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Mabel D. Mahr, 88, member of OWLS
Mabel D. Mahr, 88, of 7 Keeler Close, died on Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 17, at the Pope John Paul II Center for Healthcare, Danbury. She was 88 years old, the widow of Harry J. Mahr and the mother of Patricia Karsanidi of Ridgefield.
Mrs. Mahr was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 27, 1914, the daughter of the late John P. and Mabel (Hannah) Duff. She attended Brooklyn schools and graduated from Pratt Institute.
A resident of Ridgefield for the past seven years coming from Brooklyn, Mrs. Mahr was a member of the Ridgefield OWLS and the Ridgefield Community Center where she was an avid bridge player.
Besides her daughter, she is survived by her son-in-law, Alexander Karsanidi and grandson, Alexander Karsanidi Jr.
Funeral services took place Friday in the Kane Funeral Home
Burial was in the Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Mardee Margeson, 48, delivery nurse
Mardee C. Margeson, who had been a nurse, died on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She was 48 years old and had suffered from lupus, Sjogren’s syndrome and diabetes insipidus.
Mrs. Margeson was born on April 22, 1954, in Portland, Ore., the daughter of Dr. James and Carol Kimball McMillan. She graduated from Portland Adventist High School in 1972 and attended the University of Hawaii, receiving her bachelor of science degree in 1976.
Mrs. Margeson continued her education at Walla Walla College in Washington State, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1980.
During her professional career she worked in various children’s hospitals and specialized in labor and delivery. It was “a vocation that she truly enjoyed,” her family said.
“Mardee was loved not only by her family but everyone who knew her,” her family said. “She will be remembered as one who always had a positive outlook regardless of circumstance and most notably by her determination to never complain about her personal health issues.”
She is survived by her husband Don; a son, Kevin, a student at Oregon State University; two daughters, Leslie, a student at the University of Oregon, and Katie, a student at Ridgefield High School; and a brother-in-law, Chuck Pitchford of Hillsboro, Ore.
Her parents, a sister, Judy, and a brother, Jim, died before her.
A Celebration of Life Service was held Tuesday in Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Portland Shriners Hospital, 3101 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97239.
John McAuley, 61, sales representative
John J. McAuley of South Olmstead Lane, a paper company sales representative who enjoyed the outdoors, died on Friday, Oct. 26, after being stricken ill. He was 61 years old and the husband of Irene Rutar McAuley.
Mr. McAuley was born in New York City on Nov. 22, 1940, a son of the late John and Mary McDermott McAuley. He attended New York schools and graduated from Syracuse University, where he had been a track star.
Mr. McAuley had recently retired as a representative for Stora Enso Paper Company in Stamford. He had worked for the company and its predecessors for many years.
He and his family had lived in Westchester County before moving to Ridgefield more than 10 years ago.
Mr. McAuley enjoyed the outdoors. He was a vegetable and rose gardener, liked to jog, and was a bicyclist. He also enjoyed traveling, especially to locales with warmer climates.
He was a member of St. Mary’s Church.
Besides his wife, Mr. McAuley is survived by a son: Christopher J. McAuley of Ridgefield; a brother, the Rev. James D. McAuley of Maryknoll, N.Y.; and a sister: Maureen O’Regan of Pelham Manor, N.Y.
Father McAuley, his brother, will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial today, Thursday, Oct. 31, at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church.
Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Kelly Ann McCallion, 13, student
Kelly Ann McCallion of Brookfield, who grew up in Ridgefield, died unexpectedly on Sunday, Nov. 24, at Danbury Hospital. She was 13 years old.
Kelly was born on Aug. 25, 1989, in Danbury, daughter of James and Judy (VanBenthuysen) McCallion, who were living on Abbott Avenue at the time. She was raised in Ridgefield, and moved in 2000 to Brookfield. She was a student at Whisconier Middle School and played the flute in the school band. She attended the Congregational Church of Brookfield.
“Kelly was a beautiful, sweet, smart and talented person,” her family said. “She loved to paint and draw. She enjoyed swimming, traveling, playing the flute, holidays, movies, pizza, playing with her eight-year-old brother and many friendships. She touched many people with her sweetness and friendship. She will be missed by all who knew her and loved her.”
