Jerry DeLeonardo

Jerry DeLeonardo
Jerry V. DeLeonardo Jr., 78, of Milford, CT, passed away at the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale on February 4, 2022, with his wife and daughter by his side following a two-week bout with SMARCA4-deficient undifferentiated carcinoma. He was the devoted husband of Patricia Scarpellino DeLeonardo for 55 years.
Jerry was born on May 17, 1943 in East Haven to Jerry and Gertrude Tonas DeLeonardo. He attended East Haven High School where he played football. Jerry graduated from UCONN in 1965 and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. UCONN remained central to his life, and he enjoyed returning to campus for football or basketball games and cheering on the Huskies. Upon graduation, Jerry entered the US Air Force, served four years, and attained the rank of Captain. He spent his career as the CFO of Milford Jai Alai.
Jerry was predeceased by his parents, and in addition to his wife Patricia, leaves behind his beloved daughter Jennifer (Adam Frey) and precious grandchildren Jonah and Elena Frey. He also leaves his siblings Joseph (Ann) DeLeonardo, Marie (Bob) Black, and Dr. Ross (Sandy) DeLeonardo, his favorite mother-in-law Teresa Vitolo Scarpellino, brother-in-law The Honorable Philip A. (Carrie) Scarpellino, several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, many friends who are like family, and his canine buddy Bernie Williams.
Jerry loved to ski at Okemo and spend time in Vermont, play cards with friends, walk his dog by the beach, and read. He was a sports fan, playing football, basketball, and baseball in his younger years, volunteering as a ski coach at Foran High School, cheering on his daughter at all of her games and meets home and away, and devotedly following the Yankees. He was known for his sense of humor, generosity, and love for a good meal.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Michael Church Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Please meet directly at church. Burial will be private. Masks are required for all services. The family will be holding a celebration of life in May and hopes that family and friends can join them to remember Jerry at that time.
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made to your local animal shelter or the Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center Closer to Free Fund (Closer to Free, Office of Development, P.O. Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508-1849 or www.yalecancercenter.org/gifts/). The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and other staff on the 15th floor of Smilow Cancer Hospital for their compassionate care of both Jerry and the family. Share a memory and sign Jerry's guestbook online at www.iovanne.com. The Iovanne Funeral Home, Inc. is in care of Jerry's arrangements.