Category: In Memoriam (Page 9 of 10)

Robert J. Kammerer – business leader, mentor, friend, husband, father, avid golfer and grandfather-died at the age of 78 on Friday evening, January 22nd at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan, CT.

Bob was born on March 29th, 1937 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the fifth of five children of Roy and Sarah Kammerer. He attended local schools and DeLaSalle High School. He excelled in many sports and was an all-state player in basketball, baseball and football. He played basketball at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and graduated from St Cloud University.
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Harry Irving Emmons, Jr. a long time resident of Darien, CT died January 15, 2016 at age 89.

Harry grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and was the son of the late Harry and Grace Emmons. Harry graduated from Holderness School, Plymouth, New Hampshire and attended Bowdoin College before serving at the Merchant Marine Academy in Castine, Maine and in the U.S. Army.
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Ronald Peter Freres passed away on Sunday, November 29, 2015, at Stamford Hospital surrounded by family. He was 72 years old.

Born on February 7, 1943, Ron was the son of the late Henrietta Jahnke and Peter Freres. He graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Illinois and worked as a CPA at a number of firms, becoming a partner at Ernst & Young in 1977. He retired as a partner from PricewaterhouseCoopers and opened his own consulting business. Throughout his career he was very involved in the International Insurance Society.
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Ted Tharp, a long-time resident of Darien, passed away on Saturday, November 21, 2015. He was born on May 27, 1926 in Boston, MA. He was the son of long-time Darien residents the late Carey E. Tharp and Louise Hall Tharp, a NY Times best-selling author who wrote Tory Hole, a historical novel set in the Tokeneke section of Darien.
Ted was a graduate of Darien High and served in World War II in the U.S. Navy. He earned his BA from Brown University and his MBA from Harvard University. He had a long career researching and writing about companies as an Analyst on Wall Street. He loved to play tennis at Noroton Manor and golf at Silvermine Golf Club. He was active in the Darien RTM, the Senior Men’s Association, St. Thomas More Bible Study and RCIA.
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Jim Cloud

James H. Cloud, a resident of Darien, passed away on Sunday, August 30, 2015 in Darien. Born on May 25, 1931 in New Jersey, he was the son of the late John Keble and Dorothy Brown Cloud. He spent his early years in Cranford and Westfield before moving to Darien, CT when he was 12. He graduated from Woodberry Forest School in Orange, VA and from Yale University in 1952.

Upon graduating from Yale, he was commissioned a Lieutenant of Artillery and served with the 278th Regiment Combat Team at Camp Drum, NY and then in Korea. He continued in the U.S. Army Reserves and eventually retired with the rank of Major.
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William “Bill” K. Flanagan Jr. was born and raised in South Orange, N.J. in 1926. He graduated from Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J., in 1944. Prior to graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and was assigned to the 144th Naval Construction Battalion Advance Base Construction Depot in Guam. He attended Navy officer training at the Univ. of Mississippi and was honorably discharged in June 1945.

In 1949, Bill received a B.A degree in history from Brown University, and in 1952, a J.D, degree in law from Rutgers Law School. He was a member of the bar in New Jersey and New York. He started his legal career as a litigator in his father’s firm in Newark, N.J., where he completed many jury trials. He then went to ITT Corporation where he worked for 30 years as an international corporate transaction attorney. He retired from ITT in 1987 as a senior legal officer of the company. For several years thereafter, Bill was an attorney for Walsh Construction Company, in Trumbull, CT.
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Eric N. Ferguson of Darien and Nantucket, MA passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 4th surrounded by his loving family. He was 93.

Eric was born March 26, 1922 to George and Helen Ferguson in Motherwell, Scotland. The family emigrated to the United States in 1926 and settled in West Orange, NJ. He was a graduate of the West Orange High School, class of 1941. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy in Pensacola, FL. After the war, he attended Rutgers University.
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Robert Dale “Bob” Ready passed away at home at age 82 from complications of cancer on June 3, 2015. He is survived by his wife and best friend of 32 years, Jane Wolcott Ready; his children David Reedy (Culver, IN), Lauren Crittendon (Marlborough, MA), Rebecca Fanton (Amherst, MA); and five grandchildren, Rachel, Kyle, Claire, Evelyn, and Henry; a sister, Marjorie Dillabaugh, and a brother, Wayne (Pug) Ready (both of Indiana). A daughter, Eliza Oliver, predeceased him as did his parents, Eldon and Frances Snyder Ready, and two brothers, William and Richard.

Born in Otterbein, Indiana, on March 19, 1933, he was the 4th of five children. Bob enlisted in the Army in 1954 and served in northern Japan at the end of the Korean War.
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Harry Berkowitz brought graciousness wherever he went. Those around him found themselves engaged with someone inquisitive and insightful, with genuine interest in their life. His passion for life and consideration for others was remarkable. Harry, 81, died Saturday, March 15, 2014 while recovering from surgery in New York City.

His career as a retail executive at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sakowitz, and the Zale Corporation spanned 30 years and moved he and his family throughout the southeast United States before returning east to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1986. He served as President of the Yale Co-op for seven years until he retired in 1998. After he retired, he continued to consult, sharing his experience with retailers in need for several years.
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Member Louis J. Pernicka passed away on August 31, 2013, aged 89.

Lou was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a proud veteran of the United States Army Air Force, and served in WW II as a member of the 57th Fighter Group, 66th Fighter Squadron.

Later, Lou was instrumental in the design and set-up of the P47 Exhibit at the New England Air Museum, where he was also a active volunteer.

He was a retired vice president at American Can Company in the Industrial Engineering Division. Lou was a Life-time Learner at Norwalk Community College and a long time member of the Darien Men’s Club. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 54 years, Violet M. Pernicka, and a daughter Gayle Ann Gabrielli.
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He was born on New York’s upper west side nearly 99 years ago; he was not a big man but he filled a huge space with his enormous intellect and heart to match.

Racing and cruising sailor, adventurer, musician, artist, World War Two superhero, Academy Award nominated film maker, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather -Hank Strauss had it all and did it all in his 98.75 years, and when he died of lymphoma Saturday evening he left a host of friends and disciples who will find a gap in their lives that no one else can fill.
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Members who passed away during the 2012-2013 term of the Darien Senior Men’s Association:

Jerry Vernon,

Dr. John Wilson