Gerald Michael Longworth

LONGWORTH, Gerald Michael Gerald Michael Longworth, 59, of Windsor, beloved husband of Sandra (Szepanski) Longworth, passed away on Tuesday (June 17, 2008) at St. Francis Hospital. Born in Hartford, son of the late Stephen J. and Rita (Beaupre) Longworth, he had lived in Windsor most of his life. Gerald was a graduate of South Catholic High School, Class of 1967, Assumption College in Worcester, MA, Class of 1971, and received his Master's Degree in Management/Human Resources from Hartford Graduate Center (R.P.I). Gerald was employed as a Human Resources Manager and Assistant Director by the State of Connecticut for 13 years in the Department of Disability Services and 11 years in the Department of Children and Families prior to retiring in 1998. He was a communicant of St. Gabriel Church and was an active volunteer in Lay Ministry in the Catholic Church, focusing on social justice. He was also on the committee for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and was active with the Archdiocese Catholic Charities, tutoring families in need. Gerald was active with the MS Society, working with new MS patients in peer support and served on the Government Action Committee for people with disabilities. He was also active with Covenant to Care for Children and was a liaison to St. Gabriel Church in support of the program. Gerald was an avid Red Sox, Giants, and Celtics fan. He also enjoyed watching the UCONN Men's and Women's basketball teams and the Connecticut Sun. Gerry was a loving husband and devoted father. He was an inspiration to his children and all those who met him with his quiet strength, his courage and his unwavering faith. Besides his wife, he is survived by a son, John M. Longworth and his wife Sara of Worcester, MA; a daughter, Mary-Ellen and her husband Thomas Rafuse of South Burlington, VT; a brother, James Longworth and Nina Landau of Scottsdale, AZ; three sisters, Susan and her husband Paul Genereux of Helena, AL; Mary Beth and her husband James Reid of Manchester, and Sandi Longworth and her husband Thomas Gregson of Long Beach, CA; a sister-in-law, MaryAnn and her husband Richard Honore of Ocala, FL; a brother-in-law, Stephen Szepanski and his wife Kris of Stafford; and 13 nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 21, 2008, at 9:15 a.m from the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor, with a Mass of Christian Burial, 10 a.m., at St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad St., Windsor, burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Windsor Locks. His family will receive friends on Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad St., Windsor, CT 06095, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, 659 Tower Ave., 1st Floor, Hartford, CT 06112-1269, or the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society, Donor Services, PO Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202. For on-line condolences, please visit www.carmonfuneral home.com.