The Life of Mr. Matthew J Donofrio Jr.
Matthew John Donofrio, Jr., 81, April 7, 1939 – December 17, 2020, of Southport, CT and Palm Beach Gardens, FL died peacefully surrounded by family. Matthew was born April 7, 1939 in Bridgeport, CT to Florence and Matthew Donofrio.
Matthew, who also went by Matt or Marty, grew up in Trumbull, CT and attended Fairfield Preparatory School and Fairfield University. For many years, he owned his own insurance company, Kelly-Healey Company, in Derby, CT. He sold the company in the mid-1980s to join Cowen & Co. in New York as an asset manager. Subsequently, he joined Prudential Securities in 1999 and Merrill Lynch in 2008. He retired in 2012.
To counter his serious professional persona at work, Matt maintained some offbeat interests. In his younger years, Matt was a jazz pianist playing local gigs in the Fairfield area. Much to his children’s chagrin, he played only jazz music in the car as he shuttled them to or from swim practices. He continued to tinker on the piano on and off throughout his life, and his favorite song to play at home was Satin Doll. He drove a big black Dodge Ram pick-up truck in the morning to the beach, stopping for a coffee and a Wall Street Journal, with Happy, the family German Shepherd. For many years, he also kept two pet goats in his yard. His wife and children gave him the first goat for Father’s Day one year because he always talked about wanting to own a farm. He named the goat Maggie after his wife, Margaret. The second goat, Cherries Jubilee, was purchased as a companion to Maggie. Cars driving by the Southport, CT home would often slow down to watch the goats grazing in the front yard.
Matt loved to spend countless hours in his yard gardening, landscaping, burning brush, grilling, and puttering around with a cold beer. He earned the nickname “Jungle” for all the time spent walking through the woods at the rear of his property. His family never really knew what he did back there, but he emerged with debris in his hair and a smile on his face. While he loved nature and the outdoors, Matt loved his family even more. He always enjoyed having a noisy house full of children and grandchildren. No matter how many children were running around, he had the uncanny ability to keep track of all of them outside, keeping them safe from falling in the pool, pond, or brook running along the edge of the property.
Matthew is survived by his wife of 55 years, Margaret Donofrio; brother Robert Donofrio (Elizabeth Donofrio); uncle Frank Giannino; daughter Michele Harding (Thomas Harding); daughter Siobhan Donofrio (William Ralls, Jr.); daughter Heather Daly-Donofrio (Raymond Howell); daughter Hilary Lawton (Eric Lawton, III); son Matthew Donofrio, III (Melissa Donofrio); eleven grandchildren Declan Harding, Dillon Harding, Ryan Donofrio-Ralls, Phoebe Donofrio-Ralls, Devin Donofrio-Ralls, Hannah Howell, Eric Lawton IV, Michael Lawton, Brian Donofrio, Catherine Donofrio, and Maeve Donofrio; and nephews Robert Donofrio (Megan Donofrio) and Stephen Donofrio (Annie Middleton).
A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at Assumption Church in Westport. The funeral will be livestreamed for those not able to attend and can be viewed at https://www.assumptionwestport.org . In-person attendees are required to wear a face mask and adhere to strict social distancing guidelines. Interment will follow in Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Memorial contributions can be made in Matt's honor to: The Recreation Camp, P.O. Box 491, Derby, CT 06418