John Stahursky, 86, Dies; Staples Class of 1953, Former Slez Garage Mechanic
ObituaryJohn E. Stahursky, age 86, a lifelong resident of Westport, died Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at Fairfield County House in Stamford. He was the son of the late Bronislaw and Sophie Stahursky.
John graduated from Staples High School in 1953 and retired as a mechanic from Slez Garage in Westport. He loved gardening and farming, and volunteered for many years maintaining the lawns, and planting and maintaining the flower gardens at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Fairfield. John also grew from seed, then donated, countless plants to the parish for sale at their annual picnic.
He was the recipient of the St. Augustine Medal from the Diocese of Bridgeport. John enjoyed restoring Model A Fords, which could be seen participating in the Memorial Day parades in Westport.
He will be remembered as a hard working man, always ready with a smile and happy to help others in need.
Survivors include his loving siblings, Bernard J. Stahursky of Westport, Wanda Ornousky of Norwalk and Bertha Matis of Westport, as well as many nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents John was predeceased by sisters, Jean Kral, Helen Rutski and Sophie E. Stahursky, and brothers, Joe, Frank and Steve Stahursky. Friends are invited to attend the funeral on Monday at 9:15 a.m. from the FAIRFIELD FUNERAL HOME of EDMUND W. DOUGIELLO, 36 South Pine Creek Road and at 10 a.m. in St. Anthony of Padua Church with a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will be in Assumption Cemetery in Westport. Friends may call on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John's memory to St. Anthony Parish, 149 South Pine Creek Road, Fairfield, CT 06824 or Fairfield County House, 1 Den Road, Stamford, CT 06902.
Dennis Ray Gibson, 77, Died; Beloved Grandfather, “always made time to connect with others”
Dennis Ray Gibson peacefully passed away at Norwalk Hospital on Tuesday, September 14, 2021 while surrounded by his loving family.
Denny loved people. He was a friendly man who always made time to connect with others, whether he was talking to you at a dinner party, a Staples football game, or on the sidewalk downtown. He was a proud Westporter and loved the friends he made in the town he called home since 1999.
Denny was born in Cadillac, Michigan, on November 17, 1943, to Charles Gibson and Jeraline Rowas, where he grew up with brother Lynn and sister Nancy. He liked to remind us that he spent the first few years of his life in a house with no toilet - only an outhouse. At 21 years old, in a Grand Rapids home with more modernized plumbing, Denny had his first son, David. His son Kevin and daughter Leigh Ann followed shortly after. He committed himself to fatherhood as he moved with his family from Indianapolis to Jacksonville to Bethel to Syracuse to Youngstown and then Manhattan.
Denny met the love of his life, Patty Burke, when they were both working at General Foods. He won her over with the twinkle in his eye and his sparkling personality. They married on April 17, 1982.
Denny was a salesman through and through. After 23 years at General Foods, he struck off on his own, building a business from the ground up alongside his son David. The same traits that made him a great father and husband made him a fantastic entrepreneur. Decades into running his successful company, if you asked him what he did, he’d still say, “I’m a salesman.”
29 years after having his first child, Denny had his next set of kids - triplets Jack, Max, and Bo. They will cherish his whippy one-liners and will treasure memories of stretching him before his weekly tennis games.
He became Grandpa Denny to eight grandkids - Bill, Jenna, Dan, Grace, Ellen, Claire, Daniel, and Delaney - who he loved dearly.
His wife, children, grandchildren, and friends loved him and will miss his smile, jokes, and easy conversation.
He is survived by brother Lynn (Mary Lou) Gibson, Grand Rapids Michigan; sister Nancy (Tony) Roberto, Cincinnati Ohio; son David (Sheri) Gibson, Coronado California; son Kevin (Kris) Gibson, Canfield Ohio; daughter Leigh Ann Dwyer (Bob), Fairfield Connecticut; son Jack Gibson, Westport, CT; son Bo Gibson, Brooklyn NY; son Max Gibson, New York, NY.
