Obituary: Stanley Peter Sorota, 95, of Wallingford

From Wallingford Funeral Home

Stanley Peter Sorota, 95, of Wallingford, husband of the late Zona Baumgardner Sorota, passed away peacefully April 1, 2017 at his home surrounded by his children.

He was born in Willimantic on December 19, 1921, the son of the late Peter and Agata (Agnes) Urbanik Sorota, who each immigrated from Poland as teenagers. Stan attended Windham High School, where he lettered in and captained the baseball and basketball teams. He was also senior class president.

Stan served in the United States Army during World War II and was initially stationed in France. Following the end of hostilities in Europe, he was transferred to Pasadena where he spent 7 months training to be an engineer. At the end of the war, he was honorably discharged as Staff Sergeant.

Stan played basketball and baseball for UConn from 1946-1950 where he captained both teams. He was named a "UConn Hoop Legend" and was nominated for the UConn Team of the Century. After graduating from UConn, Stan’s love of sports lead him to the love of his life when he met Zona Mae Baumgardner on a blind date while playing semi-pro baseball in Fergus Falls, MN. They were married for over 50 years.

He was a cherished teacher and coach for more than 34 years, primarily at Platt High School in Meriden. After retiring from teaching he worked at the Wiggin and Dana law firm in New Haven and Hartford for over 20 years. He loved his family above all else and was an avid vegetable gardener. He remained active throughout his retirement years and never retired from sports.

He is survived by his loving children, Terri, Steve, Gayl, Caron, Tom, Mike, Paul, Mary, and Meg Sorota; 17 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his son Joseph and his siblings Laura, Edmund, Josephine, and John.

A private graveside service with military honors was held at In Memoriam Cemetery on Saturday, April 8, 2017. A memorial celebration of Stan’s life for friends and family will be held at a later date. If you would like to attend, please email StanleySorotaMemorial@gmail.com or call 415-888-8188 for further details. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation at dtrf.org. Arrangements are under the direction of The Wallingford Funeral Home, 809 North Main St. Ext., Wallingford.

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