Obituary of Elsie Tarpill

Elsie Lynde Tarpill, 88 of Chester, CT passed away on October 15, 2016. The daughter of Roland and Mary (Benda) Lynde, Elsie was born in her family home and was a life-long resident of Chester. Elsie grew up on her family farm on Winthrop Road and spent her summers as a teenager helping at her grandmother's boarding house on West Main Street. Elsie had fond memories of riding her bike to her grandmother's house to help in the kitchen and to make sure everything ran smoothly. Elsie was a graduate of Chester High School, a member of the town garden club, and also worked as both Chester Town Clerk and Judge of Probate. Elsie forged life-long friendships with her colleagues, including her dear friend, Laura Straub, of Chester. Elsie raised her two sons Hal and Mark in Chester, in the house that her husband built by hand, on land that had been passed down from her family for generations. She and her husband Harry Tarpill traveled all over the United States, often waking up at 3:00AM to get an early start on the road. They always returned to the town they loved with pictures and stories from their latest adventures. Elsie was Harry's right-hand woman, helping him fix whatever needed attention at the time. They were inseparable. Elsie is predeceased by her husband, Harold Tarpill, her brother Edward B. Lynde and his wife Sabina Lynde. Elsie will be sadly missed by her sons Hal and Mark, and their wives Bev and Linda. Elsie is also survived by her three grandchildren Laura, Bryan, and Matthew Tarpill and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bill and Rita Gregory. Visitation will be held on Friday October 21, 2016 from 9:30AM to 11:00AM at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street, Centerbrook. A Funeral Service will be held in the chapel of the funeral home at 11:00AM with burial following in the Fountain Hill Cemetery, 57 High Street, in Deep River. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Elsie's name may be made to the Chester Library, 21 West Main Street Chester, CT 06412. To share a memory of Elsie or send a condolence to her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com.