Capt. Charles W. Filep

1927 - 2025

Capt. Charles W. Filep
1927-2025
Capt. Charles W. Filep, (FFD Ret.), age 98, of Fairfield, the loving husband of Sandra Haydon Filep for over 64 years, passed away at home with family by his side on Sunday, March 30, 2025. Charlie was born in Bridgeport to the late Charles and Anna (Morrissey) Filep. He attended Roger Ludlowe High School and served proudly in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was assigned to the USS Paricutin, an ammunition ship, where he spent his military service traveling the Pacific. Upon his return to Fairfield, he spent over forty years with the Fairfield Fire Department prior to his retirement in 1992.
Charlie was a wonderful husband and father. He was truly loved in all that he provided for his family. Jovial and an easy conversationalist, Charlie never wasted an opportunity to strike up an impromptu conversation with a stranger, whether that was at Starbucks, Harborview Market, Pine Creek Deli, riding the chairlift, walking the streets of Fairfield, or at daily Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas. He truly enjoyed getting to know people, hearing about their lived experiences, and sharing his own.
Charlie was an all-around athlete, boxing and weightlifting in his younger years, and finding newfound passions a bit later in life. He was one of the original members of the Smith Richardson Municipal Golf Course and continued to play with many a good friend, into his nineties. In his late forties, Charlie took up running, and for years, ran in many a Pequot Turkey Trot and Fairfield Half Marathon. At fifty, Charlie took his first ski lesson, an activity about which he became passionate, spending time with his family every season at their home in New Hampshire.
In retirement, Charlie maintained his love for reading and painting, frequenting the Fairfield Public Library, and dabbling in oils and watercolors, creating artwork for himself and his family. Most recently, when physical ailments forced him to give up some of his beloved activities, Charlie could be seen taking his daily walk with his custom walking stick around his Oldfield Road/South Pine Creek neighborhood. Charlie continued his love/hate relationship with his New York Giants and Boston Red Sox as well.
In addition to his wife, Charlie is survived by his two daughters, Christine Filep of Fairfield and Ruth (Robert) Bossler of Beverly, MA; his grandchildren, Charlie and Chloe Bossler; nephews, John (Rick) Filep and Joseph Millak, Jr.; and, many other beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Edna Millak; brother-in-law Joseph Millak; and first cousins, John (Jono) Filep and Ruthie Filep.
Friends are invited to pay their respects to his family on Thursday, April 3, 2025 from 3-7 p.m. at the Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home, 50 Reef Road in Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, April 4, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church with interment to follow with Full Military Honors in St. Thomas Cemetery.
Donations may be made in his memory to St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1719 Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824 or to the Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, 267 Grant Street, Bridgeport, CT 06610.
To send an online condolence, please visit www.shaughnesseybanks.com.