Obituary: Sally Thomas Pavetti, 79, Former Yale Student

Sally Thomas Pavetti peacefully entered into eternal rest on May 16, 2016 after a valiant fight with Alzheimer's disease. She was born in New York City on August 15, 1936, the daughter of John B. and Godiva A. Thomas.

She was raised in Riverhead, New York, and graduated from Riverhead High School as valedictorian of her class. During high school, she played the flute and was selected to play in the New York State All State Orchestra.

She went on to attend and graduate from Wellesley College in 1958 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. After graduation, she married Francis J. Pavetti in 1958 and was also awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship to attend Yale University where she earned a Master's Degree in American History.

Sally went on to teach American History at high schools in Glastonbury and Waterford.

After leaving teaching when her daughter Leah was born in 1964, Sally became deeply interested in the life and dramatic literary works of Eugene O' Neill, the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize. Sally voraciously read the O'Neill plays, attended performances of his plays and studied his biographies. She also sought out several of O'Neill's boyhood friends from New London and interviewed them.

In 1967, she became affiliated with the prestigious O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford which acquired ownership of Monte Cristo Cottage in New London. The Monte Christo was the home of the O'Neill family, and the setting for O'Neill's masterpiece play "Long Day's Journey into Night."

Sally became Curator of Monte Cristo and lead a successful effort at the national level to have it officially designated as a Registered National Historic Landmark. She then went on to lead the task of restoring the Monte Cristo.

The historic preservation of the homestead included the daunting task of adhering to the stringent requirements of both the federal government and the New London Building Code. In fact, she was in such constant contact with the city Building Inspector so as to prompt him to refer to Sally as the "Countess of the Monte Cristo". Sally served there as Curator and, over the years, Monte Cristo has been visited by thousands of visitors.

Sally has appeared as a lecturer and panel member at numerous events throughout the United States. She has been featured in interviews on national network television, including CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood, NBC Today with Jane Pauley and Brian Gumbel, and she also made appearances on PBS and CNN.

Sally served as a Commissioner on the Connecticut Commission for the Arts for eight years. In 2014, she was awarded the prestigious Medallion Award presented by the International Eugene O'Neill Society. Previous recipients of the Award include actors Jason Robards, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Brian Denehy, and former Managing Editor of the New York Times Arthur Gelb.

Sally is survived by her husband of 57 years Francis J. Pavetti, her daughter Leah Hogan and her husband James F. Hogan Jr. and grandsons, Jamie and Jack Hogan, all of Rowayton, Connecticut. All that had the good fortune to know Sally will remember her for her glamour, brilliance, unique personality, fabulous sense of humor and her fine taste.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church in New London on Thursday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Private burial will be in St. Agnes Cemetery in Branford on Friday.

There are no calling hours. Visit the Neilan Funeral Home website for more information or to leave messages of condolence for the family.