Leon Karvelis, Sr., 98, of Wilton, CT died peacefully Friday, March 1, 2019 at Norwalk Hospital after suffering from a very brief bout with pneumonia.

His immediate survivors include his two sons, Leon Karvelis, Jr. and his wife, Marie, of Bethel, CT, and Gary Karvelis and his wife Patricia of Wilton, CT. Predeceasing Mr. Karvelis was his first wife of 50 years, Jean, who died in 1990, his daughter, Helen Graham, who died in 2005, and his son, Roy Karvelis, who died in 2009. Also surviving Mr. Karvelis is his daughter-in-law, Gregg Karvelis of Bethel, CT, and his second wife of 25 years, Catherine Fuoco, of Monroe Township, NJ and her children who he loved as his own children, Carole, and her husband Robert, and Anthony, and his wife Terry and their children, Joseph and Kerrianne, who Leon loved as grandchildren.

Mr. Karvelis was the loving grandfather of eight grandchildren: Andria Karvelis of Studio City, CA; Kelly Karvelis of Chicago, IL; Scott Karvelis of Bethel, CT; Kris Karvelis (and his wife Kim) of Venice, FL; Brendan Karvelis of White Plains, NY; Keith Karvelis of Wilton, CT; Christina Graham-Woolf (and her husband Charles) of Hamilton Township, NJ; and Jana Muhammad (and her husband Zaid) of Philadelphia, PA.

He is also survived by five great grandchildren (Kayleigh, Adam, Voncenzo, Faaris and Joaquin) and one great grandchild (Christopher).

Born on February 20, 1921 in Lithuania, Mr. Karvelis immigrated to the United States in 1929 to join his mother, Elena Palaima, who lived in Mahanoy City, PA. He married Jean in 1940 and welcomed son Leon, Jr. into the world in 1942. In 1943 he was drafted into the US Army Air Corps and served honorably as a medic in England during WW II. He came home after the war and he and Jean proudly welcomed Gary and Helen, twins, into the world in 1946, and Roy in 1953.

Upon retirement from his career in lithography in 1986, he assisted his son, Roy, in managing a family owned greeting card and stationery shop in Bayridge, Brooklyn while nursing his wife who was in poor health. She passed in 1990 and a year later Leon married his second wife, Cathy Fuocco. They were happily married for 25 years and lived in Monroe Township, NJ. In 2017, Mr. Karvelis moved to The Greens assisted living complex in Wilton, CT where he resided until his death.

The Karvelis family will host a public viewing from 4pm to 7pm at the Bouton Funeral Home at 31 West Church Street, Georgetown, CT on Wednesday, March 6, 2019. He will be cremated and his remains will later be interred with those of his beloved first wife, Jean, at St. Charles Cemetery in Pinelawn, Long Island.

Note: In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to: The Prospector Theater, 25 Prospect Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877, prospectortheater.org, (203) 438-0136.