Milestones

Frances “Sonsie” Overlock, Trustee, 1967-1969

Obituary: Frances “Sonsie” Overlock of New Canaan
By New Canaan Advertiser on November 29, 2017

Frances Frost Overlock of New Canaan, Conn., and Nantucket, Mass., died peacefully in Redding, Connecticut on November 4, 2017 following a period declining health. Her death was preceded by that of her devoted husband of 67 years, Willard.

Called by her family nickname, Sonsie, she was born in Norwalk, Connecticut on August 18, 1926. She was the youngest of three children of Mary and Russell Frost Jr. Sonsie led a full and rewarding life residing in New Canaan, for over 60 years, interacting and sharing with family, friends and her constant and devoted husband.

She was a student at The Low-Heyward School. Sonsie became a war bride following a blind date meeting with her husband at Yale when she was 17. The couple were married in Tonapah, Nevada on November 5, 1944 during Willard’s military training. Following the war, law school and living briefly in Norwalk, the Overlocks settled in New Canaan. Sonsie moving 6 miles from her home and never further.

Along with raising her 2 children, Mike (Willard Joseph Overlock, Jr.) and Bo (Joseph Leslie Overlock), Sonsie developed both a social and political consciousness that she remained committed to for a lifetime. She became increasingly active in state and local politics, including becoming a member of the Connecticut Republican Committee in the 1970s. She worked closely on the campaigns of Senator Lowell Weicker and Congressman Chris Shays. Local elections were a no less important for her as she hand lettered campaign signs and rang doorbells for First Selectman candidates in town elections.
Activity in the community did not stop with politics, Sonsie worked to start a drug treatment and counseling center in Norwalk, The Vitam Center, in the 1970s. Equally important, She was a founder and board member of the New Canaan Bank and Trust; a hometown bank with a community orientation. Finally, she was a devoted member of St. Mark’s Church, joining various committees and prayer groups.

While notable in their own right, Sonsie’s community contributions were made while raising a family, not completing high school and never setting foot inside college. In summary, 40 years of continuous commitment to the community reflects an impact and legacy that goes beyond and far surpasses the organizations and projects she was involved with.

A look at Sonsie’s life would be incomplete without including her love of Nantucket, a place that became central to her life and focus. Visiting there in the mid 1950s on the suggestion of New Canaan friends, Sonsie and Willard summered there every year without exception. Even the one year that the family traveled to Europe, they returned to the states via Boston and then went directly to Nantucket to end the summer.

They lived in Sconset and shared a group of friends from whom deep and rewarding friendships flourished over years and decades. Many will remember parties in Sconset and dinners at the Opera House and 21 Federal. Whether hosting a clambake or quickly going to the beach for a solitary swim, Sonsie loved the island for its charm, sea breezes and unique spirit. Community commitment continued on isle as well with Sonsie being a committee chairman at Sankaty Head Golf Club and a board member of the Life Saving Museum.

Sonsie is survived by her 2 sons and their families, Mike and Bo; 4 grandchildren, Emily Overlock Curry, Will and Garret Overlock and Hannah Overlock and 3 great-grandchildren.

Services will be held for Sonsie in New Canaan on Thursday, December 7, at 11 a.m., at St. Mark’s Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan and the Sconset Chapel, Nantucket in July 2018.
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