Obituary of Fred Stark III

Frederick William Stark III, 82, longtime resident of Westbrook, Connecticut and Englewood, Florida, passed away on Thursday, June 2, 2022. Born and raised in Meriden, Connecticut, Fred was the beloved son of the late Frederick Stark, Jr. and Elizabeth (Sattler) Stark. As a young man, Fred set out into the world willing to work hard and earn his keep. Although he had no formal collegiate education, he never held back when sharing his wisdom with anyone who would listen, and readily explained that everything he knew can be credited from his studies at the “School of Hard Knocks.” In the late 1950’s, Fred enlisted and served in the U.S. Air Force, and after a number of years gaining experience in various positions, became the proud and successful owner of Pathway Lighting Products, Inc., based in Old Saybrook. He was an incredibly keen entrepreneur, a talented and distinguished salesman, and cared very much for each and every employee. A kind and generous soul, Fred was a true family man and a loyal friend, and loved to spend as much time as he could with the people he loved. He found great peace in nature and developed a deep appreciation for the natural world, becoming an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, crabbing, target shooting and gardening. Fred was never shy about expressing his love for America and everything she stands for. Everywhere he went, he seemed to make a friend, especially if that place involved playing cards at the casino. He could always be counted on to provide a helping hand at a moment’s notice, and would give the shirt off his back to aid someone in need. Fred’s amazing sense of humor and entertaining stories will be sorely missed, but the legacy of his life lives on in those who knew and loved him dearly. He will always be missed and never forgotten. In addition to his loving wife of 16 years—Cheryl Stark—Fred is survived by his siblings, Susan Vincent and her husband, Robert, Linda Bartis and her husband, James, Gretchen Went and her husband, John, and Kyle Stark and his wife, Ayfer; his beloved children, Jill Coan and her husband, Daniel, Jonathan Stark, Matthew Czepiel and his wife, Jaime, and Tina Pisciotti and her husband, Marc; and his adored grandchildren, Nicole Stark, Brendan Coan, Brittany Ferreira, Lacey Hall, Mia Pisciotti, Nico Pisciotti, Kayleigh Czepiel, and Caden Czepiel. He is also survived by his former spouse of 46 years—Raylene Miller—and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son, Jeffrey Stark. Fred’s family will receive friends from 5-8PM on Thursday, June 9, 2022 at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main St., Centerbrook, CT 06409. A memorial service for Fred will be celebrated at 11AM on Friday, June 10 at the First Congregational Church of Westbrook, 1166 Boston Post Rd., Westbrook, CT 06498. Guests are asked to arrive directly at church in the morning. Private burial services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Fred’s memory may be made to the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, 1133 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 (https://www.nfwf.org/what-we-do/donate) or to the Connecticut River Conservancy, 15 Bank Row, Greenfield, MA 01301 (https://www.ctriver.org/donate/).