Southbury- Courtney Ann Cloutier, 79, of Southbury passed away Christmas Eve at her home in Heritage Village. Courtney was the wife of the late Gerald Cloutier for the last twenty-four years, and of Thomas Rutter from 1966 to 1993.

Courtney was born in Stamford in September 1944 to John Andrew Ulrich and Elizabeth DeFontaine Ulrich.  She grew up in Stamford and then attended Connecticut College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Botany in 1966.  She married Tom, a Coast Guard officer, that year and began the service, sacrifice, and displacement that comes with being a military spouse.

Courtney lived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, New York City, Washington DC, and Newport, RI while raising her son Hayes and daughter Emily.  After Tom's retirement in 1986, they moved to Old Saybrook where she lived for nearly fourteen years.

Several years after Tom's death she met Gerry and the two were later married in their home on Jeremy Swamp Rd in Southbury and the two resided happily in Southbury for the rest of their time.

She also took on several jobs across the years, working for the Old Saybrook Middle School, the book publisher Globe Pequot Press in Clinton, and the brokerage AG Edwards in Essex and later in Danbury.  She retired from work life around 2010.

Courtney was an avid naturalist, always drawing pleasure in observing the passing of the seasons and the changes to the flora they would bring.  She always had a bird book near her kitchen window so she could look up birds that she did not recognize.  She enjoyed taking walks through the woods, often pausing at some tree, shrub, or ground cover to remember her botany education and name the plant.  She enjoyed taking drives through the western Connecticut with Gerry.

An avid crossword puzzler, she occasionally competed (and won) competitions across New England.

Courtney almost always had cats in her home through her life and was able to give over a half-dozen felines good, well-loved lives.

Courtney often volunteered at local libraries throughout her life doing whatever was needed and had could often been found in the basement of the Southbury Public Library rebinding and recovering books until just a few years ago.

Courtney is survived by her granddaughter Zophia of Norwich, her son Hayes of Charlotte, NC, and her brother Peter, of Fort Collins, CO.

A memorial service will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Southbury, CT on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 10:00 am.  In lieu of flowers, it is requested that a donation be made to the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.