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.
Westport Neighbors Celebrate Eloise Reilly on 102nd Birthday
Community Gallery: The Great Duck Race 2022
All photos by WestportLocal.com. Click to enlarge photos.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 82. Northeast wind around 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 62. South wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 13 mph.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 67. South wind 6 to 11 mph.
High Tides
8:31 AM / 8:52 PM
Low Tides
2:31 AM / 2:38 PM
Wakeman Family Fun Day Attracts Countless Smiles
Today’s Wakeman Family Fun Day at Wakeman Farm (11:00-3:00) attracted countless families. The pizza, Saugatuck Sweets ice cream stand, face painting, butterfly and pollinator garden station, Westport Book Shop, and a variety of other activities drew in large crowds. Photos and words by Cami Vynerib.
Lucky Duck: Westporter Wins 2022 Great Duck Race, $5,000 Prize, with Duck #410
Janet Mittleman, a Westporter for 32 years, was this year’s Lucky Duck as her rubber ducky won the Westport Rotary’s Great Duck Race today on Jesup Green. Mittleman and her five year old grandson James Gladstein were all smiles as they came to claim their prize from First Selectwoman Jen Tooker and members of the Westport Rotary clubs after their duck, #410, made its way the fastest down the manmade river - with water supplied by Westport firefighters. Thousands of ducks took the plunge today from the bucket of an AJ Penna frontloader, with every duck randomly assigned a number that corresponded to a donor’s ticket. All money collected from the duck race goes back into the community as the funding supports numerous non-profit organizations and local events through the Westport Rotaries. WestportLocal.com photo
Runners (floaters?) up for this year’s race included:
Nick Battaglino
Anna Brady
Rob Graham
Alexnder Strompen
Tracey Cauley
Wen Hsu
Rady Johnson
Jason Wolgast
Silvia Durno
Morning Weather Report
Today
A slight chance of showers between 8am and 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tomorrow
Sunny, with a high near 81. Northeast wind around 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
High Tides
7:29 AM / 7:54 PM
Low Tides
1:30 AM / 1:38 PM
Cribari Bridge Opens as Saugatuck Tradition Continues
The William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge over the Saugatuck River opened this evening for boat traffic, a tradition for the historical swing bridge spanning over 100 years. Constructed in 1884 and renovated in 1993 - the bridge originally was operated manually, with a large bar being pushed by hand to rotate the bridge on its track. Now powered by a motor, the operation requires State Department of Transportation personnel to man the bridge and operate the motor - which can open and close the bridge in about five minutes as boat traffic passes alongside it. Maintenance has kept the bridge working efficiently, though in moments when the motor failed - the original manual operation still can be seen observed from the riverbank. Despite its age, the bridge opens up throughout the summer months when high tides force up-river boats to request passage, sometimes several times each week. Click here for more information on the Route 136 bridge. WestportLocal.com photo
Margaret Murphy Pettit, 90, Died; “She was THE Good Will Ambassador!”
Margaret Murphy Pettit (Peggy, Maggie, Mom, Nanny) of Naples, FL, Westport, CT and Scituate, MA, age 90 passed away peacefully with loving family by her side.
Peggy was married to her high school sweetheart, best friend, and love of her life, Ray (Moose) Pettit for 64 years. She was born in Waterbury, CT to Margaret (Moore) and Eugene Murphy. She attended school in Waterbury, was President of her class at Waterbury Catholic High School, and attended Post College.
She was the loving and proud mother of five: Stephen (who predeceased her in 2004) (Beverly) Pettit, Chesterfield, MO, Linda (John) Barbosa, Brookfield CT, Susan (Joe) Colasurdo, Westport CT, Eileen (AnneMarie) Pettit, Naples, FL, and Kathleen Pettit, Scituate MA and Naples, FL. Also survived by eight grandchildren: Tom (Lynze) Pettit, Jennifer (Brett) Woodis, Michael (Haydee) Pettit, Meghan (Peter) Salonia, Laura (Ben) Young, Conor (Carolyn) Colasurdo, Casey (Jessica) Colasurdo, and Chase Pettit Colasurdo. Peggy was also the Great Grandmother to eleven. She leaves a sister, Evelyn (Roland) LaPerriere, a brother-in-law, Reverend Joseph Pettit, and several beloved nieces and nephews.
