Arthur Cunha Obituary: Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home, East Haven

Arthur Cunha, 100 of New Haven passed away peacefully on September 14, 2026 at ARC in Branford. He was born December 5, 1925 in New Bedford, MA to Amadeo and Maria Cunha. Arthur is survived by his son, Robert Smith (Dawn) of Norwich, a granddaughter, Carolyn Bavedas (Frank) and five great grandchildren; Connor, Nora, Anthony, Robert and Ryan. He is also survived by his former-daughter-law, Rosemary (Davis) Smith of East Haven, three nephews; Mark Cunha, Albert Cunha, Joey Cunha and a niece, Maria Cunha.

Arthur is preceded in death by his parents, wife, Madeline (Cretella) Cunha (2010), a grandson, Robert Smith Jr. (widow, Kelly Smith of East Haven), two sisters, Celeste Cunha and Judy Cunha and a brother, Albert Cunha.

Arthur was fondly referred to by many as, “The man, The Myth, The Legend” or even, “The Godfather”. Much more than that, he was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. He was always selfless in giving of himself, starting as a young man leaving school as a 6th grader to go to work and help support his family. Arthur went on to work as a heavy equipment operator for Local 478 starting in 1949 at the age of 25, where he remained a member for over 75 years, which he was very proud of.

Arthur married the love of his life, Madeline, on May 12, 1962, who he was married to until her passing in 2010. During their marriage, he and Madeline loved to travel and had many wonderful adventures. Arthur especially loved traveling to Massachusetts during the winter months to go skiing. He was a hard worker and loved doing renovations at his home on Stuyvesant Avenue in New Haven. One of the first projects he took on was to knock down the existing garage and build a new 2 car garage block by block himself.

Arthur was a devout Catholic, attending weekly mass at Saint Vincent de Paul Church in East Haven. Many of his fellow parishioners commented on how they loved to talk with Arthur, because he was a wonderful conversationalist. He loved to socialize and have breakfast with his friends, which he continued to do up until his passing. Arthur was an animal lover and loved to sit by the water at Fort Hale Park and pet all the dogs that walked by.

Family will receive friends on Sunday September 27, 2026 from 2 to 5 PM in the Clancy-Palumbo Funeral Home, 43 Kirkham Ave., East Haven. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday September 28 at 11 AM in St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish at the Church of St. Vincent de Paul, 80 Taylor Ave., East Haven with Burial/Committal to follow at All Saints Cemetery in North Haven.

Arthur will be greatly missed by all and will surely be remembered for his wit, charm and bright smile along with his wonderful stories that spanned a century.