Obituary of Salvatore A. Giarratana

Salvatore A. Giarratana, “Sal” a long time resident of Darien, died peacefully at home on September 25, 2011. He was 89, born May 28, 1922 in Hartford, CT to the late Antonio Giarratana and Maria Gallo Giarratana. He attended Bulkeley High School in Hartford, CT. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree at the Catholic University of America and a master’s degree at New York University, both in Aeronautical Engineering, he returned to Catholic University and obtained a Juris Doctorate. A veteran of World War II, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1944 until 1946 when honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant. After the war he worked as an aeronautical engineer at United Aircraft and then co-founded Kaman Aircraft Corporation, a pioneer in the helicopter industry. He later embarked on a career in patent law. He worked as an examiner at the United States Patent & Trademark Office, and then as a senior attorney at the United States Department of the Navy. He later became the Chief Patent Counsel of PerkinElmer Corporation where he retired in 1987. In retirement Sal was active in Darien as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Commission on Aging, the Senior Center, and the Darien Senior Men’s Club. He served as a Darien Traffic Hearing Officer, was a twenty year volunteer at the Tandet Center for Continuing Care, in Stamford, a Eucharistic minister and a daily communicant at St. John’s Church in Darien. He enjoyed his hobby of creating beautiful stained glass artwork, bike riding and taking walks in Noroton Bay, his beloved neighborhood. However, he loved nothing more than spending time with his dearly loved family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary Dunn Giarratana, their six children, daughter Marie and her husband Howard Young of Corte Madera, CA and their children Mara and Fiona, son Gregory, his wife Denise and daughter Samantha of Boynton Beach, FL, daughter Sharon of Oakland, CA, daughter Bess and her husband Christopher Brown of Big Horn, WY and their children Salvatore, Jordan, Francesca, Liam and Sean, son Mark and his wife Katy of Glastonbury, CT and their children Christine, Isabel and Shannon, and daughter Clare and her husband Anthony Chimento of Rowayton, CT and their daughter Patricia, and his sister Edith Avila of Manchester, CT as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his beloved granddaughter Nicole Elizabeth Giarratana. The family will receive friends at the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, 2119 Post Road, Darien on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. John R.C. Church, 1986 Post Road, Darien on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow at Spring Grove Cemetery, Darien. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Comboni Missionaries, 1318 Nagel Road, Cincinnati, OH 45255. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820