Honan Funeral Home

Josephine — “Pina,” “Nonna” — will be lovingly remembered by her daughters, Nina (Thomas Morrisson) of Newtown and Rosemary (Paul Heintzinger) of Kill Devil Hills, N.C.; her grandchildren, Thomas (Melody Tam) of White Plains, N.Y., and Rosalie (Bradley Mauney) of New York City; her cousin, Fr Giuseppe Licciardi of Detroit, Mich.; her sister-in-law, Nina Davi, and niece, Giovanna Pipitone, of Altofonte, Sicily; numerous family and friends in the United States and Italy; as well as her great-grandpuppy, Ayla, and three grand-kittens. Josephine will join her husband, Rosario, who died in 1982. Josephine was born in Danbury on May 19, 1929, to Rosaria D’Ignoti and Salvatore Licciardi. At the age of 14 months, she moved with her parents to their family home in Altofonte (formerly Parco), Palermo, Italy. Pina was a voracious reader, loved school, and excelled academically. An only child, she was doted upon by her large extended family. She (reluctantly) learned to sew from her tailor aunt; the technical skills she acquired combined with her mother’s elegance and elan helped shape her into the woman we all knew and loved. She returned to Danbury in 1955 with her husband, Rosario, and 5-year-old daughter, Nina “Nuccia.” A second daughter, Rosemary, was born two years later. She remained in close correspondence with her family in Sicily, especially her mother. She eagerly looked forward to the Anna Bella magazines her mother sent, which allowed her to remain in touch with the current Italian culture and fashion. The fashion forward Anna Bella inspired her to visit Carole’s Textiles in Danbury frequently, purchasing designer fabric remnants from New York City’s top fashion houses, outfitting herself and her daughters with her creations. Retiring from Amphenol RF after 30 years, Josephine enjoyed more than 25 years of carefree living, making the most of her life devoting her time to her family, her friends, and her faith. Sh...

The parade will step off at 10 am that morning from Main Street, at its intersection with Currituck Road. Participants will follow the parade’s longstanding route, heading south on Main Street before turning left onto Glover Avenue, crossing Glover to its intersection with Queen Street, and then following Queen to its intersection with Church Hill Road. The theme of this year’s parade is “Volunteers Keeping Our Community Strong.” Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Chief Bill Halstead has been named grand marshal of the 2019 parade. Chief Halstead will be driven to the grandstand in a vehicle provided by Reach Car Club of Newtown. He will be joined by his wife, Deb Aurelia Halstead, and two of their grandchildren, Emma Guilfoil and Ryan Halstead. The national anthem will be sung at 9:55 am, with singers staged at three locations. Susan Lang will be at the Main Street flagpole, Newtown Middle School eighth grade student Shelby Jones will be at the Queen Street grandstand, and Sami Anderson will be at 9 Glover Avenue, in front of the Maher residence. Longtime C.H. Booth Library librarian Beryl Harrison has been named The 2019 Legend & Pioneers Award recipient. The award is given annually to groups or individuals who have remained longtime participants or marchers, who help make the parade a special tradition. Ms Harrison was selected for the honor, Parade Committee member Tom D’Agostino told The Newtown Bee this week, due to her “longevity at the library and her commitment to town, among other things. “She’s like the Eveready Bunny,” he added. Like the grand marshal, Ms Harrison will also be traveling on Monday in a classic car provided by Reach Newtown. Judges on Monday will be viewing the parade from the traditional grandstand location on Queen Street, where they will be considering participants for additional awards, including Best Musical, Senio...

Madden, 86, died peacefully surrounded by his family on August 18, 2019.He is predeceased by his wife of 55 years Mary Jane "Bunny" (Davidson) Madden, their son George B. Madden, his brother John A. Madden, and parents George S. and Julia A. (Feeler) Madden. He is survived by his daughter Mary F. (Darrin) Ryan, and niece Marcie (Phillip) Heese of Clermont, FL, and was "Step Pa" to Dylan and Mollee Ryan.Richard Lindley Madden, the son of the late George S. and Julia A. Feeler Madden, was known as Dick and was born Sept. 3, 1932, in Indianapolis, Ind. His father was a department store advertising manager; his mother was a homemaker. Starting early, he was the editor of his high school student newspaper, The Riparian, at Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis and his college newspaper, The Indiana Daily Student, at Indiana University, where he graduated in 1954 with majors in journalism and government. He and Bunny met on a blind date during their freshman year at college and they were married before their senior year. With an ROTC Army reserve commission, he trained at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga. and served 16 months near the demilitarized zone in South Korea in 1955-'56 as a lieutenant with the 19th Infantry Regiment and the 24th Infantry Division. As a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, the now defunct New York Herald Tribune and finally as a reporter and editor for 34 years at The New York Times, he covered a wide range of beats and stories including Wall Street, the tobacco industry as it confronted the first major studies on the health risks of smoking. He was a night rewriteman and covered City Hall in New York City when Robert F. Wagner was Mayor. He covered state capitols in Albany, when Nelson A. Rockefeller was Governor and at times a contender for the Republican presidential nomination, and in Hartford when Ella T. Grasso and William A. O'Neill were Governors. He also covered seven presidential nominating conventions, uncounted election campaig...