Donald F. Borgnine, 89, of Watertown passed away peacefully on Monday, March 30, 2015 at Bristol Hospital with his family by his side. He was the husband of the late Ethel I. Kovacs Borgnine. Donald was born in New Haven on January 4, 1926; son of the late Frederick and Dorothy Patareau Borgnine and served his country faithfully in the US Air Force during WWII. He had worked as a teacher for Watertown School System until his retirement; started the Naugatuck Valley Athletic league; was the director of athletics at Watertown High School; coached basketball in Watertown & Litchfield High schools and loved all sports. Father of Pamela Roberts, Heidi Roy and Jill Richer. Brother of Howard and John Borgnine. Also survived by six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
His funeral procession will leave the North Haven Funeral Home 36 Washington Avenue on Tuesday morning at 9:30 am. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Barnabas Church at 10:00. Interment with full military honors will follow in the North Haven Center Cemetery. The visiting hours will be Monday from 5 to 8 pm. Should friends desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 2075 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 100, Rocky Hill, CT 06067 or the American Cancer Society, 825 Brook St. I-91 Tech Ctr. #3 Rocky Hill, CT 06067.
I am so sorry for your loss, my sympathy and prayers go out to the Borgnine, to the Roberts and the Wygant Family.
Pam and entire family. My deepest condolences to you . I'm so sorry for your loss (((((HUGS))))) to all of you !!!!!
So, so sorry to hear about Uncle Don. He was the best.
I am so sorry that you have lost such a great man and wonderful father. I respected and looked up to Don and thought of him as a father. I will miss our lunches, his great sense of humor and his stories of old. I can still hear his infectious laugh that always made me laugh along with him. My heart is with you….
love you popi poop :**( miss you already
I am so, so sorry to you all. May God give you the strength in the days to come.
Much love and many hugs xooxoxxo
We miss him so already.He was so good to my Mom and I will never forget his laugh.He used to call my Dad "Farmer Brown"..they are all together now..love you all
Sorry to hear of Don's death. I worked with Don at Litchfield High School, And was his assistant coach in his championship year of 1959. He taught me a lot about basketball, coaching and life. Although we saw each other infrequently after he left Litchfield, it was always a happy occasion when we met. I will miss him.
My condolences to Don's family, He was a very good man—He was our basketball coach in Litchfield and helped us win the State Championship.Many of us have stayed close to him over the years. In the past year I was privileged to see him on two occsions–our high school reunion and at a Met baseball game. He will be greatly missed.
So sorry for your loss. Mr. Borgnine was my teacher many years ago and was my favorite teacher. I saw him many times and he always remembered who I was and spoke of the time we had in school and how my friends were during. He was a great man and teacher. Im sure you were proud to be his daughters. He will be missed.
Sending sympathy and a warm embrace to all of Coach Borgnine's family. Coach was an honorary member of the Litchfield High School Class of 1959 and attended all of our class reunions, because he was so important to us. Known for his warm and broad smile, his positive spirit and character, he taught us about "good sportsmanship", which was about more than playing a game, but as a way of life. That was something I learned from him that impacted my life and career. I saw him in Sept 2014 at our 55th reunion, broad smile and positive gracious spirit intact. Thank you Coach. You taught us well.
I'm always reminded of your gentle and gracious nature whenever I feel frustrated in my science classroom. Your kind smile made those dissections a little less awful. Rest in Peace Mr. Borgnine…
Don was a true gentleman and patriot. I knew him as a colleague at Watertown High School. He had a hearty laugh and a smile to warm your heart. So many of his students have commented on social media that he was a wonderful teacher.
My deepest sympathy to the Borgnine family. Don Borgnine was an outstanding basketball coach. He developed and led his team with a confident, calm and intelligent style. Coach cared about us as both players and as young men. He taught me basketball and gave me some words of wisdom about life that I still carry with me today. I was honored to know and play for Coach Borgnine.
What a heart felt loss to hear of Coach's passing. On visiting the funeral home Monday, I was pleased to meet Coach's family. Coach was a wonderful human being and when we met over the years he could remember every game and play our team made during the 59 season. We achieved the greatest thrill of our high school years as a result of his coaching and teqaching lifes lessons from our basketball experiences. Coach you will be missed by all, but we will remember you often.