Gintautas Zemaitaitis

PROSPECT- Gintautas Zemaitaitis, age 88, of Prospect, CT, died peacefully on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at Saint Mary's Hospital surrounded by his loving family. 

Born in 1936 in Vilkaviskis, Lithuania, Gintautas was the beloved son of the late Juozas and Anele (Grajauskas) Zemaitaitis. During World War II, his family fled to Poland and then Germany before emigrating to the United States in 1949. They settled in Waterbury, CT, where he attended St. Joseph’s Lithuanian Elementary School and later graduated from Crosby High School. He earned his degree in accounting from Quinnipiac College in 1963, the same year he married his wife, Irena.

Gintautas raised his family in Norwalk, CT, and built a career in accounting and finance, working for many years at Liggett Drug Company, Arnold/Oroweat Foods, and later serving as the general director of Kasa Lithuanian Federal Credit Union. In 1995, following the re-establishment of Lithuania’s national independence, he and Irena moved back to their homeland, where he worked as the finance director of Liteksas until his retirement in 2002. Gintautas had a lifelong love of travel, and he and Irena especially cherished their time exploring Europe together during these years. They returned to the United States in 2008 and made their home in Prospect, CT.

Wherever Gintautas lived, he was an active member of the local Roman Catholic Church. He found great joy in being a faithful communicant and in spending time with fellow parishioners, especially during coffee and conversation after weekly Mass. He had a special connection to St. Joseph’s Church in Waterbury, a parish rich in Lithuanian culture and tradition, which held a meaningful place in his heart.

Throughout his life, Gintautas was deeply devoted to his Lithuanian heritage. He was actively involved in numerous organizations, including the Lithuanian National Fund (Tautos Fondas), Knights of Lithuania (Vyciai) in Waterbury, and the New York Maironis Lithuanian School. He was also a member of his local Knights of Columbus and the Lions Club. Gintautas will be remembered for his strong faith, dedication to family and community, and for the warmth and generosity he showed to all who knew him.

Gintautas was predeceased by his wife of 51 years, Irena (Deikis) Zemaitaitis; his brother, Algimantas Zemaitaitis; and his sister, Dalia Jasiukonis. He is survived by his son, Jonas Zemaitaitis; his daughter, Ruta Leonard, and son-in-law, Gregg; his grandchildren, Evan and Erik; his sister, Aldona Onalfo, and brother-in-law, Carmen; his sister-in-law, Audrone Zemaitaitis; and his brother-in-law, John Gintaras Deikis, and his wife, Carol. Gintautas also leaves many cousins, nieces, and nephews in the U.S. and Europe.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Mr. Zemaitaitis will be celebrated on Wednesday July 9th, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Saint Joseph’s Church, 46 Congress Ave, Waterbury, CT 06708. Those planning to attend are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Waterbury. Relatives and friends may visit with the Zemaitaitis family on Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral home and Cremation Care, 1987 East Main St Waterbury, CT 06705. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Gintautas’s memory to The Lithuanian National Foundation, Inc., 307 West 30th St, New York, NY 10001-2703. Loving kindness is always welcome, and it only takes a moment to offer a message of condolence or words of comfort or share a memory of someone important to you with your family and friends. Please visit the funeral home’s tribute page at www.caseyfunerals.com to do so.