Obituaries - Sept. 3, 2010

Zofia D. Bruno

Zofia D. Bruno, 87, a former Greenwich resident of Storrs and wife of the late John J. Bruno, passed away after a prolonged illness on Aug. 27, 2010.

She was born in Rawszczyzna, Poland on Dec. 21, 1922 to Florian and Katarzyna Kopacz Dec.

She is survived by her children, Mary K. Bruno and John S. Bruno of Storrs, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her three sisters: Joanna Mary Bukowski, Marie Jablonski Leonard and Aniela Ledwos.

A Mass of Christian burial was held at the St. Thomas of Aquinas Chapel, 46 North Eagleville Rd. Storrs, on Aug. 31. Burial followed at Storrs Cemetery, Storrs.

The family would like to express their thanks to the nursing staff at Mansfield Center for its excellent care and the nurses at Windham Hospital as well as Dr. Hollister, Dr. Pincus, Dr. Siefert, and Dr. Dibala.

Memorial contributions may be made in her honor to the Mansfield Center for Nursing and Rehab, 100 Warren Circle, Mansfield, CT 06268; or St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel, 46 North Eagleville Rd., Storrs, CT 06268; or Sacred Heart Church, 40 Gold St. Greenwich, CT 06830.

To leave an online condolence, visit www.pietrasfuneralhome.com.

Elsa Capozza

Elsa Capozza, 90, of Greenwich passed away on Aug. 28, 2010 surrounded by her family.

She was born in Morra De Sanctis, Italy on Dec. 15, 1920 to Rocco and Maria DiSanto and immigrated to the United States in 1966.

She loved cooking, gardening, having visitors at her home, and taking care of her grandchildren. She especially enjoyed all of her photos, which held special memories for her.

Capozza is survived by her three sons: Gerardo, Michele and Ugo; her three daughters: Maria, Lucia and Concetta; 18 grandchildren: Alfredo, Rocco, Gina, Elsa, Angela, Lisa, Joseph, Ricky, Gerry Jr., Jennifer, Antonio, Amie, Christopher, Ricky, Timothy, Matthew, Ashly and Jason; and 10 great-grandchildren: Christina, Alexandra, Nicole, Briana, Nicolas, Francesca, Daniel, Joseph and Sofia and Alexa.

She was predeceased by her husband, Rocco Capozza, and a daughter, Agnes Josephine.

A Mass of Christian burial was held on Sept. 1 at St. Roch Church. Entombment followed in St. Mary Cemetery in Greenwich.

Charles A. Caruso

Charles A. Caruso, 48, passed away on Aug. 25, 2010, surrounded by his family.

Funeral services were held on Aug. 28 at the Castiglione Funeral Home, Inc., 134 Hamilton Ave. in Greenwich. Internment followed in St. Mary Cemetery in Greenwich.

Roy Leonard Dalman

Roy Leonard Dalman, 73, a Greenwich native of Asheville, N.C., passed away Aug. 27, 2010 at CarePartners Hospice after a long battle with cancer.

Dalman was born Feb. 2, 1937 in Greenwich. The son of Swedish immigrants, Dalman also celebrated his Swedish heritage throughout his life. After graduating from Greenwich High School, he earned a liberal arts degree from Westchester Community College.

A carpenter by trade and later a project manager and building estimator, Dalman practiced his skills in Fairfield County and Westchester County, N.Y. He was a lifelong member of the Connecticut Carpenters Union.

He was also an avid hobbyist who collected stamps and coins, painted in oils and built stained glass.

A lifelong resident of Greenwich, Dalman retired to Asheville in 2002.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Thomasina; a son Bob and and daughter-in-law Peggy Dalman and their two children, Mari and Kira, all of Asheville; and a granddaughter and her husband, Kristina and Matthew Harding of Winston-Salem. He was predeceased by his daughter, Kim L. Nicholas of Winston-Salem, N.C.

A funeral service was held on Sept. 1 in the Chapel of Morris Funeral Home, with the Rev. Christopher Webb officiating. Burial will follow at Riverside Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to CarePartners Hospice Center of Asheville, P.O. Box 5779, Asheville, NC 28813, or to the American Cancer Society . Morris Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be sent to www.morrisfamilyfuneralhome.com.

Roberta Davis

Roberta Davis, 69, a retired Greenwich high school teacher, has died. She is survived by her husband Gerard; a daughter, Sima, and her husband, Chip Farmer; and four grandchildren: Lily, Henry, Anna and Olivia.

Services were held Aug. 30 in the Fred D. Knapp & Son Funeral Home in Greenwich. Interment was private. Memorial conributions may be made to the Greenwich Scholorship Assocation, c/o Greenwich United Way, 1 Lafayette Place, Greenwich, CT 06831.

