Ridgefield's HamletHub Obituary Notices

Conetta , Marie
Marie Conetta, 89, of Ridgefield, CT, formerly of Stamford passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Tuesday, July 31, 2012. She was born on October 6, 1922 in Port Chester, NY to the late Giusseppe and Giovanna Puglia Curcuruto.

Marie was president of the Riverbend Association where she actively petitioned and succeeded in having the City of Stamford install sewers in her neighborhood. She worked as a cashier at the A&P on High Ridge Rd and in the cafeteria at Westhill High School of Stamford. Upon retirement Marie became very involved with The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist and during that time she received the distinct honor of becoming Mother of the Parish. Marie is survived by her four loving daughters, Donna Upright and her husband Jim of Griswold, CT, Patricia Cwalinski and her husband Joseph, Anne Marie Vollhardt and her husband Richard, Joanne Conetta and Scott Arvoy all of Ridgefield, CT. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her loving husband Dominick J. Conetta, her sister Celestina Girolamo and two brothers Joseph and John Curcuruto.
She moved to Ridgefield in 2004 with Alzheimers and was cared for by a wonderful woman, Alice White.

A funeral procession will be leaving The Nicholas F. Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford, CT 06902 on Friday, August 10, 2012 at 9:20 AM for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:00 AM at The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist RC Church, 279 Atlantic Street, Stamford. Entombment will follow at St. John's Mausoleum, Darien. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday, August 9, 2012 from 4:00-8:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Marie's memory to the Connecticut Community Care, Inc, 43 Enterprise Drive, FL 2, Bristol, CT 06010-9851, who provided assistance to keep their mother in her home. To leave online condolences, please visit www.cognetta.com

*Information courtesy of Cognetta Funeral Home, Stamford

Dorothy Bissell

Dorothy Marcia Barlow Bissell, 89, formerly of Ridgefield, CT and wife of the late Roger W. Bissell, passed away peacefully on August 5, 2012 at the Jewish Home of Fairfield. Born on June 9, 1923 in Dedham, Massachusetts, she graduated with a BA Degree in Art History from Wheaton College, Norton, MA. She then continued her education at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA, where she completed a year-long graduate programin Personnel Management. A unique program for its day, it provided management training specifically for women.

After graduation she worked in Boston as the Assistant to the Personnel Director for C. Crawford Hollidge, Ltd. It was there where she met Roger. After a six month courtship they married on Valentine's Day in 1948. As their family grew they moved from Canton to Wrentham and then to Walpole, MA before moving to Stony Brook, NY. Ultimately, the family moved to Ridgefield, CT in 1975. Dorothy quickly became very involved in the Women's Fellowship of the First Congregational Church as a member of the Gibson Circle and in more recent years she was a member of the Elizabeth Circle. She also was an active member of PEO Chapter G. She cherished the friendships she made through these organizations. The support she received from her dear friends and her deep faith in God sustained her through the loss of her husband thirty years ago. After becoming a widow she was employed for six years by the B. J. Dolan Company in Bethel before retiring in 1988.

Dorothy is survived by her five children including Douglas H. Bissell and wife Virginia (Balchunas) of Waynesboro, Virginia, Marcia L. Bissell of Fairfield, Benjamin B. Bissell and wife Lori (Mangiamele) of Trumbull, Cynthia A. Bissell of Branford, and Jonathan R. Bissell of Danbury. She is also survived by three grandsons R. Benjamin Cascella of NYC, Matthew Barlow Cascella of Brooklyn, NY and Adam N. Bissell of Trumbull. She loved her grandsons very deeply. Just the thought of them brightened her days and put a smile on her beautiful face. She is also survived by two nieces. She was predeceased by her parents, Stanley and Ethel Barlow, her sister, Priscilla B. Johnson and her brother, Robert S. Barlow, as well as her husband of 34 years, Roger W. Bissell.

A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Thursday August 9, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at the First Congregational Church in Ridgefield. Interment will be at the Canton Corner Cemetery in Canton, MA at a later date.

Arrangements are being made through the Edmund N. Dougiello Funeral Home in Fairfield. The family extends its deep gratitude to the members of the Bennett 3 Care Team at the Jewish Home for the loving care they provided to Dorothy during the last two years of her life. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Red Cross or a charity of one's choice .

*Information courtesy of Edmund N. Dougiello Funeral Home in Fairfield