F. Donald Ek

By NANCY CREVIER

Published: Jul 27, 2007 12:00 am

F. Donald Ek

A Venerable Man

F. Donald Ek, Jr, of Brookfield, formerly from Monroe and Palm Beach Garden, Fla., died July 21 at Danbury Hospital as a result from injuries he sustained in a one-car accident. Mr Ek was born in Bridgeport August 7, 1936, the son of F. Donald Ek, Sr and Minna (Marr) Ek.

Mr Ek is survived by and dearly missed by two daughters, Susan A. Erickson and her husband, Eric, of Newtown and Barbara J. McCann and her husband John, of New Milford; two sons, F. Donald Ek III and his wife, Doreen, of New Milford and James E. Ek and his wife, Debbie, of Brookfield, with whom Mr Ek resided; three sisters, Doris Seeley and her husband, Raynor, of Berthoud, Colo., Joan Carpenter of Monroe, and Sonja Morazes of Milford; one brother, Ed Ek and wife, Carol, of Trumbull; 18 grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews and surviving family in Sweden. His greatest love was Ann, his wife of 47 years, who preceded him in death in 2003.

Mr Ek graduated from Bassick High School in Bridgeport. Later he served in the Army at Fort Gordon, Ga. After his discharge from the service, he returned to Connecticut and was employed at Bridgeport Engineering Institute. In 1965 he met and formed a business partnership with Mike Rich. Together they founded the Matchless Tool Company in Monroe. In 1975 they formed the Tenax Corporation.

Tenax was an FDA-approved and -registered medical device manufacturer. Eventually, Tenax exceeded 400 employees, with manufacturing and assembly locations in Danbury and Brookfield, and a facility in North Carolina.

Upon his retirement in 1991, Mr Ek and his wife moved to Florida. Recently, Mr Ek relocated back to Brookfield. During his âretirementâ he was a consultant and business manager for many start-up businesses in the manufacturing industry.

He enjoyed golf and duckpin bowling. After a sleep-walking incident in 1976 resulted in him becoming a paraplegic, Mr Ek devoted time to the Buoniconti Fund, a comprehensive research organization to help cure spinal cord injuries.

Mr Ek thoroughly enjoyed gambling and playing cards with his friends, he was an avid reader, and a great storyteller. He was a venerable man.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 28, at 11 am, at the Lillis Funeral Home, 58 Bridge Street, New Milford.

Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers are requested to be made to The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, PO Box 016960 (R48), Miami FL 33101-6960, or to a charitable organization of oneâs choice.

The Newtown BeeÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â July 27, 2007

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My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

Carmen Accashian

Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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