Newtown Loses Many Notables

In 1999, Newtown lost several residents who, while they were with us, made their marks in the community.

In January, 58-year-old Richard Rauner, Newtown’s popular postal worker, died just a month after receiving a heart transplant, for which he had waited in a Philadelphia hospital for seven months.

Newtown resident and celebrated artist Stella Bloch Eliscu, 101, also died in January. Her artistic career spanned over 80 years.

John Payne, 58, the longtime proprietor of Payne’s Nursery, passed away in February.

Louis Bastos, 53, the former co-owner of the Red Brick General Store and founding member of the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP), died in April.

Ernest Badillo, 23, a 1994 Newtown High School graduate, was killed in a tragic accident in New York City in June. He was a standout athlete at NHS and had been working on Wall Street since his recent graduation from college.

Louis Wasserman, 88, a world-renowned hematologist, also passed away in June. He was considered one of the “giants” of American medicine.

Jason Gowdy, 15, was killed in July after being shot along Riverside Road one early Saturday night.

Twenty-two-year-old Melissa Rodriguez, a 1995 NHS graduate, was killed in a car accident in Arizona in July.

Veterinarian and civic leader Russell Strasburger also died in July. He was 85. He had served the town as a veterinarian and volunteer for more than 60 years.

Sandy Hook businessman John Mesaric, 46, died in September. He was an avid outdoorsman.

 In September, Newtown also lost Robert W. Connor, Sr, a retired Connecticut State Police Sergeant and civic leader. He was 73.

Also in September, Stephen Mazuroski, 24, a 1993 NHS graduate, was killed in a car accident on Toddy Hill Road. He was a star football player in high school and college.

In October, 74-year-old Gerald J. Frawley died. He was a longtime member and former chairman of the Police Commission.

October also saw the death of 74-year-old Frank Miles, a longtime Newtown resident, World War II veteran, mechanical engineer and Rotarian.

And in December, Newtown lost Hawley Warner, 84, the former owner of the Brick Store in Sandy Hook.