William Sheldon Jarrett, 87, of Heritage Village, Southbury, and former 30-year Newtown resident, died after a long affliction with Alzheimer’s disease, August 14. He was born May 25, 1927, in Livingston, N.J. He was the husband for 63 years of Francine Helen Snyder Jarrett and the son of the late LeGrand and Mary Sheldon Jarrett. 

Mr Jarrett is a member of the Caldwell (N.J.) High School Athletic Hall of Fame. His high school Senior Poll lists him as Most Popular, Best Athlete, and Class President. 

After high school, he served in the Army during World War II, mostly in the occupation of Berlin. Mr Jarrett was a 1951 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where, along with studying journalism, he starred in the musical productions of the Mask & Wig Club. He was also undergraduate chairman of that delightful organization, a member of Alpha Tau Omega and the Sphinx Club.

He entered the publishing field, working as a book editor for Reader’s Digest, Little Brown Publishers, Encyclopedia Britannica, and Meredith Publishing before going into business for himself as a sports editor and sports author in Newtown. 

While raising his family in Pleasantville, N.Y., Scituate, Mass., Barrington, Ill., and Westport, he could be found on the field coaching youth sports. He was really put to it to divide himself into three pieces but he managed to support them all. 

He was a charter member of The Connecticut Choral Society and sang with that group and The Chamber Singers for almost 30 years. 

After retiring, the Jarretts moved from Newtown to Heritage Village in Southbury, where he joined The Heritage Singers. He also became active in Focus, the Heritage Village television channel, doing interviews of prominent citizens in the Village and a news show on that same channel. 

He met famous and fascinating people from all of these fields and enjoyed every minute of his work and play. Mr Jarrett also possessed the rare talent of knowing how to play with his boys and then the grandchildren. He could tell the most exciting bedtime stories straight out of his imagination that led to wonderfully sweet dreams. His family remembers him as talented, intelligent, and charming. He was loved and respected by all who knew him and leaves his family with many happy memories, and friends and family will remember him with pleasure and pride. 

In addition to his wife, his three sons and their spouses, William, Jr and Nancy of Edina, Minn., Peter and Wendy of Lexington, Mass., and Andrew and Sandra of La Jolla, Calif.; six grandchildren, Emily, Benjamin, Daniel, Timothy, David, and Kaarina survive Mr Jarrett. His sister, Elizabeth L. Jarrett Huntley, predeceased him. 

A celebration of life reception for friends and family will be held at The Heritage Hotel in Southbury, Saturday, August 30, from 4 to 7 pm, in the Garden Room. The burial will take place in Lee, Mass., in a private ceremony.

To place an online condolence visit www.munsonloveterefuneralhome.com.