10 minute read
Take care of yourself
from May 29, 2020
Maureen K. O'Reilly, 91, of Edgehill S en ior L iv i ng of St a m for d d ie d peacefully on May 11, 2020, with her family by her side. She was born in Hartford, CT on Aug. 27, 1928. She was the daughter of Raymond and Margaret Kelly.
She is survived by her loving daughter Kelly, and her husband John Considine of Stamford, CT. She is also survived by her loving son Biff and his wife Jeanne of North Palm Beach, Fla., along with grandsons Christopher and Edward. She was predeceased by her ex-husband, Dr. Hugh E. O'Reilly.
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M a u r e e n w a s a g r a d u a t e o f Bulkeley High School of Hartford. Of particular note, at age 16 she was caught in the terrible Hartford Circus Fire, for tunately escaping har m with family and friends. It was one of the worst fire disasters in United States history. It was a story that she would share with many people. After graduating she went to work at the Travelers Insurance Company in Hartford.
Ye a r s later a f ter le av i ng t he Travelers as an executive assistant, she went on to raise her two children in Kensington, CT. She did so in a beautiful and love filled home. It was here too that she was a wonderful caregiver when her parents entered the twilight of their lives. As a member of St. Paul's Catholic Church and parish in Kensington, she served as a religious studies teacher, was an active member of the Parish Council, and also served as a Eucharistic Minister. She always loved bringing the sacraments to the sick and homebound. It was one of her biggest joys.
It would be impossible not to mention her genuine love for animals, especially her most recent Jack Russell ter r ier W h itney. On su n ny days Maureen could be seen driving her navy-blue convertible with Whitney by her side, with the terrier wearing her very own goggles and sweater, as the two of them would run errands down the streets of Old Greenwich. It was quite a sight to behold.
The family would like to thank her caring physician of many years Dr. Jeff Weinberger of Riverside, CT while also extending their profound and sincere appreciation for the loving care and support given to her by everyone at Greenwich Hospital. May God bless them for all they have done. They are wonderful compassionate professionals.
In lieu of f lowers, the family is asking that donations may be made to Greenwich Hospital. Due to the current guidelines established as a result of existing public health issues, the family will be celebrating the life of Maureen at a later date.
Diamante Bellantoni
Diamante Bellantoni, of Santa Barbara, passed away on April 29, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. She was 89 years old.
Diamante was born on Sept. 9, 1930 in Greenwich, CT, to Sadie and John Bellantoni. She was the youngest of five children: sisters Mary and Ursela (Lucy), and brothers Joseph (John) and Anthony.
She attended school in Port Chester, NY, where she met her high school sweetheart Joe Corsaro. They married in 1950 at St. Mary's Church. In 1957, they moved to Monroe, CT, following the birth of their daughter Diane Robin. The family relocated to California in 1960.
Diamante was loved by and will be missed by many. She is survived by Joe Corsaro, their daughter Diane Robin Corsaro Young (Kelly Young), and her beloved Chihuahua Chica.
A private burial was held on May 6 at Calvary Cemetery, Santa Barbara. A memorial service and mass will be held in late summer or fall.
Patricia Ann Brant (Patti), our beloved mother, sister, and friend, passed away on April 30, 2020, in New Haven, CT. She was 74. Born on Dec. 14, 1945, in Long Beach, Calif., to Opal ( Jackson) and Ralph Thayer. Patti lived in Upland and Mt. Baldy, Calif. most of her life.
After graduation from Upland High School and the University of La Verne, she went on to become a respected science and home economics teacher in the Alta Loma School District. Patti loved teaching middle school students because of their energy and enthusiasm. Countless former students would approach her while in the community to thank her for being a positive inf luence in their lives, something that she took pride in.
Athletic and adventurous, Patti's interests included sewing, cooking, tennis, golf, and gardening. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to form a catering business and cook ing school. A longtime member of the Upland Shakespeare Club, Patti was respected for her tea-table treats and hostess skills. One of her favorite past times was sharing in the lives of her grandchildren and friends.
Patti leaves behind two daughters Sydney Lamb (Todd) of Annapolis, Md. and Sarah Schreder (Skovran) of Greenwich, CT; grandsons Hayden and Hudson Lamb; granddaughters Claire and Charlotte Schreder; sister Jean Gillingwators (Joel); nephews Drew and Paul Gillingwators; and former husbands Richard Wingate and Sam Brant. She was predeceased by her grandson Henry Ralph Schreder.
The family expresses heartfelt gratitude to the incredible staff at The Greens at Greenwich and Mary Wade Nursing Home for providing Patti with compassionate care and to Maria Rivera Hernandez for her warm and loving attention to Patti.
In lieu of f lowers, contributions in Patti's memory are requested to be simple gifts of kindness given to family and friends. The family will celebrate the life of a wonderful woman, a supportive mother, a proud grandmother, and a joyous aunt at a future gathering.
Jeffrey Hopkins
hard work, and never ending sense of humor, Jeff quickly obtained his certif ication to become the head male therapeutic riding instructor at Pegasus.
Jeff is survived by his wife Julie (Plummeridge), children Erin and Dylan, mother Heather, sister Debbie (Tommy) McNamara, brothers Chip (Sonja) and Jay Hopkins, nieces Carrie (Shane) Cassady, Laurie (TJ) Lichaj, Chelsea (Kenny) Pinkerton, Elshia and Tre Hopkins, great-nieces, many inlaws, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins worldwide and his extended families of Mackenzies and Pegasus.
