Joseph S. Swatt of Shelton, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, passed away at home on November 29, 2023. He was 95.

Joe was born in Stratford on May 31, 1928, to the late Joseph and Mary (Jura) Swatt. The youngest of 7 children, he never met his father, who passed away in an accident less than a month before his birth.

In November of 1945, Joe enlisted in the US Army—concealing his age to enter active service at 17, he deployed to Dergendorf, Germany the following spring. For the next 10 months, he was stationed in Bavaria as a member of the US Constabulary, the military branch tasked with maintaining security in occupied postwar West Germany.

His tour of duty complete, a storm-riddled 13-day boat ride brought Joe home to Stratford in 1947, where he reenlisted in the Army that August. This second period of service saw him deployed to Camp Kilmer, NJ, where he attended Signal Corps photo school and learned the art of photography. Joe remained a passionate photographer for the rest of his life, documenting his family's experiences in thousands of cherished photos.

On a visit home to Stratford in 1947, Joe met Helena "Gloria" Molnar at a dance at Pleasure Beach, Bridgeport. This chance encounter proved fateful—married in February 1948, the couple celebrated an astonishing 70th wedding anniversary before Helena's death in 2018. They had 3 children, 5 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.

Joe was honorably discharged from the Army in 1949 and found his way into a long career with the Department of Defense as a contracting officer. Fiercely proud of his military service, he remained active in US Constabulary social events and reunions for the rest of his life. But Joe and Helena's truest dedication was to their family, for whom they were an ever-present and unwavering source of generosity, wisdom, and love.

Over the last few years, while declining health slowed Joe down, he somehow bounced back from every setback, seemingly stronger than before. A recent broken hip confined him to the lower floors of his home, but true to form, he wasn't willing to accept his newly-limited mobility. Joe swore he'd recover to climb back up to his kitchen and bedroom. Stubborn to the end and true to his word, he made it. Joe died upstairs.

Survivors include his daughters, Margaret Parker and her husband Edward of Fairfield, Patricia Hurley and her husband William of Spofford, New Hampshire, and Jo Ann Csire and her husband David of Guilford, 4 grandchildren, Allison (Ron) Kaspriske, Christopher (Meghan) Parker, Sean (Kristy Hughes) Hurley, and Scott Hurley, 3 great-grandchildren, Ryan, Maris, and Lede, several nieces and nephews, and his dedicated caretaker Velma Sharpe. In addition to his beloved wife and parents, Joe was pre-deceased by his granddaughter, Amy Parker, siblings Anne Petrovick, George Swatt, Mary Onderko, Andrew Swatt, Ceil Komar, and Margaret Swatt.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 5th meeting directly at St. Lawrence Church 505 Shelton Road Huntington at 10:30 am. Interment with full military honors will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Monroe. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Adzima Funeral Home-Stratford. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Echo Hose Ambulance in Shelton, Ct. To make an online condolence please visit www.adzimafuneralhome.com.