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at 10 a.m. The service will be 30 minutes and will include prayer, music, a moment of silence, and words from Rev. Collins. A special dedication of a flowering tree will be made to honor the memory of Greenwich residents who lost their lives that day.
It seems everyone has a story from the night of September 1, 2021, when Ida arrived dumping 8 inches of rain within hours.
Most stories include flooded basements or small streams and ponds appearing in their yards.
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Some, like on Dearfield Drive, include a sink hole under the road which made the front page of the Sentinel last week.
On Sunday, Stephanie Dunn Ashley, CEO for the American Red Cross Metro NY North Chapter, and a resident of Cos Cob, had been with the teams, going door to door and speaking with neighbors. She had just returned from giving out flood cleanup kits and surveying damage in the Pemberwick section of Greenwich.
The stories she heard and the damage she saw left her visibly shaken.
“It’s really heartbreaking to speak with families that have emptied the contents of their home on to their front yards. The families are worried and unsure what to do, and this is where the Red Cross can help,” she said.
Residents ranged from angry to grateful. Some were still in shock. Overall neighborhoods are coming together to help one another. "Usually we get an automated emergency call," said Stephanie Belmonte, who barely escaped her first floor apartment with her 1 year old daughter and 5 year old son. "There was nothing from anybody. It is a good thing we weren't sleeping."
She was grateful though that no one in her family was hurt. Things can be replaced she said, "but it is still a devastating loss. My son, who is five, doesn't really understand the fact that this kind of stuff happens. He just knows that he lost everything."
Stephanie lost all her furniture, her high chair, her cribs, her children's toys, everything - now in a pile in her front yard. She wanted to get it out of the house quickly to avoid the spread of mold but says she cannot completely get it into a dumpster yet because the insurance company is insisting on seeing it upon inspection. "With insurance, there is a lot of being left on hold."
She did manage to save her son and daughter's beta fish, Sparkles and Pikachu before the water engulfed everything else - it took about 20 minutes before the water was overhead. "There has been a lot of crying," she said. "We all need to take turns when someone needs to step away from the kids so they don't see it."
Nearly a week after the storm hit, another woman, Suzanne, was still pumping muddy water out of her home.
One resident, Matt Slater, who had moved in just a few months earlier, was in remarkably high spirits. Although his entire basement was nearly submerged and two workers from landscaping companies peeled off drywall, collected insulation, and ripped out carpet that was ruined by all of the flooding, he remained optimistic. "Everybody's been great. The neighbors have been great," he said. His neighbor across the street, whose slightly higher elevation spared them from damage, have been grilling burgers and hotdogs every night and feeding the others who
By Stephanie Johnson
As the summer winds down, I’ve been catching up with people about their summer. Many have mentioned that it was busier than they ever remember. Some took the past months, as the pandemic seemed to ease, as a wonderful opportunity to fill their social calendars that had been void of engagements for nearly 18 months. Others happily jumped into an increase in children activities which has also been put on hold for so long. Reconnecting with family has been prioritized, even if travel has proven sometimes to be challenging. The August lament of “I’ve been so busy where has the summer gone” seems to have reached a peak this past week.
In the midst of all this energy, I hear a wistfulness for the lazy, hazy days of summer…lying in hammocks rather than sitting in cars, sipping lemonade on the front porch rather than grabbing a to-go coffee, and long BBQ dinners on the patio rather than a last minute pizza. Perhaps this longing is a false sense of nostalgia that never really was part of our summer, but a collective hunger for something else. I’ve begun to wonder if our deepest longings are a desire for life-sustaining rest in the midst of fear, uncertainty and hyper-activity. For me, this type of rest is “Sabbath rest.”
