Frederick E. Ghio

Frederick E. Ghio, 88, of Bristol, CT passed away peacefully on Sunday afternoon, September 27th, 2020 after a long battle with cancer.

Fred was born in Bristol on November 13, 1931, son of the late Frederick A. and Maria (Zeoli) Ghio. He was the devoted husband of Maureen (McDonald) Ghio. He served in the Bristol Fire Department for 25 years where he was promoted to Deputy Chief in 1975, and retired in 1981 at age 49.

He lived a wonderful and fulfilling life taking great pride in his family, his meticulously-kept yard, and his time at the fire department. He and his wife Maureen met as teenagers, and were King and Queen of the Bristol Harvest Dance in 1949. They were happily married for nearly 70 years. They spent many summers at their cottage in Black Point Beach with their children. After Fred's retirement, they enjoyed traveling with their best friends Bill and Joyce Galske, spending the winters at their vacation homes on Sanibel Island and Vero Beach, FL, and cruising to Bermuda and the Caribbean with their children and grandchildren. Fred was a family pillar - he lived for making memories and will be remembered for making everyone feel special and loved.

Fred had been living with myelodysplastic syndrome for many years, and in early 2019 he was diagnosed with mast cell leukemia, a rare and aggressive blood cancer, which he miraculously and bravely fought for nearly 2 years. Our family would like to send a heartfelt thank you to Delores and Diane, his caretakers for the last 9 months, and his hematologist at St. Francis Hospital, Dr Mulay.

Besides his wife, he leaves his children and their spouses, sons Frederick W. Ghio and his wife Mary, William M. Ghio and his wife Janet, daughters Susanbeth DeRemer and her husband William, and Kathleen Markert and her husband Thomas; a brother, Robert R. Ghio; 12 grandchildren, Katie (Ryan), Beth (Chris), Maura (Justin), Billy, Rory, Drew, Billy, Megan (Derek), Brianna, Jaclyn, Amanda, and Alyssa (Matt); 5 great grandchildren, Sean, Dylan, Vale, Kieran, Emme, Leo, and 1 girl on the way. He also leaves several nieces and nephews. Fred was predeceased by his sister, Lena (Ghio) Scholl.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, October 12, 2020 between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. at O’Brien Funeral Home, 24 Lincoln Ave., Forestville/Bristol. Please adhere to all current COVID-19 protocols. In addition, please keep visitation time to a minimum in consideration of occupancy limits of the funeral home. His funeral will begin on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 9:15 a.m. at the funeral home and then proceed to the Parish of St. Francis de Sales, St. Anthony Church, 111 School St., Bristol for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Smilow Cancer Center at St. Francis by mail or online. By mail, send to: Yale New Haven Hospital, Office of Development, PO Box 1849, New Haven, CT 06508; payable to: Smilow Cancer Center – St Francis. Online, visit: www.givetoynhh.org, direct gift to: “Other”, and specify: Smilow Cancer Center – St Francis. 

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