Obituary: World War II Vet Richard Ermish, 89, of Woodbury

Richard Ermish, 89, of Woodbury died Saturday, March 10, 2012. He was the husband of the late Lucille Ermish.

Ermish was born July 27, 1922, in Elmhurst, N.Y. He was the son of the late Gustave and Elizabeth Ermish.

He attended Ascension Church and was educated at PS102 and Newtown High School in Elmhurst, N.Y. He served in the U.S. Navy as an electronic technician during World War II in the South Pacific and was a member of American Legion Post 0146 in Bethlehem.

Ermish met his wife in Chicago, Ill. After their marriage in 1946, they settled in his home town of Elmhurst, N.Y., where they raised their three children and lived for 35 years.

He worked for the New York Telephone Company for 35 years and then retired to Woodbury in 1982. As a resident of Woodbury for the past 30 years, he served on the Spruce Bank Farm Woodbury Elder Housing Authority and was a communicant of . He enjoyed playing scrabble, bridge, doing crossword puzzles and was an avid reader and interested in learning languages.

Ermish was a loving, devoted and generous husband and father and a good neighbor. He is survived by his daughters, Liz Ermish-Schmidt of Southbury, and her husband John Schmidt, and Margaret Ermish of Elmhurst, N.Y.; his son, Richard Ermish of Seattle, Wa., and seven grandchildren, Maya Luci-Jimenez, Sasha Luci-Ermish, Gabriel Luci-Ermish, Amanda Luci-Ermish, Adam Schmidt, Peter Schmidt, Laura Schmidt and five great-grandsons.

He is also survived by his sisters, Joan Ermish of Southbury, and Elizabeth Riley, of New Bern, N.C.

Visitation: There are no calling hours.

Mass of Christian Burial: 10 a.m. Saturday, March 31, at St. Teresa of Avila Church, Main Street North in Woodbury.

Burial: Following in .

Memorials:  St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury Homeless Shelter. Donations may be sent to: St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Inc.

Mailing address: St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Waterbury, Inc., P.O. Box 1612, Waterbury, CT 06721.

Memo on checks: Homeless Shelter.

Funeral Home: Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home in Southbury