Fred V. Colella

On Thursday, February 27, 2020, Frederick Vincent Colella, loving husband and father of three children, passed away at age 83.

Fred was born on June 4, 1936 in New Haven, CT to Alfred (Fred) and Adeline Mendillo Colella. He received his law degree from the University of Georgia and practiced corporate and international trademark law for 30 years.  On October 20, 1969, he married Dawn Tsagari Colella. They raised daughters, Deanna and Melissa, and one son, Jonathan.

If you asked a hundred people who Fred Colella was, they’d all give you a different story.  Fred was thought of as a secret agent, a superhero, a naval veteran, a man a Saudi Arabian prince gave a jet airplane, the man Nixon wanted to have work for him, an amazing handyman, a world class attorney who argued cases before the Supreme Court. Fred was none of these things, or perhaps he was all of them. What he was, was a man that everyone gravitated to.  From the time he was young he worked hard to help whomever needed help. No matter what, everyone loved him and wanted to be in his orbit.

As a young man, Fred worked hard in his father’s grocery store in New Haven, CT.  When his father died, Fred would take the train back from Virginia every weekend to help his mother and sister out. Fred was always lending a hand and he never thought twice about helping those he loved.

Fred is survived by his wife Dawn, his three children, Deanna, Melissa, and Jonathan, his sister Elaine, his nephew Aaron and his grandsons Greyson and Alexander.

A private funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 5, 2020 at the Hoyt Cognetta Raymond Funeral Home, 5 East Wall Street, Norwalk, CT.