Lynda Bluestein died last month.
But the legacy of the longtime Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport member — who successfully sued Vermont to end her life under that state’s medical aid in dying law — lives on.
Steven Petrow — an award-winning journalist and book author who writes often about health and aging — used Lynda’s experience as the centerpiece of an essay in yesterday’s Washington Post.
Titled “A Cancer Patient Had Decided How to Die. Here’s What I Learned From Her” connects Lynda’s decision with Petrow’s own sister’s experience — also from ovarian cancer — in New Jersey, one of 10 states that allow medical aid in dying. Connecticut is one of the 40 that do not.
There is another local connection: Petrow’s brother Jay is an artist and landscape designer who lives in Westport.
Click here for the full Washington Post essay.
Lynda Bluestein (Photo courtesy of News12 Connecticut)
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Jacquelyn “Jackie” Fuchs — a longtime resident of Westport, who served for many years as secretary of the Representative Town Meetin — died Saturday.
She is survived by her husband Roy; daughter Leslie Sloane (Bryan Sloane); son David; grandchildren Marc, Bennett and Dean Sloane, and Bitzalel, Meyah Adam and Sehara Fuchs; brother Jeffrey Smith (Iris), niece Lindsay Blanco (Maurice) and nephew Zachary Smith (Erika).
Her funeral will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, February 20, 9:30 a.m., Temple Israel), on what would have been her 76th birthday. Click here for the livestream.
There will be a shiva reception immediately following the service. An additional shiva will be held tomorrow evening in New York City.
Jackie Fuchs
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A reader writes:
“One of the reasons I moved to Old Hill was the ability to walk downtown. That was severely hampered (Sunday) when my daughter and I went to the Westport Playhouse for their matinee show.
“While this lot on the Post Road between Cross and Lincoln Streets is under construction, the development company should be responsible for ensuring the sidewalks are cleared of snow and ice.
“They failed to do so, and the sidewalk is now very uneven and treacherous. There is no other sidewalk on the other side of the street. The only alternative is walking in the street, which is extremely dangerous.”
Snow on Post Road West sidewalk.
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Broadway singer Jodi Keogan sold out the Senior Center yesterday — as she always does — for her concert and pizza party.
Well, it was free. But the place would have packed even if the audience had to pay.
The event — sponsored by the Friends of the Senior Center — Concert and Pizza Party — included pianist David Harris.
They entertained the large crowd with great music, from light opera to Broadway and the classics.
Jodi Keogan and David Harris (Photos/Lauri Weiser)
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Westport author Jacqueline Berman has just published “A Bite of the Big Apple: The Ultimate NYC Birthday Adventure.”
The children’s book celebrates the diverse cultures, flavors, traditions and neighborhoods of New York City, through the eyes (and mouth) of a young girl.
“She forms unexpected friendships, discovering that the true magic lies not just in the tantalizing tastes she samples, but in the heartwarming connections she forges.”
Click here for more information, including how to buy it.
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For those Westporters still here — not on the schools’ winter break, in other words — yesterday was a gorgeous, admire-the-winter-scenery Sunday.
This Saugatuck River view, from Steve and Rosemary Halsteads’ living room, is perfect for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Steve Halstead)
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And finally … Happy Presidents Day!
(You can celebrate Presidents Day by buying a mattress. Or you can click here to support “06880.” If you choose the latter: thank you!)