Obituary of Gerald James Anastasion

Gerald James Anastasion, better known as Jerry, Daddy, Pop, Chinky, Poppa or Popu, passed away on March 1, 2023 at 97 years young.

No Matter what time you called him, he was a kind and generous man to all. He “did it my way”. He loved to laugh and spend time with his big Greek family- children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. He could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. He enjoyed his road trips with Jo, golf, “donuts with popu” and cooking family dinners. He fanatically followed the Boston Red Sox, the Diamon Backs, the NY Giants, AZ Cardinals, Clemson and UCONN.

Jerry was born to James and Mary Anastasion on July 25, 1925 in New Britian, CT. His parents were first generation immigrants from Greece and Italy. He was oldest with three sisters; Gloria, Angela and Phyllis. He lived in Connecticut until he was 75 when he moved to Arizona and then Colorado.

Jerry was drafted into the US Army in 1944 at age 18. He was part of the Italian campaign starting with the invasion of Sicily, fighting up the spine of Italy and routing Germans out of the country. By the end of his tour of duty, he earned three battle scars on his European Campaign Medal. Following an honorable discharge in 1945, Jerry received a Presidential Citation and a WWII Victory Metal.

Returning home, he met and married the love of his life, Josephine Tata, on April 30, 1949. Over their 58 years together they enjoy life to the fullest including adventurous travels to Greece, Italy, many tropical islands and countless road trips until Jo’s passing in 2007. Gerald and Jo had 4 children; Susan, Gail, Joanie and James.

A successful businessman, Jerry started and grew Production Fasteners, Inc., a CT Business, and retired early to enjoy family, golf and traveling. He and Jo moved to the Pebble Creek Community in Arizona. His remaining years were spent with his Colorado children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with many visits from his east coast family. The whole family enjoyed creating and sharing memorable meals from Jo’s cookbook.

Jerry was one of the founders of the Annual Golf Classic event that raised 100’s of thousands of dollars for the Wheeler Clinic, a behavioral health complex for children and adults in Plainville, CT. They were able to build baseball and soccer fields and an indoor swimming pool solely for the aid of children of Wheeler Clinic. When Jerry saw a problem, he responded with generosity and kindness. He followed his heart to serve his family and those in need.  

You can hear more about Jerry’s life story on YouTube created by a local veterans’ organization.

Gerald will be remembered by family members including children Susan Scheyd of CT, Gail (David Banford) of Loveland, CO; Joanie (Al Brown) of lake City, CO; grandchildren Steven (Kim) Scheyd, Kristen (Roger) Levesque, Bowan (Kalyn) Banford, Chelsea (Tommy) Harper, and Michael Brown; great-grandchildren Evelyn, Brandon, Cole, Sky and Davis; and great-great grandchildren Delilah and Lief. He is also survived by his 2 sisters; Angie Atwood and Phyllis (Tommy) Rustico as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents James and Mary, his wife Josephine, son James, sister Gloria Brown and son-in-law Gary Scheyd.

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to : Anastasion Administrative Family Trust (4945 Filbert Drive, Loveland, CO 80538), for “feeding kids” at Loveland Elementary Schools.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 22 from 1-5pm at 4945 Filbert Drive, Loveland, CO. Wear any team gear! (not the “stinkin” Yankees though).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

!!!!PLEASE DISREGARD MESSAGE BELOW!!!!

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