Ralph A. Volpe, Jr.

Ralph A. Volpe, Jr., 97, of Branford, CT, the beloved husband of the late Theresa P. (Salemme) Volpe, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Thursday, February 9, 2023, at Elim Park Rehabilitation Center following a brief illness. He was born December 3, 1925, in New Haven, CT, the son of the late Ralph and Amalia Volpe. He lived many of his adult years with his family in Hamden and moved to Branford in 2000. Ralph and Theresa shared 64 years of marriage and were the epitome of soul mates whose deep devotion to each other has been an inspiration to all who knew them. His greatest joys came from his life with Theresa and their three children, six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Ralph earned an honorable discharge from the Army in 1944 where he served as a private, Company B, 12th Battalion, Armored Replacement Training Center. An auto mechanic by trade, he owned and operated Auto Parts and Service, Inc. in Hamden, CT until his retirement in 1985. He and Theresa spent 25 winters at their home in Boca Raton, FL., returning to CT fulltime in 2010. He loved building and repairing just about anything including wood model boats, intricate jigsaw puzzles, and his vintage A.C. Gilbert American Flyer model trains. Whether in his home or in his cars, music was always playing as he was an avid lover of Italian American recording artists such as Al Martino, Don Cornell, Dean Martin and Sergio Franchi. He enjoyed dining out at his favorite restaurants in and around Branford, CT with friends and family. His special pride was his Platinum Blue1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III which he drove only on sunny days.

He is survived by his beloved children, Linda Dubois (Kermit), of Sudbury, MA, and Ralph A. Volpe, III (Maria) of North Haven. He