JoAnn Adamski Rogers, 82, Died; “a sassy woman”; Loving “Nana” to 3 Grandchildren
ObituaryJoAnn Adamski Rogers, 82, of Westport, CT peacefully passed away in her home Friday, November 26, 2021. JoAnn was born on June 19, 1939 in Binghamton, NY to Edward and Angelina Adamski.
She married her loving husband and one true love, Edward Rogers, on June 20, 1959. They spent the next 62 years together until her passing, their love never wavering.
JoAnn is remembered with love by her two daughters, Michelle Byrne and Karen Houseworth, sons-in-law Eugene Byrne and Mark Yingling, three grandchildren Lauren Byrne, Sydney and Edward Houseworth, her brother-in-law Bill Bennett, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her beloved sister, MaryLou Bennett.
JoAnn was a dedicated wife and mother, first and foremost. She treasured her family and embraced every moment with them. She especially loved her role as Nana, a name her grandchildren affectionately gave to her. JoAnn was full of life, her home was always the "place to be" as she made everyone feel welcomed.
She loved to cook; it was one of the many ways she showed her love.
She was a sassy woman, known for her strong-willed and sometimes stubborn ways, she liked to do things her way, and was usually right anyway.
She loved to bowl, read, play bridge, golf, go to the casino, and enjoy time with her girlfriends. But above all her family was everything to her.
JoAnn gave strength a new meaning. She battled extreme chronic pain and health conditions, never once complaining or showing any signs of weakness. JoAnn smiled through it and continued to put everyone before herself. She was selfless in everything she did. Her faith as a devout Catholic guided and comforted her.
JoAnn lived her life with grace, dignity, and love. Her legacy will live on in those who knew her. She will be greatly missed.
There will be calling hours at Lesko & Polke Funeral Home, 1209 Post Road, in Fairfield Center from 3-7 p.m. on Friday, December 3rd.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Luke's Parish, 49 North Turkey Hill Rd., Westport, CT, on Saturday December 4th at 11:30 a.m.
Burial will follow in Willowbrook Cemetery, Westport.
Memorial contributions in JoAnn's honor may be directed to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. www.stjude.org/donate
For travel directions or to sign her online guest registry, please visit www.LeskoPolkeFuneralHome.com
Jeffrey Davenport West, 73, Died; “Our fearless Captain”, Former OAK Investment Firm Member
Obituary
Jeffrey Davenport West, of Stuart, Florida passed away at Memorial Herman Hospital in Houston, Texas on September 24, 2021 after a long battle with cancer. He was born in New York City in 1948 and grew up in Teaneck and Englewood, New Jersey. He was the oldest of four sons to parents Davenport and Patrica Salter West.
Jeff is survived by his wife Kay West, his step-daughter Amanda Breese, his son Davenport West IV, daughter-in-law Renee West, and two grandsons, Grayson and Ryland West. Jeff is also survived by three younger brothers, Nicholas, Andrew, and Eric West.
Jeff attended the Dwight Englewood School in Englewood, NJ and the Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut. Jeff earned a BA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1971 and an MA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University 1972.
Jeff had a lifelong love of the ocean, sailing, and fishing, which he acquired from summers on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In the 1960s, as a member of Stone Horse Yacht Club, he became a well-respected competitive sailor.
He was first employed by the Xerox Corporation in Rochester, NY. He and his family purchased a farmstead in Sodus, New York. Much sweat and love went into the renovation of the house and property, which was fondly called Crumble Farm.
In the 1980s, Jeff was hired by OAK Investment Partners, a venture capital investment firm based in Westport, Connecticut. There, living with first wife, Valerie Kinnicutt and young son Davenport, he was able to return to his favorite hobbies, boating and fishing. He became especially interested in pursuing billfish through charters with well-known captains fishing on the edge of the continental shelf and offshore canyons.
Eventually, Jeff took a new job opportunity with OAK to move his family to Atherton, California, spearheading their Silicon Valley investment initiatives in the eighties. After many successful years in California, he decided to make the move to fulfill his ultimate life dream. He moved to St. John, US Virgin Islands and started an independent sportfishing enterprise, taking advantage of the one of the prime billfishing areas in the world. His 48' Garlington sportfishing boat, "Courtesan," was well known in the Caribbean sportfishing circuit. Jeff's fishing adventures took him to many exotic destinations, including Venezuela, where he married Kay Allen Breese in 1997.
He had no lack of eager visitors to his paradise in St. John. Jeff and his wife Kay hosted many family events and holiday parties over the years at their compound in Chocolate Hole. Although Jeff's mother loved visiting, she made it earsplittingly clear that she was not fond of the 45 degree incline jeep-ride up and down the mountain.
After many years, he and his family left the Virgin Islands and moved to Cape Cod where he renovated several houses, and also acquired his real estate license. Eventually, he made a final move to Florida in 2004. Of course, never able to take a rest from his entrepreneurial spirit, he purchased an historic residential property called EdenLawn Plantation near his home in Stuart, Florida.
Jeff is loved and will be sorely missed by his family and friends. He will live with us always as beloved husband, father, brother, and friend. He was often a mentor and certainly imbued his love of the ocean to his son Davenport. Above all, we will remember him as our fearless "Captain."
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