Eleanor W. 'Skip'(Wheeler) Smith


SALISBURY —Eleanor W. "Skip"(Wheeler) Smith, 90, of Selleck Hill Road, died Oct. 19, 2008, at Noble Horizons. She was the widow of Alfred E. "Jim" Smith, who died in 1974.

Skip was born Nov. 3, 1917, in Poughkeepsie, daughter of the late William and Mary (Finnucan) Wheeler.

Skip was employed as a dental assistant with Dr. Barr in Lakeville. She worked with Dr. Barr into the late 1960s. While working for Dr. Barr, she also assisted the doctor by helping those patients who may have needed a ride to get to the office.

She was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Lakeville and was a willing volunteer for many of the church activities such as the Fall Festival and lasagna dinners, and she worked at the Habitat for Humanity tag sale.

Skip served her country as a member of the U.S. Army and held the rank of sergeant with the 902nd Army Air Forces Base Unit.

She was awarded the American Theater Medal, Good Conduct Medal, WAC Service Ribbon and the World War II Victory Medal.

Skip is survived by her son, Josh Smith of Salisbury.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Oct. 25 at noon in St. Mary’s Church. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Calling hours will be held on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main St., North Canaan.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service, PO Box 582, Salisbury, CT 06068, or to the Lakeville Hose Company, Lakeville, CT 06039.

Latest News

North Canaan dedicates park to Bunny McGuire

Bunny McGuire, at center holding the big scissors, surrounded by her family as she cuts the ribbon to the park that now bears her name in North Canaan on Saturday, June 7.

Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — The park on Main Street in North Canaan was officially renamed Bunny McGuire Park at a ceremony beneath the pavilion Saturday, June 7.

Clementine “Bunny” McGuire was recognized for her lifelong commitment to volunteerism in town. Her civil contributions include work with the Beautification Committee, the Douglas Library, the historical society, a poll worker, an employee of North Canaan Elementary and Housatonic Valley Regional High Schools and a volunteer at her church.

Keep ReadingShow less
Angela Derrico Carabine

SHARON — Angela Derrick Carabine, 74, died May 16, 2025, at Vassar Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. She was the wife of Michael Carabine and mother of Caitlin Carabine McLean.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on June 6 at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Katri (St Bernards Church) Church. Burial will follow at St. Bernards Cemetery. A complete obituary can be found on the website of the Kenny Funeral home kennyfuneralhomes.com.

Revisiting ‘The Killing Fields’ with Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston

Jennifer Almquist

On June 7 at 3 p.m., the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington will host a benefit screening of “The Killing Fields,” Roland Joffé’s 1984 drama about the Khmer Rouge and the two journalists, Cambodian Dith Pran and New York Times correspondent Sydney Schanberg, whose story carried the weight of a nation’s tragedy.

The film, which earned three Academy Awards and seven nominations — including one for Best Actor for Sam Waterston — will be followed by a rare conversation between Waterston and his longtime collaborator and acclaimed television and theater director Matthew Penn.

Keep ReadingShow less