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In Loving Memory of Dana D. Anthony

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1946 – 2025

Dana D. Anthony, a spirited creative, beloved mother, and tireless advocate, passed away peacefully surrounded by love and comfort after a courageous journey marked by resilience and grace. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1946, Dana’s life was anything but ordinary. From a young age, she followed in the footsteps of her broadcasting father, eventually making her mark as a voice actor and producer. She lent her voice to the airwaves, worked with well-known actors, and produced media that touched countless lives. Dana fearlessly took on new chapters as a skydiver in her 20s, and later in life as an interior designer of luxury homes — always driven by imagination, boldness, and a love of beauty.

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Herbert Thayer West, 76

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Thayer West passed away peacefully on Friday, February 28, at the age of 76 with his children at his side. An avid fly fisherman and paddle player, he was a terrific sport in every sense and will be missed greatly by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. 

Born on October 21, 1948, in Charleston, WV, Thayer was the beloved son of Annette Todd West (née Thayer,) and Herbert Margerum West. Following his family’s move to New Canaan, CT, in 1953, Thayer maintained a lifelong connection to his birthplace, visiting often throughout the years. 

He attended elementary school in New Canaan before heading off to Lawrenceville in Lawrenceville, NJ, and The Darrow School in New Lebanon, NY. He graduated from the University of Denver in 1971 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. 

Upon graduation, he began a career in the trade show division of Union Carbide Corporation and studied in the evening to earn his MBA from the University of Connecticut. He continued at Union Carbide in various roles until 1994 when he left the corporate world to join his brother Chris and help expand West Construction Corporation, completing projects that graced the pages of local and national publications including This Old House and Architectural Digest among others. 

Thayer was a member of the Potatuck Club of Newtown, CT, and a former member and past president of the Country Club of New Canaan.

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Ellen Blance, 93

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Ellen Blance, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at the age of 93. Ellen was the embodiment of positivity, and the center of her close-knit family. She was born on June 26, 1931 in Whitburn, a small coastal village in the Northeast of England. Like others of her generation in World War II England, as a young child she was evacuated to a family faraway in the countryside – an experience that helped shape her resilient and indomitable spirit. A passionate teacher, Ellen and Ian, her husband and soulmate of 73 years, and young sons Andrew and Carl, left London in the 1970s for New York City.

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Paul A. Strassmann, 96

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Paul A. Strassmann, who survived Nazi occupation as a teenage resistance fighter to become one of the world’s foremost authorities on information management and the first Director of Defense Information for the Pentagon, and Chief Information Officer of NASA, died on Friday at his home in New Canaan, CT. He was 96. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Strassmann held executive positions at General Foods, Kraft, and Xerox before being appointed as the first Chief Information Officer of the Department of Defense in 1991, and CIO of NASA in 2002. Throughout his extensive career, he championed the concept that information should be measured and managed as a crucial corporate asset — a revolutionary idea when he first began advancing it in the 1960s. He developed methods for calculating “return on management” and “information productivity.”

A prolific author, and influential thinker and public speaker, he wrote 9 books and over 500 articles.

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Pamela Kelly Jennings, 77

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Pamela Kelly Jennings, a devoted mother and wife, died on April 7th at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida. Pam was 77. 

Pam was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia. Pam and Jay, her husband and best friend of 55 years, raised three sons and built a family life filled with love, service, and community in both Westchester and Fairfield Counties. 

Pam served as co-president of the Auxiliary Board of St. Vincent’s Hospital, Westchester, and contributed to various committees at Iona Grammar School and Fordham Preparatory School. Pam’s true passion was being a dedicated mother, adoring wife, cherished grandmother and selfless friend—roles she embodied with unwavering grace. 

Known for her warmth and light, Pam was a natural presence in every room—always offering a smile, a kind word, and a sense of belonging.