Besides her parents, Kelly is survived by her brother, Brian J. McCallion; maternal grandparents, Herb and Cathy VanBenthuysen of Loveland, Ohio, and paternal grandparents, Dr. Alexander and Josephine McCallion of Ridgefield. She is also survived by Aunt Susan McCallion and Uncle John Zanni, Aunt Betsy and Uncle Hugh Cook, as well as cousins Kristen and Stacy Cook.
Funeral services were Saturday at the Congregational Church of Brookfield. Cremation will take place at the convenience of the family.
Contributions may be made in the memory of Kelly Ann McCallion to the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, P.O. Box 971, Danbury, CT 06813.
Evelyn Ciulla, 82, artist, real estate broker
Evelyn Ciulla of Jackson Hole, Wyo., a former businesswoman and an artist, died Friday, July 13, at the Living Center in Jackson Hole. She was 82 years old and had lived in Ridgefield in the 1970s and ’80s.
A native of Arlington, Md., Ms. Ciulla was born on Aug. 16, 1918, a daughter of Austin and Frances Slate, and grew up in the Bronx, N.Y.
After her marriage in 1934 to Jack Ciulla, she lived in Westchester County and worked as a manager and window designer for L.A. Schulman, a bridal store in White Plains. She later became a real estate agent in Chappaqua, operating her own firm, Newcastle Realty, in the 1960s. She was also active in the Board of Realtors in Chappaqua.
Ms. Ciulla had also owned her own store, The Christmas Shop, in Katonah, N.Y., about 30 years ago.
In 1974, after she and her husband were divorced, Ms. Ciulla moved to Ridgefield, living at first at Casagmo and later at Ballard Green. She worked several years in real estate here, but eventually became a live-in companion for several elderly couples in Ridgefield.
An impressionist artist who specialized in still lifes, Ms. Ciulla was active in the Ridgefield Guild of Artists and had exhibited her work in the area. She was also active in the OWLS.
In 1988, Ms. Ciulla moved to Jackson Hole to be closer to her two sons who live there. She continued to paint and had shows of her work there.
She was a volunteer at a senior housing center in Jackson Hole.
“She was a very warm, caring, giving person — she’d give her last penny away,” said her daughter, Cathy Rodier of Bedford Village, N.Y. Although Ms. Ciulla had been in declining health for the past 12 years because of diabetes, “she was still able to help others in need without ever a complaint,” her daughter said.
Besides her daughter, her survivors include three sons: Jack Ciulla of Portland, Ore., Bob and Tom Ciulla of Jackson Hole; a sister: Eleanor Tomsen of Southbury; a brother: Wally Slate of Texas; and five grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, July 20, at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church, Route 22, in Bedford Village.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Always and Forever, Memorial and Honor Program, American Diabetes Assocation, PO Box 2680, North Canton, OH 44720.
Ruth Dyer, sculptor, museum official
Ruth M. Kobler Dyer of Ridgefield, a sculptor and once program director of Parks & Recreation, died Thursday, June 14. She was 79 years old and the wife of Carlus E. Dyer.
A native of Scotland, Mrs. Dyer graduated from the University of Edinburgh, majoring in language and philosophy. During World War II she served with a British intelligence agency, stationed in Egypt, Italy and the Balkans.
She came to the United States in 1946 and began studying art in Florida and at the Silvermine Guild of Artists in New Canaan.
“I had always painted, in watercolor and casein mostly,” she said in a 1977 interview. But a job in a Darien factory that made papier-mâché angels for department store displays led her to a career in three-dimensional art forms.
She took a welding course and discovered metal was her métier.
“There’s a medium for everyone,” she said, “and I found it miraculous that you can take hard material and when it’s hot, you can make it any shape. You have the ability to change it into something unyielding. I like the feeling of solidness.”
In 1970, she married Carlus Dyer, a sculptor who had been her teacher at Silvermine, and the two moved to Ridgefield, setting up a sculpture studio in a small stucco building next to their Bayberry Hill Road home.
Her work, from watercolors to steel sculpture, has been exhibited widely and has won a number of awards. She has done many commissioned sculptures for corporations and private collections. Among her works is the lobby sculpture at the former ITT building at 437 Madison Avenue in New York. She has also created bronze and silver jewelry.
During the 1970s, Mrs. Dyer and her husband were directors of the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art in Ridgefield. She has also served as a juror for many exhibits in the region.
In 1977, the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year appointed her to the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities of Women.
