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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.

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Michael J. McDonagh, 81

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July 15th, 1943 – April 5th, 2025

With profound sadness and unwavering faith, we announce the passing to heaven of Michael Joseph McDonagh, 39-year New Canaan Resident, on Saturday April 5th, 2025, with his wife of 56 years, Jeanne, by his side. His legacy will live on through his loving family; his wife Jeanne, his son; Sean Michael McDonagh (Laura) of Pittsford, NY, his three daughters; Michelle McDonagh Baxter (David) of Princeton, NJ, Christine McDonagh Conroy of Pelham, NY, and Katie McDonagh Small (Jonathan) of New Canaan, CT, and his nine adoring grandchildren, who he lovingly referred to as the littlest pickles; William, Brook, May, Bernadette ”Bea”, Ava, Michael, Jack, Blake, and Duke. Michael was born on July 15th, 1943, in the Riverdale section of the Bronx to proud parents Anne and Michael J McDonagh from county Mayo, Ireland. Michael was their fourth child of five and their first son, and grew up alongside his three older sisters, Mary, Anne, and Bernadette, and his younger brother, William “Billy”.  As a young man, Michael worked in his father’s Irish pub on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, learning the value of hard work, honing his people skills and discovering his love of community. He graduated from Cardinal Farley Military Academy in 1962.