Longtime Ridgefield resident, Faust J. Verna has died

 
Faust J. Verna, a life-long resident in the Ridgefield - Danbury area, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday evening, December 21, at his most recent home at Ridgefield Crossings. He was 94 years old, and the widower of Emily (Canestrari) Verna, to whom he was married for 55 years and whom he survived for 16 years.
 
Mr. Verna was born in Ridgefield on September 30, 1923, in a house behind what is now the Aldrich Museum on Main St. He was the son of Mario and Eugenia (Barbaressi) Verna, and graduated from Ridgefield H.S. in 1942. It was at Ridgefield High that he met and graduated with his future wife. They began dating in their junior year and were married on September 9, 1946, in St. Mary’s Church in Ridgefield, after he returned from serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II. In the Navy, he was extremely proud to have served as an Aviation Ordnance Mate, First Class (Air Bomber) [AOM-1C-AB], with Patrol Bomber Squadron 104 (VPB-104) in the Southwest Pacific.
 
The Verna family resided on Catoonah St. until 1955, when Mr. Verna built the family a home on Wilton Road West, in which they lived for 36 years before moving to Lake Place in Danbury in 1993. He moved to Ridgefield Crossings in June, 2017.
 
Mr. Verna worked as a carpenter for a number of local contractors from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, when he began a 20-year career at Perkin-Elmer. He retired in 1984 but remained active, working as a Starter at Candlewood Valley Golf Club for a number of years. He also served for many years as a School Crossing Guard for the City of Danbury, a job he loved and which he relinquished only in September 2017, when his failing health made him incapable of continuing.
 
In addition to his work activities, Mr. Verna was an avid golfer and, until very recently, worked out 2-3 times per week at local gyms. He also served many years in the Ridgefield Volunteer Fire Department and was a member of the Marquette Council Knights of Columbus of Ridgefield.
 
Mr. Verna is survived by his three children - Diane V. Dugan (and her husband, Michael) of Slingerlands, NY; a son, Steve, of Falls Church, VA; and Marie T. Dillon (and her husband, Patrick) of Brookfield; his three grandchildren - Matthew Michael Dugan, M.D., James Patrick Dillon, and Kimberly Veronica Dillon; and two great-grandchildren - Ryann and Gavin Dugan.
 
In addition to his wife and parents, a sister, Lena Lipira, predeceased him in 2015.
 
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday afternoon, December 27, at 1:15 at St. Joseph’s Church, Danbury.
Burial will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Ridgefield, following the ceremony (weather permitting).  
 
The family will receive friends in the Jowdy-Kane Home, 9-11 Granville Ave, Danbury, on Wednesday from 11:45 to 12:45.
 In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Verna’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society.
 
R
Submitted by Ridgefield, CT

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