Obituaries

Cathleen Stark

Published: Jul 17, 2025 6:00 am

Cathleen Teresa Stark, 83, of Newtown, passed away on Sunday, July 13, at her home surrounded by her loving family. She had been diagnosed with cancer last October.

Cathie was born on November 27, 1941, in Holyoke, Mass., to Francis and Catherine Meehan. She grew up in South Hadley, Mass., attended local schools, and graduated from Framingham State College with a teaching degree. She began her career at Timothy Dwight Elementary School in Fairfield, and later taught at a missionary school in Houston, Tex., and taught ESL in Connecticut.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and her brothers James and Francis Meehan.

Cathie is survived by her husband, Walter; their children, Kate Stark, Matthew (Tonya) Stark, and Heather (James) Shanahan; her grandchildren, Alina (Nick) Stark Dighello and Jude Stark, and Sophie and Connor Shanahan; and a great grandchild, Evangeline Dighello. She is also survived by her brother Richard Meehan and family in Laguna Niguel, California, as well as many beloved family members.

She met her life long partner, Walter, at a Memorial Day party in 1964 and they were married in July 1966.

Cathie will best be remembered for her devotion to her husband and children for whom she gave so much love and energy. Moreover, she gave much encouragement and counseling to friends in need and helped them through their troubles. She was a lifelong volunteer and was very instrumental in getting a girls’ soccer program established at Newtown High School.

Cathie had a wonderful sense of humor, enjoyed music and art, loved puzzles, and was an avid reader. She also was the person everyone turned to for computer issues, TV problems and anything electrical. She loved being in Maine by the ocean, and spending time with family and friends.

We were indeed blessed to have had her in our lives. Faugh A Ballagh (an Irish farewell) to our dear Cathie, Mom, and Mimi.

The family will hold a visitation for Cathie at Honan Funeral Home in Newtown on Thursday, July 24, with calling hours between 6-8 pm. A funeral Mass will be held at St Mary’s Church in Bethel on Friday, July 25, at 11 am. Preceding the Mass, the family will be receiving friends and family at St Mary’s Church, beginning at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Cathie’s name to RVNA Health (Ridgefield Visiting Nurses Association).

Cathleen Teresa Stark, 83, of Newtown, passed away on Sunday, July 13, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

The Way We Were

Top Of The Mountain

My Brother’s Band Planning ‘Mixed Bag’ Set List For Summer Concert Series Gig

Theater Review: A Very Happy Homecoming For ‘All Shook Up’

Theater Review: ‘Camelot’ Given The Royal Treatment In Neighboring Brookfield

It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

Log In

Cathleen Stark

Leave a Reply Cancel reply