#Middlebury #Obituary
Loving wife, mother, sister and friend
On Monday, February 8, 2021, Tone Imset Ruccio, loving wife, mother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully at home in Middlebury, Connecticut, at the age of 61, after a battle with brain cancer. Drawing inspiration from Freddie Mercury, whose music was blaring through the house on a recent afternoon, she kept “on fighting till the end.”
Tone’s life started on May 10, 1959, in Laramie, Wyoming, where she was born to Ole and Anne (Hagen) Imset. The family grew to include her sisters, Liv Kari and Inger. Together, they followed new opportunities, moving to Illinois, Scotland, Arkansas, and Connecticut, all the while maintaining their connection to Norway.
After graduating from Pomperaug High School, Tone attended Virginia Commonwealth University – nourishing her creativity and achieving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After she graduated, she spent time in Norway with her grandparents, where she perfected her Norwegian language and sewing skills. Tone was later employed by Scholastic for 33 years, where her creative talents were widely recognized, and her colleagues became lifelong friends.
Tone and Stephen R. Ruccio were married in Middlebury on September 25, 1989. They became proud parents of their daughter, Krista Elin, born on March 25, 1993, and loved nothing more than attending her piano recitals, cheering on her field hockey games, and watching her excel in her professional career. They created a life together surrounded by lush gardens, warm friendships, and travel adventures with family and friends to their favorite places up and down the Atlantic seaboard, Mexico, Norway, and France – and then to Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, to visit Krista and their granddog, Ralph. Tone found great joy in the house and yard, became an accomplished painter, and loved entertaining. And even when faced with adversity, she always considered herself blessed.
Everyone will now, in mourning, cherish their own favorite memories of Tone: her enduring smile and infectious laughter, her eagerness to engage everyone (including complete strangers) in conversation, those many small acts of kindness and generosity, her loving partnership with Stephen, her special bond with Krista. Tone closely followed current events and held strong to her values and faith, most of all, a genuine love she shared with her family, her coworkers, and her cherished friends in Middlebury and around the world.
Tone is preceded in death by her parents, Ole Kristian and Anne Kjersti (Hagen) Imset, and Stephen’s parents, Francis E. and Lydia C. (Caporaso) Ruccio. She is survived by her husband, Stephen, her daughter, Krista, and her sisters, Liv Kari Imset (Richmond, California) and Inger Imset (Lyme, New Hampshire), as well as Stephen’s brothers, David and Gregory, and their families.
Please know that Tone’s family deeply appreciates all the friendship, love, and care you brought to her life. Calling hours will be Friday, February 12, 2021, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Brookside Memorial/The Albini Family Funeral Home and Crematory at 200 Benson Road in Middlebury, Connecticut, with a short service at the conclusion. All physical-distancing guidelines will be followed and masks will be required.
In lieu of flowers, consider honoring the life of Tone with a contribution to Regional Hospice of Danbury, CT, https://regionalhospicect.org/making-a-gift/.
For more information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.brooksidememorial.com.
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