Obituary of Robert John Godzeno

Robert J. Godzeno ("Bob") of Norwalk, CT, passed away peacefully at Norwalk Hospital on the morning of August 5th at age 80. Bob is survived by his loving wife of 11 years, Mary J. Godzeno, of Norwalk, son, Robert M. Godzeno, daughter-in-law, Jennifer Godzeno, and grandchildren, Maya and Cory Godzeno, all of Stamford, CT, his step-children, Laura Stubbs, of Norwalk, CT, and Robert Keller and his wife, Ryan Wethall, of Oak Harbor, WA, and dogs, Bella and Sky. Bob was the son of John W. Godzeno and Lucy LaConte Godzeno, born in Bridgeport, CT on January 21, 1944. Although Bob was an only child, he was part of a large Italian family with many aunts, uncles and cousins living under the same roof. He was very artistic and enjoyed drawing cartoons and portraits of family members from a young age, and looking out for his younger cousins. Bob was predeceased in 2005 by his wife of 25 years, Jeanne Clarke Godzeno. He met Jeanne while they were both working as managers for the Finast supermarket chain in Stamford, CT. They married in 1979 and welcomed their son, Robert M. a few years later, after settling down in Norwalk. Since relationships among co-workers were prohibited at the supermarket, Bob changed careers and became a car salesman. Having always been a big car enthusiast, the job came naturally to him. Bob spent the largest share of his working years as a salesman at H&L Chevrolet in Darien, where he worked for 30 years until his retirement during the Covid pandemic. Bob was beloved by his customers and co-workers, made sure the lunch order was placed on time every day, and provided the comic relief among his colleagues by playing pranks on them. Bob was very proud of several Corvettes he owned over the years, and enjoyed going to classic car shows. Bob and Mary met in 2010 and bonded over their shared experiences as children of large Italian families. They married near Mary's hometown in Long Island in August 2013 and lived together in Norwalk after that. Bob was so happy to find love again and be welcomed into Mary's family, which brought back many good memories of his own large family growing up. They visited family in Long Island weekly and had a great time participating in the annual family tomato sauce-making assembly line. Bob was a long-time active member of First Congregational Church of Stamford, CT, where he served in many different volunteer positions, including two terms as Moderator, many years on the Board of Trustees, and a Sunday School teacher, to name a few. Bob loved the music at the church and sang in the choir. Of all his accomplishments, the most important ones to Bob were being a caring husband, spending time with loved ones and seeing his family succeed in their own endeavors. He was the biggest fan and supporter of son Rob's high school marching band and academic pursuits, and in recent years his granddaughter Maya's dance recitals. The family will hold a private graveside service at Spring Grove Cemetery in Darien, CT in the coming days, and a memorial service will be held at First Congregational Church of Stamford, 655 Stillwater Road, Stamford, CT 06902 at a future date to be announced.