Anne L. Sessa

Anne Lopiano Sessa (Mrs. Jerry Sessa), was born on July 26, 1928 in Stamford, Connecticut. She was the daughter of the late Vincent Lopiano and Ersila (Tartaglia) Lopiano.

Mrs. Sessa was an honor graduate of Stamford High School’s Class of 1946 and received her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and Physical Education from Teacher’s College of Connecticut in 1950. She received a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Education from Teachers College of Columbia University where she was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi (National Honor Society in Education).

Mrs. Sessa taught in the elementary grades at Julia A. Stark and Northeast School in the Stamford Public School System, where she served on numerous committees, for 35 years. She was a charter member of the Stamford Federation of Teachers (teacher’s union) in which she also served in several capacities, including its president for 10 years. Before and after her retirement in 1989, Mrs. Sessa was a mentor for the Connecticut State Department of Education where she mentored several new teachers.

Throughout the years, Mrs. Sessa served as a volunteer in several community groups including ten years as president of the Stamford Business & Professional Women’s Club. She was also a very active member in the Stamford Women’s Club - serving as treasurer, public affairs chairwomen, a director, and a member of the scholarship committee and executive board. Her volunteerism began even earlier as she served as a “junior air raid warden” for her street during WWII as well as a volunteer for the Red Cross while a high school student.

Mrs. Sessa was very interested and active in local-level municipal activities, particularly around education, and was a member of her party’s Stamford Town Committee where she served as secretary for several years and helped with numerous functions, fundraisers, election campaigns, and the running of the local headquarters; she received the Town Committee’s Community Advancement Award in 1999; and in 2023, she received a lifetime achievement award for her service.

Along with Peter D’Amico of Westport, for many years Mrs. Sessa successfully co-chaired an annual Gala to benefit St. Jude Research Hospital which was held in Stamford. The Gala, which ran for several years raised over $750,000 for the Hospital.

In a lighter vein, Anne Sessa, who loved the theater and Broadway, was president for more than sixteen years of the Nutmeg Theater Group. The group sponsored numerous trips for its 50 members to shows on Broadway and elsewhere. Her theatrical creativity also included many student productions which she directed during her teaching years. She also had a passion for decorating Easter Eggs, for which she won awards, as well as Christmas decorating and collecting angels.

In addition to her civic and community engagements, Mrs. Sessa never lost sight of her values and devotion. She, along with her late husband, was a charter member of Stamford’s Church of the Holy Spirit and served in many volunteer roles there including the choir, the women’s guild, and the parish council including being its co-president. For her contributions to Holy Spirt, she was honored as a “church mother” of the year in 2005 and received the St. Augustine medal from Bishop Lori in 2008.

She was also a member of St. Leo’s Seniors and the Central Connecticut State University Alumni Association, as well as the Retired Teachers of Fairfield County. She was a charter member of the World War II Memorial Foundation and the Ave Maria University Foundation, and she supported numerous charitable organizations.

Mrs. Sessa remained active throughout her life and served as President of the resident’s association at the Stamford Atria, where she lived for the last thirteen years, until her passing

She was well-known throughout her life for her unstoppable activity as well as her kindness and generosity. For her civic activity, spirit, and volunteerism, she was profiled in the Stamford Advocate in 2012. When someone went out to a restaurant in Stamford with Mrs. Sessa, it it was often challenging, as the table was continually visited by friends, acquaintances, and former students who would stop by to say hello and chat.

Mrs. Sessa was pre-deceased by her beloved and devoted husband of nearly 50 years, Jerry Sessa, who passed away in 2008. She met Jerry, a WWII veteran who was awarded a Silver Star for his bravery in combat, in Stamford and they were married in 1959. They loved to travel and together visited many countries. She was also pre-deceased by five brothers (Patrick “Putzy” Lopiano, Joseph, Thomas, Albert, and John Lopiano) and four sisters (Jennie Lopiano Cassone, Vera Lopiano Casciari, Virginia Lopiano Dombrowski, and Eleanor Lopiano Banks).

Mrs. Sessa is survived by her devoted son, Dr. Carl Sessa, as well as several nieces and nephews and their children.

A funeral procession will leave the Nicholas F. Cognetta Funeral Home & Crematory, 105 Myrtle Avenue, Stamford, CT on Wednesday, August 26, at 10:20 AM and proceed to Holy Spirit RC Church, 403 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11:00 AM. Interment will follow at St. John’s Cemetery, Darien. Family and friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, August 25, from 3:00 to 7:00 PM.

Charitable contributions in her name may be made to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at stjude.org/donate.

To leave online condolences, please visit www.cognetta.com.