Lisa Wahlquist, 95, passed away Thursday, March 9 at Norwalk Hospital after a brief illness. Born Lisa Marie Ronnberg in Lahti, Finland in 1921, she served as a nurse in the Russo-Finnish War before emigrating to Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1952 with her husband John Wahlquist and their young son. The family moved to Stamford in 1956 and later settled in Darien, where Lisa raised four children. She served as a domestic worker for much of her life and cared for family, friends, neighbors and family pets. She was an active member of the Vasa Lodge in Stamford until moving to Cassera Care in Norwalk in 1999.
Michael Louis Newton, 53, of Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., passed away on March 2, peacefully at his home after fighting a series of illnesses. Michael was born Sept. 19, 1963 in Norwalk. Son to David A. Newton of Middletown, Del.
Neal Michael Lombardo passed away at The Brian Center in Durham, North Carolina on Feb. 21 after battling cancer for three years. Neal, the son of Nicholas and Mildred Lombardo, was born on Sept. 9, 1942 at Boulevard Hospital in Queens, N.Y. and lived in Mebane, N.C., close to his daughters and grandchildren. Neal graduated from Darien High School in 1960 and went on to Allegheny College where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Claudine Tetradis Anderen, 67, died on Feb. 22 surrounded by her family. She is survived by her husband, Bengt, her daughter, Thalia, and her sister, Georgia. Claudine was born on Oct. 4, 1949 in Greenwich.
Robert Warren (“Bob”, “Robo”) Hammond passed away peacefully with family members at his side, on Feb. 23, at the age of 96. Bob was born in Bridgeport in August of 1920 to Wilbur and Marguerite Hammond. He grew up in Fairfield with his two younger sisters, Shirley and Beverly, and graduated from Bassick High School in 1937. The stock market crash of 1929 left the family in dire financial straits, providing the foundation for Bob’s incredible work ethic.