WAZ, Joseph W. Sr.
Joseph W. Waz, Sr., died at home on April 20, 2012 after a long illness. He was born on June 3, 1923, in the Rockfall section of Middlefield, the son of the late Anthony and Helen (Laz) Waz, and was one of eight children. He attended Middletown High School, and was inducted into the U.S. Army on February 27, 1943, serving in the Second World War. He was a construction unit foreman in Company C, 296th Engineers Combat Battalion, and participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, seeing action in battles in northern France, the Rhineland, and the Ardennes. He achieved the rank of corporal, and his service was recognized with the Victory Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and the European/African/Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon. He was honorably discharged on December 19, 1945, after more than two years of service. He married the former Rose Marie Barillaro of Meriden on September 6, 1948. He was trained in the meat sales business by Swift & Company, and worked in the company's Meriden and New Haven locations for many years. He worked as a manager at Yantic Beef in Hamden and Kahn Brothers in New Haven, two companies that served dozens of independent markets throughout the state. He served for many years as an usher at St. Rose Church, and was a member of the Knights of the Blessed Virgin. He was predeceased by his brothers Stanley, Frank, and John, and his sisters Mary and Bernice (Conniff). He is survived by his wife; his sister Cecilia and brother Edward, both of Middletown; three children, Joseph, Jr., and his wife Ann Stookey, of Los Angeles, California; Dennis Waz and Marcy DiPasquale of Wallingford, and Carol W. O'Brien of Meriden; three grandchildren, Joseph III of Los Angeles; John O'Brien and his wife Maria of Killeen, Texas; and Ashley O'Brien of Meriden; and one great-grandchild, Jessica of Killeen, Texas.
The funeral will be held on Wednesday, April 25, at 9:15 a.m. at the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home, 88 E. Main St., Meriden, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Rose of Lima Church, 35 Center St., Meriden, on Wednesday, April 25, at 10 a.m. Entombment with military honors will follow in the mausoleum at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Meriden. A viewing will be held on Tuesday, April 24, from 4-7 p.m. at the Ferry & Sons Home. The family offers special thanks to Dr. Krzysztof Jakubowski and VNA HealthCare Hospice Services for all of their assistance in Joe's final months. In lieu of flowers, the family invites contributions in Joe's memory to the VNA Health Care Fund, 103 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105.
