Kalman William Tenk

Kalman W. Tenk Jr. (known to many as Poppy Kal) of Stratford, CT passed away peacefully on the evening of December 7TH with his children by his side after a long battle with Dementia. He was born in Bridgeport, CT on September 29th 1941 to the late Kalman W. Tenk Sr. and Charlotte Tenk. He was 81 years old.

He graduated from Stratford High School in 1960 and went on to serve in The United States Air Force. He married the love of his life, Nora in the Summer of 1963, and went on to have three children who they raised together in Stratford.

He was the proud owner of Kal's Autobody and later in life was an insurance adjuster with Geico Insurance until he retired. Much of his downtime was spent fixing, building and buying cars. Some of Kal's other favorite past times were riding his Harley with his brother Kenny ,and son, Gary. He looked forward to his yearly trip to Lake George. He loved spending time on his boat fishing with his son, Richard, doting on his daughter, Cheryl and dining in at any local diner, but could be found most frequently at the Blue Sky Diner. But above all of those, his most cherished moments were times spent with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Kal was hardworking, loving, energetic, overly generous and welcoming with a magnetic personality. Even as his health started to decline, he never lost his sense of humor or contagious smile. He shined so much light into the lives of the ones he loved and will be forever missed.

Kal was pre deceased by his wife Nora of 46 years and his brother Kenneth Tenk(Kathy). Left to honor his memory is his dear sister Karen Penney(Earl) of New York, his three beloved children Richard (Kim), Gary (Kim), and Cheryl (Jeff), his cherished grandchildren Nicole (John), Kristin (Joel), Rachuel (Jack), Jake, Mckenzy, Kallie, and Carli, and great grandchildren Mya, Damon, Avery, Rocco, Nora and Emilia. He also leaves behind many brother and sister in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

There will be a celebration of life in the warmer months of 2023 to remember and honor Kal the best way we can; somewhere on the open water with a cold beer in our hands.

In lieu of flowers, we ask you to donate a toy this holiday season to Toys for Tots. Nothing made him happier than a smiling child.