Search Archived Marriage Records
Jennie M. Alderese, 92, native of Italy
Jennie M. Alderese of 55 Prospect Street, a 23-year Ridgefielder who was known for her congeniality and sense of humor, died Thursday, Sept. 14, at Norwalk Hospital. She was 92 years old and the wife of the late Anthony Alderese.
A native of Sorrento, Italy, Mrs. Alderese was born on March 11, 1908. She came to this country with her parents, Vincent and Carolina Mastellone Russo, when she was four years old, and grew up in New York City.
Mrs. Alderese lived many years in Astoria, Queens, and had been a telephone operator for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. She had belonged to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Queens.
She moved to Ridgefield in 1977, and for some years, belonged to the OWLS senior citizens organization. She had also been president of Birds of A Feather, an area quilting group, and helped with its fund-raising quilt for “E.J.” Soderlund, a Ridgefield boy with a serious illness.
Mrs. Alderese was also a member of St. Mary’s Church.
“What touched people about her most was she had a remarkable sense of humor,” said her daughter, Carolyn J. Langevin of South Salem. “She was fun to be with, even in her old age. A lot of people came to her funeral that I didn’t know because they enjoyed her company so much.”
Besides her daughter and her son-in-law, Roger Langevin, Mrs. Alderese is survived by four grandchildren: Catherine Falcon, John Langevin, Nancy Sweeney, and Karen Lynch; and by seven great-grandchildren: Amy, William and Alison Langevin, Annie Falcon, Deanna and Maria Sweeney, and Nicholas Lynch.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Saturday at St. Mary’s Church. Burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery, the Bronx.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association, 90 East Ridge, Ridgefield CT 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
RoseMary Bergen, 71, former town treasurer
RoseMary Petrillo Bergen of Hamden, a pipe-smoking former town treasurer, died Wednesday, Oct. 11, at Cromwell Crest Nursing Home in Cromwell. She was 71 years old.
A native of Hamden, Ms. Bergen was born on Oct. 19, 1928, a daughter of John and Rose Signore Petrillo. She grew up in Hamden and graduated from Quinnipiac College, then known as Larsen College, in 1949.
An accountant by profession, Ms. Bergen had held a variety of positions including assistant controller of the town of Wilton and asset administrator in Wilton, town accountant in Woodbridge, cost analyst for KMS industries, accountant at Brock Hall Dairy, and an internal auditor at Giltex Manufacturing.
She moved to Ridgefield in 1978, was a member of the Republican Town Committee, and served on the selectmen’s Purchasing Committee. In 1981, she was elected town treasurer on the Republican ticket, serving one two-year term. Soon after she returned to Hamden.
Ms. Bergen, who was divorced, had been proud of the fact that she had supported her family on her own from 1958, and had put both of her children through college. She was also well-known in town hall for smoking a pipe.
"She was a very kind person," said Tax Collector Mary Hart Foyt, who first ran for her job the same year Ms. Bergen ran for hers. "She had a big heart."
She was active in many professional organizations, and belonged to the Alumni Board of Governors of Quinnipiac College and had served as treasurer of the Quinnipiac Alumni Association.
Her survivors include a daughter, Kathleen Fura of Northford; a son, William B. Bergen Jr., of Bethel; a sister, Anne Murphy of Mystic; a brother, Carmen DelVecchio of Hamden; and one grandchild. Her former husband, William B. Bergen Sr. of New Haven, also survives.
Services will take place at Porto Funeral Home, 234 Foxon Road, Route 80, East Haven, on Friday at 11 a.m.
Friends may call at the funeral home Thursday from 5 to 8.
Page Borchetta, 53, left China as a teen, was IBM marketer
Page Borchetta, who left her native China to study in the United States as a teenager and stayed for a 30-career with IBM, died Thursday Aug. 10 at her home in Gaithersburg, Md. She was 53, the wife of Frank Borchetta, and the mother of two sons, Frank and Johnathan. She had struggled with cancer the last two and half years.
“She was a woman of remarkable courage and remarkable will,” said her husband.
Ms. Borchetta lived in Ridgefield from 1972 to 1989, first renting on Prospect Street and then buying a home on Settler’s Lane. For most of that time — from 1976 to 1989 — her husband was a partner in the popular restaurant, Touchstone’s, where Bully’s is today.
She was born in Shanghai, China, Jan. 23, 1947, and her family moved to Hong Kong — then a British colony — when she was a child. She came to the U.S. on a scholarship to New Rochelle College in Westchester County, N.Y., graduating with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics.
