Gerald "Jerry" LaPenna

Gerald "Jerry" LaPenna, 84, of Milford, loving husband of Elizabeth (Valeri) LaPenna, his High School sweetheart and wife of 62 years, passed away on July 17, 2025. Born on September 13, 1940, in Clinton, MA, he was the son of the late Gerald Thomas and Rita Agnes (Sawyer) LaPenna.

In addition to his beloved wife, Liz, Jerry is survived by his cherished children, Lisa and Christopher LaPenna; beloved grandchildren, Cristina (Matthew) Goreham, Danielle Polvan, and Nicholas and Julia LaPenna; sister, MaryJane (George) Chambers; and many nieces and nephews. Jerry was predeceased by his grandson, Patrick R. LaPenna.

Jerry graduated from Clinton (MA) High School where he excelled in baseball and was signed by the NY Mets. He then went on to have a long career playing Fast Pitch softball for Local 57 (Providence, RI) and the Raybestos Cardinals; competed in thirteen Regional Tournaments, twelve National Tournaments, winning three National Championships, voted to 3 National All-Star teams and inducted into the Connecticut Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jerry retired from Raybestos and Connecticut Light and Power Company. He was a diehard fan of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots and UConn's basketball teams. Most of all "Grumpy", as he was affectionately called by his grandkids, was their number one fan, attending all their events and games from youth through college.

The LaPenna family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the exceptional staff at The Connecticut Hospice of Branford for their outstanding and loving care they provided for Jerry.

Friends and family may call from 10:30am to 12pm at Saint Agnes Church, a Mass of Christian Burial at 12pm will immediately follow, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at Saint Agnes Church (Precious Blood Parish) 400 Merwin Ave., Milford, CT. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Patrick LaPenna Memorial Scholarship Fund (J.A. Foran HS) or a charity of choice.