Goodnight Moon
A crescent moon rises over the Saugatuck River as evening falls over Westport. Photo by Nancy Lally for WestportLocal.com
Lynda Crawford Abshire, 82, Died; Gifted Musician, Westporter
Lynda Crawford Abshire passed away in Westport, CT on Wednesday July 20, 2022 after a long struggle with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Lynda was born in Pecos, TX on March 5, 1940, and was the only child of Jo and Vernon Crawford.
A sensitive and gifted musician, Lynda graduated from the University of North Texas in 1962, majoring in Music. She went on to earn two masters degrees in arts-related disciplines.
In addition to keyboards, Lynda was also an accomplished recorder player and classical singer, specializing in baroque recorder and chamber choral music. While living in Atlanta, Lynda sang with Robert Shaw's Atlanta Symphony Chorus. After moving to Westport, CT from Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2009, Lynda joined the Southern Connecticut Camerata, with whom she sang in many public concerts. She also performed frequently in the Connecticut area with the Dolce Ensemble.
Lynda also enjoyed performing as an actor with community musical theater groups. In 2012, she performed the role of Joanne in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company" with the Westport Community Theater, which Lynda described as, "The role of a lifetime."
Lynda was a lifelong Democrat and the longstanding companion of Sandra Wagenfeld of Westport, CT. Lynda is survived by her sons Gary Vern Abshire and Michael Krystian Abshire, as well as by her former husband, Robert Abshire, all of Fort Worth, Texas. Lynda specifically wished to express her deep gratitude to Wendy Awa, David Lassow, Martha Scales, and Valerie Wagenfeld for the devoted care they have given her during her illness.
Saturday Sunset along Compo Beach Road
Tonight’s sunset was marked by orange skies and the silhouettes of the egrets patiently waiting in the shallows. Photo by Nancy Lally for Westportlocal.com.
William Bradford Sowik, Staples Grad, Air Force Veteran, Died
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of William Bradford Sowik on July 13, 2022. He passed away peacefully after a 5 year battle with cancer.
He will be deeply missed by his wife of almost 50 years, Sherri, his sons, Jason (Samantha) and Jeremy (Olivia) and grandchildren Kingston and Noah; sister Sharene Chiaia (Louie), and his cousins Frank and Ellen, nieces and nephews and many extended family members.
Born and raised in CT, Bill spent many summers out at Cockenoe Island, graduated from Staples High School and graduated from UConn with a degree in Environmental Sciences. He was a veteran of the U. S. Air Force. He jogged for many years and enjoyed playing golf and had the highlight of hitting a hole in one in 2012. He worked for many years for the State of CT monitoring air quality as a field technician at the DEEP.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT on Saturday, August 6th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will always be grateful to the staff of Dr. Joseph McLaughlin at the John DeQuattro Cancer Center and Bill's hospice team as well as family and many friends who were there for us.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made online to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (www.pcf.org). If mailing, the address is 1250 Fourth Street, 3rd Floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Please reference Bill's name "in memory" in either the online or sent donation. Inform them of your name and address so they can notify the family of your donation. Also, donations can be made to Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut to enable donations of medical supplies for people who need them at www.echn.org. Please write checks out to VNHSC Hospice and send to VNHSC Hospice, 8 Keynote Drive, Vernon, CT 06066. For complete obituary and online condolences, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com.