New month, personal blog post: Final farewell

Photo credit: John S. Zaleski 

This week a friend and I said goodbye to our friend, Bob Pollack, at a burial ceremony with military honors at the state Veterans' Cemetery in Middletown.

Bob, a proud U.S. Air Force veteran, passed away in February at age 93. This is the link to his obituary on my blog.

I want to give a special thank you to John Zaleski, owner of Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, for coordinating the arrangements for the beautiful military service for Bob, and for taking photos while we were there.

Cemeteries are inherently peaceful but my friend and I both felt we were in an especially serene setting, far from the bustle of everyday life. It is a truly beautiful resting place for our nation's deserving veterans.

Saying goodbye is never easy

Robert C. Pollack Obituary - posted on Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home Site

Robert C. Pollack of Ansonia, peacefully entered eternal rest Feb. 8, 2025 at Shady Knoll Center for Health & Rehabilitation in Seymour. He was 93.

Born on Nov. 19, 1931 in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was the only child of Philip and Sylvia Pollack. 

Bob was a lifelong newspaper man. He started his career as a copy boy in the early 1950s at the former New York Herald Tribune. He was a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having worked in communications in print and on the radio, where his call name was "Caladare." He often spoke of how fortunate he had been to travel the world while stationed in Europe, Libya, and stateside.

 After moving to Connecticut in the 1960s Bob worked for several publications, including the former Bridgeport Post (now the Connecticut Post), the New Haven Register, and the Evening Sentinel of Ansonia, where he was the Shelton bureau chief for several years. 

He was named managing editor of the Sentinel in 1977, a position he held until 1992. Over the years Bob was an enthusiastic teacher and mentor to many young reporters who were starting their journalism careers. 

Despite being a Connecticut resident for almost six decades Bob remained a New Yorker at heart. His first love was journalism - but attending Broadway shows with friends and dining at the finest establishments in the city was always a close second. 

Bob leaves to cherish his memory Patricia Villers of Ansonia and her two children, Allegra Nanna (Robert) of New Bedford, Mass., and Cameron Villers of Brooklyn, N.Y., Ashley Brownell of Ansonia and her family, and Sharon and James Shay of Oxford. 

Services are private and are in care of the Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, 167 Wakelee Ave., Ansonia. Online condolences may be made at www.wakeleememorial.com.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Robert, please visit our Tree Store.

Link to Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home post:

https://www.wakeleememorial.com/obituaries/Robert-C-Pollack?obId=36881899&source=fb0

Seymour Lions Club slates Summer Cruise Nights in Ansonia

ANSONIA - Summer cruises will be held from 5-8 p.m. Thursdays at St. Sebastian Club, 86 Father Salemi Drive.
The June 1 show will be lots for fun for the whole family, we take pride in the part we play bringing car enthusiasts together to celebrate a time when the automobile was more than just an appliance. 

We invite all hot rods, street rods, rat rods, classic, custom, trucks, motorcycles, and antiques to join us.
As local car aficionados showcase their vintage, classic, and custom cars, trucks, and motorcycles and all the work they have done on them, there are opportunities to network and uncover new ideas.
Trophies will be awarded for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place car/truck winners and a motorcycle trophy also will be awarded.

Our sponsors pick the winners! Music, raffles, socializing makes for a fun night!

For more information visit 

www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/seymourct/ or our Facebook page @SeymourCTLions or follow us on Instagram @seymourlions, email us seymourlions52@att.net or call Lion Melissa @ 203-430-9356, Lion Corky @ 203-619-1571 or Lion Jovanii @ 203-215-4711.

This is shared from a Facebook event page.

Ansonia business owner adopts a spot on busy corner

 City of Ansonia Facebook page photo

John Zaleski, left, from Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, has adopted a spot at the corner of Division Street and Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia. 
He is pictured with Mayor David S. Cassetti who launched an Adopt-A-Spot initiative in June in an effort to beautify the city. 
Several spots have already been adopted by residents and business owners.


Information shared from the City of Ansonia Facebook page.

Reminder: Way of the Cross planned Friday in Ansonia

ANSONIA - The seventh annual Good Friday Way of the Cross Procession sponsored by Ansonia and Derby churches will be held at noon Friday.

The walk symbolizes Jesus' journey on his way to his crucifixion.  

Each year clergy members and lay people participate in the solemn walk, which starts at Veterans Park next to City Hall (253 Main St.) and proceeds up Main Street to the Ansonia Armory.

Participating churches are First Congregational Church of Ansonia, First Congregational Church of Derby, Christ Episcopal Church of Ansonia, Clinton AME Zion Church of Ansonia.

John Zaleski, funeral director, Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, participates each year and lends his sound system to the event.


This is a press release from the Rev. Marcia Eveland, pastor, First Congregational Church of Ansonia.