Anita Kay Telesco

Anita Kay Telesco, a long-time resident of Stamford, passed away at age 81 on April 16th after a brief illness. She is survived by her devoted husband of 63 years, William R. Telesco of Stamford, her loving children, Catherine Telesco of Hamden, William Telesco (Laurie) of Torrington, Bonnie Blank (David) of Stamford, Laura Ryan of Norwalk and Tom Telesco (Jill) of New Canaan. Her children expanded the family tree significantly, and so she is survived by her 13 adoring grandchildren, Shannon Telesco (Drew Elias) of Lansdale, PA, Carolyn Schwirz (Karl) of Newton, MA, Daniel Blank (Natalia) of Mountain View, CA, Jeffrey Telesco of Brooklyn, NY, Samantha Clark (Drew) of Norwalk, CT, Kathleen Telesco (Owen Lucas) of Bethel, CT, Matthew Blank (Lauren) of Stamford, CT, Arielle Blank of Leeds, UK, Caroline Blank of New York, NY, Gabriel Ryan of Columbus, OH, Jeremy Ryan of New York, NY, Michael Telesco of New Canaan, CT and Emily Telesco of New Canaan, CT and 7 great grandchildren. Finally, she is also survived by her stepfather, Ken Cruce as well as her sister, Judi Park of Modesto, California, nephews Jon Boyle, Jared Keller and niece Jennifer Godfrey, all of California, nieces Geraldine Jackman and Elise Frangione, both of Connecticut, and several cousins. Anita was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 19, 1938 to James and Catherine Bruce. As a young child she loved going to the movies with her parents and wandering the parks and stores of busy downtown Indianapolis. Her Scottish-rooted dad provided her with a quiet confidence along with an attitude of friendliness to all, while her Kentucky-raised, Irish-rooted mom instilled in her a quiet toughness and a sense of determination. Anita spent lots of time caring for her younger sister, and in later years, would entertain her family with funny stories about those times. All of these qualities and experiences she would carry with her throughout her life. Upon her parents’ divorce as a child, Anita, her sister Judi and her mom ventured west, to Modesto, California, where her mom remarried to Mr. Ken Cruce, a soft-spoken ex-Navy man who would be a wonderful role model and help raise her. In Modesto, Anita was a star student, often having her writing published in the local newspaper, The Modesto Bee. While in high school, Anita took a job as an executive secretary to a bank Vice President and was very highly-regarded for her professionalism and skills. It was also in high school where she met her lifelong friend, Cathy Miller. At a local dance in town in 1956, as the sounds of Elvis Presley and The Platters echoed across the dance floor, Anita’s life would dramatically change when she saw a handsome young Air Force Staff Sergeant across the room. It was at this dance where she met the love of her life, William R. Telesco, who was then stationed in California after having served two years in Japan. A whirlwind romance worthy of a Hollywood movie ensued and it wasn’t long before Bill would whisk Anita back to his hometown of Stamford to marry his bride on January 5, 1957. They would remain in Stamford for 63 years, raising their five children, while never losing the love they had for each other from the moment they met on that crowded dance floor all those years ago. Anita loved old movies, she loved birds, music (she had a beautiful voice and was known to break out in song, at the drop of a hat) babies of all kinds, cooking and baking for friends and family (her fudge was world-class and her meatballs were rooted in westside Stamford/Southern Italian know-how thanks to her mother-in-law Rose Telesco) She dearly loved her mother-in-law and her father-in-law, William N. Telesco as well as her sister-in-law, Bernice McDougall, as they welcomed her into the family from the very start. Most of all, the thing she loved the best was simply being with family. Family was everything to her. She was a dedicated mom first and foremost. She treasured her children and loved being with them. When her grandchildren arrived, her love and dedication remained, along with extra treats for them now and then when their parents weren’t looking. Great grandchildren were adored as well and even though she had grown older by then, her love for them was as strong as ever. Many would call her “the happiest person I ever met”. Always smiling, always happy to greet visitors and always happy to chat away with friends and family, Anita was a smiling red-headed ray of sunshine to everyone she met. To her children, Anita was a mom who was always there for you. To her husband, she was the love of his life. No one could have done it better. Her family and friends will miss her dearly. Anita’s family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all the staff at Long Ridge of Stamford, for their tremendous compassion in caring for Anita in her final months. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either Alzheimer’s Association or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.