Emilio (Mel) J. DeAsi, WWII Veteran Emilio (Mel) J. DeAsi of New Canaan died peacefully at home on Wednesday, January 11, 2012. He was the son of the late Gaetano DeAsi and Rose Pappalardo DeAsi and was predeceased by a sister, Vera Brigante. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandra Mazzella DeAsi, three children, and three grandchildren. A son, Gary DeAsi and his wife Lisa and their son Gary Jr., of Duxbury, MA, two daughters, Lynn Ordnung and her husband Eric of Asheville, NC, and Dawn Dursee and her two sons Quinn and Colin of Westfield, NJ. He also leaves behind a niece, Barbara Brigante Staniszewski of Rowayton, CT. Mel proudly served his country in WWII. He was a member of the U.S. Army 873rd Engineer Aviation Battalion, where they were responsible for constructing airfields throughout Asia Pacific. Originally stationed in Greensboro, N.C., for basic training, he was then deployed to Bora Bora and continued throughout thirteen locations in the Philippines, and Japan, including Guadalcanal, Mindanao and Okinawa. Mel worked for many years for the New Haven Railroad, then worked in Lumber Sales and building estimations for New Canaan Fuel and Lumber, retiring from Rings End at age 65. His lifelong passion was art. He studied at Ridgefield Art Center and attended Waveny Art classes regularly, for many years. He brought a lot of joy to the people in his life with his gift of painting. The two greatest loves of his life were spending time with his family and attending his annual Army reunions. A Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2012, at St. Aloysius Church, Cherry Street, New Canaan at 11:00 am. There are no calling hours. The Hoyt Funeral Home, New Canaan has charge of arrangements. For online condolences visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com Saturday January 21, 2012 , 11:00AM at St. Aloysius Church Click for Map and Directions