Obituary of Alice H. Lauder

Alice Heineken Lauder of Norwalk, Connecticut passed away on October 19, 2023 at the age of 99. Born in Newark, New Jersey on 11/30/1923 she was the daughter of Elmer Edgar Rinehart and Mildred Sovereign Rinehart. Alice grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey. She spent many happy summers in Lebanon, New Jersey visiting her numerous aunts and uncles on their farms. She graduated from Paine Hall in New York City in 1942 as a Medical Secretary, X-Ray Technician and Lab Technician. She was employed during World War II as a lab technician with Standard Oil at the Bayway Refinery in Linden, New Jersey where she tested aviation fuel for the US Navy. In 1949 she married Christian A Heineken upon his return from the US Air Force in India and Burma . They moved to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1956 and raised their 5 children. When the “new” Norwalk High School opened in the early 1970’s she became the Science Aide for 12 teachers where she set up labs and helped produce tests for the Science department. After her husband Chris died unexpectedly in 1977 she began many years of volunteering. She was active at Norwalk Hospital for 30 years where she went on to be in charge of volunteers in the ICU waiting room. She volunteered with the Norwalk chapter of AARP and at Red Cross Bloodmobiles. She was a faithful, daily swimmer at the Norwalk YMCA. One of her great joys was organizing back yard croquet games with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She proudly noted that croquet was played in each month of the year in that backyard. Alice later married William Lauder, a retired sports writer with the Harold Tribune and New York Racing Association. They spent many wonderful years exploring the United States and cruising to Scandinavia, Russia and Europe. During a particular visit to France she discovered a local dish of steamed muscles (moules marinières). This led to a lifelong passion and her famed search for steamed muscles at whichever restaurant she was frequenting. She is predeceased by her parents and her brothers Norman and Ronald Rinehart and her husbands Christian Heineken and William Lauder. She is survived by her children Christian (Rick) Heineken MD and his wife Sheila of Shelton, Connecticut, Lee Garstick and her husband Larry of Rochester Hills. Michigan, Clinton Heineken and his wife Christine of Elk Grove, California, Eric Heineken and Joel Heineken both of Brookfield, Connecticut. Her cherished grandchildren Kathleen Fontano and her husband Tomas, Nicole Heineken Phillips and her husband Jeffrey, Alese Garstick, Brett Garstick, Rhiannon Heineken, Krystyl Heineken, Joel Russel Heineken, Olivia Heineken, Ava Heineken as well as her 5 great grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Friends are invited to greet the family on November 18th, 2023 from 10 to 11:30 AM at the Raymond Funeral Home, 5 East Wall Street in Historic Norwalk, Connecticut. Interment of her ashes will follow at the Riverside Cemetery, 81 Riverside Avenue in Norwalk. Please visit: www.Raymond.Care to leave an online condolence for the family. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in her memory be directed to the Red Cross. www.redcross.org