Edna Mary Twohig

Embraced Life Enthusiastically

Edna Mary Twohig, 93, of Bethel, died August 29 at the Danbury Hospital. She was the wife of the late Jeremiah Francis Twohig. “Gram,” as she was known to her family, was born in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, on July 15, 1913, the daughter of Eli and Catherine (Blacquiere) Gallant.

She is survived by her daughter, June Holmes of Newtown; and grandchildren, Sheilah Krasnickas of Newtown, Dan Holmes of Newtown, Kieran Twohey of Bethel, Ben Holmes of Laytonsville, Md., and Jonathon Holmes of San Jose, Calif. She was a very proud great-grandmother to Lily, Hanna, and Eli Holmes and Matthew and Emily Krasnickas, all of Newtown. In addition to her husband, Mrs Twohig was predeceased by her son, James Twohey.

She came to the United States as a young child, where she later met and married Jeremiah Twohig, a career US Navy Petty Officer. After a few years of “Navy” housing and the birth of their first child, they settled in Bridgeport, where they raised their family. Mrs Twohig became a naturalized citizen of the United States at age 45 and was extremely proud to be an American.

Mrs Twohig was a resident of Bethel for more than 40 years and was one of the first residents of the Senior Housing Complex at Reynolds Ridge. She worked for several years at the former King Lake Restaurant where she enjoyed visiting with customers, friends, and fellow employees. She was a parishioner of St Mary’s Church, Bethel.

She had a passion for collecting Statues of Liberty and on national holidays the walkway to her house would always be adorned with a display of the Stars and Stripes. Energy and enthusiasm were her personal trademark. A driver’s license obtained at age 50 opened a new door for her, with the neighbors commenting, “There she goes — out again!”

Mrs Twohig loved her family and friends and when family gatherings got a bit dull, she would play the piano and sing one of her favorite songs, “God Bless America.” This song will always bring up her memory to her good friends and family.

There are no public calling hours. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, September 1, at St Mary’s Church, 26 Dodgingtown Road (Route 302), Bethel, at 11 am. Burial will be in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Bethel VNA, 1 School Street, Bethel CT 06801 or to Meals on Wheels, 54 Main Street, Danbury CT 06810.

The Bethel Funeral Home, 215 Greenwood Avenue, is in charge of arrangements.

The Newtown Bee       September 1, 2006