Pasquale (Pat) Joseph DeMuria, 94, of Gales Ferry passed away Monday, January 5, 2015, at home surrounded by his family. He was predeceased by his wife, Mary (Federico) DeMuria who passed away July 26, 1984.
He was born on September 2, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Michael and Catherine (Guiffre) DeMuria. He was a graduate of Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Pasquale was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where he was trained as a radio operator. He was a pioneer of drug development and worked on early antibiotic programs for Pfizer where he worked for 42 years, retiring in 1985. Pat also served as Chairman of Parks and Recreation in the Town of Ledyard for about 40 years. For his countless hours of volunteer work, the Pavilion in Colonel Ledyard Park was named in his honor.
Pat grew up in the Depression, when the only thing his family really had were each other. Family meant everything to him. His favorite life-long Italian saying was "famiglia e' tutto", meaning, family is everything. That is how he wanted to be remembered.
Pat will be sadly missed by his 6 children, Patricia DeMuria-Schleipman (Peter) of Long Island, Richard DeMuria of Ledyard, Michael DeMuria (Susan) of New Hampshire, Donna Bagg (Lloyd) and Kathryn Strout (Peter) of Ledyard, and Deborah DeMuria (Kevin Farrington) of Massachusetts. He is also survived by his grandchildren Michael, Andrew, and Samuel DeMuria, Dayton, Dylan, and Wyatt Bagg, Elise and Grant Farrington, and Patrick Strout, as well as his sister, Margaret Russo of New York. He will also be sadly missed by his cat, Hobo.
In addition to his wife and parents, he is predeceased by his siblings Rose Perino, Angie Terzo and Anthony DeMuria, and his companion of many years, Ellen Conti. He will also be missed by Ellen's granddaughter, Amie.
The DeMuria family would like to thank all of Pat's caregivers: Sara, Leizel, Donna, Lora, Jessica, Raquel, Liz, Rodolfo, and Cecil for their loving care.
Pat's family will greet relatives and friends on Thursday, January 8, from 4 to 7pm at the Dinoto Funeral Home, 17 Pearl Street, Mystic. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 11:0am at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1650 Route 12, Gales Ferry. Burial with full military honors will follow in Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Ledyard Parks and Recreation Capital and Non-Recurring Capital Fund, 4 Blonders Boulevard, Ledyard CT 06339, Attention: Don Griese.
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