Sabbath is an important biblical theme. God rested on the final day after Creation after all God’s work. (Genesis 2:2-3 ) In the Book of Leviticus (25:3-5) we read that a year of Sabbath should be given to the land as even the soil needs renewal. In the Ten Commandments, the third Commandment requires us to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
This past summer I was blessed by our church leadership with the gift of a sabbatical, an extended time for Sabbath rest. For six weeks, I stepped back from the blessedness of daily ministry to rest, renew and reflect. For my sabbatical focus I used the Biblical passage “Be Still and Know that I am God” (Psalm 46: 10) allowing me the freedom to be present in the moment, giving up the stress of the past years and pushing away worries of the future. I wandered in parks, forests and beaches for hours with no plan. I sat for long periods of time listening to the rain (which we had plenty of!) or watching the birds and rabbits frolic in my backyard.
I understand that it is an incredible privilege and rarity to have such an abundance of time to be still. Yet I can’t help but wonder if an intentional spiritual practice of Sabbath rest – a few hours every week or even a full day every month- would offer a beautiful space for renewal and restoration. Sabbath rest deepens our relationship with God and leaves us energized for the joy and challenges of our daily lives. Sabbath rest should be considered as important as work.
Numerous books and blogs have been written about the spiritual practice of Sabbath rest. But the best way is to just do it – put Sabbath rest on your calendar like any other appointment and turn off your phone and laptop. See and smell the abundance outside in God’s creation. Sit quietly in a House of Worship or in a room in your home. Breathe deeply. Pray. Push worries and preoccupations out of your mind. Be still. Then repeat regularly. Imagine how future summers, and in fact all the seasons of our lives, could be if we rested regularly with God and were restored for the journey through life.
Reverend Stephanie M. Johnson is the Rector of St. Paul's in Riverside.
OBITUARIES
Mary Baker
Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Mary York Reidy Baker passed away at home in Old Greenwich on Sept. 4, after a long illness.
Born in Manhattan on Aug. 3, 1939, she was the only child of the late Marian Lochen Reidy and Maurice Prendergast Reidy. Known as York, she spent her childhood in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. She graduated from Manhattanville College in 1960 and attended Georgetown University as a graduate fellow in European History.
After graduation, York began a twenty-year career with Business International Inc., a publishing and advisory firm dedicated to assisting American companies in operating abroad. While at BI, she authored a research paper, Organizing the Worldwide Corporation.
In 1968, York and Frederick Lloyd Baker, III, were married at St. Thomas More Church in New York. Two years later they moved to Tokyo where their first two children were born. While in Tokyo, in addition to her professional activities, York served on the board of the Tokyo American Club and authored the club's successful cookbook series, In a Tokyo Kitchen.
Returning to the U.S. in 1974, the Bakers resided in Riverside, where York took on a robust agenda of volunteerism. She served as the VP of Finance for the Greenwich YWCA, chairman of Hotline, president of the Riverside School PTA, and member of the United Way Finance Committee.
A surprise move back to Tokyo in 1983 shook things up for York. She put her talent and business experience to work by co-founding Tokyo Orientations, with friends. Tokyo Orientations is a relocation consulting firm supporting expatriates of multinational corporations in their moves to and from Japan. Even with the success of her business, York continued her dedication to volunteerism, becoming a trustee of the American School in Japan, which her children attended, and president of its PTA. She also rejoined the board of the Tokyo American Club.
After returning to Greenwich in 1989, York spent eighteen years in development at the Bruce Museum. Her tenure as Director of Development saw significant growth to the Museum's endowment as well as its cultural reach. Her achievements were recognized in 2006 when she won the YWCA's BRAVA award for women's commitments to philanthropy and community service.
After retiring from the Bruce, York returned to volunteerism, becoming a member of the Flinn Gallery, the nonprofit exhibition space at Greenwich Library, where she volunteered from 2007 until 2021.
In the past twenty years York and Fred spent many leisure days in their vacation home in Vermont where they enjoyed skiing, hiking and entertaining family and friends. They were usually accompanied by one of a series of pet rescue dogs which they adopted.
