Anthony “Tony” Giunta Jr., 77, Died; Westport Police Sergeant Ret., Army Veteran, Staples Class of ‘64
Anthony P. Giunta, Jr. "Tony," age 77, of Westport, Connecticut, son of Anthony P. Giunta Sr. and Maria Rose Giunta, was born March 2, 1945 and died on Saturday, July 9, 2022. He was married in 1972 to his loving wife and life partner of 49 years, Frances.
Tony was a life-long resident of Westport, graduating from Staples High School in 1964. He went on to New England College, graduating in 1969 with a BA in English. In 1975 he received his Masters of Science Degree in Law Enforcement from the University of New Haven.
Tony lived a life dedicated to his family and to the service of others. Tony loved God, his family and his country.
In the U.S. Army, he reached the rank of E-5 and left the service with an Honorable Discharge. He was a lifetime member of the American Legion.
Tony joined the Westport Police Department as a Patrolman in 1971 and retired as a Sergeant in 2006. He served as the PBA President for two years and the Community Outreach Program Chairman from (1997-2005).
In 1982 he joined the Kiwanis Club of Westport and became President in 1984. Tony started the Staples High School Kiwanis Key Club in 1985 and became its advisor through 2021.
Tony joined Boy Scouts of America in 1989 as an adult leader in Troop 39. Within scouting he held many leadership roles including Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout Coordinator and received many awards including Silver Beaver Award from the CT Yankee Council and through Masonic Scouters, the Daniel Carter Beard Award in 2011.
Tony served on the committees of the American Red Cross and the Westport-Weston YMCA.
In 1996 he was selected as an Olympic Torch Relay Runner in Westport in recognition of being a Westport Community Hero.
In 2007 he joined Temple Lodge #65 in Westport and became Worshipful Master in 2014.
As a kidney transplant recipient in 2011, Tony inherently understood the gift of life. He became a supporter of Donate Life, an organization to encourage organ donation. He cared deeply about the program.
Besides his wife, Tony is survived by his daughter Kirsten, her husband Devon Middleditch and their daughter Maria, his son David and partner Elizabeth, his sister Carol Axley and her husband Michael as well as many other close relatives.
Calling hours for family and friends will be held on Friday, July 22 between 4pm and 8pm at the Harding Funeral Home, 210 Post Road East. A Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, July 23 at 10am at St. Luke's Church, 49 Turkey Hill Road North, Westport, CT. Interment will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery, 395 Main Street.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to the National Kidney Foundation, American Heart Association or Donate Life America.
(Felicia) Phyllis Tremonte, 100, Died; VFW Women’s Auxiliary Member, Avid Reader
(Felicia) Phyllis Tremonte, died on June 12, 2022 at her home in Westport at the age of 100. Born in S. Norwalk, the daughter of the late Amedeo and Angelina (Vuoso) Borriello, she was the wife of the late Thomas L. Tremonte. She was also predeceased by her son Thomas Tremonte Jr, brother John Borriello, and sisters, Mary Carrione and Archangel Argenio.
Phyllis worked for C.B. Dolge Company for over 20 years, was a member of the VFW Women's Auxiliary, and was an avid reader. She loved to travel. A loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, she enjoyed cooking, baking and taking care of the family.
She is survived by her daughter Loretta Tremonte of Westport, a daughter-in-law, Peggy Tremonte, of Wilmont NH, three cherished grandchildren, Thomas P. (Jessica) Tremonte, Julia A. (Mike) Cushman and Michael J. Tremonte, great-granddaughters Laina and Gianna Tremonte, as well as her sister, Amy Campanella, and many loving nieces and nephews.
Her Memorial Mass will be held on Monday, July 18 at 10AM at Assumption Church, 98 Riverside Ave., Westport. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to a charity of one's choice. For directions or to send a message of condolence to her family, please visit: www.Magnerfuneralhome.com
Sandy “Girl” Bairaktaris, 13, Died; Best Dog Ever
Written by Jaime Bairaktaris, Executive Editor
Sandy “Girl” Bairaktaris, a rescued English Labrador Retriever mix, formerly of Redding, died at home in Westport Monday, July 11th, surrounded by her family and friends after a short & courageous battle with old age. She was (about) 13 years old in real time, 91 in dog-years, and forever three years old at heart.
Sandy was born in the South, given a name that didn’t fit, and shipped north by rescuers in Spring of 2009. My brothers and I saw her picture on the adoption website and convinced our mom to go “look” at her litter. “Not happening” was what we were told as we drove to the kennel; I had allergies, we were busy 11 year old triplet boys, and our dad didn’t like dogs. It wouldn’t work out.
