Obituary of Emma L. Pelz

CHESHIRE - Emma A. "Lee" Pelz, 100, passed away on June 9, 2014 at Masonicare in Wallingford. Lee was born on November 13, 1913 in Greens Farms, daughter of the late Frederick and Emma Parsell Anderson. Named for her mother, she acquired the name "Sooky" from her older sister during high school, then renamed herself "Lee" among her many friends in Cheshire, where she and her husband Seymour "Si" D. Pelz made their home on Cheshire Street for many years. That home provided a base for many decades of community service to the town she loved. Her friends describe Lee as inspirational to others for her tireless service to her community, for her vision and commitment to making Cheshire the best town it could be, and for her tenacity in seeing projects through. Lee was a founder of the Cheshire Land Trust in 1969 and one of the founders of the Cheshire League of Women Voters. She served on Planning and Zoning and was active on the town's Beautification Committee, Republican Town Committee, the Cheshire Garden Club, the Grange, and the Cheshire Historical Society which benefitted from the donation of her large collection of silver and ceramic miniatures. Lee was a member of the First Congregational Church of Cheshire and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. She was the 1990 recipient of the Chester Bowles Community Service Award from Cheshire Academy. Her family remembers her as a loving aunt, swimmer, golfer, silversmith, gardener, collector, dog lover, traveler, and cook. She is survived by nieces Emmy Chamberlain Clausing of San Francisco, CA and Anne Chamberlain Wellman of Winter Park, FL and West Falmouth, MA, and by Si's nephews David Rehbock of Stratford, CT and Richard Rehbock of Brooklyn, NY. She was predeceased by her husband and by her sister, Esther Anderson Chamberlain Campion. Arrangements - A funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 10 at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Cheshire, 111 Church Drive. Burial will follow in Cheshire Street Cemetery. At the request of her family, in lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to The Cheshire Land Trust, Inc. P.O. Box 781, Cheshire, CT 06410 or to a charity of one's choice. The Alderson-Ford Funeral home is assisting with arrangements.