Obituary of Evelyn Heft Messier

Evelyn (Heft) Messier of Killingworth passed away Monday afternoon November 26th at the Aaron Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chester after complications from post polio syndrome, she was 87. Evelyn was born in Middletown on August 22, 1925 the daughter of John and Edith (Sypher) Heft of Killingworth. Evelyn contracted polio at the age of six, and spent most of the next ten years of her life at the Newington Children's Hospital. She graduated from Hand High School in Madison in 1944. After two years of training at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven she worked at Yale Labs as a lab technician in hematology. While living in New Haven, Evelyn enjoyed attending classical concerts, which nurtured a life-long love of opera. Loving mother and proud homemaker Evelyn could always be counted on to share her knowledge of medicine and nature. She enjoyed tending her flower gardens, and was an avid bird watcher. She acquired a large natural history library and enjoyed talking with friends and family about wildlife and gardening. Evelyn was predeceased by her husband, Nelson Messier, with whom she raised a family on land from her parents. Evelyn leaves two children, son Steven Messier and his wife Mary of Unionville, and daughter Michelle and her husband Dan Labriolla, of Old Lyme, and two grandchildren, Miles Messier and Alyssa Harrington. She also leaves a sister, Doris Kurze of Deep River, and a brother, Louis Heft, of Chester. She was predeceased by two brothers, John and George, and a sister Helen Wettish. Visitation will be held at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook on Friday, November 30th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. Private burial will take place in the Fountain Hill Cemetery in Deep River. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Evelyn's name to the Killingworth Library Association, Inc., P.O. Box 725, Killingworth, CT 06419. To share a memory of Evelyn or send a condolence to her family please visit www.rwwfh.com