In addition to her husband, York is survived by two sons and a daughter and their spouses. They are Frederick Baker and Kerry Nolan of Brooklyn; Marian and Jason McNaughton of San Francisco; Tim Baker and Nina Ercklentz of Old Greenwich. She is also survived by seven beloved grandchildren, whose visits York cherished: Laurel and Fian Baker of Miami; Whitney, Kelly, and Matthew McNaughton of San Francisco; Reese and Brooks Baker of Old Greenwich.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bruce the Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT, 06830; or Stowe Land Trust, Stowe, VT, 05672.
A memorial service was held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Riverside on Thursday, Sept. 9.
Margaret McIllaney
Margaret Carr McIllaney passed away peacefully with her daughters Karen and Tricia by her side on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Margaret was born on April 1, 1934 in Rutherglen, Glasgow Scotland to Henry and Margaret Carr. She was born into what would become a very large Catholic family. Margaret immigrated to New York in 1952 and later moved to Greenwich in 1964 where she resided until her passing.
Although living 15 minutes from each other in Scotland, Margaret met her future husband at a dance in Greenwich Connecticut. They fell in love and she married Patrick McIllaney, on Oct. 22, 1962. Margaret "Maggie" worked at Innis Arden Golf Club for many years and retired from the club in 2003. She loved spending time playing with her grandchildren and teaching them wee Scottish songs from her childhood. Margaret was a loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt and friend.
Known for her clever quick wit and warm smile, she created a life filled with laugher, love and close friends. She loved to travel, especially back to her home in Scotland where she had friends and relatives that adored her. In this country, she had met Scottish immigrants like herself with whom she
developed an immediate bond that lasted over 65 years. She could be often found at Byram Beach with her circle of friends around her. She was a kind women who cared for her family and friends deeply and always ready to lend a hand or bring laughter to a soul. In her last days, she was surrounded by the love and caring of her family and Scottish community that she held so dear. Her memory will remain in the hearts of her daughters, Karen (John) Brooks of Las Vegas, Nevada and Patricia (Marek) Maczuga of Greenwich, CT. She will also be missed by her 5 grandchildren Megan, Christopher, Tyler, Brian and Kasey as well her sister Elizabeth Bain (Tam) and brother John Carr (Maureen) of Rutherglen, Glasgow Scotland. She is predeceased by by her husband Patrick McIllaney.
Calling hours were Friday, Sept. 3 at Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, Greenwich. A funeral mass occured Saturday, Sept. 4 at Sacred Heart Parish, Greenwich.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial donation to St Jude Children's Research Hospital. Stjude. org.
Hans Storr
Hans Storr, for 17 years the Chief Financial Officer of Phillip Morris, masterminded the financing of the $5.6 billion acquisition of General Foods in 1984 and the $13.6 billion acquisition of Kraft four years later. But he spoke with more satisfaction of having been able to buy his little sister a green bicycle and his mother a Grundig radio before he left his native Germany as a 22 year old to try his luck in America.
He passed away peacefully on Aug. 31, aged 89, at his home in Greenwich, CT, of Alzheimer's. He was born on October 28, 1931, in Kirschweiler, a small hilly village in the west of Germany. Growing up, he was a scoring threat on the soccer field and a reader, with an interest in stories of the American west. When World War II interrupted his schooling, he and his buddies collected loose ammunition in the woods. He also studied the records in the attic of his parents' failed motorcycle dealership.
Interested in business, he wrangled a job at one of the American military bases in the area, helped by his ability to speak not only English but also French. In four weeks he learned the military's accounting system. His first job was overseeing a soda fountain. Within a year and a half he was running three clubs for American soldiers.
With a sponsorship, he came to America in 1954. He got a job doing bookkeeping at the Pfister hotel in Milwaukee and took accounting classes at the University of Wisconsin. Eight months in, his new country decided to draft him and send him to South Korea as part of the peacetime occupation.
Back in Milwaukee, he married Karin, a fellow German immigrant. They had a daughter, Suzanne. Karin passed away suddenly. On New Year's Eve 1964, he had a blind date with Carol Schoenfeld, a Wisconsin native. They married in 1965 and had two children, John and Tina.
