Playwright who wrote nearly 50 works dies

New York — A.R. Gurney, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright whose work offered a window into the inner lives of the upper-crust white Anglo-Saxon Protestants he grew up among, has died. He was 86.

Gurney’s agent Jonathan Lomma said Gurney died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. No cause of death was given.

Among his more wellknown works are “The Dining Room,” for which he was named a Pulitzer finalist for drama in 1985, “Love Letters,” which earned a Pulitzer finalist nod in 1990, and “The Cocktail Hour.” He was a prolific writer, producing almost 50 plays during his career along with a number of musicals and three novels.

“Love Letters” charts the lives of a man and a woman — lifelong friends with a romantic connection that never quite gets to thrive — through the correspondence they exchange over half a century. Poignant, arch

Salem — Robert M. “Bob” Tarnowski, 77, of Salem and formerly of Colchester, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 12, 2017, with his family by his side. Born Oct. 8, 1939, in New London, he was the son of the late Henry and Mary (Ruszala) Tarnowski.

Bob married his beloved, Marie Ann Skut, on Oct, 14, 1961, in Colchester and made their home in Salem. He was a professional truck driver for Teamsters Local 493, and later worked for Wal-Mart in Norwich, retiring several years ago. Bob was a and artful in both what’s said and what’s left unsaid, it ranges from thank-you notes and wedding invitations to heartfelt letters. One perceptively funny scene lampoons the rose-colored-glasses tone of a family Christmas newsletter.

“Love Letters” was first done at the New York Public Library in March 1988, with Holland Taylor and Gurney himself reading the play.

The two-person play has been performed by powerhouse acting duos including Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal, Mia Farrow and Brian Dennehy, and Elizabeth Taylor and James Earl Jones, among others.

Gurney, in a 1998 interview with the Los Angeles Times, said of his penchant for writing about a fading WASP world, “I’ve been occasionally nailed by the critics for limiting my sights to a small entity, but I’ve always believed that if you’re accurate and true to what you’re writing about, the play will have a larger human dimension. People are people.”

Old Lyme — Daniel M. Pennella died June 14, 2017, at home with his family, after a long and courageous battle with aggressive prostate cancer.

Daniel was born Nov. 23, 1928, in New London, to Donato and Angelina (Avallone) Pennella. After graduating from Chapman Technical High School, Daniel was a trusted

New London — John “Jack” Russell, 95, of New London, died Saturday night at home where he had been living with his son, John, for the last 10 years. He was born Sept. 29, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pa.

Jack served proudly in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard and was a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Jack was a longtime member of VFW Post 9563 in Bellmawr, N.J. He was active in Little League