SEBASTIANELLI, EVO J.

Evo J. Sebastianelli, 77, of Farmington died Tuesday, October 2, 2001 at his home. Born in 1923 in Elk, PA, he was the beloved husband of Florence (Wichrowski) Sebastianelli for 56 years. They lived in Farmington for 48 years and were residents of New Britain prior to moving to Farmington. Along with his wife, he leaves his daughter, Sandra and her husband, Brian Alters of Montreal, Quebec; and his daughter, Mary and her husband, Mark Klebig of San Antonio, TX. He also leaves two grandchildren, Marc Gottfried of St. Louis, MO, and Terryl Robison of College Station, TX; a sister, Rita Battista of New Britain; a sister, Claire and her husband, Stanley Wolff of New Britain; and a brother, Robert and his wife, Betsy Sebastianelli of East Granby: a brother-in-law, Joseph Wichrowski of Plainville; a brother-in-law, Victor Cieszynski of Windsor; and a sister-in-law, Josie Wichrowski of Plantsville; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Leo. A veteran of World War II, Evo served in the South Pacific on Emirau Island, Guam, Mariana Islands, and Guadualcanal. A well-known and highly respected jeweler and master craftsman in watch repairing, Evo opened his first store, Watch Repair Center, in New Britain on Myrtle Street in the early 1950s. During that time, he received a commendation from the State Department of Education for his outstanding training of several physically handicapped persons in watch repairing for the Connecticut State Rehabilitation Service. He moved his store to West Hartford, opening Sebastian Jewelers at Corbins Corner and later an adjoining store, Rings ‘n Things. In the late 1970s, Evo retired and worked as a volunteer for the Red Cross, but his retirement was short lived. He then opened Sebastianelli Jewelers in the Wethersfield Shopping Center, retiring permanently in the late 1980s. During his retirement, he was an avid deep-sea fisherman, enjoying frequent trips on the MIJOY, trolling the waters of Long Island Sound off the coast of Niantic. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 5, at the New Britain Memorial Funeral Home on 444 Farmington Avenue, New Britain. Relatives and friends are invited to gather Saturday at 11 a.m. at the funeral home for a procession to St. Patrick’s Church, Main Street, Farmington where a mass will be celebrated at 12 Noon. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the VNA Health Care HOPE Unit, 103 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105 or to the American Cancer Society.