Obituary of Stephanie D. Haught

Stephanie B. Haught 82, wife of Alan F. Haught of South Glastonbury passed away January 10, 2017 peacefully in her sleep at home. Stephanie, born December 7, 1934, in Cedarhurst, Long Island, New York, was the first of four daughters of the late Casper and Mildred (Shur) Bower. She grew up in White Plains, New York, graduating from White Plains High School. College was in the snowy realm of Buffalo, New York where she graduated with a degree in art education from the State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo and a degree in Fine Arts from the affiliated Albright Art School along with an unaccredited extracurricular degree in ice skating at the SUNY rink. Stephanie’s life’s work was education; initially she taught art, but then as now this was a field of uncertain tenure. A sympathetic mentoring principal saw something special in her way with students and suggested she consider the emerging field of Special Education. It was here that she found her passion. She married her husband of more than 50 years, Michael J. O’Sullivan, and taught special education students at the Isaac E Young High School in their hometown of New Rochelle, New York. In 1972 they moved to Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Stephanie taught history in the Special Education Department, first at the Bloomfield Junior High School (now Carmen Arace Intermediate and Middle School) and subsequently at Bloomfield High School until her retirement more than 25 years later. For Stephanie, her students came first and she formed a close relationship with them, especially the boys, generations of whom passed the word, “Don’t mess with Mrs. O”. For a number of years she offered a home based program of Personal Fashion and Style Color Analysis for private clients. Throughout, Stephanie, an artist at her core, pursued her own colored pencil art, garnering awards from the West Hartford Art League and National Arts Council judged shows. Additionally she taught Colored Pencil courses at the Bloomfield Senior Center and Federation Homes in Bloomfield, leading to shows exhibiting her student’s work. Stephanie and Michael greatly enjoyed travel with vacations in various European countries, exploring local culture on their own. Michael died of complications associated with esophageal cancer in July of 2012, and Stephanie, still vital, with some trepidation, entered the arena of online dating. It was here that she met Alan who had lost his wife of 50 plus years to Alzheimer’s some months after Michael’s passing. One thing led to another, and in November of 2015 they were married, looking forward to spending their remaining years together. This was not to be; in April of 2016 she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma brain tumor from which she passed away earlier this week. Stephanie was predeceased by her sister Patricia (Bower) Francis. In addition to her husband, she is survived by two sisters, Holly Bower of Ashville, NC, and Vivian Bower of New York, NY, and her son, David O’Sullivan of Plainville, CT. Calling hours will be 3:00 – 6:00 pm Monday, January 16 at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave, Glastonbury. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, January 17 at the Congregational Church in South Glastonbury, 949 Main Street, South Glastonbury. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance, Inc. at www.ctbta.org or Protectors of Animals, Inc. at www.poinc.org. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.