“When she was between 18 and 19 years old, she got on a plane in Hong Kong and got off in New York and took a cab to the College of New Rochelle,” her husband said. “She started a new life and never went back.”
She worked for IBM as a marketing consultant, part of a capacity planning team that traveled the world assisting salespeople in different countries with the task of analyzing the technical needs of customers. “She went everywhere,” her husband said, “Australia, she was in Asia several times, she was in London, Paris, Italy, South America...”
Her son, Frank, is a senior microbiology major at the University of Maryland, and her son, Johnathan, is a junior at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md.
Besides her husband and sons she is survived by her mother, Florence Hsieh Ting of San Jose, Calif., and three brothers, Peter D. Ting of McLean, Va., Fred N. Ting of San Jose, and Dennis Ting of Groton, Mass., and two sisters, Bessie Ting of San Jose, and Eva Ting of Chaton, N.J.
A Mass of Christina burial was held Monday, Aug. 14, at St. Roch Church in Greenwich, with burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Greenwich.
“She never gave up and she never gave in,” said her husband. “She drove to have her nails done four days before she died. It was literally a one-minute ride, but she was going to do it — get in her car and she was going.”
“Page was very strong, unusually strong, very gentle, very nice — her friends she held very close to her,” Mr. Borchetta said. “It leave such a big hole.”
Contributions in her memory may be made to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, N.Y., 10013
Denise Buhrman, 85, former Ridgefielder, was widow of Park Hanneman
Denise Buhrman of Springfield, Mo., a former Ridgefielder who followed her husband back to his boyhood home, died Wednesday, Oct. 11, in St. John’s Regional Health Center in Springfield. She was 85 years old and the widow of Albert Buhrman.
Denise Hanneman and Albert Buhrman, who had recently lost spouses, lived a few doors apart on Main Street when they were married in 1958. Mr. Buhrman was organist for the CBS network, and he played the music on many radio shows and soap operas, and on early television programs.
In 1963, the Buhrmans moved to a house they built on a bluff overlooking the White River at Point Lookout, Mo. The house is on the campus of The College of the Ozarks, a school built on what had once been Mr. Buhrman’s uncle’s farm and where Mr. Buhrman became an artist in residence. Mrs. Buhrman joined the staff of the college, handling public relations.
Mr. Buhrman, who had grown up in Springfield, died in 1999.
A native of Kingston on Thames, Surrey, England, Mrs. Buhrman was born on Dec. 4, 1914, the daughter of Henry and Nellie Ball Gorringe. “Denise was very proud to have become a naturalized U.S. citizen,” her family said.
Her first husband was Park Hanneman.
Mrs. Buhrman is survived by a daughter, Suzanne Hanneman Nickell and her husband, Donald, of Kimberling City, Mo., and a friend, Steve Waddell of Springfield.
The Rev. Virginia Brown conducted services Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield. Inurnment took place at the church’s columbarium.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Humane Society of the donor’s choice.
Shirley P. Carboni, who'd just marked 50th wedding anniversary
Shirley P. Carboni of 47 Wilton Road West, a Ridgefield native who had just marked her 50th wedding anniversary, died on Wednesday morning, Aug. 30, at the Danbury Hospital. She was 69 years old and the wife of Richard Carboni.
The Carbonis were married July 19, 1950, and on Aug. 20, their family had a golden anniversary party for them.
Mrs. Carboni was born in Danbury, June 16, 1931, a daughter of the late Gilbert K. and Mary Walker Peterson. She grew up on West Lane, attended the Garden School and was a member of the Class of 1950 at Ridgefield High School.
For the past 22 years, Mrs. Carboni had worked at the Ullman Devices Corporation on Route 7.
A avid bowler, she had been a member of the Ward Acres Bowling Team for many years.
She also enjoyed playing pinochle with family and friends.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Carboni is survived by two sons, Richard D. Carboni Jr. and Steve J. Carboni, both of Ridgefield; a sister, Barbara Kilcran Tulipani of Ridgefield; and nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Graveside funeral services will take place on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in St. Peter Cemetery, Danbury.
Friends may call at the Kane Funeral Home, 41 Catoonah Street, on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.
Contributions in Mrs. Carboni’s memory may be made to the Ridgefield Fire Department Ambulance Fund, 6 Catoonah Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
Josephine Carosello, retired seamstress
Josephine Piazza Carosello of 195 Holmes Road, a retired seamstress and the mother of a Ridgefielder, died Sunday, Sept. 24, at Wilton Meadows. She was 93 years old and the wife of the late Agostino Carosello.
A native of Passaic, N.J., Mrs. Carosello was born on Sept. 10, 1907, a daughter of the late Charles and Rose Tambe Piazza. She lived most of her life in Jamaica, Queens, N.Y., and had been active in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.
