Lawrence C. Hoyt of 189 Silver Spring Road, a Ridgefield native who
spent nearly all of his 100 years in his hometown, died Sunday, Aug. 4,
at Danbury Hospital. He had marked his 100th birthday on April 30.
Except for a stint in the U.S. Army Cavalry, Mr. Hoyt had lived in
Ridgefield all of his years and had remained active in the social life
of the community until shortly before his death. He was a regular at the
Early Bird Café, where he delighted friends with stories of life in
Ridgefield long ago and with playing his harmonica.
Larry Hoyt was born in his grandfather's house on Wilton Road West, a
son of the late Ellis and Lottie Valiere Hoyt. His earliest education
was in one-room schoolhouses in town.
When he was 17, Mr. Hoyt enlisted in the U.S. Army, with the aim of
serving in the cavalry. Raised among farmers, "I had always loved
animals, especially horses," he said in an interview two months ago.
He served with Troop A of the Third Cavalry inVermont, training horses
for military combat and drills.
"I think being in the cavalry was a highlight for him," said his
daughter, Doris H. Ventres of Ridgefield. "If he didn't get married, he
probably would have gone out and been a real cowboy."
In 1925 he married Gertrude "Trudy" Thomas, daughter of the village
blacksmith, and was working as a caretaker on private estates in
Ridgefield. He later became head custodian  at Veterans Park School.
When the school was new, he planted spruce trees inside the circle.
He and his wife raised two children during the Depression. Mrs. Ventres
recalled her father as a gentle man who never got angry. "I don't think
I have ever seen him mad," she said in June. "He's been a wonderful
daddy."
In the 1980s, when his wife was diagnosed with a disease similar to
Alzheimer's, Mr. Hoyt refused to allow her to go to a nursing home. He
continued to care for her at home for nine years until her death in
1989.
An avid gardener, he enjoyed raising hybrid tea roses. In season his
yard was always filled with flowers, much to the enjoyment of those who
traveled Silver Spring Road. Even at 100, "he spades his own garden, he
mows his own lawn, he trims his hedges, he takes care of his perennial
bed," said neighbor and friend John Beckett recently.
As a boy, Mr. Hoyt learned to play the harmonica and eventually became
known in the community as "The Harmonica Man," entertaining both young
and old with his playing. At his 100th birthday party this spring, Mr.
Hoyt put on a harmonica performance.
At the Early Bird, the Ridgefield Men's Club or among family and
friends, Mr. Hoyt was known as a charming conversationalist who could
tell stories of early 20th Century Ridgefield and cavalry life. He
enjoyed recollections of listening to Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside
chats. "Roosevelt was a very effective president," Mr. Hoyt told an
interviewer in May. "His character was different than presidents today."
He also had a fine sense of humor. In June, when more than 100 people
gathered to celebrate his century of life, Mr. Hoyt confided that when
he arose each morning, he'd look at a picture of himself as a young
cavalryman and would ask: "What is that handsome young man going to do
today?"
Besides his daughter, Mr. Hoyt is survived by a son, Lawrence M. Hoyt of
Essex; a brother, Henry Hoyt of Lemster, N.H.: three grandchildren: Tad
J. Ventres of Ridgefield, Dale H. Ventres of Wise River, Mont., and
Larry M. Hoyt of Ivoryton; two great-grandchildren: Cody J. Ventres and
Garret T. Ventres of Wise River; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will take place today, Thursday, at 1 p.m. in the First
Congregational Church, Ridgefield. Burial will follow in Bald Hill
Cemetery, Wilton.
Contributions in Mr. Hoyt's memory may be made to the Ridgefield Men's
Club, Box 736, Ridgefield, CT 06877.
The Kane Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.