LEBANON – Martha Laibrandt McSweeney, passed away into the loving arms of our Lord on Friday, April 27, 2018 at St. Joseph’s Living Center in Windham at the age of 103. Born on November 15, 1914 in the Dorchester area of Boston, MA, she was the daughter of the late Gottlieb and Agatha (Stenske) Laibrandt. At the age of four, her family moved to Lebanon and settled on Village Hill in 1922.
Martha attended the one room Kick Hill Schoolhouse, graduating from Village Hill at age 13. She went on to work at the silk mill in Willimantic but was directed back to school until age 16. Following her graduation from Lyman Memorial High School in 1931, she began her career with Connecticut Light & Power in Willimantic.
When they moved operations to Waterbury, she followed and boarded with a family, returning to Lebanon on weekends. A bookkeeper by trade, she had also worked for Brand Rex, the American Screw Credit Union and the Library at ECSU. While working at CL&P, she met her beloved husband, Edward B. McSweeney and the two were married on October 23, 1939.
The union of a German Lutheran and Irish Catholic proved to be quite the combination, but the two became one while still professing their respective faiths. The couple shared 53 years together, traveling extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, before he predeceased her on December 4, 1992. Mrs. McSweeney was an active parishioner of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lebanon and served as Treasurer of the Lutheran Womens’ Society for many years.
Following her retirement, she volunteered at Windham Hospital for over 30 years until the age of 93. In her spare time, Martha enjoyed bowling with the CL&P League, collecting antiques, making lamp shade crafted lights and was an excellent cook and baker. Although Martha and Ed had no children of their own, they were “2nd parents” to her sister Helen Bender’s sons, Ronald, Charles, James and Kurt, whom she leaves behind.
Additionally, she is survived by a niece, Theresa Blake and nephews, Andrew and John Laibrandt; as well as other extended family members. Her brother, John, predeceased her in 1995. Funeral Services will be observed 10 AM Tuesday, May 8th, directly at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 328 Village Hill Road, Lebanon.
The family will receive guests at the Church starting at 9:30 AM prior to the service. Following, she will be laid to rest with her beloved husband at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Windham. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church or to the charity of one’s choice.
Care of arrangements has been entrusted to the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home of Colchester.
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