Wolf Zelinger

NEW HAVEN - Mr. Wolf B. Zelinger, 89, of New Haven and formerly of Waterbury passed away Thursday evening at Yale-New Haven Hospital-St. Raphael Campus. He was the husband of the late Aranka (Goldstein) Zelinger, until her passing in 2009 after 55 years of marriage.

Mr. Zelinger was born in Olkusz, Poland, on January 12, 1923, son of the late Chaim and Esther (Kupchik) Zelinger. He came to Waterbury in 1956 from Sweden, and moved to New Haven following the death of his wife. He was employed for many years in the dress industry as a pattern cutter with various companies in the Waterbury and New Haven areas.

Mr. Zelinger was a Holocaust survivor having survived numerous labor and concentration camps during the war. He was one of only two members of his entire extended family to survive. He had been a long-term congregant of B'Nai Shalom Synagogue and had served on its Board. He enjoyed plays at Long Wharf, concerts at Yale, was an avid reader, especially about history and Israel, and a lover of classical music.

He leaves a son, Atty. C. Robert Zelinger of Bloomfield and his fiance Tammy Gross Wasserman; a daughter, Susan Wise and her husband Thomas of Waterbury; four grandchildren, Julie Wise, David Wise, Jeremy Zelinger, and Jonathan Zelinger; and one nephew, Eli Peres, of Haifa, Israel. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 22, 2012 at 11:00 am at Temple B'Nai Israel, 444 Main St. North, Southbury. Burial will follow in Farband Cemetery in Morris. Shiva will be observed on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm at the home of his daughter, Susan, 71 Meadowlark Drive, Waterbury, and on Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm at the home of his son, Robert, 21 Bath Crescent Lane, Bloomfield. The Alderson Funeral Home of Waterbury is assisting the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Tower One-Tower East, 18 Tower Lane, New Haven, CT 06519.