Harold "Hal" Hutensky

It is with broken hearts that we announce the peaceful passing of Dr. Harold "Hal" Hutensky, 87, on Monday, September 7, 2026, at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He was the middle child of the late Sue (Kaplan) Hutensky and Louis Hutensky of Middletown, Connecticut, where he was born and raised and started his lifelong loyalty to the New York Yankees.

Upon graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School, Harold attended the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, where he became a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and began his rabid fandom of everything Michigan. He often joked that he never finished college since he didn’t officially graduate from undergrad but went straight into studying dentistry at the University of Michigan Dental School after his junior year. While in dental school, he married his first wife, Marjorie (Goldberg) Hutensky, and welcomed their first child, Mark. After getting his D.D.S. degree, he and Marjorie moved back to Connecticut where he set up a successful dental practice, Vernon Family Dentists, in Vernon, Connecticut with Dr. Daniel Woolwich. It is a bit ironic that Harold went into dentistry, because he had one of the biggest sweet tooths in the Northern Hemisphere, with a penchant for peanut M&Ms and ice cream. Harold and Marjorie had two more children, Beth and Ilana, and the young family settled in South Windsor. Over nearly thirty years, Harold became quite involved in the Vernon/Rockville and South Windsor communities. He served as a Captain in the CT Army National Guard, was involved in Jaycees, played in local softball and basketball leagues, attended hundreds of UConn basketball games, and developed an addiction to the game of golf as a longtime member of Ellington Ridge Country Club. Harold heartily enjoyed his stint as public address announcer for the Rockville High School Football games and as the official scorekeeper for the Rockville High School Varsity Basketball games, much to the chagrin of his children, who attended the rival South Windsor High.

In the early 1990’s, Hal met Dorothy (Dorian) Herold, and was instantly smitten. They performed in local theatre productions in Manchester, and became inseparable. Hal and Dorian were married in 1997, which gave Hal three step-children, Jennifer, Erin and Timothy Herold, whom he quickly grew to love and with whom he formed close relationships for the rest of his life. Hal and Dorian lived in the Manchester area enjoying golfing together at Ellington Ridge and having all of their children and grandchildren visit often. After having spent his entire life in cold weather climates, Harold declared he did not care if he ever saw a winter coat or snowflake again, and so upon his retirement from his dental practice, he and Dorian made the full-time move to the Eastpointe Country Club community in Palm Beach Gardens, where they quickly assimilated and made many wonderful new friends.

Hal loved music, especially jazz; anything Dave Brubeck. He became a fairly decent guitar player, had a lovely singing voice, and in his later years, he learned to play piano, finding great enjoyment in it. In his younger years, he would often pull out his acoustic guitar to entertain his family, with silly songs, including the “Hula Hop” or his best rendition of “Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown.” If he wasn’t listening to music or playing music, Hal loved dancing to it. He could cut a rug with the best of them.

Most of all, Hal was incredibly loved. His pride in his family was immeasurable, as was their love for him. It was impossible not to like the guy. He was truly kind and gentle and smart and funny. It is a testament to Harold that when he retired from his dental practice, he had many patients who cried about his leaving. Apparently, patients who had Dr. Hutensky as their dentist, did not hate the dentist. He loved cracking jokes and entertaining his kids and grandkids with stories from his life. He always had great friends because he was such a good friend and so much fun to be around. Harold was deeply appreciative of all of the simple and most wonderful things in his life. He will be incredibly missed.

He leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Dorian Hutensky of Palm Beach Gardens, FL; his brother, William “Bill” (Barbara) Hutensky of Dallas, Texas; his sister, Sandra (Paul) Beckman of Madison, Connecticut; his son, Mark (Stacy) Hutensky of West Hartford, Connecticut; his daughter, Beth McCabe (Lou Moglino) of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; his daughter, Ilana “Lani” (Dan) Cathcart of Avon, Connecticut; his step-daughter Jennifer (Michael) Arsenault of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; his step-daughter Erin Herold (Ronald Delaney) of Manchester, Connecticut; his step-son Timothy (Yuki) Herold of New York, New York; his beloved grandchildren, Jordan Hutensky (Rachel Vonada); Jenna (Jake) Gregory; Jack McCabe; Lauren McCabe; Hayden Cathcart; Eve Cathcart; Maris Cathcart; Jenelle Arsenault; Ashley Arsenault; Julius Emmons; and his great grandchild, Charlotte Vontensky; his “brother from another mother” Dominic Colannino; his aunt, Rhoda Kaplan; and many numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was pre-deceased by his son-in-law, James McCabe.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Harold’s memory by supporting a cause close to his heart may consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org and/or the American Kidney Fund at https://give.kidneyfund.org

A private burial will take place at his burial plot in Tequesta, Florida on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Following the burial on Wednesday, September 16, family and friends are warmly invited to gather at the family home at 13264 Saffron Circle, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. The gathering will be held in the spirit of Shiva; a time to come together, share memories, and provide comfort to the grieving.