- Date Of Birth: March 21, 1920
- Date Of Death: October 15, 2016
- State: Connecticut
Longtime Norwalk resident Wilma Spurr, aged 96, reached the end of a long, loving and Christian life and went home to the Lord on Saturday, October 15th. The daughter of Fred and Ruby Langhammer of Stratford, she attended Stratford schools and worked at the Bridgeport Brass Company inspecting shell casings just prior to WWII. It was there that she met her first husband, Eugene G. Miller. The two were married in 1940 and raised five sons and two daughters.
When her husband’s early death left her with seven minor children in 1962, Wilma went to work at the Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Darien, where she developed a large and loyal following of customers who were charmed by her kindness, wisdom and gentle humor. Originally too shy to ask her customers’ names, she named them after their favorite menu item: Mr. Griddlecakes, Mr. Apple Pie, and Mrs. Coffee Soda. Eventually a group of her customers named themselves Wilma’s Breakfast Club, meeting daily at the counter for breakfast, coffee and conversation. Wilma had an uncanny ability to remember each customer’s birthday, and would surprise them with a cake and candles on their special day. When she retired at the age of 81, she had worked behind the HoJo’s counter for nearly 40 years.
In 1965 she remarried, serving as mother to second husband Everett Spurr’s son Ray Spurr and daughter, Lynda, and as a loving grandmother to their children.
