WOODBURY -- Duncan Calder Stephens, 85, died Saturday May 30, 2015, at home. His death was unexpected but peaceful, and his family was by his side. He was the husband of Eileen Denver. He was an affable, serene, compassionate man who did a wonderful job of living.

Duncan was born August 1, 1929 in Detroit, Mich., son of Dr. Duncan Calder Stephens and Lela Marie Simpson Stephens. He and his brother Tom went to high school in Howell, Mich. and Seattle, and to prep school at Wooster, in Danbury. He attended Princeton University and Colorado College and obtained his Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Harvard University. He went to OCS and became a Lieutenant JG in the Navy, serving in the Far East just at the end of the Korean War.

Duncan married his first wife Charlotte Doscher, of Riverside, Conn., in 1952; they had five children. The first part of his career was in sales and management training with McGraw Hill in Pittsburgh and New York City. In 1968 the family moved to Vermont, where he started a newspaper, the Lamoille County Weekly, of which he was editor and publisher for 12 years - a job that he liked to say was "every college English major's dream."

Duncan and his wife Charlotte divorced in 1982, and he moved to Southbury, then to Naugatuck. He started his own "one-man company," Staff Associates, working for area firms as a communications and public relations consultant. He kept that work going into the late 80's recession, but also got busy writing about all that he and his new wife Eileen had learned in remodeling their small Woodbury house. His two published books, "Home Remodeling Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them" and "The Unofficial Guide to Hiring Contractors" are informative, yet written with finesse and wry humor. The books were well reviewed but, as he said, "they paid me only enough to buy an old beige sedan, which we called The Pudding."

Duncan was tall (his three sons range from 6' 7" to 6' 10") and bearded, with an engaging smile. "The big guy" made many friends in his Woodbury years, becoming deeply involved with the Valley Chordsmen branch of the Barbershop Harmony Society, where he sang bass; with the Naugatuck Rotary, for which he once served as President; and with the Woodbury Business Association, as president earlier on and lately as secretary. He was a founding board member of The Denan Project, which provides free medical care to desperately poor towns in Africa, South America, and Mongolia. He had been a member of the Advisory Board of Woodbury's Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition. He helped Woodbury's Glebe House Museum and other nonprofits raise funds by bringing his charm and his omelet-making expertise to brunch parties he gave in the homes of donors.

Intelligent and witty, Duncan was a great story-teller. He was also a thoughtful listener, a treasured sounding board for family and friends. He was generous with his time-and with his pickup truck. He and his wife hosted many Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, brunches, dinners, and summertime late-afternoon gatherings on the deck. He loved family reunions, barbershop singing, golfing with friends, sitting around talking, and helping people. A dear friend said: "I don't know how anyone could forget him; he was larger than life."

Besides his wife of 27 years, he leaves four children: Cameron Page and her children with her late husband Russ, Michael and Laura, from Stowe, Vt.; Duncan, his wife Carolyn, and their children Lily and Fiona, in Chicago; Boder, his wife Marketa and son Dakota, in Waterville, Vt.; and Andrew, his wife Jackie, and children Emma and Molly, in Cohasset, Mass. Duncan and Charlotte's fifth child, Brandy, died in 2002. He also leaves 10 loved nieces and nephews and their families. His brother Tom, married to Bonnie Stephens of Woodbury, died in 2010.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition (www.pomperaug.org), the Glebe House Museum (www.theglebehouse.org), or The Denan Project (www.thedenanproject.org).

Cemetery: New North Cemetery

Location: Munson-Lovetere Woodbury

Funeral: Church Not Applicable

Services: A small celebration of Duncan's life, for family and friends, will be held in Woodbury on Saturday afternoon, June 20. For details please email [email protected]/* */ or call 203-266-4009, leaving a message if necessary. Everyone will get a follow-up email or call.

Visitation: There are no calling hours scheduled at this time