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James Bailey Laughlin, 89

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James B. Laughlin, longtime resident of Darien, CT and Fishers Island, NY, died peacefully on January 25th, 2022, three weeks before his 90th birthday. He was the devoted husband of Eleanor W. “Susie” Laughlin for 65 years and father of Laura
L. Johnson, Tim, Ann, Tom and Chris Laughlin. 

Jim was born in Paris in 1932 to Thomas and Louise Laughlin, and grew up in Manhasset, NY and Aiken, South Carolina. He attended The Brooks School and Yale University, where he was a member of the Class of 1954. He played Varsity Squash and served as President of the Chi Psi Fraternity. 

After serving in the Marines from 1954 – 1956, he met his bride, Eleanor Whitman “Susie” and they married in 1957 in Bedford, NY. After leaving New York City, they established their home in the “Tokeneke” area of Darien, CT in 1960.

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Arthur Sjögren, 80

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Maestro Arthur R. Sjögren died from Parkinson’s Disease in Danbury, CT on January 30, 2022. Art received a B.M.E. from North Park College, a M.M. from Westminster Choir College, and was a doctoral candidate at the Peabody Conservatory, Indiana University, and the Vienna Academy, Austria, where he studied conducting with Eric Erickson of the Royal College of Music, Stockholm and Swedish Radio Choir. He also studied conducting with Julius Herford, Robert Shaw, Fiora Contino, Volker Hemfpling, Marcel Courand, and Michael Schech. Art began his professional career as a singer in New York City in 1964. For three seasons, Art was a Vocal Arts Fellow at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Tanglewood Music Center where he studied with Phyllis Curtin and was soloist with Eric Linsdorf in the American premiere of Schoenberg’s opera “Die Glückliche Hand.“ At the Clevelend Orchestra’s Blossom Festival, he studied with Richard Miller and sang under choral conductor Robert Shaw who selected Art to be soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.

In 1975, Art founded the acclaimed Pro Arte Singers using professional singers from the NY metropolitan area and was its Artistic Director until 2017.

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Eric P. Richards, 77

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Eric P. Richards of New Canaan, CT passed away peacefully January 14, 2022  at home surrounded by his loving family.  He was 77. Eric was born on August 28, 1944 in San Francisco, CA to Roland Richards, then on a west coast assignment with the FBI, and Beatrice “Betty” Richards both of Darien, CT.  The family returned to Connecticut in 1945 and Eric was raised in Darien on the family’s waterfront property on Five Mile River Road.  

Enamored with the water from an early age, Eric began rowing boats almost from the time he could walk, then sailing and motoring around in runabouts at his Darien home.  He was an early racing sailor winning his first trophy at age 10 in Noroton Yacht Club’s mid-week dinghy series in 1955, sailing the Club’s lapstraked, wooden dyer dinghies.  Eric later successfully campaigned the family’s Jet 14 at Noroton, winning several more trophies.  This period of his life culminated in sailing on Bolero in 1964 and ’65 and racing in the ’66 Bermuda race aboard Mah Jong a 53’ all teak custom built yawl.  It was a trip to remember with estimated 50+ knots of wind crossing the Gulf Stream, the boat falling off square waves, much derring do, Eric’s first adventure into the open sea. 

Eric attended local schools in Darien through the ninth grade before enrolling at Deerfield Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts, from which he graduated in 1962.  Following Deerfield, he received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Columbia University and attended Columbia’s Graduate School of Business for a term while awaiting a commission in the US Naval Reserve.  He attended the Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI.  Upon receiving his commission in March 1968 he had refocused his efforts from ships to flight and was accepted into the Naval Aviator pilot training program in Pensacola and in jets in Meridian, MS, Pensacola, FL and Kingsville, TX.  

Eric took leave to marry then Cheryle Lee Kitchen of New York City, whom he met in a French class at Columbia 2 ½ years earlier.  Following a brief honeymoon in New Orleans’ French quarter, Eric and Cheryle returned to Pensacola, then on to Texas where Eric completed his training. Eric, call sign “Yankee”, was a natural pilot.  In the spring of 1969, at the end of his training, Eric was invited to return to the advanced squadron as an instructor.

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Cornelia Ann Fairty, 76

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Cornelia (Corky) Ann Fairty, 76, of New Canaan, CT passed away on January 13, 2022, at home with loving family members by her side.  Corky was born on July 29, 1945, in New York City to the late Cornelius Donnelly and Margaret Stafford Cornell.  She married Robert (Bob) Fairty on April 28, 1972, and went on to have two children, who were the center of her life. Corky attended Epiphany Elementary School and Notre Dame High School in New York City before moving to Carmel, NY where she graduated from Carmel High School in 1964.  Corky always had a head for numbers and while her children were young, she worked as a bookkeeper for various residents of New Canaan.  In 1989, she started working for Bird Bonette Stauderman Inc. where she ultimately became the Chief Financial Officer.  Corky retired in 2019 but stayed on with the company as a consultant. Corky supported her community in numerous ways throughout the years, but most loved being involved with her children’s activities.  While her children were in school, Corky could be found on the PTO, running book fairs, and flipping pancakes at fundraisers.  Corky was also an active member of the United Methodist Church of New Canaan where she volunteered with Midnight Run, traveled to Mississippi to help rebuild houses in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and served on various committees alongside dear friends whom she considered family. In her free time, Corky enjoyed spending time with family, especially her grandchildren.  Corky also spent countless hours creating beautiful keepsakes for her family and friends by knitting and crocheting blankets and creating beautiful works of cross stitch and needlepoint.  Corky was also famous for her apple butter and apple jelly that she made from scratch from an old Fairty Farm recipe. Corky is survived by her children; Marc (Katie) Fairty of Orange, CT; Megan (Jeff) Easler of Zionsville, IN; her five grandchildren – Ella and Ryan Fairty and Abigail, Norah, and Raymond Easler; her brothers Peter Donnelly of Boston, MA and Marc Donnelly of Estacada, OR; her sisters Susan Burns of North Kingston, RI and Deidre (Amy Purdue) Donnelly of Richmond, VA; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.  She is predeceased by her loving husband of 47 years; her parents; her stepfather Steven Cornell; and her brother-in-law, Gerry Burns.

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Katherine Kelly Young, 59

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Katherine Kelly Young (“Katy”) passed away on December 31, 2021 in New Canaan, Connecticut. She was born on April 11, 1962 in New York City to Robert Jackson Kelly Jr. and Patricia Cohalan Kelly. She is survived by her husband, William Beekman Young Jr., her son William Beekman Young III, and daughter, Sarah Margaret Young; her brothers, Robert Jackson Kelly III and Thomas Michael Kelly; and her nephew, Robert Jackson Kelly IV, and niece, Erin Patricia Kelly. Katy grew up in Darien, Connecticut. She was a graduate of Darien High School.