Alfred V. Brancato
Alfred Victor Brancato left this earth on March 3, 2021 to join his sweetheart, Carol, in heaven. Alfred is survived by 5 children, Betsy Buckley and her husband Rich, Wendy Ciaburri and her husband Andy, Holly Brancato, Amy McCarthy and her husband Dan and Steven Brancato, 11 grandchildren, Megan, Colleen, David, Dan, Jim, John, Craig, Mark, Eric, Shawn and Kate, and 8 great grandchildren, Alex, Katie, Michelle, Lydia, Dean, Fiona, Ayda and Christopher.
Alfred was born in New Haven on September 7, 1928 to Erasmus and Domenica ( Ardito) Brancato and was the youngest of 8 children. His two older sisters, Helen and Carmen, doted on him and made sure he always looked sharp. His older brothers, Joe, Sal, Freddie, Eddie and Randy, cared for and protected him during the stressful years of the Great Depression and encouraged his natural curiosity and love of fishing and the outdoors.
Alfred served in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Alaska and Hawaii. After returning home from the Army, Alfred attended the New Haven Teacher’s College where he met the love of his life, Carol. He began his teaching career in New Haven in 1956 and then moved to Stratford, where he taught from 1957 to 1995 at Lordship School, Center School and Wilcoxson School. He brought his love of animals and nature into his classrooms and was an inspiration to many students. He was often greeted on the street or at the beach by a former student, with a “Hey Mr. Brancato, remember me?” and he often did remember their name.
Al and Carol were married on December 25, 1956. They raised their family in a house with a little piece of heaven for a backyard, on Nichols Avenue in Stratford. Summers were spent camping and fishing and travelling near and far. Suppers at Long Beach were a common occurrence when the snapper blues were biting. Al and Carol created beautiful gardens and a little fish pond that brought much pleasure to Al in his final years. After his retirement, Al and Carol continued to travel, taking car trips across the country and overnights at Macedonia Brook to trout fish or to Niantic to fish in the Sound. They were compatible in their love of nature and enjoyed sharing their love and knowledge with their children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren, and their many nieces and nephews.
Family was important to Al, and Carol was the light of his life. He told her she was beautiful from the first day he met her until November 22, 2020, the day she passed away. Their love for each other and of God, enabled them to enjoy their lives in simple, yet adventurous ways. Their practice of finding the joy in the little things, has been passed down to the next generations. Always in our hearts.
Contributions in Al’s memory can be made to the CT Audubon Society or a charity of your choice. Services will be held at a later date.
https:// www. ctaudubon. org/ donate- memorial- or- tributegifts/