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Elizabeth Christinat
NORTH CANAAN — Elizabeth (BJ) Christinat, social worker, activist, and cherished family member and friend, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2025, leaving behind a memory of service, compassion, and love.
Born in North Canaan, on Mother’s Day in 1947, Elizabeth dedicated her life to helping others. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, she carried its values throughout her personal and professional life, fighting for those in need.
Elizabeth graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional High School in 1965 and St. Joseph’s College in Hartford in 1969. Her first job was as a fourth-grade teacher at St. James School in Manchester, Connecticut. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, she stayed home to raise a family, yet remained active in local politics and volunteer organizations. After earning a degree in substance abuse counseling in 1991 from Northwestern Connecticut Community College, she worked in the youth program at the Parkside Lodge Treatment Center. She was a facilitator for a domestic violence support group at Susan B. Anthony and a parent aide for the Northwest Center for Family Service & Mental Health in Winsted.
From 2005 until her retirement in 2020, Elizabeth was the social worker for the town of North Canaan. In this role, she provided a lifeline to many families in need. She was committed to her work and ensuring people received the care, dignity, and support they deserved. Elizabeth managed a thriving Christmas program for the town that rallied donations from across the region, bringing joy and relief to families during the holidays. Her efforts reminded people they were seen, valued, and not alone.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband of 55 years, Robert Christinat, and their three children. She also leaves behind grandchildren, nieces, nephews, siblings, a foreign exchange student and friends, all of whom she cherished deeply. Many considered her “a second mom” and will attest that her door was always open to anyone.
Family history was important to her, and nothing gave her more comfort in her later years than reminiscing about her mother, Kay Casey, and her grandparents, Pete and Betty Ducillo. Those who knew BJ will remember her laughing, dancing, playing cards, crocheting blankets, advocating for the underdog, and cheering for the Mets and UConn.
She inspired us all with her unwavering dedication to family and friends and a commitment to helping others with passion, courage, and love.
No services are planned at this time. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: The Connecticut chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association 200 Executive Blvd South Southington, CT 06489.
An appreciation: Joe Brennan
Our community has lost a treasure with the passing of Joe Brennan.
Joe was more than a restorer of early houses, he was a house whisperer.
His eye for detail was remarkable and his barn full of salvaged materials was unmatched, as was his sheer skill and ingenuity in deploying them. Joe always seemed to come up with just the right hinge, flat panel door or spun glass window, for a particular spot. He was a man who communed with our New England town through a deep appreciation of its architecture and history. At heart, Joe was a preservationist. For those of us fortunate enough to have encountered Joe’s gifts, his memory will be preserved through the enduring beauty of his work.
Deepest sympathy to his wife, Chris, who so intuitively complemented his work in the design sphere, and his three children, Kate, Polly, and Josh.
Howard Sobel
and Ileene Smith
Kathryn S. Ryan
PINE PLAINS — Katherine S. Ryan, 89, passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025, at Northern Dutchess Hospital surrounded by her loved ones. She was born Jan. 23, 1936. She was the daughter of Mary (Kreig) and Lowell Gilnack.
Katherine graduated from Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park and she went on to marry John F. Ryan in 1957. They moved to Pine Plains where Kathy worked at New York Telephone Company in Poughkeepsie, New York, then transitioned to IBM. Kathy worked for Pine Plains Central School District, Seymour Smith Elementary School first as a teachers assistant then becoming the secretary to the Principal, from which she retired.
Katherine loved her family, friends and community. She was a very talented green thumb and deeply invested in the Pine Plains Garden Club. She was also an active member of the Gallatin Reformed Church. Katherine was known for her cooking and baking talents, she made the best apple pie but there was not much she couldn’t whip up in the kitchen. Beyond her cooking Kathy was a traveler, it was not unusual for her and John to get in the car and take a road trip across the country or for the afternoon.
Katherine is survived by her loving husband John, children; Karen (Jerry Rundall), Keith (Susan Robertson Ryan; grandchildren; Morgan Ryan, Mason MacIssac, and Shanee Emanuel. In addition, her sister-in-law, Marie Gilnack, several nieces, nephews and beloved caregiver Debra Blake.
She was predeceased by her siblings; Robert Gilnack, Rosemary Douglas and Bruce Gilnack.
Graveside service will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Pine Plains, New York on May 31, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to Pine Plains Fire Company and the Pine Plains Garden Club. To leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit www.peckandpeck.net
CORNWALL — Barbara (87) a lifelong resident of Cornwall, wife of the late Jacques Victorien, passed away peacefully in her home on January 18, surrounded by her family.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 7, at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, 7 River Road, Cornwall Bridge. Burial will follow in St. Bridget Cemetery.Kindly visit www.thurstonrowefuneralhome.com to send the family an online condolence.
