Kathryn Winter

WINTER, KATHRYN HIGGINS At her home in Woodbridge, September 5, 2012, after a long illness, Kathryn Higgins Winter, the wife of 50 years of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ralph K. Winter. She is survived by Judge Winter, their son, Andrew Winter, his wife Kimberly, and her granddaughter, Kiersten Winter, of Hamden. She was predeceased by her brother, William J. Higgins, Jr., and her sister, Judith Blumenthal. Mrs. Winter was renowned for her generous and gregarious nature, her great love for her many friends and her family, and her wicked sense of humor. Mrs. Winter, known as Kate, was born in New Haven, December 20, 1936, daughter of the late William J. and Ethel Donovan Higgins. She was a resident of Woodbridge for forty years, a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church, and a member of its Ladies Guild. Mrs. Winter was an elected member of the Woodbridge Board of Education for eight years, its Chairwoman for six years. In 1981, she was elected to be the New Haven Area Representative to the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and became a member of the Finance and Executive Committees of that Association. Kate was also a member of the Yale New Haven Hospital Auxilary, the Woodbridge Republican Town Committee, and President of the Woodbridge Garden Club. She co-chaired the League of Women Voters Finance Committee for two years and in 1983 received the YWCA "Women in Leadership" Award in recognition of her community involvement. Kate was active in several other civic and charitable organizations. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 81 Center Road, Woodbridge on Monday Morning at 11:00 o'clock. Burial will be held privately in Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven. Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, Hamden is in charge of arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 2075 Silas Deane Hwy., Rocky Hill, CT 06067. www.siskbrothers.com