That made it even more special as she slept on our leather car seat just an hour later as we drove home. She was plucked from the concrete floor of that dog kennel in New York - it would be the last time she would ever sleep on a surface that did not involve her universal luxuries: plush throw blankets, supportive pillows, memory foam mattresses, 4 different toys within reach, and most likely someone else’s spot in a bed. On particularly cold nights, she enjoyed a nice blanket over the top of her for good measure.
But with as much love and attention as she was given, as soon as a door was left open she would sprint into the woods like an abused kidnap victim. Even after her many lively adventures around the property, and sometimes our neighbors’, she never spent a night lost and away from home in her 13 years. Somehow we always caught up to her, or she would just come prancing into the house like the spoiled brat she was.
Sandy loved our childhood house in Redding, right on the corner of Cross Highway and Newtown Turnpike. We quickly trained her to walk on the leash with us to baseball games at the Boys & Girls Club so we could show her off to our friends. I quickly realized how important she was. No middle school boy is more popular than one who’s holding a puppy, so she was walked often - as much as possible - to every event imaginable. The best wingman ever.
Public outings became hard when she was in her teenage years and would eat every piece of food within jumping distance. Like a small fluffy shark, she would lunge with the power of 1,000 men and inhale whatever could be obtained without making as much as a sound. This was realized one night at a local concert when a small toddler holding a hamburger wandered within striking distance of our picnic blanket. Though she appeared sleeping to us, she managed to grab the burger from his hands and go right back to sleep on the blanket without a soul knowing - except the terrified toddler. (Yes, we bought him a new one. No, we did not pay for his therapy. I’m sorry, wherever you might be).
Adopting Sandy had benefits that surpassed the constant need to throw away urine-soaked carpets, to sit on couches that had crater-sized holes and missing stuffing, and the constant quote “we have to get home to let the dog out.” Even if she didn’t initially admit it, our mom enjoyed having another girl in the house. She would retrieve Sandy when we were being too “rough” with her, and spent hours with Sandy on her lap unless it was time for bed - when we so desperately attempted to crate train her. All of that hard work was cancelled after one week of us being away at sleepaway camp, when Sandy was allowed to sleep on the bed and never returned to the crate again for the rest of her life.
The best part of getting a puppy is going home to a puppy. One afternoon after school, we ran inside like every kid imagines when they come home to their new puppy - but couldn’t find her anywhere. Knowing our dog had been so special, we assumed that she must have been stolen from the house while we were out. 10 minutes later our dad pulled in the driveway, with the dog’s small ears poking up from the window of the red pickup truck.
The man who didn’t like dogs, mind you.
She moved with us to Westport two years later. She adjusted well to the coastal life and enjoyed her walks to Compo and along the shoreline. She became a fixture at Winslow Dog Park with my brother Joey, who truly claimed Sandy as the only sibling he’s only really wanted. So much so that Joey went away to university, he tried to sneak her into his housing with his roommates one semester. After several hours of whining and barking and his roommates not being able to sleep, she was driven the 2 hours back to Connecticut at two in the morning and was immediately comforted by the memory foam and soft blankets of her spot in bed that she apparently missed.
As with any childhood dog, there are so many stories in between these short moments. She helped us find friends, she helped us explore a new town with confidence, she remained a constant through parental divorce and a new school all of the battles of middle school and high school, and she was the best example of what a childhood dog should be. She came at the perfect time for three 11 year old boys.
This may all seem sweet, but there were many days early on when I couldn’t stand her: my skin swelled up if she licked me, she whined all night long during her crate training, the puppy biting was leaving us scarred, she never learned more than “sit” - and even that was a stretch some days - and food missing from the countertops got old quickly. But I’d do a lot to get just one of those sleepless nights, itchy hives, or puppy bites back just one more time.
Sandy will be remembered as an active member of the Winslow Park community, or simply as the yellow lab who smiled at you from her perch in the back of a black suburban whizzing by, and most importantly as the best dog there ever was - yes, even better than yours.
She lived out her final hours like a college kid: high as a kite while eating a gourmet hamburger, hotdog, and fries from Match Burger Lobster alongside her closest Winslow Dog Park friends and her family from the comfort of her bed on the living room floor. The solace we can find in her passing is knowing that she did so with dignity, without pain, with a belly filled with expensive food, on top of her favorite blanket, surrounded by the people who loved her. A blessing.
