Michael Battista, 79, Korean War Veteran, Dies

Michael Battista, 79, of Sandy Hook died peacefully Monday, Oct. 24 at Danbury Hospital.

A U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War from June 1951 to October 1953, he retired as a produce buyer for the Grand Union Co.

He is survived by his wife Sylvia (Lalli) of 58 years; two daughters Linda Tortu and her husband, Jose Guzman, of Tarrytown, N.Y., and Angela Poirier and her husband, Bertrand, of Keene, N.H.; three grandchildren Elizabeth and Christopher Tortu and Jonathan Poirier; two sisters Nicoletta Casasanta of Wethersfield  and Ida DeSantis, of Brewster N.Y.; and many nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his brother Angelo and sister Julia DiCairano.

An avid golfer, who enjoyed playing the game for many years with his friends, Battista was a kind, gentle and generous person with a great sense of humor, wit, and devotion to others.

The family would like to express a "thank you" the exceptional care he received in intensive care unit at Danbury Hospital with Dr. Mendes and the many doctors and nurses on the 9th floor west.

Family and friends may call at the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main St., Newtown, from 4 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Rose of Lima Church at 11 a.m., Friday. Interment in Rural Cemetery, White Plains, NY will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Assn., PO Box 344, Newtown, CT.