Ambrose, Alwin W.
Alwin W. Ambrose, 87 of Wethersfield, beloved husband of Mary Claire (Reardon), passed away on Tuesday February 14, surrounded by his three loving sons, Chris, Neil, and Colin, and daughter-in-law Sandy. Born August 8, 1935, in Newark, NJ to Alwin W. and Grace (Dugan) Ambrose, Al grew up in New Jersey. He graduated from St. Benedict's Preparatory High School, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and received his master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut.
Upon college graduation, Al served as a lieutenant in the United States Air Force stationed at Bergstrom Air Force base in Austin, TX. While serving as a meteorologist in the Air Force, Al joked that his forecast was often “the same weather as yesterday” in the typically hot Texas hill country. Al left the Air Force in 1960 to marry the love of his life, Mary Claire whom he met on the Jersey Shore. Shortly after, Al took a job at Combustion Engineering in Windsor, CT, and what was supposed to be a three-year assignment became a career spanning part of five decades at CE and its successor Asea Brown Boveri.
Though committed to his career, it took a back seat to Mary Claire and the boys, who they raised in Wethersfield. Al dedicated countless hours coaching youth sports, particularly Little League. His boys have fond memories of weekends spent with him pitching batting practice and hitting grounders and pop flies for hours at a time. While a fierce competitor and playing to win, Al always made sure the games were fun and that all kids had equal playing time. His passion for sports extended to the professional arena, and he was a lifelong Yankees fan and never missed watching a Giants football game. Annual road trips to the Giants training camp – complete with homemade sandwicheswere a family tradition and always seemed to fall on the hottest day of the year.
A man of deep faith, Al was a longtime parishioner at the Church of the Incarnation and later at St. James. He lived humbly and valued experiences over material things. Al treasured family escapes to locations that could be driven to within a day, such as Washington, DC and the beaches of Cape Cod and Rhode Island.
But nothing gave Al more joy than spending time with his ten grandchildren. Al had a gift for connecting with children and making them feel special. He attended countless sporting events and dance recitals and was equally enthusiastic playing dolls as he was throwing a football. “Grampy” bragged about his grandchildren's accomplishments (sometimes big, but often small) to anyone who would listen. He bought countless boxes of cereal and saved the UPC codes to send away for “free” stuffed animals for his grandchildren. This quirky, selfless act epitomized Al.
Al was a loving husband to Mary Claire, his wife of 62 years. When she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's six years ago, he never left her side – reading her the newspaper, looking through family albums, and patiently recounting their lifetime of memories. Faithful to the end, Al asked his boys to promise to look after their mother whom he adored with all his heart.
Al is survived by his wife Mary Claire and their three children: Christopher and his three children Mia, Matthew and Sawyer of Madison, CT, Neil and wife Sandy (Neville) of South Glastonbury, CT and their three children Kristen, Tyler and Caroline, and Colin and his four children Nicholas, Laine, Kyle and Ethan of Westport, CT. Al was predeceased by his sister Constance, his brother-in-law Robert Boyle, a niece, and two nephews. He was also predeceased by his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Riordan, whom he considered to be like a brother during their 60-year friendship. Al is survived by his sister-in-law Patricia (Riordan), who shares Al's love and devotion to her sister Mary Claire. Al, Charlie, Mary Claire and Pat had many cherished memories together, including family Thanksgiving gatherings in Madison, summers in Old Saybrook and in Hyannis Port with children running amok, and in their later years at weekly dinners. Al is also survived by his sister-in-law Kathleen Reardon and seven nieces and nephews.
The family would like to extend their heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Steven Lieu of Glastonbury for his extraordinary care, compassion and kindness to Al and his continued care for Mary Claire. The family is also grateful to the staff at the Atria at Greenridge Place in Rocky Hill, and for the incredible compassion of the staff at Glastonbury Health Care Center.
A private Funeral Mass of Christian Burial for immediate family will be celebrated at St. Josephine Bakhita parish on the campus of St. Elizabeth Seton in Rocky Hill. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001.