She moved to Ridgefield in 1993 to live with her daughter, Renita Covino, and family. For the past 20 months, she had lived at Wilton Meadows.
While here she enjoyed participating in the Senior Citizens Luncheons at St. Mary’s.
Besides her daughter and her son-in-law, Robert Covino, Mrs. Carosello is survived by a brother, Bernard Piazza, and a sister, Marianne Muller, both of Middle Village, Queens, and by four grandchildren: Lisa Ferguson and her husband, Michael, of Middlebury, Rob Covino and his wife, Jennifer, of New Canaan, Scott Covino of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Kimberly Covino of Ridgefield.
The Rev. David Blanchfield celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial Wednesday morning at St. Mary’s Church. Burial was in Mount Saint Mary Cemetery, Flushing, N.Y.
Contributions in Mrs. Carosello’s memory may be made to the St. Mary’s Senior Citizens Luncheon Fund, c/o Sister Joan Brennan, St. Mary’s Parish, 183 High Ridge, Ridgefield CT 06877, or to the Alzheimer’s Association of Fairfield County, 607 Main Avenue, Norwalk CT 06851-1758.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Michael Chaney, 57, company owner
Michael G. Chaney, of 27 West Lane, died Monday, July 3, at his home unexpectedly of natural causes. He was 57 years old.
Mr. Chaney was born in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 13, 1948, a son of the late Gene D. and Winifred Beckenbaugh Chaney. He attended Indiana University and received his bachelor's degree in education from Holyoke College.
The former owner and president of Activated Carbon Resources in Ridgefield, Mr. Chaney was most recently a manager for Zinkan Industries of Ohio.
A 20-year member of the Roswell Lee Samuel Osgood Masonic Lodge in Springfield, Mass., Mr. Chaney was also a member of the Ridgefield MenÕs Club. He was an avid golfer as well as an avid sports fan.
Survivors include one uncle: Larry Jayne of Bloomington, Minn.; his fiance, Robin J. Axness of Ridgefield; and his former wife, Beverly Hockman Chaney of Somers, N.Y. Several cousins also survive.
The Rev. Robert P. Morrissey celebrated a Mass of Christian Burial Saturday at St. MaryÕs Church. Burial will be in Newport, R.I. at the convenience of the family.
There are no calling hours.
The Kane Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Norman Christiansen, 80, Pan-Am captain
Norman C. Christiansen of San Diego, Calif., a retired senior Pan-American captain who lived in Ridgefield 30 years, died Aug. 23 at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego. He was 80 years old and the husband of Barbara Christiansen.
A native of Everett, Wash., Mr. Christiansen was born on Dec. 21, 1919, the son of Jenny and Alfred Christiansen. He grew up in Everett and attended the University of Washington but left to accept a scholarship to flight school.
He joined Pan American World Airways in the early 1940s and over the years piloted every kind of aircraft the airline ever flew, including the early clipper ships, which he flew over the Pacific routes.
During World II he was on loan to the U.S. Navy as a pilot.
Mr. Christiansen worked for Pan Am a total of 37 years and retired in 1979 as a senior check captain. He continued to maintain a deep interest in the airline and flying, and was very active in the Clipper Pioneers, a group of retired Pan Am crew members, and in the Pan American Historical Foundation.
“He was a wealth of history,” Barbara Christiansen said.
The Christiansens moved to Ridgefield in 1958 building their home on Manor Road. While here, they belonged to the First Congregational Church and the Waccabuc Country Club in South Salem.
Mr. Christiansen was also a member of the International Order of Characters.
“His first love was flying, but he also loved golf, skiing, tennis, working on his house,” said Mrs. Christiansen. “And he loved his family very much.”
Another great love love of his was a Beechcraft Baron, a twin-engine aircraft that he bought when he retired and which he continued to fly until moving to California in 1989.
Besides his wife, Mr. Christiansen is survived by five daughters, Jennifer Christiansen, who is currently sailing around world, Janet Christiansen of San Diego, Carol Chrstiansen of West Palm Beach, Fla., Julie Christiansen-Dull of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and Lucy Moore of Dublin, Calif.; a son, David Christiansen of Lexington, Ky.; a sister, Imogene Murdock of Seattle, Wash.; and nine grandchildren.
The Rev. Atessa Afshar will conduct a memorial service Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 2 at the First Congregational Church in Ridgefield.
Contributions in his memory may be made to the Sharp Health Care Foundation, 8695 Spectrum Center Court, San Diego, CA 92123-1489.
