Walter John Opuszynski, Jr.

Beacon Falls-Walter John Opuszynski Jr. was born October 21st, 1955 prematurely in Derby, CT. He carried the fight a premature baby needs to survive through all aspects of his life, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13. He was raised in Derby, by his father Walter Sr., mother Jean, sister Diane (all deceased), and survived by sisters Susan Kean and Sharron Phillips.

Walter was raised into a construction family based out of Derby, CT, the business was called WJ Opuszynski and Son, Inc. and drew all the attention a family business required. He worked diligently for his father, driving a bulldozer by age 12 and soon transporting pay loads in a Mack dump truck once he had a license.

When Route 8 ran through the center of Beacon Falls, Walter made a pit stop at Beacon Luncheonette, the local greasy spoon, to get soda for his co-workers. This is  when he met the love of his life, Jeri Ostrom. Jeri set a trap to ensure his return by making sure none of the lids on the sodas were on tight. She probably did not know at the time that she would marry him and have four kids (Walter, Michelle, Tiffany, and Michael) and eight grandkids (Olivia, Joe, Jack, Jeff, James, Haley, Atticus, and Walter) along with son-in-laws Chris and Jason and daughter-in-law Carrie. Looking around the deck at their 50th wedding anniversary this past August to see the product of their love must have been surreal and heart warming.

While working for his father he attended Emmet O’Brien High School learning the trade of draftsman. It was here that he learned more about engines, knowledge that would serve him throughout his life, and found a passion for the history and intricate simplicity of firearms in the gun club. He would carry the knowledge-base and the friendships that he developed at this school forward to many of his future endeavors.

Walter had a razor sharp ethic rooted in Yankee ingenuity, a respect for the land, and a care for his community that drove him to volunteer for decades of service on the Beacon Hose Company #1 as a fire fighter and EMT as well as the Beacon Falls Inlands, Wetlands, and Watercourses Commission.

His wife and kids were his world. He was a proud godfather to Matt Fagan, taking such responsibilities to heart. Even though he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders he would find time to fish for the elusive large mouth bass at Matthies Pond with his children, or go on Ontario or deep sea adventures with his sons and friends Dwayne, Brian, and Rich. He would carve out the time to attend baseball and softball games, and would play catch even though he was not raised on such frivolous activities himself. He was always there when family needed him.

He was independent-minded. During the energy crisis of the 1970s he did not cower to the challenges at hand. He and Jeri built a house together and established a large garden. Later they added a solar hot water heater to the roof of their raised ranch and installed a wood-stove with copper coils in it that heated water circulating through the radiators in the house. There were times in the winter that the house was so warm the kids had to open windows to get a comfortable night’s sleep, heated by wood their father had split by hand. The hot water heater would make the water so hot it would hiss out of the spigot. His type of ingenuity would produce excess out of effort.

Nothing was broken, if it was, it just meant that it was ready to be fixed. Walter could wire a switch, put a car tire on a rim in his garage, rebuild a chainsaw engine, fix a hydraulic leak on his tractor, and any other issue that could arise at any given moment when you are the ultimate handyman. If you were lucky enough to be his offspring and grow up learning to hold the flashlight just right, you would have the opportunity to know a fraction of what he knew.

He was the hardest working man there was. His hands were calloused and stained with grease in a way that any person that shook his hand would respect, especially when they realized he possessed not only humor and wit, but had a brilliance that understood current events, politics, and the sciences.

He applied his skills to being an entrepreneur; owning a business selling municipal construction supplies. His outgoing personality made him a welcomed regular at town garages throughout Connecticut, getting special invites to holiday meals where those who served their towns by maintaining infrastructure and roads would carve out time to share the yield of their hunts and gardens with their co-workers. These personal connections meant the world to Walter who carried lifelong friendships with Frank from the City of Waterbury and Neil from Atco Wire and Rope, among others,  to his final day.

In his later years he worked for the town he gave so many volunteer hours to, Beacon Falls, working at the wastewater treatment plant, eventually managing it after his friend and supervisor, Brian, retired.

Now that he is gone the world is missing one of the last true individuals at a time when it really needs people grounded soundly in such truths and ethics. He will be greatly missed by true family and true friends, and those that wished to know him that well.

Calling hours will be Friday October 24th, 2025 at the Naugatuck Valley Memorial/Fitzgerald Zembruski Funeral Home, 240 North Main Street, Naugatuck from 5pm and 7pm. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org). To send an on-line condolence or share a memory, please visit www.naugatuckvalleymemorial.com.

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