Obituary: May F. (Zonghetti) Kreissig

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May F. (Zonghetti) Kreissig
May F. (Zonghetti) Kreissig

WATERTOWN — Mrs. May F. (Zonghetti) Kreissig, of Kensington and Naugatuck, 94, passed away at Apple Rehab of Watertown on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. She was the widow of Richard Kreissig, and the daughter of the late August and Rose (Ambrosini) Zonghetti.

She graduated from Naugatuck High School, Class of 1935. Her yearbook caption reads, “Mary, with her bewitching eyes, has intrigued many a masculine heart during her stay at Naugy. We predict that those orbs will someday capture the handsome Adonis of her dreams.” The yearbook Pegasus had this prophecy: “Soon after graduation, we found that Mary Songhetti sailed far and wide to Paris. Yes, you guessed it! She is now a Paris mannequin in the well known Roberta Salon.”

Always a stylish dresser, May and her sister Madeline could be seen walking to work at the Naugatuck Chemical administrative offices, traveling to Waterbury to catch a show at the Palace, or taking an occasional train to New York City. She never quite made it to Paris. After World War II, May married her handsome veteran, Richard Kreissig, on Sept. 21, 1946 at St. Francis Church, Naugatuck, followed by a grand reception at the Hotel Elton on the Green in Waterbury. Soon after, May and Dick took up residence in their new home in Kensington, where they raised their only child, Ricky. One day Dick surprised May with a gift of a white Thunderbird hardtop convertible with red upholstery, which she drove top-down often. May worked at Continental Can and at MacChristie Industries as an executive secretary until her retirement in 1988. The family attended St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Kensington. Her husband Dick predeceased her, as did their son Ricky, for whom she cared for many years through his recovery from an accident and long-term illness.

May loved to entertain guests and family with her laughter and holiday treats, to join with her husband and son fishing in Charleston, R.I. in the summer, and to adopt pets, raising several litters of puppies which she welcomed into the family and reluctantly found adopted homes for.

She leaves her sister, Madeline Mangine of Watertown; nephews, Donald Glendening of Shelton, Jim Bower of Bristol, niece Diane Lubin Horn of Cape Coral, Fla., and nephew Richard Glendening of Palo Alto, Calif.

Her funeral will be held on Monday, April 15 at 10:15 a.m. from the Naugatuck Valley Memorial/Fitzgerald Zembruski Funeral Home, 240 North Main St., Naugatuck to St. Francis of Assisi Church, 318 Church St., Naugatuck for a mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. Burial will follow in St. James Cemetery, Cross Street, Naugatuck. Calling hours will be held at the funeral home on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m.

To send an online condolence, visit www.naugatuckvalleymemorial.com.