Page Hedden Wilson

Page Hedden Wilson died at her residence in Haddam, Connecticut on September 13, 2022 at the age of 96. A graduate of Goddard College and a nationally recognized actress, Wilson wrote and produced one woman plays about prominent women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Agatha Christie and Mary Cassatt.

Page was born on May 11, 1926 in New York City to Walter P. Hedden, Director of Port Development for the Port Authority of New York, and Worth Tuttle Hedden, an award-winning novelist and a champion of minority rights. Page was the middle of three children, her older brother, Daniel Tuttle Hedden and her younger brother Mark Hamilton Hedden, predeceased her.

Page met her husband, Ian H. Wilson while studying at the Theater School of Bradford Yorkshire. In 1951, Page and Ian were married and in 1952, Page gave birth to the first of five daughters in London, England on the day Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne.

In 1954, the couple relocated to Westport, Connecticut where they lived and raised their five daughters, Rebecca, Dori, Ellen, Holly and Alix.

In addition to being a loving mom, Grammy & great grandma, Page was an artist and puppeteer creating her own traveling puppet show Trunk of Tales Puppets in 1965 and performing at hundreds of schools, museums and nature centers in New York and Connecticut. She was also one of the founding members of the Connecticut Guild of Puppetry.

Page will be remembered for her work as a playwright, actress and producer of critically acclaimed plays about famous women including Dolly Madison, Mary Todd Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, The Duchess of Windsor, Agatha Christie and Mary Cassatt. She studied her craft both here and abroad, and researched her characters carefully, using authentic props and dress as adjuncts to her theatrical voyages. She traveled extensively and performed from Maine to California delighting audiences with her sharp introspective look at the great women of history. She performed in all sorts of venues from universities to retirement communities, from historical societies to women’s clubs, all with the same results, rave reviews, enlightened and entertained audiences.

Page is survived by her four daughters and their families: Rebecca and John Armstrong of Madison, CT., Dori Wilson and George Ostasiewicz of Norwalk, CT., Holly and Jim Luce of Denville, NJ. and Dr. Alexandra Wilson and Terry Dawson of Austin, TX. along with twelve grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Page was predeceased by her former husband, Ian H. Wilson, her daughter, Ellen Page Wilson and her companion of many years, Sayard Stone.

A special thank you goes out to the staff and wonderful caregivers at The Saybrook at Haddam Safe Harbor and Vitas Hospice. The Swan Funeral Home, Clinton, CT, is assisting the family with arrangements. A private memorial service is planned.