In the meantime, Storr had finished his studies and gotten a job at Milprint, an industrial company in Milwaukee, with the help of a professor he had impressed. Shortly after he started there, Milprint was acquired by Phillip Morris, part of an early wave of diversification in the tobacco industry. Years later the joke at PM was that the one valuable thing they acquired from Milprint was Hans Storr.
His rise was rapid. In 1966 he moved to the Manhattan headquarters of PM. By 1973 he was the head of finance for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which meant living in Lausanne, Switzerland. By 1976 he was back at the HQ in NYC, as vicepresident of finance for Philip Morris International. In 1979 he was named the CFO, and in 1982 he became a member of the board of directors. He also created and headed up a new division, the Philip Morris Capital Corp. He credited his success to his ability to set up accounting systems, and to his study of international banks and currency movements.
After his retirement in 1996, he partnered with a hotel developer in Edwards, CO, founded the Hans Storr Professorship in International Finance at his alma mater, traveled with Carol to Egypt, Alaska, the North Atlantic, Australia, and Kenya, skied and played tennis and golf for as long as an old soccer injury to his knees would permit, and beat up on his children and grandchildren at trivial pursuit and backgammon. Carol and Hans enjoyed a long and prosperous partnership. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2015, before Carol passed away the next year.
Hans is survived by children Suzanne Storr of Greenwich, CT, John Hernandez-Storr (Luanne) of Pasadena, CA, and Tina Wilson (David) of Vail, CO; grandchildren Megan Carson, Colby and Nicole Wilson, Jonah and Naomi Storr, and Cassidy, Billie and Austin HernandezStorr; as well as many nephews, nieces, and friends.
Nancy Mathis
Nancy J. Mathis, 90, of Windham, CT passed away on Aug. 30. She was born on Dec. 16, 1930 in Greenwich, CT, daughter of Lloyd and Mary (Polaski) Juan.
Nancy worked for many years as a bookkeeper/accountant. A true beach lover, a wonderful conversationalist, caring shoulder and a cherished friend to all. To know Nancy was to love Nancy!
She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Smith of Windham, CT; son, John and his wife, Kendra of Providence Forge, VA; grandchildren, Hope Mathis, Jaime Krajewski and Jesse Ritch; three great-grandsons; one great-great-granddaughter; sister, Karen Mackewicz and her husband, Michael of Lebanon, CT; and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She was predeceased by her parents; sister, Linda and her husband, Richard Vertefeuillle; grandsons, Alan and Adam Ritch; and her grandson-inlaw, Robert Krajewski.
Nancy's funeral service will be Friday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., Willimantic. Her burial will be on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Cemetery, Greenwich.
Frank Petillo
Frank (a.k.a Francesco) Petillo, 80, died on Aug. 7 in Woodbury, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his children: Anthony Petillo and daughter-inlaw Anna of Woodbury, CT, Mary Majcherek and son-in-law Edward of Berlin, CT, and Frank Jr. of Stamford, CT, grandson: Micah Petillo, sister: Angela Pallonetto of Naples, Italy, cousins, nieces, nephews, and dog Lucky.
He was a long time resident of Stamford, CT and worked for the Town of Greenwich as a custodian for over 40 years. A celebration of life for Frank will be held at a later date.
Patricia Ferraro
Patricia Ferraro, a lifetime resident of Greenwich, passed away Sept. 3 after 102 beautiful years. She was born March 17, 1919, to Edward & Maryann Cooper.
Patricia was devoted to her family and was able to witness 4 generations grow throughout her lifetime. She was also an avid reader. Patricia is the beloved wife of the late Frank Ferraro.
She is survived by her cherished children, Robert Ferraro (Lynda), Frank Ferraro (Gail), Carol Ferraro (Peter Chonowski), 9 loving grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 3 great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter, Maryellen.
To honor Patricia's life, family and friends gathered on Tuesday at Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home, Greenwich. Funeral services will be conducted privately.
Obituaries in the Greenwich Sentinel are free of charge. To submit an obituary please email Caroll@GreenwichSentinel. com.
Answers to Puzzles on Pages 13 & 14.
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