Obituary of Matthew F. Fasanella, Jr.

Matthew F. Fasanella, Jr. age 73, passed away suddenly, surrounded by his loving family, on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Born in Bridgeport on March 4, 1943, he was a son of the late Matthew F. Fasanella, Sr. and Loretta Norton Fasanella. Matt and Georgene lived in Alaska in the 1960s, where he proudly served in the U.S. Army. He then worked at AVCO/Textron for over 30 years until his retirement in 1997 and then found a second career in photography and worked for The Connecticut Post until 2014. Everyone who knew Matt knew how much he loved his family. He enjoyed cars, traveling with his wife, art, and music. Many adults said he looked like Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, while many children said he looked like Santa Claus. Matt thought these were funny and would always play along when recognized. In addition to his wife Georgene (Cirella) of 51 years, survivors include his three loving sons, Matt Fasanella of Stratford, Tony Fasanella and his wife Angela of Stratford, Chris Fasanella and his wife Vanessa of New Haven, a sister, Carol Masciola of Bridgeport, seven grandchildren, Jenna, Anthony, Kyle, Nick, Caitlin, Matt and Portia, a sister-in-law, Diane Fasanella, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Ed and Sue Cirella, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Gary Fasanella, his brother-in-law Enrico "Emo" Masciola and his daughter-in-law, JoAnn Simko Fasanella. Friends are invited to meet directly in St. Mark Church, 500 Wigwam Lane, Stratford on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will be private. Friends may greet the family on Tuesday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at The Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312 or online at Diabetes.org.