James V. Sorrentino, age 75, of Wilton died December 23 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Born January 24, 1937, in Seymour, Connecticut, he was the son of the late James and Sophie Sorrentino. He was the husband of fifty years of Penny Sorrentino. He grew up in Ansonia, Connecticut, where he excelled academically in the local high school before leaving to attend college in Washington, D.C. At Catholic University, he earned a B.S. in Biology in 1958, an M.S. in Microbiology in 1960, and a Ph.D. in Virology in 1966. He began his professional career at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, in research in influenza vaccine. Joining Merrell-National Biological Laboratories in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania in 1967, he developed in collaboration with Dr. Don Metzgar, the first purified vaccines for influenza and meningitis and improved the yellow fever vaccine. He then joined the consumer products division of Richardson-Vicks in 1974, ultimately becoming the director of drug products research. After Proctor & Gamble acquired Richardson Vicks in 1985, he became executive vice president of research and development in Shelton, Connecticut. He retired from the company in 1992 and immediately founded Healthcare Product Development in Norwalk, Connecticut, a pharmaceutical clinical trial firm. He retired in 2008. He was someone who always took the opportunity to help young people advance academically and professionally. He was a loyal alumnus of Catholic University, with close ties to the Department of Biology. He was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Fatima Church since 1975. He enjoyed attending the musical and theatrical performances of his granddaughters, cheering on the Little League, AAU, and OLF basketball teams of one grandson, and visiting his other grandson in Colorado. He had passion for horse racing, the Washington Redskins, the New York Yankees, and golf. He was a devoted caretaker of his dog Fred. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter Elizabeth Sorrentino and her husband Marin Strmecki of Wilton and their three children, Grace Strmecki, Vivienne Strmecki, and Henry Strmecki; his daughter Patty Sorrentino Adams of Bellevue, Colorado, and her son James Adams; and his son James J. Sorrentino of New York City. He is also survived by his sister Constance Thompson of Palm Coast, Florida; his brother-in-law Duff Smith of Poughkeepsie, New York, and George Beier, Sr., of Sequim, Washington; his nephew Thomas Thompson of East Haven, Connecticut and his wife, Gwen Thompson as well as many other nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends at Norwalk's Hoyt-Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory, 5 East Wall Street in Norwalk on Thursday, December 27, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday December 28, at 10:00 AM in Our Lady of Fatima Church at 229 Danbury Road in Wilton. A private burial service will take place at Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, and a reception will be held at Via Sforza restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Sandy Hook Scholarship Fund, C/O Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main Street Newtown, CT 06470. Please visit www.norwalkfh.com for more information and to send a condolence to the family.
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