Funeral of Greg Sawyer & Peggy Berthold

Gregory “Greg” Berthold Sawyer
1971 - 2025
Historian, Collector, Educator

Gregory Berthold Sawyer, 53, a longtime resident of Hamden, Connecticut, passed away at home on January 21, 2025, of sudden heart failure. Born on July 8, 1971, in Princeton, New Jersey, he was the second son of Willits Herbert Sawyer III and the late Margaret Jane Berthold.
Greg was a graduate of The Foote School, Hamden Hall Country Day School, and a postgraduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. At Wesleyan University, he played football, wrestled, and he excelled in chess while pursuing an academic concentration in American studies, drama and film. Greg was Vice President of Beta Theta Pi, and he served in the U.S. Marine Corps PLC program.

The pursuit of education — whether as a student, teacher, or coach — was a constant force in Greg’s life. Being a docent at the Connecticut Historical Society led him to earn his teaching certificate from Southern Connecticut State University. His career in education included teaching world history, core humanities, and math, as well as social studies, language arts, and chess.

At six feet, seven inches tall, Greg’s commanding presence, broadcast-quality voice, and his engaging personality inspired the devoted attention of his students. He also was an athletic coach for wrestling, basketball, and football. Greg was an experienced wilderness explorer. For over a decade, he headed up Hamden Hall’s popular Outdoor Adventure program, based on the Outward Bound model.

Greg was a descendent of the Mayflower and a Life Member of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Connecticut, the Wyckoff Association, and The Society of Lees of Virginia.

His extensive collections of classic and vintage comic books, action figures, antique toys, and vinyl records were impressive by any standard. He loved to entertain friends and family and the sharing of knowledge. His story-telling talents were the high point of many gatherings. 

In addition to being a ranked US Chess player, Greg was a voracious gamer on other boards as well.  He always was up to play with anyone brave enough to take him on. (He did enjoy winning!)

Greg is survived by his father, Willits Herbert Sawyer III; his brother Edward Case Sawyer II; his nephew, Benjamin Prescott Sawyer; his niece, Lillian Grace Sawyer; his uncle, Charles E W Berthold; his cousins, Debra J Smith, Markham S. Giblin, and Jack Sawyer. His mother, Margaret “Peggy” Jane Berthold, predeceased him in 2023.
There will be funeral service at Trinity on the Green Episcopal Church, 230 Temple Street, New Haven, Connecticut, on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at 4 P.M. If you wish to make a charitable donation in memory of Greg, please consider his beloved alma mater Hamden Hall (www.hamdenhall.org ). You may please be in touch with the family by contacting Sisk Brothers Funeral Home (www.siskbrothers.com).

Margaret “Peggy” Jane Berthold
1939-2023

Margaret Jane Berthold, a longtime resident of Hamden, CT, died peacefully in her home on April 6, 2023, at the age of 83. Margaret "Peggy" was born in 1939 to Herbert Charles "Pete" Berthold and Ruth Virginia Goode Berthold in Wheaton, IL. She married her college sweetheart, Willits Herbert Sawyer, III, in 1962 in San Francisco at Grace Cathedral and they had two sons together during their marriage.

After graduating with a Phi Beta Kappa Key from Miami University in Oxford, OH in 1961, she became a distinguished English teacher at the Coronado High School. Peggy then received her master's degree in English from San Diego State University in 1968, graduating Summa Cum Laude. She moved to New Haven, CT in 1971 and graduated from The University of Connecticut's School of Law with high honors in 1978.

After working for two law firms, she established a private practice in family law in 1982 in New Haven, CT. Peggy became one of the top lawyers in Connecticut in her field. She served on the board of the Adolescent & Family Counseling Center. 

Peggy travelled extensively, both domestically and internationally. She was intent on exploring new places and savoring new experiences. She enjoyed the theatre and the arts. She served on the board of The Elm Shakespeare Company. Peggy was an avid dancer, swimmer, and gardener. She loved her walks with the many dogs in her life. She bred, trained, and showed German Shepherds, including a champion stud named Huckleberry.

She is survived by her brother, Dr. Charles Ernest Whitby Berthold; her eldest son, Edward Case Sawyer II; her grandchildren, Benjamin Prescott Sawyer and Lillian Grace Sawyer; and her niece and nephews; Debra Smith, Mark Giblin, and Michael Giblin.

There will be a memorial service at the Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, CT on May 3, 2025, at 4 P.M, in remembrance of her and her youngest son, Gregory Berthold Sawyer, who passed in January of 2025.

If you wish to make a charitable donation in memory of Peggy, please consider the Sarah T. Crosby Conservatory, C/O Edgerton Park Conservancy, P.O. Box 6163, Hamden, CT 06517, or online at www.edgertonpark.org. You may contact the family through the Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, www.siskbrothers.com.