Obituary: Peter Fred Ceragioli, 90, formerly of Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT - (From Wallingford Funeral Home) Peter Fred Ceragioli, 90, of Meriden, formerly of Wallingford, husband of Hilda (Souza) Ceragioli, passed unexpectedly on May 25, 2022 at Middlesex Hospital, surrounded by his wife, daughter, grandsons and grandsons’ girlfriends.

Peter was born in Meriden on September 26, 1931, a son of the late Bernard and Ruth (George) Ceragioli.

Peter was a jack of many trades, and he mastered them all. Starting early in grammar school, Peter took on a paper route for his first job. In high school, he worked as a baker for Just Rite Bakery in Wallingford. He also joined the Knights of Columbus of Wallingford.

He got engaged to the love of his life, Hilda, in 1950, and then served a year in Germany as a Corporal in the US Army. When Peter returned to the states, he married Hilda on September 5, 1953.

Peter then started the 4-year apprenticeship program at Pratt & Whitney, where he would spend most of his working years, becoming a foreman and a supervisor in the experimental sheet metal shop before retiring in 1991 after 40 years of service.

He was most proud of the unique work he and his Pratt & Whitney team performed, which included experimental fuel cells, airplane engine pylons, and work for the Apollo rockets. But that wasn’t enough – while working 2nd shift at Pratt & Whitney, Peter and his co-workers drove school buses during the day for Wallingford Public Schools.

After retiring from Pratt & Whitney, Peter worked for a short stint with a local Pratt & Whitney sheet metal supplier. He then settled into his long-term (20 years) retirement job working for the Record Journal collecting payment for sold newspapers at local stores.

Outside of work, Peter was an all-around handyman to many family members and friends. After building his own home on New Rock Hill Road in Wallingford, and later becoming the unofficial maintenance manager when they moved to a condo in Meriden, it was no surprise that he was the default person everyone called when they had questions or needed help around their house, condo, or apartment.

No job was too big or too small, and although he was happy to teach others, most of the time they’d want him to do it himself due to his precision and exacting standards. When he wasn’t working or playing Mr. Fix-it, Peter loved to vacation.

Two of his most notable trips were traveling abroad touring Europe, one trip by train and the other by riverboat. Closer to home, Peter always looked forward to his annual vacations to Hilton Head, SC, and Ogunquit, ME, where he and Hilda would spend weeks at a time, with many family members and friends joining them at various times during their stay.

Peter was also an avid aspiring tennis pro, playing whenever he had the chance and teaching his daughter and grandsons to play too. Peter was a die-hard NY Giants fan and although they constantly left him disappointed, his other favorite team, the UCONN women’s basketball team, usually made up for it. Peter could also be caught every Friday morning having breakfast with the local “Wallingford Boys.”

He is survived by his wife, Hilda, his one and only cherished child, his daughter, Cheryl Cianfaglione of Old Saybrook; his brother, Louis Ceragioli; his sister, Teresa Cimino of Wallingford; his three treasured grandsons, Mike, Jay and Nick Cianfaglione, and his many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Bernard Ceragioli Jr. and his son-in-law, Richard Cianfaglione Jr.

Peter’s family will receive relatives and friends at The Wallingford Funeral Home, 809 North Main Street Ext on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 from 9 am until 10:30 am when his funeral cortege will proceed to Most Holy Trinity Church where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 am. (Masks must be worn at all services.)

Interment in Ogunquit, Maine will be private. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Peter’s memory can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 - or - the Ogunquit Marginal Way Preservation Fund which can be found at www.marginalwayfund.org.