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08/16/2018 12:00 AM


Guilford and Venice, Florida

Our Aunt, Corinne Katherine Williams, known to us as “Aunt Rinnee,” passed to heaven July 30. Born Aug. 15, 1930, she was the daughter of the late Henry and Corinne Williams. Corinne’s father was a successful stationery salesman/entrepreneur, and Corinne’s mother was an early performer in the renowned Ziegfield Follies. Corinne was predeceased by her sister Doris MacLeman and brother-in-law Everett L. MacLeman, Sr., of Guilford.

Corinne was a pioneer for contemporary professional businesswomen, as a scholarship winner and graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in 1952, with a BS degree in retail merchandising. Written up in Co-ed Magazine as a young, successful business professional and role model for aspiring female students of the same field, she was engaged as an assistant in the education department in textiles at Eastman Chemical, and at 25 years old rose to the title of fashion publicity manager.

Corinne eventually followed her passion to ski, relocating to Vermont to manage and purchase for sports retailers in the Vermont snow belt. She reminisced about strapping on her ski boots at her work desk to ski down Glen Ellen mountain (now Sugarbush North) to get in a couple runs before going home at the end of the work day. It was a happy memory. Corinne later relocated to Connecticut to be close to family at Mulberry Point in Guilford. In later years, she moved near friends and the beach in Venice, Florida.

Corinne was buyer and merchandise manager for Old Guilford Forge in the 1970s, kitchen and bath buyer for New Haven Plumbing in the 1980s. In Florida she was a data processor for Nielsen Research in the 1990s and beyond. Corinne spent recent years close to family in Doylestown and Warrington, Pennsylvania.

In addition to her love of all things outdoors—skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, birdwatching—she had a love of fine art and music. Corinne and her entourage were friends of the Sarasota Opera in Florida. She enjoyed a lifetime of traveling in the United States and abroad, sharing time with her friends, cooking, hiking, and raising her dog Toby. She also enjoyed antiques and classical music. She had a green thumb and houseplants would thrive under her care.

Corinne leaves two nephews and one niece, Everett MacLeman (Linda) of New York City, Cynthia MacLeman of Westbrook, and John MacLeman (Susan), and Corinne’s grandniece Molly of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, all of whom will forever miss a good debate with their beloved “Aunt Rinnee.”

Friends are invited to a memorial service at the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church St., Guilford, on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. Burial will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice. To share a memory or leave a message of condolence for the family, please visit www.GuilfordFuneralHome.com.