Thomas I. Parkinson

Thomas I. Parkinson, Jr., 96, of Stamford passed away at his home on Aug. 9, 2010.

He was born in New York City on Jan. 27, 1914 to Thomas and Georgia Weed Parkinson. He graduated from Horace Mann, Harvard University magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

He was formerly a partner in the New York City law firm, Milbank Tweed Hadley McCloy LLC and later was president and then chairman of the board of Breecom Corporation. He also served as a director of the Foreign Policy Association and the Milbank Memorial Fund.

A classical scholar and man of letters, he enjoyed writing poetry and published a biography about his father. He was a voracious reader until he lost his sight. Prior to that, gardening and travel were also among his greatest pleasures, his family said, and was known to all as the consummate gentleman.

Parkinson was a member of the Knickerbocker Club, the Union Club and the Down Town Association in New York City, and was formerly a member of the Piping Rock Club on Long Island.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Geralda Moore Parkinson; two sons, Thomas III, of Lansdale, Pa. and Geoffrey and his wife Betsy of Greenwich; a daughter, Cynthia, and her husband Jan Noreke of Westport; six grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

There will be a memorial service and celebration of Parkinson's life on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010, at 11 a.m. in the Stanwich Chapel at the Center for Hope and Renewal, 237 Taconic Road, in Greenwich.

Paulette Kraemer Tholen

Paulette Kraemer Tholen, 84, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Aug. 3, 2010 after a short battle with cancer.

She was born on May 25, 1926 in Esbjerg, Denmark to Paul and Anna Schmidt Kraemer and spent the first ten years of her life in Geneva, Switzerland, where her father worked for the League of Nations. Some of her favorite memories were from this period of her life. Her father's premature death resulted in the family moving back to Denmark.

After World War II, Tholen volunteered with the Quaker Friends Service Committee to help rebuild bombed areas. It was during this time that she met Lambert Tholen, whom she married in 1953. The couple emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Old Greenwich in 1967. After her husband predeceased her in 1970, Tholen single-handedly raised two children.

She enjoyed swimming, writing, painting and walks in nature.

She is survived by her two children, Christina and Paul Tholen.

A private burial was held on Aug. 10. A memorial service will be held on Sept. 25 at 11 a.m. at First Congregational Church, 108 Sound Beach Drive, in Old Greenwich. Flowers are accepted, or, in lieu of flowers, a memorial donation may be made to a charity of one's choice.

John Tucker Wilson

John Hill Tucker Wilson, 76, an investment banker who spent 33 years with Morgan Stanley before pursuing a second, 17-year career in public service and philanthropy, died on Aug. 12, 2010 at his home in Greenwich after a five-year battle with cancer.

Wilson was born on May 24, 1934 in Charlotte, N.C. He graduated in 1956 from Princeton University with a bachelor of arts degree in history, magna cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. In 1960, he graduated from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He served in U.S. Army Intelligence from 1956 - 8.

In 1962, Mr. Wilson married Sandra Wilson (no relation) of Rye, N.Y. This marriage of almost five decades, his family said, was a fortress of love and support not only for themselves, but for their children, grandchildren and the large number of friends the union touched in their 48 years together.

During his career at Morgan Stanley from 1960- 93, Wilson was a managing director and served in many capacities, including head of the Financial Institutions Group and co-head of the Investment Banking Division.

In 2005, he was one of the "Group of Eight" -- former senior executives of Morgan Stanley and shareholders who organized to express their concern over the leadership, governance and direction of the firm.

Wilson's charitable endeavors included his service as trustee, and for five years chairman of Environmental Defense, a leading advocate for environmental causes.

He also served as a trustee of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and as Chairman of the Union Settlement Association in East Harlem.

Wilson was an advisory board member of the Princeton University Environmental Institute and a co-founder and director and officer of Classroom, Inc., an NGO that developed innovative technologically-based teaching methods for use in public schools nationwide.

A resident of Greenwich for more than 45 years, Wilson served on the board of trustees of Greenwich Hospital from 1993 -- 2006 and was chairman of the board of trustees of Brunswick School from 1987-9. He was also co-president, with his wife, Sandra, of the PTA at North Street School from 1981-2 and coached the Greenwich Grenadiers youth football team for many years while his sons participated in the program.

Throughout his life, Wilson distinguished himself through force of intellect, boundless energy, innate leadership, extraordinary sense of humor and, most importantly, kindness and concern for relatives and friends, his family said.

He will be remembered particularly for the care and support he gave to his wife, family, friends and the community throughout and despite his health challenges in recent years and his ability to find contentment, even happiness, in the most challenging of circumstances.

Wilson is survived by his wife Sandra; four children: Tucker, Will, Emily and David; and 10 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Sept. 24 at noon at the Round Hill Community Church, 395 Round Hill Road, in Greenwich.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make donations to any of Wilson's causes cited above.