Obituary of Florence Christensen Chalker

Florence Rosalie Christensen Chalker, 99, died peacefully at Middlesex Hospital on September 4, 2012 after a brief illness. Florence was the youngest daughter of the late Alfred H. Christensen and Lillian Oberg Christensen of Chester. She graduated from Chester High School in 1931, and while living in Chester, was active in community theater. She attended Drew Seminary and while there, married E. Gould Chalker of Essex in 1933. Florence became involved in the Essex community and was a charter member of the Essex Women's Club, and started the Valley Theater Guild in 1934. With her husband, "Gouldie" Chalker, she was a charter member of the Essex Art Gallery in 1946. Also during her time in Essex, she worked with Mrs. Chester Bowles on a committee to build a new wing in Middlesex Hospital. Flo, as she was known to her friends, had an active social life in Essex. In 1946, she opened the "Aunt Flossie's Country Store," specializing in women's fashions and home decorations. She was an avid music fan and had a collection of 78"s of Frankie Carl, Harry James, Glen Miller and the Ink Spots. In 1948, Florence moved back to Chester where she worked at the Electroweave Company and helped her mother oversee the family business at Christensen's Garage. She moved to East Haddam in 1964, and was the property manager of the Champion House, an apartment complex building on the Connecticut River. She lived there for 46 years until she moved to Chesterfield's Health Care Center in Chester for the last year and one-half of her life. She is remembered by all who knew her as a generous, outgoing, fun-loving person. She was "Auntie Flo" to generations of young people in Deep River, Chester and East Haddam, and then "Grandma Flo" after her first grandson was born. She had a special ability to attract and make friends of all ages wherever she went. She was admired and respected by all her friends for her wisdom, common sense and her intense, sincere interest in the people she met. She remained an avid card player all her life- from Canasta to Pinochle, Rummy to Bridge. She was a member of the United Church of Chester. Her sisters, Jean Hopkins and Doris Mather predeceased Mrs. Chalker. She leaves a son, Ned Chalker, of Washington, D. C.; a grandson, David Chalker, of Los Angeles, California, her close niece, Jayne Mather of Deep River; nephew, Richard Mather of Essex, along with many other nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 8th at 1:00PM at the First Congregational Church of Deep River, 1 Church Street in Deep River. Burial will follow in the Fountain Hill Cemetery, 57 High Street in Deep River. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, Inc., 61 Main Street, Centerbrook, CT 06409. To share a memory of Florence or leave a condolence for her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com . Arrangements by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.