Peggy was active in many charitable organizations throughout the years while raising her five children. Ray's career took them to homes in New York and Connecticut. She was the Chair of the American Red Cross Motor Services of Schenectady, NY, as well as serving as Chair of the Corporate Gifts for the United Way of Schenectady. She was selected as Volunteer of The Year by the American Red Cross of Syracuse, NY. Peggy taught religious education in Syracuse, NY, and Weston, CT. She also served as Vice-Chair of the Norwalk (CT) Hospital Gift Shop for over 10 years.
Peggy and Ray were philanthropists to many charities, most notably Naples Hospital Heart Institute, Norwalk (CT) Hospital, St Mary's Hospital (Waterbury, CT), St Raphael's Hospital (New Haven, CT), ST Louis University High School, Bucknell University, and Stonehill College. She was honored to be named a Lifetime Medical Diplomat of Naples Community Hospital Healthcare System.
Her greatest joy was having her family together.......and of course making reservations! Peggy loved traveling and was fortunate to see much of the world with Ray's career taking them to many countries across the globe. She was THE Good Will Ambassador! She loved playing golf with her wonderful friends of the 9-hole ladies' group at Royal Poinciana Golf Club (Naples, FL) and The Country Club of Waterbury (CT). She also enjoyed modeling in the Royal Poinciana Annual Fashion Show and participating in many activities at the Naples Yacht Club.
Arrangements - Visitation for Mrs. Pettit will be held on Sunday, July 10, 2022, from 4 to 6 pm at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home of Cheshire, 615 S. Main St. On Monday morning her funeral procession will leave the funeral home at 9:15 am and proceed to St. Bridget of Sweden Parish - St. Bridget Church for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 am. Entombment will follow in the Queen of Peace Mausoleum in Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a charity very close to her heart, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306. For online condolences, to share a photo or a story, please visit www.fordfh.com.
Westport COVID-19 Cases Up 4; State Hospitalizations, Positivity Rate Up
The State Department of Public Health reported 4 more COVID-19 cases in Westport over the past day. The State’s daily test positivity rate was up to 10.84% while hospitalizations were up to 280 throughout the State.
Westport total positive or probable cases: 5,371 cases.
Westport total COVID-19 Deaths: 37 deaths
State Daily Test Positivity: 10.84% [up from 10.64%]
State COVID-19 Hospitalizations: 280 patients [+16 patients]
“The Delamar Hotel Westport”: Westport Inn Makeover will go before P and Z Commission in September
Click to enlarge artist rendering. Westport Planning & Zoning Department Press ReleasePlanning and Zoning Director Mary Young has announced that the proposal to upgrade the Westport Inn at 1595 Post Road East will NOT be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission on July 11, 2022, as recently reported in the media. The public hearing is postponed to September 12, 2022.
P&Z Director Mary Young identified the plans originally submitted included both hotel rooms and housing units. The project was subsequently revised to exclude the housing units. The current proposal is to redevelop the existing 116 room Hotel to 85 rooms. Site improvements include the addition/expansion of landscaped areas, a new 3-story addition, demolition of the front building, minor additions to the rear building, pool and rear dining terrace, and driveway/ parking improvements. To facilitate the proposed changes, Text Amendment #818 was filed to create appropriate standards for the redevelopment and site design. All application materials can be viewed on the Town of Westport’s website here.
Rick Redniss, Principal Planner at Redniss and Mead, and Bruce Beinfield, Founding Principal of Beinfield Architects, are the consultants assisting WI Associates, the new property owners, to convert the Westport Inn into the “The Delamar Hotel Westport.”