In Loving Memory of Shirley Zaccara

Shirley Jean Sabo Zaccara, loving wife of Anthony C. Zaccara and daughter of Elsie and Steve Sabo, all who pre-deceased her, passed away on August 12th in Newtown, CT. Shirley grew up in Fairfield, CT, attended Roger Ludlowe High School and the University of Connecticut, graduating from the University of Bridgeport. Shirley received a degree in English and worked as a teacher in her early career. She had three siblings whom she loved so much: Ronnie, who pre-deceased her, Roger, and Dawn. Shirley was a long-time resident of Brookfield, CT and mother of four devoted children: Jennifer Zaccara, Leslie Sands, Glenn Zaccara and Adam Zaccara. She was proud of her children and of her son in law, John Sands, and daughters in law, Lindsay Zaccara and Nicole Zaccara.

Shirley and Tony were very close, and the happiness of their marriage continues to inspire her children. They met on a blind date and were engaged in three months’ time. Oddly, Shirley’s family had nicknamed her the Dutchess and Tony’s family called him Duke. Shirley lived a full and purposeful life, raising her four children, with Tony, being active in her churches, and in leadership roles with the Republican party. She was the head of the League of Women Voters, and actively sought voter participation no matter what someone's political affiliation. Shirley also served as a Justice of the Peace. She was a first-generation American and very patriotic. The American flag hung outside her house, and she especially loved Neil Diamond’s song, “America.”

Shirley and Tony always had the itch to move, and they lived in several towns in Fairfield County until they settled happily in the Candlewood Lake Club in Brookfield where Shirley was active as a golfer and volunteer. Her career launched fully at age fifty when she entered the residential real estate world, and worked for Davis and Hoyt Better Homes and Gardens and William Pitt Sotheby's Realty. Shirley had many repeat customers who came back to her to sell their houses since she gave such personalized attention. Shirley supported her husband Tony who, with Richard Shea, ran Camp Wipawaug for seventeen years in Newtown at what is now the Cullens Memorial. She also supported Tony in opening the popular rock club, the Fore 'n' Aft in Brewster, NY in 1969 and in Westport, CT with his partners Tito Cordelli, Neil Downing, and George Russ. She and Tony also ran Fiddler's Restaurant in Brookfield for several years with Tony's brother, Hank Zaccara, owner of Chuck's Steak House.

How can anyone capture Shirley's inner and outer beauty? Snowflake Queen in 1959 at the University of Bridgeport, she was crowned by Duke Ellington at a ball, and she always moved through the world as a woman of elegance and style. She took meticulous care to be put together, to share her joy of living with others, and was the life of the party when she was surrounded by family and friends.

Shirley’s love for her family enabled her to build a happy and productive life for twenty-six years after her husband passed away. Shirley could not swim, but she bought a speed boat and had her children drive her all over Candlewood Lake, packing a picnic and a bottle of wine for sunset. She renovated her house, traveled to Europe with friends, played bridge, and actively attended the Brookfield Congregational Church. Flowers filled her life, and Shirley had vegetable and flower gardens as a young girl and at every house she lived in. Her passion for birds and identifying different species brought her a lot of joy; her house was always in bloom, and she regularly oversaw the politics and tactics of the birds settling on her bird feeder. She loved dogs and took care of Sadie, Tahoe and Dakota whenever she could, ultimately caring for Adam's dog, Sadie, full time because she could not part with her. An avid Yankee and UConn women’s and men’s basketball fan, she rarely missed a game and kept up with the scores and rankings in the newspaper.

Shirley's children are so grateful to have experienced her love, her capacity as a role model, her Hungarian strength, and her sometimes sharp and humorous evaluations of self-important people. She was a force in her children's, grandchildren's, and great-grandchildren's lives. Her grandchildren, Cara Turilli, Bryce Rafferty, Emily Vannini, Keefe Rafferty, Brooke Sands Rynn, Casey Zaccara and Dodge Zaccara all were the recipients of her boundless love and wit. The spouses of her grandchildren, Nicholas Turilli, Bryan Vannini, Jack Rynn, and Sara Rafferty were all treasured by Shirley and part of the happy times her family remembers. Shirley offered comfort with French toast at breakfast, a hug, a country drive, and overall superior cooking at family gatherings. She stood in to lead the family through challenges and served as the rock to help others lay a new foundation after loss. Shirley had five great-grandchildren who also were the beneficiaries of her love: Nicholas "Tripp" Turilli, Michael and Sophia Vannini, and Bronwyn and Spencer Rafferty. For them, she was Gigi.

Shirley's father had a tradition of bringing her a rose and a glass of Piper Heidsieck champagne on her birthday each year once she was of age. Her family toasts her now and is consoled by the knowledge that she is with her husband, her parents, and her beloved brother, Ronnie. Perhaps her spirit is sailing over the Windrift in Stone Harbor, NJ where her family spent time every summer over the generations. She will be deeply missed, and her teachings and inspirational life continue within the hearts and minds of her family. Interment will be private and the Memorial Service and donations will be later in the fall. The location will be at the Brookfield Congregational Church.