William Mraz, Sr

William Watkins Mraz Sr, 85, of Watertown, died Thursday, March 25, in Waterbury. He was the husband of Madeleine A. “Queenie” (O’Connell) Mraz and the father of Patricia Anne Graves of Newtown.

Mr Mraz was born in Bridgeport on January 24, 1919, son of the late Wenczel and Jessie (Watkins) Mraz. He lived in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport until 1956 when he moved with his family to Westport where he resided until moving to the Watertown area in 1987.

He graduated from Bassick High School and attended the University School (now the University of Bridgeport). He married Madeleine Anne O’Connell in Bridgeport on December 4, 1948.

In addition to his wife of 55 years, and his daughter Patricia and her husband Allan Graves, he is survived by four other daughters, Jill Anne Graham and her husband Richard of Miami, Fla., Nancy Anne Mraz Chase and her husband John of Taylors, S.C., Susan Anne Mraz Mungavin of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Jessie Anne Mraz of Tewksbury, Mass.; his son, William W. Mraz, Jr, and his wife Shane of Fairfield; his brother Louis Mraz of Inverness, Fla.; 14 grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He served his country in the US Army and is a World War II veteran. He was the owner of a business machine sales and repair store in Westport, and was known locally as “The Typewriter Man.” He eventually retired after being employed by Litton Industries in Manhattan.

An avid fly-fisherman for more than 40 years, he was a member of Trout Unlimited, a national stream preservation association and was a member of its Nutmeg and Naugatuck-Pomperaug Chapters for many years where he served as membership chairman.

He participated in numerous local projects for stream and river conservation and restoration, and provided numerous education programs to local school children and the general public.

He was also known as the “Teepee Man” by many school children for the 30-foot-high Trout Unlimited teepee he erected on school lawns and from which he conducted his education programs. He had painted a large mural around the teepee depicting fish, streams, and the message of leaving a clean environment, and was known for his favorite saying, “Big or small, we protect them all.”

In the 1970s, he volunteered his time demonstrating fly tying techniques at Abercrombie & Fitch in New York City.

A Memorial Service was held March 30 at First Congregational Church, 40 DeForest Street, Watertown. Burial was private and at the convenience of the family.

Memorial contributions may be made to Naugatuck-Pomperaug Chapter Trout Unlimited, PO Box 100, Middlebury CT 06762, or Hospice and Palliative Care of Connecticut, 237 East Aurora Street, Waterbury CT 06708.

The Newtown Bee        April 2, 2004