Thomas A. Penna

Thomas A. Penna, 97, beloved husband of 65 years to his late wife Marie and father of five children, passed away on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Born on January 21, 1926 to Thomas and Rose Maselli Penna, Mr. Penna was a life-long resident of Hamden, CT and a 30 year educator in the Hamden school system. From a family that farmed for generations before emigrating from Castelpagano in the Benevento province of the Campagna region of Italy to farm in Hamden, Mr. Penna’s parents shifted from farming to operating Tom’s Universal Food Store in New Haven, CT (where Mr. Penna worked and met Josephine Marie Chiaramonte, a frequent customer and his eventual wife.) After graduating from Hamden High School and serving in the Navy both during and after WWII, Mr. Penna attended and graduated New York University Stern School of Business. (It was during his years as a student at Hamden High and NYU Stern that he performed with local jazz bands playing saxophone while nurturing his life-long passion for music, highlighted by his solo performances at Woolsey Hall.) He went on to graduate Central Connecticut State College with several graduate-level degrees qualifying him to teach Industrial Arts at the secondary school level. The Penna’s, putting family first, raised five children and several dogs in their home in Hamden while Mr. Penna taught Industrial Arts (primarily Woodworking), first at Hamden’s Michael J. Whalen Junior High School and later at Hamden High School. He would eventually chair and expand the high school Industrial Arts Department. The Adult Education evening classes he taught at the high school were popular for many years among creative adults in the region. (And as a Master Gardener certified by the University of Connecticut, he taught gardening to Hamden elementary school children.) Mr. Penna (and family) also operated an expansive business delivering local and New York newspapers in New Haven for over twenty years. A life-long builder and craftsman with the work ethic of a farmer, Mr. Penna taught and inspired friends, family and students both young and old. He renovated several homes and several landscapes. He was commissioned by the Hamden Historical Society to design and then (with his students) to fabricate the metal plaques that adorn many historical homes in Hamden. And he took great pride in both the pre-war Ford Roadster he restored with his son Robert and the very practical suburban tractor he designed and built. Mr. Penna was pre-deceased by his parents, his sister Esther DeNicola and his beloved wife Marie. He leaves behind his daughter Nancy (Anthony) Zammataro; his sons Thomas (Joan), James (Carol), Robert, and Christopher (Robin); his grandchildren Thomas Zammataro, Amelia Swisher, Jennifer Cofrancesco, Dylan Penna, Alan Penna and Matthew Penna; six great-grandchildren, and the countless carpenters and cabinetmakers he taught over 30 years. Mr. Penna’s family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday, June 8th from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Washington Memorial Funeral Home, 4 Washington Ave., North Haven. His funeral cortege will depart from the funeral home on Friday, June 9th at 9:30 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial which will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (St. Paul VI Parish), 2819 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Burial with Military Honors will follow in Beaverdale Memorial Park, Hamden. Memorial contributions in Mr. Penna’s name may be made to The Hamden Education Foundation and/or to Halfway Home Rescue. (Halfwayhomerescue.org is a local non-profit animal and rescue and placement organization.) www.washingtonmemorialfh.com  

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