Family, Friends, Former Students Mourn the Passing of Beloved Former Andrew Warde High School Teacher & Wood Craftsman Elmer Kish

Former Andrew Warde High School shop teacher Elmer S. Kish, age 83, beloved husband of Rose Szabo Kish of Seymour and previously of Fairfield, passed away peacefully Sunday, March 15, 2009 at Griffin Hospital while surrounded by his loving family.

A resident of Fairfield for most of his life, Mr. Kish moved to Seymour in 1998. He proudly served in the United States Army Rangers during World War II. After the war, Mr. Kish attended and graduated from Teachers College in New Britain. In 1952, he began a personally fulfilling 32 year career as a teacher and administrator for the Town of Fairfield's Board of Education, retiring in 1984. Over the years, his passion for education positively touched the lives of countless students.

"I remember Mr Kish," wrote David Rosenberg, a 1976 graduate of Andrew Warde High School. "He was a good teacher with wit and wisdom to share. (He was) a fine craftsman with a gentle good nature. The world has lost a special soul."

Mr. Kish was a former president of the Fairfield Teachers Association, an active member of Silliman Memorial Baptist Church, a Mason with the Fidelity St.John's Lodge #1 in Fairfield, served as a chairman for the Bethesda Baptist Retirement Home, in Palm Bay, Fla., and was a talented wood craftsman. Above all, Mr. Kish loved his wife, Rose, his family, and dear friends.

In addition to his devoted wife of 62 years, Mr. Kish's memory will be cherished by his family, including his two children, Bruce Kish and his wife Eleonore of Los Alamitos, Calif., and Ilona Saladino of Beacon Falls; three grandchildren, Scott Saladino and Stephen Saladino, both of Beacon Falls, and Alexandra Dortch and her husband DJ of Garden Grove, Calif.; one brother, Julius Kish, and his wife, Kathy of Fairfield; two sisters, Marguerite Stumpf of Trumbull and Helen Kautz of Cape Cod, Mass.; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Silliman Memorial Baptist Church, 1728 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605. To sign an online register, please visit http://www.leskopolkefuneralhome.com/.

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Visit the Andrew Warde High School Gift Shop.

Watch the AWHS 1976 vintage "film".