Priscilla Anne Chatfield

Priscilla Anne Chatfield, beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully on July 7, 2017, surrounded by her family at home. She was 93 years old and a long-time resident of Easton. Mrs. Chatfield was born on March 19, 1924 in Brooklyn, the only child of Berton Frank Noyes and Claire Jackson Noyes. Priscilla spent her childhood years in Hastings, Nebraska where her parents were college teachers. Priscilla graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn and magna cum laude from Syracuse University, Class of 1945, with degrees in Speech and Drama. While at Syracuse, she was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority. Priscilla met John Farquhar Chatfield, Jr. at Syracuse University, and they were married in Easton in 1944. They were blessed to share over 68 years of marriage until John's death.
Priscilla was active in a variety of Easton organizations, from being a Brownie leader to President of the Friends of the Easton Public Library. She was an active member of the Junior League of Eastern Fairfield County and contributed her talents to the Episcopal Church in many ways during the time her children were growing up. Priscilla's early years in Easton were centered on her family. Following those formative years, Priscilla spent two decades as an Analyst for Aetna Life and Casualty. She and her family lived in Redding for several years before returning to Easton, where they remained in the same home for 50 years.
Classical music was an interest of Priscilla's throughout her life. She fulfilled that interest by participating in the choir at Trinity Church in Southport for many years. She also sang with the Fairfield County Chorale. In retirement, she and John loved sailing out of the Fayerweather Yacht Club and were members of the Fairfield County Beaglers.
Priscilla appreciated her family's Connecticut legacy. A descendant of the earliest settlers of Stonington, she learned the history and stories of her family during annual summer visits to Groton Long Point as a child. She enriched her knowledge of that legacy through her involvement with the Connecticut Ancestry Society, where she was an Emerita Board Member, and the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council. Several of her genealogical research articles were accepted for publication. Her skills offered her an opportunity to contribute to the Fairfield Historical Society as a volunteer researcher. Priscilla also was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and New England Historical Genealogical Society. Other interests included the Historical Society of Easton, where Priscilla was active during the restoration of the Bradley-Hubbell Homestead. She was involved in transcribing the original manuscript, "The Aspetuc Chronicles" by John Dimon Bradley, which was published to mark the occasion.
Priscilla is survived by her daughter Priscilla Anne Anderson (Stephen) of Eliot, ME, two sons John Farquhar Chatfield, III (Beverley) of Ridgewood, NJ, Joel Alden Chatfield of New York, NY and five grandchildren Jennifer Kristin Anderson, Jeffrey Chatfield Anderson, Katherine Amelia Chatfield, Victoria Elizabeth Chatfield, Tyler Christopher Chatfield, and one great-grandson Peter Shanley Bellinger. Funeral services for Mrs. Chatfield will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Southport, on Saturday July 15, 2017 at 11:00. Burial will be private. The family respectfully requests that any gifts in Priscilla's memory be directed to Music Under the Spire at Trinity Church, P.O. Box 400, Southport, CT 06890.