Nicholas M. Passarelli MD

Nicholas Mario Passarelli M.D. was a beloved general surgeon who practiced in New Haven, CT for 38 years. He was born in Chicago, IL, the son of Italian immigrants Ernesto and Filomena Passarelli. He was raised in New Haven, CT and graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in 1951. He graduated from Yale University in 1955, Yale University School of Medicine in 1959 and completed his general surgery residency at Yale University. During his training, he was the first general surgical resident to spend clinical time in Haiti. Dr. Passarelli served as Associate Section Chief of General Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital for 10 years. He was instrumental in introducing the use of total parenteral nutrition and the use of laparoscopy in general surgery in New Haven. Dr. Passarelli was an active member of the Association of Yale Alumni in Medicine (AYAM) spanning three decades. He was elected as a member of the Executive Board in 1990 and served as President from 1997 to 1999. In recognition of his longstanding volunteer work with the School of Medicine, Dr. Passarelli was the recipient of the 1995 Distinguished Alumni Service Award. He enjoyed coming back to Yale for his class reunions and volunteered as the Program Chair from 1994 to 2019 to help plan his class's celebrations. Through his own generosity and encouragement of his classmates, he was instrumental in establishing a class scholarship fund for Yale medical students. Nicholas was a lifelong tennis player and avid skier. He enjoyed hunting with his dog Rascal and was also an avid fisherman. He enjoyed nothing more than a good bluefish run. He studied to become a pilot at the age of 55 and his experience as a student pilot taught him patience he claimed improved his ability to train surgical residents. He is predeceased by his beloved wife of 56 years Mary Lou Passarelli in 2014. He leaves three children Marc Passarelli (Alfia) of Naples, FL, Carol Passarelli Fedorchak of Hamden, CT and Dr. James Passarelli (Dr. Marianne Passarelli) of Hamden, CT. He also leaves six grandchildren: Dr. Maria Passarelli of Boston, MA, Dr. Emily Passarelli of New York City, NY, Dr. Rachel Passarelli of New Brunswick, NJ, Kathleen Fedorchak of Hamden, CT, Dr. Natalie Passarelli of Boston, MA, and Dean Fedorchak of Hamden, CT. Visiting hours will be held Thursday July 10, 2025 from 5:00-7:00PM in the Iovanne Funeral Home, Inc. 11 Wooster Place in New Haven. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a graveside service on Friday July 11, 2025 at 9:30AM in St. Lawrence Cemetery, 280 Derby Ave. in West Haven. Memorial contributions and donations can be made to the Yale School of Medicine. Send to the Yale School of Medicine Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, PO Box 7611 New Haven, CT 06519. Please reference the 'YSM Class of 1959 Scholarship Fund' in the memo. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Nicholas, please visit our Tree Store.