Dr. Andrew A. Calabrese, DDS, 96, of Rocky Hill, formerly of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and West Hartford, beloved husband of the late Dorothy (Bonadies) Calabrese, died peacefully on Saturday (May 10, 2014) surrounded by his loving family. Born in Hartford, he was the son of the late Charles and Isabelle (Erardie) Calabrese and lived in West Hartford for most of his working life. He was a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Loyola Dental School in New Orleans. He served as a First Lieutenant during WW II in the U. S. Army where he started his dental career. Dr. Calabrese, along with his sister, Marie, started a free dental health clinic for disadvantaged children when he returned to civilian service. He continued this pro bono work through his 50 years of actively practicing, providing dental health care to the blind, mentally disabled, and financially disadvantaged throughout the Greater Hartford area at his practice at 11 Asylum Street in Hartford, Connecticut. Dr. Calabrese was a long-time volunteer at the Newington Children’s Hospital, now known as the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, where again he provided free dental health care to the children in residence and had served on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut State Dental Association. A former member of the Golf Club of Avon, “Andy” was a keen golfer and relished the weekends he spent golfing with his wife Dorothy and their many friends. His other interests included music where he played both the violin and piano, and sang tenor for a number of years with the St. Patrick/St. Anthony choir. He was an avid gardener and wine maker. He was also a proud member of the Knights of Columbus in Hartford. He is survived by his daughters; Lizz Romano and her husband, Joseph and Andrea Calabrese, all of Rocky Hill, his sons; Charles Calabrese and Carol LaCroix of Marlborough, Andrew A. Calabrese Jr. and Pamela Hebbe of Rocky Hill and Nicholas Calabrese of Cape Town, South Africa, his sister, Marie Pietrafesa of Deerfield Beach, and his beloved six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Besides his wife, he was predeceased by his daughter, Lucille “Lucy” Calabrese.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, May 15th at 9:30 a.m. at St. James Church, 767 Elm St., Rocky Hill. Everyone is invited to go directly to the church. Burial will follow in Mt. St. Benedict Cemetery, Bloomfield. The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at the D’Esopo Funeral Chapel, 277 Folly Brook Blvd., Wethersfield. Memorial contributions may be made to the CT Children’s Medical Center Foundation, Inc., 282 Washington St., Hartford, CT 06106. For on-line expressions of sympathy, please visit www.desopo.com
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