Obituary of Carmela Gabriel Kundrat

Resident of Trumbull Carmela Gabriel Kundrat, age 86, of Trumbull, a retired secretary for the University of Bridgeport, died on Wednesday July 8, 2009 in Lord Chamberlain Health Care Center, Stratford. Born in Bridgeport on September 23, 1922, she was a daughter of the late Arcangelo and Lucia Chiffo Gabriel. She was pre-deceased by her husband George T. Kundrat, two brothers Daniel and Anthony Gabriel and a cousin Jennie Manning. Survivors include two sons Douglas G. Kundrat and Joseph R. Kundrat and his wife Cindy, all of Shelton, a daughter Pam Hutchinson and her husband John of Stratford, two brothers Joseph Gabriel and his wife Doris and Donald Gabriel and his wife Ann, all of Shelton, two sisters, Fedare Hrinak of Trumbull and Eileen Huda and her husband Charles of Milford, three grandchildren Elizabeth Ann Hutchinson and Mark and Michael Kundrat as well as many nieces and nephews. Carmela graduated from Harding High School in Bridgeport, CT in 1940 followed by a diploma from The Booth & Bayliss Commercial School in 1942 for secretarial studies. She married George Kundrat in 1951. In the early 1960s Carmela was a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader for her daughters troops and spent a lot of time working with her three children in their pursuit of quality education. In 1978 she began classes at Housatonic Community College and had a short story published in Beanfest, their literary magazine. She continued her education at the University of Bridgeport, auditing classes and working as a Secretary to the Dean of the Business School, while putting her daughter through college. In her later years as she lost her eyesight; she, determined to be able to go through her life at the fullest, she taught herself how to use a computer and later purchased a reading machine. She worked closely with the Board of Education for the Blind to get all of the equipment she could to keep her life as normal as possible. The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of Lord Chamberlain Health Care Center under the direction of head nurse Liz Burnhauser, for the wonderful care and compassion given to Carmela during the last 3 years. Funeral Information Funeral services will take place on Tuesday, July 14, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, and at 10:00 a.m. in St. Lawrence Church, Shelton for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Trumbull. Friends may call on Monday from 4-8 p.m.