Roy Cogswell, 57, Early Bird owner

Roy Cogswell, the longtime owner of The Early Bird restaurant who was noted for his kindness and humor, died of liver cancer Wednesday morning, May 25, 2005, at Danbury Hospital. He was 57, and had been a Ridgefielder all his life.

A man whose trademark was his modesty and self-deprecating humor, Mr. Cogswell quietly helped many people as he joshed and smiled his way through life.

“Fantastic, always giving,” lifelong friend Carol Casey Mitchell said of him. “He was the same person when he was dying that he was his whole life -- very gentle, respected, private. He was always there for everyone that needed help.”

“Roy is so low key, most people don’t even realize that he did these things,” friend Ron Singer said of the helping hand Mr. Cogswell extended to so many.

Born June 28, 1947 to Frederick and Ruth DeForest Cogswell, he grew up on Danbury Road. His mother died when he was 12, Ms. Mitchell recalled, and he spent a lot of time at her family’s home, across the street. He played Little League and Babe Ruth baseball. He graduated in the Class of 1965 at Ridgefield High School, and played catcher on the RHS baseball team. He went to Boston University.

Mr. Cogswell worked summers during high school driving an ice cream truck, and he later had a wide range of employments. He worked in carpentry and for Knapp Brothers Tree Service. He owned a deli in Vista, and tended bar at Galloway’s Pub in Ridgefield. He owned the Hay Day Meat Market, operating as an independent within the high-end food store.

Mr. Cogswell bought The Early Bird restaurant and ran it for 15 years, often getting up at three in the morning to start preparations for the first wave of early morning customers. Under his ownership The Early Bird became the breakfast and lunch spot for townies and old timers, a place where people gathered for companionship as well food.

“Not many places you can spend $1.35 for a cup of coffee -- that keeps getting refilled -- and hang around for four hours,” John Katz, one the Early Bird regulars, said in March when Mr. Cogswell’s condition became known and friends began organizing a fund-raiser.

“Really, his whole life was The Early Bird, getting up at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Ms. Mitchell said. “...There was a real early group of men that went in there.”

Tom Belote, a high school classmate, said, “As you can see from the atmosphere that Roy created at The Early Bird, Roy was a kind and caring individual. Old timers and new residents alike enjoyed his warmth and wit. His volunteer activities for his hometown set an example for us all.”

Mr. Cogswell was a member of The Lions Club and had been president and secretary of its Ridgefield chapter, and chaired various committees. He received the Lions Ambassador of Sight Award this year, and in 2002 received its Melvin Jones Fellowship.

Having conquered alcohol and drug problems himself, Mr. Cogswell was helpful to many who battled them. A man whose son had trouble with drugs recalled how Mr. Cogswell had befriended him at the group meetings, “took him aside and helped him, got him a job, and brought him home a number of times after the meetings, and helped him out.”

He added, “Ever since that, I’d do whatever I can to help Roy.”

Testimony to Mr. Cogswell’s friendliness and penchant for helping folks out was the dinner and auction in April that brought in more than $50,000 from people eager to help him. The volunteers who cooked and cleaned and waited table included nine of the people who worked for Mr. Cogswell at The Early Bird.

“Roy’s passing in no way diminishes his essence, which will be reflected in every cup of coffee we continue to drink at The Early Bird,” Mr. Katz said.

Mr. Cogswell is survived by his aunt, Evelyn DeForest of Ridgefield; his cousin, Lee DeForest of Ridgefield and his wife, Margaret; his cousin Wayne DeForest and his wife, Mary of Waverly, N.Y., and four nieces and nephews.

Besides his mother, his father died before he did, as did his sister, Lynn Tracey of Waverly, N.Y.

He also leaves a circle of devoted friends including Ms. Mitchell, Walter Valentine and Bob Donohue, as well as “extended family” that includes the staff and regular customers of The Early Bird.

Calling hours will be tonight, May 26, from 6 to 9 at the Kane Funeral Home, 25 Catoonah Street. Funeral services will be Friday, May 27, at 1 at Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church, 207 Main Street.

Donations in his memory may be made to the Oncology Department at Danbury Hospital.