Russell Thomas Bacon Sr., 89, passed away peacefully on Thursday, December 19, 2024, at his home in Beacon Falls, surrounded by his loving family.
Russell was born on November 18, 1935 in North Grosvenordale, CT, to Gerard Bacon and Mary Ryan. He grew up and went to school there, and married his childhood sweetheart, Dorothy Lucille Lebeau, in 1957. An expert mechanic, Russ moved with Lucille to Bridgeport to work at Sikorsky Aircraft. Upon enlisting in the army, Russ was stationed as an instructor at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the first helicopter base in the United States.
After his army career, Russ and his family returned to Bridgeport. Russ resumed his job at Sikorsky, going on to have a 42-year career there. While at Sikorsky, his responsibilities included serving as the civilian crew chief of Marine One, the presidential transport helicopter, during the Johnson and Nixon administrations.
Known as Pa to his family, Russ was a loving family man. His children and grandchildren could always rely on him for his support and help. He was the go-to guy whenever something broke. When his first grandchild, as a little boy, needed something repaired, Russ took it and said “Pa fix”. That became a saying the family repeated ever since. If an appliance needed a part, a car needed a repair, a toy stopped working, or a boo-boo needed a kiss, we would say “Pa fix” and bring it to him.
Russ was an avid Patriots fan, being a long-time season ticket holder, and spent many pleasurable hours (and perhaps some not so pleasurable hours) rooting for his team, whether in the stadium or in his living room. He was also an avid cheesecake fan, and loved a good joke. Russ enjoyed many summer days fishing the lakes of CT, and took great pleasure in creating and maintaining an inviting garden in his backyard. He also liked nature and wildlife, whether it was watching the birds in his backyard or watching a wildlife show on PBS. Russ and Lucille had the great opportunity of traveling the world together, seeing the sights, learning the local cultures, and sampling the food of many regions around the globe.
We cannot fully acknowledge Pa without mentioning his culinary masterpiece, Specialty. Born in the kitchen of the Bacon household on the east side of Bridgeport, back in the days when Lucille went back to work and Pa had to feed the kids dinner, his macaroni dish, known simply as Specialty, would go on to feed three generations of Pa’s offspring. His tasty creation was immortalized forever in at least a few third-grade class cookbooks. Most recently, he was very happy that his newest great-granddaughters, as soon as they could chew, enjoyed it so much they always asked for second and third helpings.
Russ is survived by his wife, Dorothy Lucille, his son Russell Jr. and his wife Debbie, his daughter Glynis Baluha and her husband Mike, and his son Allen and his wife Kathleen. He leaves his grandchildren Jayson, Emily (Erik), Livia, Christopher, and Ryan, and great-grandchildren Maci, Ethan, Ava, and Nadia. He also leaves his brother Jerry, and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Bob.
From a small town in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut, Russ went on to see the world, have a successful career, a loving family, and a full life. He was a man of few words, but when those words were spoken they were usually well-placed, meaningful, and often witty. Like George Bailey, he really did have a wonderful life, and we were so lucky to have been able to share it with him. We’ll miss you Pa!
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial for Russ at St. Michael’s Church in Beacon Falls on Friday, December 27, 2024, at 10:00AM. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Russ’s memory to the American Kidney Fund.
