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08/24/2016 08:30 AMWhile Violet Scobie hasn’t lived in East Haven for her entire life, she has lived in town longer than many residents. Violet grew up on Worcester, Massachusetts, though she was familiar with East Haven—her family had a summer home in Momauguin.
In 1938, her family moved to a year-round home in East Haven, just in time for the Hurricane of 1938. Violet was attending East Haven High School at the time and she remembers the devastation of the September storm.
“The hurricane took the roof off of it [the summer home] and twisted it around sideways,” says Violet. “It took a while to get it back together.”
While their permanent residency in East Haven got off to a stormy start, Violet was happy with the move as she has always liked the people in town.
“It was nice because I already had friends here from being a summer resident,” says Violet.
Violet remained in East Haven, eventually marrying Elwood Scobie. The couple had two sons, Brian, who lives in Clinton, and Bruce, who still lives in East Haven and served as a police officer for the East Haven Police Department for 34 years. Violet also has two granddaughters—Olivia, who is heading to college in a few weeks, and Amanda, who lives in Boston.
Now 92 years old, she has been widowed for 40 years, but notes that many people still remember her husband’s dedication to the town as he served as the president of the Chamber of Commerce and spent many volunteer hours at Old Stone Church.
Elwood was not the only one who spent time volunteering. Violet has also been involved at Old Stone Church, which she has been attending since she was young. She has served on several boards, including the Board of Deacons, the Board of Trustees, and the Missions Board.
“At my age, I’m not as physically active as I used to be, but I’m still there all the time,” says Violet. “I enjoy the church and the people in it. I help wherever I could fill in.”
While Violet notes that membership is down, there are still many active members. She also says that the church is “very welcoming” and always accepting of anyone who wants to get involved.
In the late 1960s, Violet had a group of friends at her home and one of them suggested starting a historical society in town. The East Haven Historical Society was officially founded in 1969 and Violet was active in the group for many years, attending meetings and events.
The East Haven Historical Society is housed in the 200 Tyler Street building. It is open on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its goal is to preserve the town’s history, as well as historic buildings and landmarks.
“There are so many interesting things about our town that should be preserved,” says Violet, who was a charter member for many years. “It would be a shame to let them go by and let them be lost in the shuffle. It’s a way of keeping history alive.”
About a decade after the historical society was formed, the Town of East Haven hired Violet in the sewer and engineering department. She worked there from 1979 to 1985, ensuring that new houses built were hooked into the new sewer lines.
“I liked getting out and being with people,” says Violet, who also served on the Board of Directors for the East Haven Municipal Employees Credit Union.
Violet has also been involved with the garden club, now known as the Shoreline Community Garden Club, for many years as another one of her friends founded the club. She is still active in the club, which does plantings and weeding around town. She also enjoys outings with the club, such as visits to the winery.
“I enjoy the outdoor events,” says Violet, who is happy to have made East Haven her hometown. “I like the people and I like where I live in the center because I can walk wherever I want to go. It’s a very pretty town, especially around the fountain.”