John Colangelo

John P. Colangelo, 85 of West Hartford. Born June 23, 1927 in Hartford at home, passed peacefully on Monday (July 9, 2012) at home with his loving wife Gail Brown Colangelo by his side as their favorite songs by Sinatra filled the air. He was the son of the late Pantaleone and Rosa Massa Colangelo. John is survived by his five loving children: John R. Colangelo, Gary D. Colangelo and his wife Kim, Deborah Migliore and her husband Donald, Susan Muschett and her husband Neil, Gina Colangelo and her fiancé Dylan Magee; four adored grandchildren: Tiffney, Stacey, Antonio, Mark; four great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his youngest brother, Tony Colangelo and his wife Stephanie and his sister-in-law, Judy Colangelo. John was predeceased by his four brothers, Rocko, Henry, Nicky, and William Colangelo and his sisters, Carmela Cote and Rosa Valente. John worked for the City of Hartford for 33 years in various positions starting as a sanitation worker, heavy truck driver, parks and recreation maintenance and municipal Cemetery ordinance. He was President of all city workers in the union, President of AFSCME for two years, and President for three years organizing retirees union. For 20 years thereafter, much of his time and energy was spent serving SBMA, and his family would like to extend our gratitude to all of his colleagues there. He served as Deputy Sheriff for five years for the State of Connecticut and he served as Constable for the town of West Hartford. John enjoyed horse racing, basketball, football, boxing, OTB with his brother Henry regularly and socializing with the guys on Franklin Avenue. We would like to extend our loving gratitude to all of the hospice care providers who made John and Gail’s challenging time one that could be endured as he passed gently into the night.

Mass of Christian Celebration by Father Johnson will be on Monday (July 16) at 11 a.m. at St. Helena Church, 30 Echo Lane, West Hartford. Prior to Mass, family and friends are invited from 10 - 11 for refreshments in the church hall. John’s final wishes were that any donations be sent to his beautiful daughter Gina, who is battling cancer. If you would like to contribute, donations may be sent to: Gina Colangelo Cancer Fund, ? 21 Kimberly Rd., West Hartford, CT 06107. The James T. Pratt Funeral Service, Wethersfield, is handling arrangements. For online expressions of sympathy to the family, please visit www.desopo.com.