Obituary: Milford Woman Who Had ‘Passion For Arts’ Passes At 90

Smith Funeral Home

MILFORD, CT - Marilyn Grace Rusanowsky, 90, of Milford CT, passed away on December 1st, 2019.

She was born in Bronx, New York, on August 29, 1929 and was the daughter of the late Peter Philip Opas and Mina Sturm Opas. On November 29, 1964, Marilyn married Paul Rusanowsky in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico; they were married 54 years.

Marilyn deeply valued the Arts. She especially loved to sing and act, spending many years involved in theatre in New York City, Puerto Rico, and in the Milford area. In Greenwich Village, she was part of the Jewish Young Folks Chorus with the late Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. In Puerto Rico, Marilyn took piano lessons and sang in several opera productions, with singers such as Placido Domingo and Joan Sutherland. She shared her passion for music and the arts with her children. In Connecticut, she was a member of the Orange Players theater company.

Marilyn was a very devoted and loving wife, mother, mother in law and grandmother and is survived by her daughters Nina Barrett (John) and Tanya Michaelson (Marc) and her grandchildren Patrick and Joshua Barrett and Amelie and Phineas Michaelson.

There will be a celebration of life with a sing-a-long on Saturday, December 14, 2019 from 12-4 at the Woodmont Borough Hall, 128 King’s Highway, Milford, CT.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to Neighborhood Music School in New Haven, CT. For further information, please visit their home page at nmsnewhaven.org.