Judith R. Haddad

Judith R Haddad   Teacher, Traveler, Community Activities 

Judith Eloise (Rowe) Haddad - teacher, traveler, mother, aunt, and friend - died on January 26, 2025. Born August 4, 1934, Judy spent a happy childhood in Waterbury, a great diverse city in which to grow up. Following graduation from Crosby High School, Judy traveled daily by train to New Britain completing her Bachelor’s degree at Teachers College, now Central Connecticut State University. 

  Summers, she clerked at Silas Bronson Library, appropriate for someone who, from the age of two, held this as her favorite place in town. The Library was also where she met, then married, Peter Michael Haddad.

   The couple shared 57 years together raising their family in Waterbury before retiring to Heritage Village in Southbury and later to Elim Park in Cheshire where Judy was active with the Cheshire Democrats Scholarship Committee, several resident committees including the library committee, and participated in several book clubs (of course). 

   In their first seven years of marriage, the couple celebrated the birth of three children, Dr Lauren Friedman of Clearwater FL, Audrey Perrotti of Ivyland PA, and Peter Rowe Haddad of Middlebury CT. In these same years, with extensive support and innumerable childcare hours contributed by husband Pete and grandmother Edith Bengston Rowe, Judy earned her Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University, an achievement she counted among the treasures in her life. 

   Judy built her career as a teacher in the Waterbury school earning her Sixth-Year teaching citation from University of Connecticut while serving as head teacher for a pregnant teens program, then teaching in a bi-lingual program for Spanish-speaking elementary students, and finally at Wilby High School teaching English and History under the able leadership of department head Rocco Pugliese. 

   Ever the scholar, Judy was awarded a National Humanities grant to study at the Harvard University Center for Middle East Studies. Judy and Pete (a veteran for peace) were often seen protesting war in a weekly vigil held on the green in Bethlehem, CT and promoting organizations dedicated to peace, notably activities sponsored by the group Arabs and Jews for Middle East Understanding.

  Avid travelers, Judy and Pete explored traditional restaurants and historical sites in North Africa and the Middle East. Their trips to Scandinavia often included visits to Swedish cousins, the Engstroms. Historian Judy traced her father’s diary records of his WWI postings traveling throughout the European arena.  Additionally, the couple traveled extensively in the United States often sharing happier stories of fallen soldiers, comrades from Pete’s service in World War II.

  Judith Haddad’s life included volunteer service as a Waterbury YWCA Board Member, a Sunday school teacher for the First Baptist Church of Waterbury, and as Troop Leader for the Waterbury’s most diverse Girl Scout troop while the city slowly moved toward desegregation, A member of the Maasser Womens’ Charitable Society, Judy was active in organizing a Middle Eastern dance group to perform at the city’s annual culture celebration.

   Preceding Judith in death were husband Peter Michael Haddad, brothers Richard Carl Rowe (age 2 years) and Frederick B Rowe, PhD of Lynchburg VA, and sister of her heart Selma “Sally” Haddad of Wolcott, CT. Judy will be remembered for her scholarship, intelligence, and generous heart by lifelong friends Janice Hollywood and Ceil MacSweeney, her aunt Barbara Warda of Newington, cousin Patricia Jepson of Cromwell, sister-in-law Shanda Horner of Lynchburg, VA, by Fred’s children Eric, Kirsten, Lisa, Britta and late son Fredrick and Sally’s children Dale, Debora, Louis, Elizabeth, Miriam, and Selma.   

   Known as Mormor by her grandchildren, Gibran Mathewson of Stafford Springs CT, Nicole Haddad Tomasetti of Torrington CT, Alexandra Perrotti of Washington DC, Nicholas Perrotti of Austin TX, and Christopher Perrotti of Houston TX and Big Mormor by her great grandchildren Leo, Max and Dominic, Judith will be remembered through shared trips with her children and grandchildren and stories told of her many traveling adventures. A longtime culture and food connoisseur, she will be remembered for international recipes shared with her children’s spouses Stanton Friedman, Chef Anthony Perrotti, and Lori Haddad (Smith) and her grandchildren’s spouses, Chris Tomasetti, Ana Luz Medina, and Abigail Ginac. 

   Judy will be remembered by her three children for the ever-present love, care, and encouragement she showered on them and their families and for the many history lessons delivered during camping trips and outings throughout the United States, Scandinavia, and Europe, expeditions to Greece, Italy, and the Middle East, genealogy studies of the family tree, and so very many happy and culturally diverse family meals spent together including celebrations of their Lebanese ancestry at Easter, Yankee heritage at Thanksgiving, and Swedish roots at Christmas.

   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Judy’s name to Silas Bronson Library, 267 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT  06702.

   A memorial service will be held at Elim Park Place, Nelson Hall, 150 Cook Hill Road Cheshire, CT on Apr 26th at 11am.