Donald E. Avery

Donald Edward Avery passed away at his home on Sunday, August 15, 2021.  He would have turned 88 years old on September 19th.   Born in Rochester, NY in 1933 to Edward Lloyd and Helen Summers Avery, it was there that he met and fell in love with his wife of 64 years who passed during the pandemic on May 4, 2020.  As a result, both will have a joint and private celebration of their lives with family and close friends on September 25th.  Don and Maureen were loving parents, gave their most to family, friends and community and were devoted to their careers.

Don attended Catholic schools and graduated from Aquinas Catholic High School in Rochester and then went on to Rochester Institute of Technology, where he received a degree in electrical engineering, graduating in 1956.    He went on to serve in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958. Maureen and Don married in December 1956 and began their family in Texas.  They then returned to Rochester and continued growing their family while he worked as an engineer and Maureen worked as a nurse. 

Don and Maureen moved to Norwalk in 1962 when he took a job with Perkin-Elmer Corporation, added another child and raised their family.  He worked at Perkin-Elmer continuously and retired from the successor company in 1996.  During his career Don was involved in many high-tech projects relating to the US NASA Space Program including the landing on the moon and loved his time in Lichtenstein for an extended assignment.    

Don was an avid Little League Baseball coach and coached for many years.  With his good friend, Dick Vicenzie, he was proud to coach the Magner Funeral Home Cranbury Baseball League team which included the future Red Sox star Mo Vaughn.

After retiring, Don became an active volunteer with many community organizations in Norwalk. He was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the Norwalk Seaport Association after years of working at the Oyster Festival.  He logged over 1,000 hours as a Maritime Aquarium volunteer, and then years more as a math tutor at Naramake Elementary School which he continued through 2019.  The students he mentored and the teachers who invited him into their classrooms took from him his love of math and problem solving, love for children, and good humor.

Don is survived by his children Anne (Robert) Griesmer of Fort Monroe, VA, Elizabeth (Michael) Lyons of Mount Pleasant, SC, Kathryn Davis of Centennial, CO, and Edward Avery of Aurora, CO, as well as by his grandchildren James (Deena) Lyons, Claire Lyons, Krystina Lyons, Spencer Davis and Mason Davis.