Obituary of Elizabeth Callender

Elizabeth "Diz" Barnes Callender, 98, of Essex passed away on May 23, 2014 at her home. She was born in the home of her late parents Harry B. and Lucy (Scott) Barnes where she lived until her marriage to the late William S. Callender. Diz was a graduate of Pratt High School, the class of 1933, and later attended Abbot Academy and Mount Holyoke College. After school Diz took employment at Connecticut Light and Power where she worked for 40 years advancing to the position of Operating Records Supervisor of the Essex District. After retirement in 1975 Diz made her services available to many clubs and historical societies in and around Essex. She helped during the early days of the Connecticut River Museum. She worked tirelessly on many projects for the Essex Women's Club, notably collecting Christmas presents for the Rocky Hill Veterans and assisting with planning and arranging equipment for the Town Hall's new kitchen. She joined the Safety Committee where as a member she worked to obtain refuse containers to keep the streets of Essex clean and helped with the weeding of the traffic island at Middlesex Turnpike and Plains Road. Diz cared about a clean and beautiful Essex going to such lengths as to plan Clean up Days where residents and groups came together to clean the town. Diz's touch can also be found at the Essex Historical Building where she helped catalogue the items on the second floor. Her photographs of houses in Essex are an integral part of the Hyatt Collection. Diz ventured north to work with the Deep River Water Historical Society. There she helped the curator catalogue their records as well as aid in the conversion of a barn to a multifunction room. The accomplishment Diz took the must pride in is the restoration of the wilderness along the Falls River, known today as Osage Trail. She named this after a Revolutionary War Ship the British burned in Essex Harbor. Remnants of the ship still showed in the water when Diz was a small child. Besides her husband, Diz was predeceased by her brother, Burton S. Barnes and her sister, Mary F. Barnes. Visitation will be held at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook on Thursday, May 29th from 4:00PM to 6:00PM. A graveside service will be held on Friday, May 30th at 11:00AM in the Fountain Hill Cemetery, High Street in Deep River. Memorial contributions may be made in Diz's name to Forgotten Felines, Inc., P.O. Box 734, Clinton, CT 06413 or to the Valley Shore Animal Welfare League, P.O. Box 1134 Westbrook, CT 06498. To share a memory of Diz please visit www.rwwfh.com .