Longtime Bridgeport Physical Education Teacher Emily Cicale Mourned

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Longtime Bridgeport physical education teacher Emily Cicale, who died of brain cancer on Aug. 1, is remembered for her intelligence, "wicked sense of humor," and fearlessness, among other admirable traits, according to her obituary and Connecticut Post.

Cicale taught at Geraldine W. Johnson School, and was a teacher in the district since 2003, and earned a master’s degree in Sports Orthopedics from the University of Pittsburgh.

"She ran food drives, clothing drives and even candy drives at Halloween so all the kids could enjoy the holiday," Cicale's obituary reads. "Her work colleagues became friends, and her friends became family who knew they could always count on her loyalty and support."

Cicale grew up and lived in Fairfield, where she was married to her husband, Sal, of nearly 30 years, and they raised their two sons, Nick and Jake.

"We lost my amazing Aunt Emily to a short but valiant battle with brain cancer," wrote her niece, Caroline, in the obituary. "Emily was the matriarch of our extended family, the instigator of every party, and it’s hard to imagine future family milestones without her here. She was incredibly funny. She kept things light except when it came to her unwavering loyalty to the people she loved and to all creatures great and small, which led her to take in an insane amount of strays."

Services were held on Aug. 11 at Lesko Funeral Home.

Read the Connecticut Post story, and the full obituary for Emily Cicale.