Richard D. Veltri Ph.D.

1935 - 2015

Richard D. Veltri, PhD, age 79, of Hebron and formerly of East Hartford, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died Sunday, January 4, 2015. He was born in Huntington, Long Island, New York on November 12, 1935, a son of the late Carl Veltri of Amantea, Italy and Celia (Cargola) Veltri of Naples, Italy. He was also predeceased by his sister Antoinette Abate of Trumbull. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Shirley A. (Turner) Veltri, RN; his daughter, Bernadette "Bern" M. Veltri, RN of South Windsor, his son Daniel M. Veltri, MD and his wife, Jennifer, of Marlborough, his son Carl J. Veltri, DVM of Robesonia, PA, and his daughter, Victoria "Vicki" L. Veltri, JD, LLM of Colchester. He is also survived by his sister, Mary Lofts and her husband, Dave, of Langston, AL; his six cherished grandchildren, Kyle, Katlin, Emily, Luke, Grace and Maxwell; two brothers-in-law, Theodore Turner and his wife, Margaret, of Queensbury, NY, Francis Turner and his wife, Betty, of South Glens Falls, NY; a sister-in-law, Barbara Curley of Hudson Falls, NY; many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. He was a gentle soul, beloved by everyone he met. His sense of humor and kindness were felt by everyone with whom he came in contact. He always had a kind word for everyone. He devoted much of his spare time to volunteer activities and mentoring young adults. He designed and built many things for friends and family and loved taking and displaying annual family portraits. He obtained his Bachelor and Master Degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy New York and his Doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of Connecticut. Since he was the only sibling of his family to attend college, he was very proud of his four children who because of his and his wife's influence chose the path of education and became a nurse, a medical doctor, a veterinarian and an attorney. He was employed as a research scientist for 38 years at the United Technologies Research Center where he made life-long friends and retired as a holder and co-holder of 26 United States Patents. He was a dedicated father involved in many activities with his children. In the 1970's he was active in Little League Baseball and the YMCA Indian Guide and Indian Princess program rising to Chief of the East Hartford Indian Guide Nation for two years. He was active in Republican politics and served fourteen years as an elected member of the East Hartford Board of Education, five years as a member of the Town Council and four years in the Connecticut General Assembly House of Representatives representing the ninth state district. He proudly served as a Justice of The Peace, marrying his son and daughter-in-law 2004. In retirement he and Shirley spent the summer months in Lake George, New York. They tried to take one annual trip outside of the continental USA, He and Shirley got to visit Alaska, Hawaii, England, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, New Zealand and Australia. In the mid-nineties he and Shirley became avid University of Connecticut Women's Basketball fans, as they had season tickets and traveled to the team's Final Four Games. Funeral Service will be Friday (January 9th) with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 9:30 am at Holy Trinity Church, 53 Capitol Avenue, Hartford. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury. (Everyone is asked to please go directly to the church on Friday morning). Richard's family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday (January 8th) from 3-7 pm at the D'ESOPO-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Richard's name may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 53 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Richard's family wishes to thank Hartford Hospital, the kind individuals in New York who came to his aid, and the staff of the emergency department of Bellevue Hospital, New York City. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family please visit www.desopo.com.