Alfred Marder

12/19/2023

Alfred Leo Marder was born January 18th, 1922, and died December 19th, 2023, in Connecticut Hospice at Branford.

Alfred is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, 2 grandchildren and their partners, a great-grandson, his long-time companion, Mary Compton, and many extended family members.

Alfred's final resting place will be next to his late wife, Nancy Cavallaro Marder (died 1993), and his predeceased son, Kenneth Ciro Marder (died 2014).

Alfred Marder was a lifelong resident of New Haven, a World War II veteran, and University of Connecticut graduate.

He joined the Communist Party as a teen in 1938, served as the chairman of the Connecticut Young Communist League, and was one of the organizers of the campaign for the first evening college in the state.

As a Communist Party organizer in 1952, in New Haven, during the Cold War, he helped to organize an unsuccessful campaign to allow African-Americans to work as bus drivers.

While ultimately acquitted, he was one of 215 people arrested in 1954 under the Smith Act (which from 1949 to 1954 allowed for federal prosecutions of Communist party leaders accused of conspiring to overthrow the government).

In the many years since, Marder remained an active member of the New Haven community and zealous advocate of peace initiatives locally and around the world.

He was chairman of the Connecticut Freedom Trail Planning Committee, former president of the Amistad Committee, former president of New Haven's Peace Commission, and worked with many other local organizations, where his impact is still felt to this day, and creating lasting bonds with his many colleagues and friends.

The Reim & Reim-Ifrach families will be hosting a service in his honor, as Alfred did not want a funeral.

The service will be held at Beaverdale Memorial Park, where his remains will be laid to rest next to his departed wife and son.

The service will be held on Saturday, January 6th, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. The service is for family and close friends only, and they kindly request for no media coverage in this time of grief.

The family respectfully requests no condolence items or gifts be sent to Alfred's home and that they be given time and space for grieving.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to the following organizations which represent only a small part of his work and life: Hospice Foundation of America, https://givedirect.org/hfa/ ; The US Peace Council, https://uspeacecouncil.org/campaigns/ make-a-donation/donate/ ; Jewish Voices for Peace, https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/ .