Joseph Louis Veno, 96, Died; Born in Saugatuck, WWII Navy Veteran
Joseph Louis Veno passed away peacefully on November 16, 2022, at the age of 96. Joseph was born on May 10, 1926, in Saugatuck, Connecticut to Louis and Mary (Dorta) Veno and was a lifelong resident of Westport and Norwalk.
As a teen, he worked as a caddie at Longshore Country Club and enjoyed swimming in the Saugatuck River. At age seventeen, Joseph enlisted in the Navy where he served on the USS Apollo submarine tender in the Pacific during WWII. After his return from the war, Joseph met and married the love of his life, Madeline (Cenatiempo) Veno. They settled in Norwalk, Connecticut and had three sons, Louis, Joseph Jr. and Steven.
Joseph had a tireless work ethic and worked in the flooring industry as a business owner and expert installer of linoleum, tile and carpet. He later worked at St. Thomas the Apostle church in Norwalk, St. Cecilia church in Stamford and Christ & Holy Trinity church in Westport until he retired at the age of 85. He returned to Saugatuck in 1997 and lived in the same building where he had once attended elementary school. He lost his beloved wife, Madeline, twenty years ago in November 2002.
Joseph was a faithful Catholic who appreciated the simple joys of life. He enjoyed spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and took great pride in their accomplishments. He loved Italian food, ice cream sundaes and baseball (the New York Mets), and kept an exceptionally clean home. He also enjoyed countless visits to Compo beach with his brother, Angelo Veno, and other friends. He maintained an active social calendar and met regularly with his friends. His sharp memory allowed him to share detailed stories from his youth well into his tenth decade, recalling Saugatuck at a time when Italian families shared a communal baking oven and kept pigs and chickens.
Joseph was predeceased by his wife, Madeline, brother Angelo and sister Ida. Joseph is survived by his sons, Louis Veno (Marlene), Joseph Veno, Jr. (Anne), Steven Veno (Sara), his sister Theresa Valentine (Richard), grandchildren Alison Larsen (Jared), Jason Veno (Lauren), Tyler Veno, Michael Veno (Kristin), Nicole Veno, Natalie Veno, Steven Veno, Jr., Brendan Veno, Christopher Veno (Courtney), and great-grandchildren Spencer, Trevor, Benjamin, Lucia and Nicholas. He is also survived by Sylvia Pack, whose companionship he was blessed with in his later years.
Friends are invited to attend a funeral service on Saturday, November 26, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 203 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT, followed by a graveside service with full military honors at 12:15 p.m. at St. John's Cemetery, 223 Richards Ave., Norwalk, CT.
The Raymond Funeral Home, 5 East Wall Street in Historic Norwalk has been entrusted with arrangements. Please visit www.norwalkfh.com to leave an online condolence.
Historic Staples Candlelight Concert to be Held on December 16, 17th
The 82nd Annual Candlelight Concert will be presented at Staples High School Auditorium on Friday, December 16 at 8:00pm and Saturday, December 17 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm.
This annual gift to the Westport community showcases the talents of our nationally recognized musicians and performers. The Staples Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Choral Ensembles will perform traditional Candlelight favorites such as “Sing We Noel” and “Hallelujah Chorus.” Also featured will include movements from Tchaikovsky's “Nutcracker Suite," music from the movie "Home Alone" by John Williams, and the first movement of Dan Forrest's “Jubilate Deo.”
Tickets will be available to the public on Thursday, Dec. 1, starting at 9am. You can get tickets online at www.staplesmusic.org (4 ticket maximum). Order promptly, tickets historically sell out fast. There is no charge for Candlelight tickets.
2022 Music At MoCA Concludes With Heida Hermanns Performance
MoCA Westport celebrated 50 years of the Heida Hermanns legacy on Saturday night, featuring performances by previous winners of the Heida Hermanns International Music competition, as far back as 1972. The Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition brings together top young performers (voice, piano, strings) from around the world to compete for significant prize money and recognition.
The evening's music included a bouquet of light works for woodwinds and piano, and soprano voice and piano. The complete program is here. Performances included the following artists:
Bart Feller, flute, Margaret Kampmeier, piano, Diane Lesser, oboe, Todd Palmer, clarinet, Mark Timmerman, bassoon, Emilia Simone Westney, soprano, William Westney, piano
The concert was the final performance in the 2022 Music at MoCA Concert Series. Details on the 2023 Music at MoCA concert series will be announced soon; the first concert will be Talisk (Scottish Folk) in February 2023. Learn more: https://mocawestport.org/music-at-moca-talisk/
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Group photo contributed. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.