Obituary for Dolores Irene Gerety (Root)
GERETY, Dolores Irene (ROOT), 90, of Newtown, passed away peacefully 7:25 am Sunday, 06 Oct 2019 at The Lutheran Home of Southbury, beloved, surrounded, and comforted by her family.
Born 01 June 1929 at Stamford Hospital to Sydney Howes ROOT [01 Aug 1906 Greenwich, CT — 06 Feb 1972, Westport, CT] of Mayflower ancestry (ALDEN) and Irene Jeanette (LARGE) Root [04 Jul 1910 Brooklyn, NY — 24 May 2002, Southbury, CT], who were long-time residents at 46 Riverside Avenue, Westport. Her paternal Grandfather Harvey Woods ROOT [12 Feb 1876, Greenwich, MA — 14 Jun 1966, Norwalk, CT], a writer, sculpter, builder and businessman, and Grandmother Ella Seriah HOWES [28 Apr 1876, Conway, MA — 16 Oct 1967, Norwalk, CT], a one-room schoolteacher, were married 31 Aug 1903 in Greenwich, MA settling finally in Wilton, CT.
Dolores married Eugene Peter GERETY [b. 20 Sep 1920, Shelton; d. 16 Feb 1997, Danbury Hospital] on 23 Jun 1951 at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church, Fairfield, in an Interdenominational ceremony (she was Episcopalian at the time) performed “inside the rail” as officiated by her groom’s eldest brother, the now late Archbishop Emeritus of Newark Peter Leo GERETY, anticipating Vatican II reforms ahead of his time.
Dolores and Gene were the love of each other’s lives. They met through their mutual love of music. Dolores, a gifted pianist and organist, studied under Clarence Cable and played at various churches in the Norwalk-Wilton-Westport area where she grew up, including Zion’s Hill Methodist, St. Paul’s Episcopal, and others. She was the beautiful New England Yankee piano accompanist for voice teacher Nino Bellasai. Gene was the handsome Irish American voice student blessed with a lovely tenor voice. A resonant chord was struck and the two fell deeply in love. Together they watched the jeweler cut the diamond for her engagement ring which Gene took and placed on Dolores’ finger by the famous canon monument in Cannondale, CT. Their family would come to benefit from their pleasant personalities and many creative, technical, artistic talents and interests. The large extended Gerety and Root families made for wonderful gatherings and fond memories over the years.
Dolores graduated from Danbury State Teachers College (now WSCU) prior to marriage. She taught elementary school for several years at Timothy Dwight School. With the start of her family, she began substitute teaching in the Fairfield Public School System, at times including her own children’s classes.
The family moved from Fairfield to Newtown in 1969 and happily welcomed their sixth child in 1970. Dolores was the Organist and Choir Director at St. Rose of Lima Church from the early 70’s to 2000. She had a deep spirituality and converted to Catholicism concurrent with her fourth child’s Confirmation, at which point her mother Irene, who had been baptized Catholic and orphaned before the age of 10, returned to her childhood faith. Both were parishioners at St. Rose of Lima.
She is survived by her six children:
Eugene Peter and wife Patricia (Dytkowski) of Seymour, CT;
Paul David of Danbury, CT;
Ellen Dáirinn, MD and husband Greg Johnson, MD, of North Andover, MA;
Philip Charles of Westport, CT;
John Owen and wife Christine (Komornik) of Newtown, CT;
Kathryn Leigh and husband Patrick Raffaele of Sherman, CT;
Ten grandchildren:
Christine Frances of Branford, CT;
Michael and wife Lianne (Morales) of Southington, CT;
Kenneth Ryan of Seymour, CT;
Douglas Charles McAdams, MD and wife Stephanie (Corbet) of East Lyme, CT;
Sarah Jeanne (McAdams) and husband Kevin Bedan of Wethersfield, CT;
Sean Christopher and wife Tanya (Thabjan) of Alexandria, VA;
Tiffany Owen of Newtown, CT;
Leigh of Newtown, CT;
Kaelyn Anne and Ella Marie of Sherman, CT;
Ten Great Grandchildren;
A brother, Harvey Crowell ROOT and wife Kathy of Middlebury, CT;
A Sister-In-Law, Eleanor (Soley) ROOT of Weston, CT;
A Cousin, Susan Clifford of California;
And many nieces and nephews;
Calling hours will be Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 from 5-8pm at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470; +1.203.426.2751, honanfuneralhome@sbcglobal.net
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 am, Wednesday, 9 Oct 2019 at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, 46 Churchill Road, Newtown, CT with committal to follow at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Cherry Street, Sandy Hook, CT 06482.
