Chris Rotello

Chris Rotello, a lifelong Danbury resident and onetime teacher in the Redding schools, died peacefully at home on Feb. 18th, 2024. She was 94 years old and had been in declining health for several years.

Mary Christine Adams Rotello was born in Danbury on April 4th, 1929, to William (Doc) Adams, the director of physical education in the Danbury schools, and Rowena Raymond Adams, a homemaker. Through her mother she was a descendant of the families who founded Danbury in 1685, and she had deep ties in the area.

After graduating from Danbury High School in 1946, she attended Danbury State Teachers College (now Western Connecticut State University) and worked briefly as a fashion model. In 1948, she married Louis Rotello, whose parents had emigrated from Italy earlier in the century. They had three sons and lived most of their lives on Pleasant Street.

In the late ‘60s, Chris returned to WestConn and graduated Magna cum laude with a degree in English. She then became a teacher in Redding, retiring in the ‘90s. After retirement, she and her husband became avid and adventurous travelers, frequently trekking through places such as Tuscany, Calabria, France, Greece, and the English countryside. At one point, they developed a business importing knitted goods from small villages in Portugal. Louis died in 2014.

Chris was active in civic affairs in Danbury for much of her life. She helped create one of Danbury's first pre-schools in the ‘50s. In the ‘60s, she participated in the civil rights movement and helped form the Committee of a Thousand, which ultimately led to the building of Danbury High School on Clapboard Ridge. In the ‘80s, she created the Danbury Film Commission and was active in the movement to acquire Tarrywile Park. In the ‘90s, she was a member of the Danbury Cultural Commission. Her last campaign was to try to preserve Lee Farm as open space.

Chris Rotello is survived by three sons: Gregory, an inventor and artist in Danbury; Gabriel, a journalist and television writer and director in Los Angeles; and Paul, a property manager and member of the City Council in Danbury. Through her husband she is survived by many nieces and nephews. The family would especially like to thank her long-time nurse and caregiver, Natalie Guerrero.

The family will receive callers at the Hull Funeral Home, 60 Division St., Danbury, Sunday afternoon, February 25, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Burial will be at Center Cemetery, Bethel, at a later date.

To leave an online condolence, please visit hullfuneralservice.com .