Gerald L. "Jerry" Garavel Sr.

Gerald L. Garavel Sr. "Jerry", 93, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2025, after a brief illness.

Jerry was born on December 29, 1931 and was the son of the late Angelo and Elizabeth (Sullivan) Garavel. He was predeceased by his wife of 64 years, Mary Jane (LaCava) Garavel.

Jerry lived in Danbury for most of his life, and upon his retirement, he and Mary Jane lived in Southbury for several years before moving to Ridgefield in 2017.

Jerry spent his career working as a Contracts Manager at Eaton Corporation in Bethel.

He was a deeply religious man and parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Danbury. Following his retirement from Eaton, he served his parish as the business manager for Heritage House. Jerry was involved in numerous church and social activities through St. Joseph and served as a lector and volunteered weekly at Bingo services and during Holy Week services.

Family was the most important part of Jerry’s life. He vacationed each year with his family in Old Saybrook, CT, and Misquamicut, RI, inviting friends to join them each year. In recent years, he enjoyed any gathering that brought his family together, including lunches with his extended family, where he was proudly hailed as the family patriarch.

Jerry looked forward to his weekly outings with his daughter Jean and took great delight in following his grandchildren’s adventures and enjoyed hearing about the antics of his young great-grandsons.

He was an avid Yankees fan, and he and Mary Jane also enjoyed the UCONN basketball teams and attending games or watching them together.

Jerry will be lovingly missed by his children, Mary Ellen Hall and her husband Greg of Cary, IL; Pam Butler and her husband Gary of Millbury, MA; Jerry Garavel and his wife Sharon of Ridgefield, CT; and Jean Garavel of Danbury, CT. He also leaves his six grandchildren, Laura, Sherri, Eric, Stephanie, Matt, and Mark, as well as his two great-grandsons, Ryan and Zephyr. He was predeceased by his siblings, James P. Garavel, B. Robert Garavel, and Mary Grace Sullivan.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at 10:00 AM at St. Joseph Church, 8 Robinson Avenue, Danbury. Interment will follow in Saint Peter Cemetery, Danbury. There will be no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jerry’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by visiting http://www.stjude.org.

Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home is in care of arrangements.