Born 01 June 1929 at Stamford Hospital to Sydney Howes ROOT [01 Aug 1906 Greenwich, CT — 06 Feb 1972, Westport, CT] of Mayflower ancestry (ALDEN) and Irene Jeanette (LARGE) Root [04 Jul 1910 Brooklyn, NY — 24 May 2002, Southbury, CT], who were long-time residents at 46 Riverside Avenue, Westport. Her paternal Grandfather Harvey Woods ROOT [12 Feb 1876, Greenwich, MA — 14 Jun 1966, Norwalk, CT], a writer, sculpter, builder and businessman, and Grandmother Ella Seriah HOWES [28 Apr 1876, Conway, MA — 16 Oct 1967, Norwalk, CT], a one-room schoolteacher, were married 31 Aug 1903 in Greenwich, MA settling finally in Wilton, CT.
Dolores married Eugene Peter GERETY [b. 20 Sep 1920, Shelton; d. 16 Feb 1997, Danbury Hospital] on 23 Jun 1951 at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Church, Fairfield, in an Interdenominational ceremony (she was Episcopalian at the time) performed “inside the rail” as officiated by her groom’s eldest brother, the now late Archbishop Emeritus of Newark Peter Leo GERETY, anticipating Vatican II reforms ahead of his time.
Dolores and Gene were the love of each other’s lives. They met through their mutual love of music. Dolores, a gifted pianist and organist, studied under Clarence Cable and played at various churches in the Norwalk-Wilton-Westport area where she grew up, including Zion’s Hill Methodist, St. Paul’s Episcopal, and others. She was the beautiful New England Yankee piano accompanist for voice teacher Nino Bellasai. Gene was the handsome Irish American voice student blessed with a lovely tenor voice. A resonant chord was struck and the two fell deeply in love. Together they watched the jeweler cut the diamond for her engagement ring which Gene took and placed on Dolores’ finger by the famous canon monument in Cannondale, CT. Their family would come to benefit from their pleasant personalities and many creative, technical, artistic talents and interests. The large extended Gerety and Root families made for wonderful gatherings and fond memories over the years.
Dolores graduated from Danbury State Teachers College (now WSCU) prior to marriage. She taught elementary school for several years at Timothy Dwight School. With the start of her family, she began substitute teaching in the Fairfield Public School System, at times including her own children’s classes.
The family moved from Fairfield to Newtown in 1969 and happily welcomed their sixth child in 1970. Dolores was the Organist and Choir Director at St. Rose of Lima Church from the early 70’s to 2000. She had a deep spirituality and converted to Catholicism concurrent with her fourth child’s Confirmation, at which point her mother Irene, who had been baptized Catholic and orphaned before the age of 10, returned to her childhood faith. Both were parishioners at St. Rose of Lima.
She is survived by her six children:
Eugene Peter and wife Patricia (Dytkowski) of Seymour, CT;
Paul David of Danbury, CT;
Ellen Dáirinn, MD and husband Greg Johnson, MD, of North Andover, MA;
Philip Charles of Westport, CT;
John Owen and wife Christine (Komornik) of Newtown, CT;
Kathryn Leigh and husband Patrick Raffaele of Sherman, CT;
Ten grandchildren:
Christine Frances of Branford, CT;
Michael and wife Lianne (Morales) of Southington, CT;
Kenneth Ryan of Seymour, CT;
Douglas Charles McAdams, MD and wife Stephanie (Corbet) of East Lyme, CT;
Sarah Jeanne (McAdams) and husband Kevin Bedan of Wethersfield, CT;
Sean Christopher and wife Tanya (Thabjan) of Alexandria, VA;
Tiffany Owen of Newtown, CT;
Leigh of Newtown, CT;
Kaelyn Anne and Ella Marie of Sherman, CT;
Ten Great Grandchildren;
A brother, Harvey Crowell ROOT and wife Kathy of Middlebury, CT;
A Sister-In-Law, Eleanor (Soley) ROOT of Weston, CT;
A Cousin, Susan Clifford of California;
And many nieces and nephews;
Calling hours will be Tuesday, 8 Oct 2019 from 5-8pm at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470; +1.203.426.2751, honanfuneralhome@sbcglobal.net
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 am, Wednesday, 9 Oct 2019 at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, 46 Churchill Road, Newtown, CT with committal to follow at St. Rose of Lima Cemetery, Cherry Street, Sandy Hook, CT 06482.