Obituary: Stanley Kavan Sr., 100, Of Milford

Information and photo via Cody-White Funeral Home

Stanley J. Kavan Sr., 100, of Milford, passed away on October 3, 2023, at Milford Hospital.

A Milford resident for many years, he was born in Bristol, Conn., in 1923, the son of Lithuanian immigrants John and Julia Kavan.

He was predeceased by his wife, Henrietta Duggan Kavan, and brother, Victor Kavan. He leaves behind a son, Stanley J. Kavan Jr., and his wife, Claudia, of Fernandina Beach, FL; a daughter, Susan Smey, of Norwich, CT; seven grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren.

Mr. Kavan was a career executive with Columbia Records, then a division of CBS in Manhattan, during which he is credited with numerous landmark achievements.

In the early 50’s, he introduced the industry’s first 12-inch-long playing album for popular music, heretofore a medium only for classical fare but became the standard for popular releases and transformed the industry.

He created the concept for what later became the bestselling “Sing Along with Mitch” series, a music phenomenon that enjoyed similar success as a leading prime-time television show for Mitch Miller.

Mr. Kavan was instrumental in the careers of leading recording artists such as Tony Bennett, Simon and Garfunkel, Barbara Streisand, Johnny Mathis, and many others. He was also a charter member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (now known as the Grammy Awards). He is prominently referenced in The Label, the story of Columbia Records.

During World War II, Mr. Kavan was a B-17 bomber pilot with the 15th Air Force in Italy. He completed a hazardous tour of 35 missions to targets in Germany and Austria, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Edward Jablonski recounts some of his combat experiences in the authoritative Doubleday book Flying Fortress.

A longtime community activist, he served as a member of the Board of Finance in the late 70s, where he prepared an eye awakening, comparative evaluation of Milford’s municipal costs and efficiencies to ten other Connecticut cities of similar size. He was also a frequent letters critic of local and national affairs.

One of his proudest pursuits was his involvement with recording books for Connecticut’s program for The Blind and Physically Handicapped, amassing 35 collections from classics like Ben Hur and The Virginian to celebrity biographies of Paul McCartney, Jackie Gleason, Duke Ellington, and Cary Grant.

Additionally, he was a traditionalist poet of regional note, winning several awards and chairing national poetry competitions for Milford’s Fine Arts Council for many years.

A parishioner of Christ the Redeemer Church, he was a charter Lector, ending his service after 50 years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 11 a.m. at Christ the Redeemer Church, 325 Oronoque Rd, Milford. Burial with Military Honors will follow at Kings Highway Cemetery, 271 Cherry St. in Milford.

The family is being compassionately cared for by the staff at Cody-White Funeral Home, 107 Broad Street, Milford, CT 06460.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Stanley J. Kavan Sr., please visit the Cody-White Funeral Home floral store.