Samuel E. Lagnese

Warm And Friendly Demeanor Will Be Remembered

Samuel (Sam) E. Lagnese, 82, of Southport, died December 1 at St Vincent’s Medical Center. Born in New York City, the son of John and Lucy Lagnese, Mr Lagnese had been a Southport resident since 1959.

Survivors include his beloved wife of 56 years, Gloria Marcantonio Lagnese, a local realtor of Southport; three beloved children, Paul Lagnese and his wife, Babs, of Newtown, John Lagnese and his wife, Patty, of Biddeford, Maine, and Glorianne Lagnese and her companion, Stuart Hawkes, of Waterbury; three cherished grandchildren, Peter Lagnese, Jay Lagnese, and Anne Marie Lagnese. He was predeceased by his son, Gregory Lagnese and a sister, Connie Masterpaul.

Mr Lagnese served in the US Army Air Corps during World War II as a staff sergeant assigned as a radio operator on board unarmed C-46 and C-47 transport planes, receiving the Air Medal.

His career in quality assurance and quality engineering spanned more than 50 years. He worked for several companies, including Emerson Radio and Phonograph, Sperry Semiconductor of Norwalk, Chandler-Evans in East Hartford, Bell & Howell in Bridgeport, and Hasler Incorporated, from which he retired this past October. Following his retirement, Mr Lagnese worked in a consulting role for RTA International in Stamford and Identification Products in Bridgeport. He was a member and officer of the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC).

A longtime parishioner of St Thomas Aquinas Church, he served as an usher and was a member of the Men’s League. Sam loved bowling and golf and was a member of the Senior Bowling League at Nutmeg Lanes. He will fondly be remembered for his warm smile and friendly demeanor.

Funeral services were held December 4 in the Spear-Miller Funeral Home, Fairfield, and in St Thomas Aquinas Church, Fairfield, with a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment with military honors followed in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, N.Y.

The Newtown Bee        December 7, 2007