Obituary of Edward Battistelli

Edward Battistelli died on Tuesday, January 3, 2012, at his home in Stratford, Connecticut. He was 72. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on June 19, 1939 to Emma and Anthony Battistelli, he was the youngest of the four Battistelli children and the only boy in the family. His father was a commercial plumber, and young Ed, like his dad, had an innate interest in how things worked. At an early age, he learned the basics about carpentry, electricity and plumbing and could fix almost anything around the house. Ed graduated from Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1957. He attended Indiana Technical College and later served in the U.S. Army. He met his wife, Arlene Sydiskis, while at Harding High, and they married in 1964. Ed employed his mechanical abilities in his professional life. He worked as a Materials Specialist at American Cyanamid for about 32 years, primarily in the technical fiber division group developing uses of acrylic fiber. While at Cyanamid, he also worked on carbon material development and on the Gemini spacecraft fuel cell project. He held numerous patents relating to filtrations and other material developments. Never one to sit idle for long, after retiring from Cyanamid, Ed decided to co-found Engineered Fibers Technology, LLC with his partner, Bob Evans. The 13-year old company, located in Shelton, Connecticut is a high technology, fibers, materials and services company that produces short-cut fibers and nanofibrillated fibers for use in technical wet-laid papers, engineered materials and other applications. In his free time, Ed had a love for water and the ocean. He was an avid scuba diver and was a NAUI Instructor at Yale University for close to 25 years , helping students of all ages to become certified divers. He also served as a dedicated member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and was a member of the local flotilla for more than 13 years. He owned several boats over the years and enjoyed spending afternoons now and then on Long Island Sound. Throughout the years, Ed had a number of other hobbies as well. He was an avid gardener. He also ran several marathons and was an enthusiastic wine collector, building, singlehandedly, a wine cellar in his home. Ed was spirited, fun-loving and had a great sense of humor. He will be truly missed by all of his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Arlene; his sister, Gloria Battistelli of Stratford, his sister and brother-in-law, Rosemarie and Pat Altieri of Stratford, his sister and brother-in-law, Louise and Edward Gernat of Stratford; and several nieces and nephews, including Anne Larsen of Stratford, Catherine Birch of Wilton, Paul Altieri of Skillman, New Jersey and Ed Gernat of San Diego, California. Funeral Information Funeral services will take place on Saturday, January 7, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, and at 9:30 a.m. in St. Catherine of Siena Church, Trumbull for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in St. Michael Cemetery, Stratford. Friends may call on Friday from 4-8 p.m. Donations Information In lieu of flowers, donations in Eds memory may be made to The Norma F. Pfriem Cancer Institute through the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation, 267 Grant Street, Bridgeport, CT 06610 or to The Parish of St. Catherine of Siena, 200 Shelton Road, Trumbull, CT 06611.