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08/11/2023 05:58 AMFrederick J. Szufnarowski, 73, a resident of Ivoryton, passed away peacefully on July 16, 2023. He was the son of Helen K. and Frederick S. Szufnarowski.
Fred grew up in western Massachusetts and had a lifelong passion for learning and community service. In college at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, he majored in mathematics with minors in both history and literature. Fred went on to earn his engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts. He would say engineering was his way to make a living, but the minors were what he lived for.
Fred had a rewarding professional life working in the energy business. His work for Northeast Utilities took him all over the world, siting power plants on every continent except Africa and Antarctica. In 2005 he formed The Essex Partnership, a successful private energy and environmental consulting business.
In Essex, Fred was a stalwart of many organizations, including the Essex Land Trust, the Essex Historical Society, the Essex Library Association, and the Ivoryton Playhouse. He also served on the town’s Inland Wetlands Commission. His work for the Essex Land Trust involved many hours volunteering with close friends to improve public access and biological diversity. His volunteer work for the Historical Society included work on the bicentennial of the 1814 British Raid on Essex, work to preserve the 200-year-old Pratt House, creation of a pamphlet about the history and ecology of the Osage Trails Preserve along the Falls River and recent work to document the unique history of Ivoryton.
Participation in the library’s history book discussion group connected Fred to the Essex Library Association. Ultimately, he became the president of the Board of Trustees and was a force behind drafting the library’s strategic plan emphasizing how the library would meet the challenges of a media-connected world.
Fred loved to travel. When his children were young, he took his family camping cross-country by car twice. Later in life, he traveled abroad to places like France, Italy, and Scotland. He loved to garden, enjoyed photography and woodworking, and was an enthusiastic cook who loved to make meals for his many friends, neighbors, and family members.
Fred is survived by his loving fiancée, Diana McNamara of South Glastonbury; his sister Linda Belanger of Lanesborough, Massachusetts; and his children, Ruth Ann Szufnarowski Halle of Adams, Massachusetts, Stephen Szufnarowski of Guilford, and Savitri Dale (Szufnarowski) of Bracknell, England; and his grandson Christian Szufnarowski of Guilford.
A brief graveside service will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 9, 2023, at River View Cemetery in Essex, immediately followed by a celebration of his life to be held at the Centerbrook Meetinghouse.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Ivoryton Playhouse or the Essex Land Trust, P.O. Box 373, Essex, CT 06426, info@essexlandtrust.org.