David Joseph Cifatte, age 87, of Seymour, passed away on Monday March 23, 2026 at Griffin Hospital, Derby. Dave was born on January 15th, 1939, to Felix and Blanche Cifatte in Norwalk. After graduating from Fairfield Prep in 1957, he went on to study Electrical Engineering at Manhattan College in 1962; and received his master’s degree in the same field from the University of Connecticut in 1968.
After graduation, he went on to work for United Technologies in Norwalk, CT; Sanders Associates in Nashua, NH; Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, CA and Raytheon Semiconductor in Palo Alto, CA; as well as various positions doing Technical Sales and teaching in the industry. Along for the ride was his high school sweetheart and wife Marie, who he met while working at his uncle’s store. They wed in 1963 and were married 53 years before her passing. Dave is survived by his two children, Gary and wife Michele, and Cindy Cifatte; and three grandchildren, Julianna, Michael and Gina.
Dave and his wife enjoyed traveling on yearly vacations, and most enjoyed National Parks and other scenic locations throughout the United States and Canada. He was unendingly proud of his grandchildren and their accomplishments, and enjoyed weekly emails, photos and calls updating him on their sports and activities. His oldest being accepted to the Honors College at LSU is one of his most cherished moments.
Dave was also a passionate woodworker in his free time and after retirement, building displays, cabinets, and furniture as well as figurines for the garden as well as holidays. His basement was dedicated to his hobby and had a wide variety of tools that he loved to use and teach his grandchildren to use.
Anyone who knew Dave knew that his other passions were his yard and garden, which he maintained until his passing, and his pets. The family always had a dog that kept him busy with trips to the park as well as shoveling paths in the snow in the winter; and then a collection of neighborhood cats after Marie passed that adopted him as much as he adopted them. Dave was always most comfortable in the company of his four-legged family members.
The family requests that donations be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which was an organization he donated to until his death, www.stjude.org ; or the American Red Cross, as he was an active donor while eligible, and had donated over 100 pints in his lifetime, www.redcross.org.A Mass of Christian Burial, meeting directly at church, will be celebrated on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 10:30 AM in St. Stephen Church, 6948 Main Street, Trumbull, CT. Interment will be private. The Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, 167 Wakelee Avenue, Ansonia is in care of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.wakeleememorial.com.