Calling hours will be held on Friday from 4 to 8 PM in the Lesko & Polke Funeral Home 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield Center. His Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 10 AM in the Church of the Assumption 98 Riverside Avenue, in Westport. His interment will be private.
Denny's family would prefer contributions in his name to: Tunnel to Towers (www.T2T.org).
Peter Cuseo, 74, Died; Vietnam Veteran, Westporter
Mr. Peter J. Cuseo, 74, of Westport, CT, wife of Teresa Cuseo, passed away at home on Tuesday morning.
Mr. Cuseo was born July 29, 1947 in Fairfield, CT, son of the late Albert R. Cuseo Sr. and Yvonne (Sirois) Cuseo. Mr. Cuseo is an Army Veteran, having served in Vietnam. He worked alongside his family at Albert R. Cuseo Refuse Service and Cuseo Exxon Service Station. He then worked at Masiello Bus Service and the Connecticut Department of Transportation in New Canaan.
Survivors include his wife, Teresa Cuseo of Westport, his son, James M. Cuseo and his wife Laura, daughter Christina Gudzik and her husband John and two grandchildren, Arlo and Riley.
Friends are invited to attend the funeral ceremony and interment Saturday 11:00 a.m. at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main Street, Westport, CT. Condolences for the family may be left online at www.hardingfuneral.com
Contributions in memory of Mr. Cuseo may be made to American Cancer Society.
Rev. William Henry West, 76, Died; Former Minister for Greens Farms Congregational Church, Director of Youth Services Commission
The Reverend William Henry West, of Old Saybrook, died peacefully at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, on Thursday, August 26, after a long and valiant struggle with cancer. He was born August 9, 1945, the eldest son of William West, Jr, and Ruth Banford West of Manhasset, N.Y. He graduated from Manhasset High School, was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Alfred University in l967, and earned a Masters of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton Center, Mass.
He began his work as a clergyman as a student minister at West Parish Church in Andover, Mass., and served as an assistant minister at the Greens Farms Congregational Church in Westport, Conn. He served several years as the director of the Youth Services Commission in Westport, a board of adults and students that seeks to accommodate the needs of young people in the community. For a number of years, Bill worked in the private sector, owning and operating his own business, Custom Printing and Graphics. Ultimately, he gravitated toward organizations that served the interests of the disenfranchised and the needy. He worked for the United Way and Literacy Volunteers of America. Focusing on the needs of the residents of the inner city, Bill volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Operation Hope of Fairfield and Bridgeport.
Ultimately, he returned to his real passion, working one-on-one with individuals in need. After earning certification as a chaplain from Hartford Seminary, he served as a protestant chaplain, first at St Francis Hospital in Hartford and then at Saint Raphael’s in New Haven. In addition to his duties as a chaplain, he counseled men suffering from drug and alcohol addiction at the Relapse Prevention Program at Chapel Street in New Haven. He retired in 2018.
If his legacy is his unswerving commitment to others, Bill will also be remembered and cherished for his smile, his welcoming demeanor, and his compassion. Both patients and staff at St Raphael’s and Yale-New Haven repeatedly cited his very presence as comforting. He loved his work even as he was loved by those he served and those with whom he worked.
Reverend West was predeceased by his parents and his wife, Margaret.
He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, and grandsons, Theo and Quinten Ewasko of Newtown; and his brother, Robert, and sister-in-law, Gail, of Farmington, Conn. He is also survived by nieces Melissa Alder and Abigail Blanchard, nephew John West, and grand-nieces and nephews. Additionally, he leaves behind cousins and numerous friends and colleagues.
A service in his memory will be held at the First Congregational Church, Deep River, Conn., on September 25, at 1 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the following organizations were near and dear to Bill’s heart. Donations can be sent to: Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Closer to Free Program, at yalecancercenter.org/gifts, or mail to Office of Development, PO Box 1849, New Haven CT 06508; First Church Congregational in Deep River, at deeprivercc.org, or mail to DRCC, PO Box 246, Deep River CT 06417; or Dylan’s Wings of Change “Wingman Program,” at dylanswingsofchange.org/donate, or mail to Dylan’s Wings of Change PO Box 3489, Newtown CT 06470.