In 1981, Mrs. Dyer became program director of the Wilton Parks and Recreation Department, designing and often leading programs for people of all ages, but especially senior citizens. When she retired in 1991, her husband told a gathering saluting Mrs. Dyer: “She’s really been devoted. She cares about the people she’s serving.”
Besides her husband, Mrs. Dyer is survived by two daughters, Karen Reiser and Andrea Bagg.
A memorial service took place Monday at the South Salem Presbyterian Church in Lewisboro, N.Y.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Bethel Health Care Resident Trust Fund, c/o L. Plumb, 13 Park Lawn Drive, Bethel, CT 06801.
The Kane Funeral Home assisted in arrangements.
John Morey, 74, sports supporter
John Vincent Morey, 74, formerly of Ridgefield, died Sunday, Dec. 15, at Waterbury Hospital. He was the husband of the late Katherine Angela (McGrath) Morey.
Mr. Morey was born in Stamford on Oct. 14, 1928. He was a World War II veteran with the U.S. Army Air Corps serving as an air traffic controller in the European Theater. He was a Darien police officer for five years and retired from Southern New England Telephone Co. after 32 years of service.
Mr. Morey received the Bob Scalzo Memorial Award for significant contributions to the Ridgefield Pop Warner League. He was a coach for Ridgefield Little League baseball and girls softball for many years. He was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Ridgefield.
Survivors include four sons, Brian V. Morey of Monroe, Jeffrey C. Morey of Waterbury, Douglas J. Morey of Waterbury and Glenn P. Morey of Guilford; one daughter, Shannon F. Renner of New Milford; one sister, Katherine Deschnow of Winter Springs, Fla.; and a brother, Pat Golden of Dearborn, Mich.
Calling hours are Thursday 6 to 8 p.m. at the Murphy Funeral Home, 115 Willow Street, Waterbury. A memorial Mass and burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Greenwich, will take place at the convenience of the family.
William Ondrick, 72, music professor
Professor William F. Ondrick of Ridgefield, who established and ran the music department at Stevens Institute of Technology for more than 40 years, died on Sunday, Nov. 17, at his home. He was 72 years old and the husband of Shirley Nelson Ondrick.
A Connecticut native, Professor Ondrick was born in New Britain on May 5, 1930, a son of the late Michael J. and Elizabeth Walsh Ondrick. He attended New Britain schools and graduated in 1948 from New Britain High School where he was the student director of music. He then earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Boston University where he was a founding member of the university’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.
It was at Boston University that he began dating Shirley Nelson, a fellow student who had also grown up in New Britain. They celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary last month.
In 1954, while serving in the U.S. Army, Professor Ondrick was music director of the U.S. Army television program, “Soldier Parade,” and then toured Europe with the 7th Army Symphony Orchestra.
Both in the Army and at Boston University, Professor Ondrick played the French horn.
In 1957, Professor Ondrick joined the faculty of Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., where he was a professor of humanities and director of music. He established the school’s Department of Music, including the Glee Club, Concert Band and a Jazz Ensemble.
The Board of Trustees awarded Professor Ondrick in 1974 with an honorary master of engineering degree. He also received the Freygang Teaching Award, given to a faculty member who “makes the most substantial contribution to teaching undergraduates.”
In 1989, the Stevens Alumni Association presented him with the Outstanding Teacher Award.
On the 40th anniversary of his career at Stevens, the Board of Trustees presented him with the prestigious Renaissance Engineering and Science Award and his former students established the William F. Ondrick Scholarship Fund. Professor Ondrick retired in 1998.
In retirement, Professor and Mrs. Ondrick enjoyed traveling, taking many cruises and frequently visiting Florida. They have had a home here since 1964
“He was loved by all, not only as a husband and father, but also as a friend and mentor to his many students during his 41 years at Stevens,” his family said.
Besides his wife, Professor Ondrick is survived by a son, David W. Ondrick of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, N.Y.; a daughter and son-in-law, Beth and Scott Gattey of Newtown; three grandchildren, Clayton, Shane and Nevan Gattey of Newtown; a brother and sister-in-law, George and Faith Ondrick of Kensington; and several nieces and nephews.
The Rev. Robert P. Morrissey, pastor, will celebrate a Mass of Christian Burial Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in St. Mary’s Church. Burial will be at the convenience of the family in St. Mary’s Cemetery, New Britain.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to the William F. Ondrick Scholarship Fund, Stevens Institute of Technology, Castle Point, Hoboken, NJ 07030 would be greatly appreciated.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
