Eugene John Rinaldi

Eugene J Rinaldi, a longtime resident of Riverside and Brookfield, CT passed away on January 29th at the Candlewood Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center in New Milford, CT, surrounded by his family. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer. He was eighty-five years old.

Gene was born in the Bronx, NY to Eugene and Della Rinaldi on November 30, 1939. In his teens, he moved with his family to Greenwich, CT and graduated from Greenwich High School. He proudly served in the Navy for six years and later attained a degree in the sciences from Charter Oak State College. He owned and was the sole operator of Accurate Construction Estimates.

Gene was an avid fly fisherman and also relished travel. Highlights included a safari in Africa, tours of national parks and visits to Italy, where he researched his family's history. As an ardent fan of the Yankees, he cherished having seen Don Larsen's no hitter in the 1956 World Series. A life-long reader, Gene enjoyed comparing Jeopardy answers with his sisters and completing the New York Times Sunday crossword. He was the official organizer of family gatherings and a lover of all things Italian. Gene possessed a natural wit, and dinner in a restaurant typically involved the neighboring tables, since his jokes and story telling captivated near-by diners.

He is survived by his son Mark Jon Rinaldi of Portland, Maine, his longtime companion, Marcie Wolosoff of Brookfield, CT, his sisters, Regina Grimes of Wilmington, NC, Mary Michael Swet of Hamden, CT and Dorothy Sirbono of Greenwich, CT, as well as his brothers-in-law Peter Swet and Paul Sirbono, loving nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews.

There will be a Memorial Mass at St. Mary's Church in Greenwich, CT. The date is to be announced.