It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear mother, Barbara (Dungan) Ciccaglione, on May 13, 2025, at the age of 86. Barbara was born in Hartford, August 6, 1938, daughter to the late Margery (Graves) and Francis Dungan …
Barbara leaves behind her four children; daughter Donna and son-in-law Dominic Maselli, of Old Lyme, sons, Raymond Ciccaglione, of New Britian, and Frank Ciccaglione, of Newington, daughter Lisa and son-in-law Ken Albert, of Somers; nine loving grandchildren … all who will miss her dearly. She also leaves behind ten great grandchildren; as well as her siblings …
For all that knew Barbara, she was a very private person. To respectfully honor her wishes, a private life tribute will be held at D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, Wethersfield for the immediate family …
OLD LYME— Wayne S. Kyder, 76, owner of CT Compass Service who took on a variety of hands-on challenges throughout his life, died April 21, 2025, after a long fight with Parkinson’s Disease. Born May 17, 1949, to David and Ada Kyder, he was also the stepson of Otto Rudolph Kyder. He grew up in Fair Haven and Branford.
Mr. Kyder was a U.S. Army medical soldier in Korea during the Vietnam War, noted for extraordinary courage while airlifting and transporting fallen soldiers.
He married Sarah Suderley Meneely in 1974; and she survives him. Other survivors are his brother David Kyder (Nancy) of North Haven; sister Sharon Hunt (John) of North Guilford; and three nephews …
Wayne faced Parkinson’s Disease with the same resilience that he brought to his military service and professional endeavors. He leaves behind a legacy of bravery, hard work and love …
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 31, at the Old Lyme First Congregational Church. Donations in his memory can be sent to Parkinson’s Disease research or Hospice.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Frank O. Nappi, of Bluffton, SC. Frank was born on June 12, 1938 in Derby, CT, he passed away on May 13, 2025, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Cynthia; his children: Jennifer (Jay), Frank (Jamie), Allison (Mark), and Linda (Beau); grandchildren … ; sisters-in-law; nieces and nephews: … and countless other family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his brothers …; sister-in-law … and brother-in-law …
He was a man of many roles including time as a barber, teacher, and principal. … He served as principal at North Haven, Lyme/Old Lyme, and Madison schools for over 20 years, where he influenced and impacted many students’ lives …
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on June 6, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Bluffton, SC …
Andrew Surprise will begin as executive director of the Greater Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce on June 2. Photo courtesy of the chamber.
OLD SAYBROOK–The Greater Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce has announced a new executive director.
Chamber Board of Directors President Kara Pachniuk in a Thursday letter to members said Andrew Surprise, who previously served as executive director of the Windsor Chamber of Commerce, will take over for Executive Director Judy Sullivan.
Pachniuk credited Sullivan with two decades of exceptional leadership.
“Judy’s dedication, vision, and tireless commitment have left a lasting legacy on our organization and the community we serve,” Pachniuk said. “We are immensely grateful for her service and the strong foundation she has built.”
The Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce merged with the Old Saybrook chamber in 2023.
Sullivan on Friday said Surprise will start work June 2. She will remain through June 30 to ease the transition.
Pachniuk said Surprise brings experience in chamber management, economic development, and community engagement.
She described Surprise as a strong leader who launched impactful workforce development initiatives and forged strong partnerships with major regional employers at the Windsor chamber. He previously revitalized the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce in Massachusetts, she said.
The search committee including the chamber president as well as Alex Foulkes, Brett Elliott, Sharon Lewis, Dave Carswell, Judy Sullivan, Lindsey Goergen, and Sally Ann Lee helped “identify the right leader to take the Chamber into its next chapter,” according to Pachniuk.
“We are confident that Andrew will build upon the Chamber’s legacy, advocate for our members, and lead with the same dedication and passion that Judy has demonstrated over the past two decades,” she said.
Christopher Gibbons has been named a National Merit Scholar. He is among 2,500 students with the “strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success” out of 15,000 finalists, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Photo courtesy of Lyme-Old Lyme High School.
OLD LYME–A Lyme-Old Lyme High School senior is among 2,500 National Merit Scholars honored as the most accomplished in their states.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation in a press release identified Christopher B. Gibbons, of Old Lyme, as one of 30 honorees from Connecticut to receive a $2,500 scholarship from the corporation.
The winners were chosen because they showed the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success out of the 15,000 finalists identified nationwide in this year’s contest, the nonprofit corporation said.
The corporation will continue to announce National Merit Scholars through July.
LOLHS guidance counselor Jo Williams in an email praised Gibbons’ “wonderful, curious mind.”
She described an intense schedule over the past several years that has helped prepare Gibbons to study linguistics at the University of British Columbia in Canada.
High school coursework included seven Advanced Placement and college-level classes, including AP Calculus as a sophomore.
Gibbons speaks Mandarin, Spanish and Polish in addition to English. He attended an ACES International trip to China over the April break that his guidance counselor described as “quite an immersion.”
Gibbons is a member of the National Honor Society, the Environmental and Community Service Club and the Chinese Honor Society. He volunteers at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library and was a Boy Scout from 2018 to 2024, achieving the Star Scout rank.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation said the number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.
The first group of appproximately 830 Merit Scholars was announced in April, the corporation said. About 360 more students will be announced in June and July.
As part of a years-long process, the corporation said the current swath of National Merit Scholars were first identified beginning in October 2023 as high school juniors taking the PSAT. The highest-scoring participants in each state, representing less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors, were named semifinalists. More than 16,000 semifinalists had an opportunity to continue in the competition.
Over 15,000 of the semifinalists met the very high academic standards and other requirements to become finalists.
More than 6,930 finalists by the end of the summer will have earned the Merit Scholar title and received a total of nearly $26 million in college scholarships, the corporation said.
