In the past month, Amity has lost three young men under the age of 25 and one 29-year-old.
Following are their obituaries in order of their passing:
Orange
Daniel W. Donnelly, 24, of Orange, left this world too soon on Monday, July 3, 2017. Born in Bridgeport on Sept. 3, 1992, Danny was the cherished son of Robert and Theresa Durso Donnelly. Growing up in Orange, he played baseball and was an avid Yankees fan.
He graduated from Amity High School, and his dream was to work in the music industry. He will be remembered for his love of guitars and music and for his favorite band, Phish, which he enjoyed following on tour with the love of his life, Emilee Sousa, the late Joey Ciancola and their many friends.
Danny is now reunited with his beloved brother, Robbie, and other family members Tim and Kim Donnelly, John Donnelly and Gerri Marie Durso. Besides his parents, he leaves behind many aunts, uncles, and cousins to cherish his memory, including Patricia Davitt, Kathleen Tillman, Chris, Mary, Paul and Mike Donnelly, Anne Gumersell, Janet Waldman, Mary Ellen and Jack Durso.
Visitation will be held on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the West Haven Funeral Home at the Green. Remembrances and prayers for Danny will take place at the funeral home on Saturday morning at 10 o’clock. Burial will follow in Orange Center Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations, for the family, will be gratefully accepted at the funeral home.
Edward William de Langley Torrence, Eddie and Eggy to his friends and family, age 24, unexpectedly left this realm on Sunday, August 6, 2017.
He grew up in Woodbridge on his family farm. He was passionate about music, computers, engineering, and driving. He composed electronic music, produced videos and loved to play the piano. He and his brother Leland had many adventures together traveling the world and especially loved to ski.
He was most happy when helping his Mother with the family pets, and taking “walk abouts,” driving with his Father. He was a pure spirit who mentored and cared for all those he encountered. He found great strength in his relationships with friends and family, and now enjoys the peace he hoped all others would find.
He is survived by his parents Laura M. and Leland R. S. Torrence, his brother Leland Jr. and his grandmother Lorraine Mirando of Woodbridge, CT and his grandmother Nikki Torrence Lindberg of Essex, CT.
Friends may call at the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue on Thursday, August 10 between 3 to 5 p.m.
In honor of his love of animals, donations may be made to One Big Dog, 135 Bradley Road, Woodbridge, CT 06525.
Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family
Bethany
Akash Prashant Mehta, 21, of Bethany passed away Thursday, August 10, 2017.
He was born in New Haven on September 14, 1995, and was the beloved son of Prashant and Varsha Jariwala Mehta. Brother of Akshay and Shraiya Mehta. Grandson of Manjoo and Hasmukh Jariwala, Dayalal Mehta, and the late Saroj Mehta.
He also is survived by his large loving family.
Akash played lacrosse at Amity High School and is terribly missed and fondly remembered by his former team mates and coach.
Family and friends may come to pay their respects at the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Avenue on Sunday, August 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sharing of memories will take place at 11:30 a.m.
And another Amity Grad who was living in Seymour
Assumptions:
So many people assume that they know what happened to each of these young men, and from what I’ve heard, most are wrong.
Inserting the cause of death, unless it was from a car accident or a long bout with cancer is unnecessary and just adds to the pain that the families already have to bear.
Unless you are personal friends of the family (families) and have first-hand knowledge – and their blessing to share, please keep your conclusions and assumptions to yourselves.
Remember what Felix Unger said about assumptions “When You Assume, you make an A** out of U and Me.”