Obituary: Owen J. Black Jr., 90, of Southport

From Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home

Owen Joseph Black, Jr., 90, of Southport, the beloved husband of Joan Ann (Gorman) Black for almost 65 years, died on Friday, February 10, 2017 in Bridgeport.

Born May 21, 1926 in the Bronx, NY to the late Owen Joseph Black, Sr. and Elizabeth Finnerty Black, he graduated from Fordham Preparatory School in 1943 as salutatorian of his class and enlisted in the U.S. Navy's V-12 Training Program, which aimed to train officers skilled in technical fields for the war effort. The Navy sent Owen to Cornell University as a member of the Class of 1947.

Subsequent to his earning a BS in Mechanical Engineering and following the war, he served out his Navy enlistment in Norfolk, VA. He then returned to Cornell where he taught engineering and earned an MS in Mechanical Engineering. He also taught at Fordham University, where he earned an MS in Mathematics.

Owen was employed by Socony Vacuum Company in Brooklyn, NY as a chemist when he met Joan, whom he married on May 10, 1952. They first lived in Queens, NY where their children were born and then moved to Southport in 1959. He was employed by the IBM Corporation from 1956 to his retirement in 1991 in a broad array of marketing and sales capacities, working on the development and introduction of many landmark technologies and products. During his tenure at IBM, he was awarded a sabbatical to study at Yale University, where he earned an MPhil in Industrial Administration.

Owen was a devout Catholic. He and Joan were among the founders in 1964 of the (since closed) St. John Vianney parish in Southport, where Owen trained the altar servers and taught CCD. Before and after St. John Vianney, he and Joan were dedicated parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield.

Among his contributions to the community, Owen was a past President of the Greenfield Hill Little League. He was also instrumental in the very early development of the Museum of Art, Science and Industry in Bridgeport. And, for some time after his retirement, he was a volunteer at Recording for the Blind in New Haven, where he specialized in technical texts for blind Yale students. Always, Owen devoted himself to his wife and his children and, especially, his grandchildren, delighting in their growth and accomplishments.

He is survived by his loving children, Susan Black (John Berard) of Aurora, OR, Owen J. Black, III (Suzanne Owens) of Hamden and John R. Black of Southport. He was the loving grandfather of Brian Black of New York City, Alex Mitchell (Ashley Parrish) of Newberg, OR and Caroline Black (John Schonborn) of Boston, MA. He is also survived by his brother-in-law and his sister-in-law, Russell and Millie Gorman of Wantagh, Long Island, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Rita Summer and her husband John.

Friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday, February 18, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. directly at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. At the request of the family, calling hours and interment is private. Memorial contributions may be made in Owen’s name to: Fordham Preparatory School, Office of Engagement, Development and Communications, 441 East Fordham Rd., Bronx, NY 10458.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Shaughnessey Banks Funeral Home here.

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