With thanks:
Thanks to Dr. Sally Kniffin at Redding Ridge Vet for caring for Sandy her entire life, especially on the days we’d walk Sandy to her office as middle schoolers, usually unannounced, and she’d help us with whatever stupid question we could come up with. Sally’s office and home was the only place Sandy ever slept comfortably besides our own - and thankfully - Dr. Kniffin made sure she rarely needed to. When old age caught up with Sandy a few weeks ago, Sally called every single day to check on her. Sandy and our family have never been alone in what can be hard days of raising a dog.
I also want to thank all of Sandy’s friends at Winslow Dog Park - all of whom I never met, as my brother and Sandy treasured their park time together. However most importantly to my brother’s (and Sandy’s) friend George for helping Sandy and loving Sandy just as we did. On several occasions I’d find George in our house sitting with Sandy just so she had company, something I can’t be more grateful for in these past few weeks. He also delivered her the Match burger, fries, and hot dog as her last meal - so he obviously knew her, and her expensive taste, very well - I’m sure she enjoyed every single bite.
A thank you to PawSafe Animal Rescue who rescued Sandy at just a couple of weeks old and gave three middle school boys a single way to bond while checking their website for puppies every day - and ultimately allowed us to have the best dog ever for 13 good years.
A final thanks to Final Journey veterinary services, lead by Dr. Kristen Klie, who allowed Sandy to pass in her favorite spot in our home yesterday. My family members who were home were comforted by their kind, compassionate, and caring team in what will always be one of the hardest moment of any dog owner’s life.
Sandy was my longest running photo subject while experimenting with my photography. As she grew up, my pictures did, too. She and I came a long way from selfies on our computer. Eloise Neyle Reilly, 102, Died; Staples Grad, WWII Red Cross Member
Eloise Neyle Reilly "Sis," age 102, passed on peacefully at her home surrounded by her family and caregiver on July 1, 2022.
Eloise was born March 22, 1920 in New York City, daughter of Eloise Neyle Daniels and William Henry Reilly. She was a remarkable, self-sufficient and independent woman and known for her positive outlook on life.
She was a longtime resident of Westport since 1934 and a graduate of Staples High School. One of the most important chapters in her life was during World War II when she joined the American Red Cross Club Mobile Unit, a unique service conceived by the Red Cross Commissioner to provide comfort and support to combat troops on the front lines with coffee, donuts and conversation. After the war ended, she was stationed in Germany for an additional two years during reconstruction to support the efforts of US troops. She often told stories of her remarkable friendships and experiences during her years with the Red Cross.
Eloise's strength and independence continued beyond the war when she returned home to Westport. In the late 1940's' and the 1950's she built a career in New York City that culminated in her becoming a human resource director at the advertising firm, Young and Rubicam. In the late 1960's, she left the city and the commute to start a second successful career as a real estate agent with Helen Benson Real Estate. In the 1950's, Eloise designed and worked with a local contractor to construct her home where she has lived since 1957. She was an avid gardener, a lover of nature and a longtime member of the Westport Garden Club.
One of her passions and strengths was maintaining great friendships in her community and staying connected with lifelong friends and family across the country. A wonderful result of this passion came in the early 1970's; she initiated the first of many Annual Red Cross Club Mobile reunions at her home in Westport. The reunion was a resounding success and the tradition gained momentum and continued through the early 2000's. Reunions were held at the homes of other Red Cross members and friends across the US and Europe.
We will miss her greatly, mindful that she had a long and good life filled with travel, adventure, love of family and many friends.
Eloise is survived by her nephews, Kevin Reilly and his wife Leslie (Carrere) of Newfield, NY, William Reilly and his wife Laura (Gottfried) of Enfield, NY and Peter Reilly and his wife Mary (Picard) of Rye, NH; her grandnieces and nephews Colin and his wife Lauren, Marissa and her husband Zach Beauchamp, Mia, Megan and Conor Reilly and her great-grandniece Kendall Reilly. Her brother, Donald Reilly, recently predeceased her.
A special thanks for Mary Krewsen, her personal caregiver, for her loving care and the staff of Visiting Angels of Fairfield, CT for their support. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her honor can be made to The American Red Cross.
SERVICES: Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation that will be held on Wednesday, July 13th at 9:30 AM in the Chapel at Christ and Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane, Westport, CT. Funeral services will follow at 10:00 AM in the Church Sanctuary. Interment will follow at the Christ and Holy Trinity Cemetery. Visit: www.hardingfuneral.com to sign the online guestbook.
