Philip Maiorano Jr.

Lifetime of Service Dedicated to the Waterbury Community
Philip Maiorano, Jr., age 80, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at St. Raphael's Campus at Yale Hospital. He was the loving husband of Carol "Snookie" (Zoss) Maiorano.
Born in Waterbury on January 13, 1944, Phil was the son of the late Philip Maiorano, Sr. and the late Mabel (Giacin) Maiorano. A lifelong Waterbury resident, he was a graduate of Walsh Grammar School, Croft High School, Class of 1961, and he attained his embalming degree from the Cincinnati College of Embalming. Phil was proud of his service as a Medic in the U.S. National Guard during the Vietnam Era but was always quick to give due respect to those who served and saw combat. He was a third-generation funeral director and owner of Maiorano Funeral Home where he counseled thousands of families in their time of need over his 60-year career. After passing the business on to his three children, Phil enjoyed retirement along with his loving wife, Snookie whether it was in Las Vegas, Nevada or Naples, Florida.
Devoted to the Waterbury community, Phil was a longtime parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, a 50-year member of the Waterbury Chapter of UNICO National, a 40-year member of the B.P.O. Elks #265, and served on the executive board of the Waterbury Funeral Directors Association for several years.
Full of life, quick-witted and very funny, Phil was known as the class clown at Croft High School where played football for the undefeated Croft Tigers and made lifelong friends. He enjoyed time spent with his friends reminiscing of fun times they had in their youth. A part-time resident of Las Vegas for many years, he took great pride in the fact that he taught his kids how to shoot craps by the time they were 16 years old! He loved the beauty and warmth of Naples where he and Snookie spent the winters and was happy when family and friends would visit. He was a huge fan of everything "doo wop." He would sing along to all of his favorite groups such as The Drifters, The Temptations, and The Four Tops while trying to duplicate the intricate dance steps.
His love of life, family, and friends was unparalleled. He was devoted to his family and while his career had him "on-call" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, he always made time to coach his son's baseball teams or attend his daughters' events or performances. His neighbors all knew him as the guy who mowed his lawn in a suit always balancing work and home tasks.
In addition to Snookie, his devoted wife of 58 years, Phil is survived by his beloved children, his son Philip Maiorano, III; and his daughters Dawn L. Maiorano and her husband Joseph Gervase and Nicki Maiorano and her partner Rich Gaudiosi, all of Waterbury. He also leaves Christopher Robinson of Derby and Kelsey Vitanza and her husband Scott of Cheshire whom he considered a special part of his family and Summer Vitanza, Bailey Vitanza and Rocco Vitanza whom he considered his grandchildren as well as many cousins and friends.
Phil's funeral will be held on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 10:00am from Maiorano Funeral Home, 95 Willow Street, Waterbury to Our Lady of Lourdes Church for a Mass at 11:00am. Burial with military honors will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 3:00 – 7:00pm at the funeral home. For more information, to sign the online guestbook or to leave online condolences for the family, please visit www.maioranofuneralhome.com.