Obituary of Eleanor Mencel

Eleanor Aprile Mencel, age 94, beloved wife of the late Joseph W. Mencel Sr., who passed on September 23, 2025, peacefully joined her husband on Saturday, September 27, 2025. Born in Bridgeport, on August 4, 1931, she was a daughter of the late Joseph Aprile and Carolina (Jennie) Minardo Duva and her husband Salvatore Duva. Eleanor was a retired administrative assistant for the City of Bridgeport Board of Education.

Eleanor was a lifelong Bridgeport resident and worked at the Bridgeport Sikorsky Aircraft as a secretary in Manufacturing Engineering in her early years. She remembers the secretaries there wearing roller skates to get around the factory. She also had several secretary jobs in the Bridgeport Public School System. When her mom was still alive, she and her sister Mary always coordinated Sunday dinner with the cousins at grandma's house. We loved listening to them banter with each other in Italian. In the early years of their marriage, Eleanor loved going to all the downtown Bridgeport dance halls with her husband, Joe. She loved her vegetable garden and if you couldn't find her in the yard, she'd be found in the garden amongst the tall plants weeding away. It was important to her to keep everyone well fed. She cooked amazing dinners every night and kept it warm for those arriving late. She loved a bargain and paying full price was out of the question. Coupons were a must. She was a devoted wife, mother, and home-maker with a love of learning and reading, and was determined her children went to college. She loved writing letters to stay in touch with her relatives in Italy, and was always so excited to read their letters back. Eleanor loved to sew and she sewed everything, including all our Halloween costumes. She loved babies and spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Sunday morning mass and afternoon dinners with the family were always her favorite. She will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her three loving children, Joe W. Mencel Jr. and his wife Jill; Jimmy Mencel and his wife Liz; Kathy Garasimowicz and her husband Paul; six cherished grandchildren, Anya, Alec, Andrew, Paul, Patrick and Elizabeth, four adored great grandchildren, Jet, Sage, River and Maizy, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Eleanor was predeceased by her sister Mary Baron.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Eleanor and Joseph will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. directly in St. Catherine of Siena Church, 200 Shelton Road Trumbull. Interment will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Stratford. Relatives and friends may greet the family on Monday from 4 – 7 p.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the West Haven Veterans Museum and Learning Center, 30 Hood Terrace, West Haven, CT 06515 or at www.whmilmuseum.org. To leave an online condolence please visit www.abriola.com.