He was predeceased by his father R icha r d Appleton Hopk i n s a nd brother Dave St. Clair Hopkins.
Jeff will be remembered for his infectious boy-like smile, caring, patience, kindness and never ending sense of humor. He lived by his father's mantra, "If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life," and by the Grateful Dead's line, "Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile."
A memorial will be held later in the year as current events allow. Gifts in his memory may be made to Pegasus at pegasustr.org/donate/ or by phone, at (845) 669-8235 x110.
James Condaris
James Condaris, age 68, of Greenwich, CT, passed away April 30, 2020.
Vincent America Mainiero
Vincent America Mainiero, age 89, of Milford, husband of Elizabeth Long Mainiero, died on Tuesday, May 12, 2020. The son of the late Vincent and Grace DelVecchio Mainiero, he was born on March 29, 1931 in Bridgeport.
Up on g raduat i ng f r om Tu f t s University, Medford, MA in 1953, after one year of training, he served as a n u ndercover agent for t he Army Counter Intelligence Corps in Hokkaido, Japan for two years. He was one of the three founders of The Trumbull Times newspaper, worked in public relations, and retired at the age of 57 as a Senior Civil R ights Investigator for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights. He was co-founder of the Cursillo Movement of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport and co-founder and first president of the College Graduates Club of Bridgeport. He belonged to the Milford Yacht Club for 15 years. He was a member of the Bridgepor t A rea Cultural Italian Organization, the Bridgeport Community Historical Society and the Lifetime Learners of Norwalk and Stratford. Vin and his wife, Beth, the retired director of the Greenwich, CT Library, visited over 80 foreign c o u n t r i e s , i n c l u d i n g a t r i p t o Antarctica where they romped on the land with penguins, and five trips to Italy because he spoke Italian fluently. He visited his Italian ancestral town and house three times. Vin and his wife traveled to Iceland, Robinson Crusoe, Easter and the Galapagos Islands; cruised the Amazon, Rhine, Nile, Danube and France's Saone, Rhone and Seine Rivers, the fjords of Norway into the Arctic Circle to the Russian border and multiple cruises to the Caribbean. Because of his three photo safaris in Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Tanzania), he was a supporter of the African Wildlife Foundation, Back to Africa, the World Wildlife Fund and the National Wildlife Federation. In 2009, he and his wife were featured on a CBS network program on civil rights: he as a retired civil rights investigator and she for having desegregated the Martinsville, VA library while she was its director. In October 2011, he and his wife were selected by Pueblo Ingles, an Eng lish lang uage im mersion program for Spanish business people, to attend an all-expenses-paid 8-daysession in Spain coaching Spaniards in conversational English.
Jeffrey Keyes Hopkins aged 56, died peacefully April 24, 2020 after a courageous, dignified battle with cancer.
Born 1963, in Stamford, CT, the third son of the late Richard Appleton Hopkins and Heather (Steele) Hopkins, Jeff grew up in Rowayton, CT.
An avid horseback rider, Jeff 's love of horses led him to finishing his high school days at Vershire School, Vermont. He obtained his degree in hospitality at Southern New Hampshire College and went on to become the youngest GM with Uno Restaurants. It was at the San Diego location he met his soon to be wife Julie, an RN from England. The couple relocated immediately following their honeymoon in 1990 to Missouri, where Jeff opened new restaurants for Unos.
A year later they were blessed with their daughter Erin and returned to Connecticut to be near family where they settled at the beach community in Fairfield. Dylan entered the picture not too long after and Fairfield became home for the next twenty-four years.
J e f f o w n e d a n d o p e r a t e d Mackenzies, a landmark restaurant in Old Greenwich for over two decades, before deciding it was time for a fresh start and began volunteering for Pegasus, a therapeutic riding program in Brewster, NY.
J u m p i n g h e a d f i r s t a t t h i s opportunity to give back, Jeff found an unbridled passion and a special gift working with the special needs community and the horses with which he facilitated connections. With his enthusiastic devotion, caring,
There is only one place in Greenwich where you will find a family of Licensed Funeral Directors, nurtured over 4-generations.
In addition to his w ife, he is survived by his step-children, their spouses and their children: H. Morrow Long and his wife Amy, and Benjamin, Ethan and Michaela of Hamden, Lisa Hothem Mendis and her husband, David Mendis, and Daniel and Riley Hot hem, K at her i ne a nd Ma r t ha Mendis of Arlington, VA, Bonnie Gorman and her husband Dr. Bryan Gorman, and Liam and Colin of Laurel, MD, Kimmo Long and his wife, Najla Alrawan, and Yasmina of Columbia, MD, four generations of nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by sisters; Teodolinda Giordano, Eleanora Rovello, Dolores Pellegrino, Ann Mathews and Angelina Scinto, and brothers, Joseph, Mario and Anthony Mainiero.
The youngest of nine children, he was born in St. Vincent Hospital, Bridgeport, (hence his f irst name) whereas all his siblings were born in Italy because, although his father was a naturalized American citizen. While living in Italy, his father was forcibly drafted into the Italian Army in World War I, was gassed and a prisoner of war. Having served in a foreign army, he lost his American citizenship. It took his father 25 years to get back into the United States with Vin's siblings. In gratitude, his father added America as Vin's middle name.
A memorial service for Vin may be held at a later date. Burial will be in his wife's family plot in Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his name to the Yale Cancer Center, PO BOX 208028, New Haven, CT 06520 for cancer research.
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