June 16, 2021
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CHESHIRE – Alphonse “Al” Jarus, 104, of Cheshire, formerly of Waterbury, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, on Friday, June 11, 2021, at MidState Medical Center in Meriden. He was the devoted husband of Evelyn (Valuskas) Jarus for 57 years, until her passing in 2006.
Born on May 11, 1917, to Lithuanian immigrants, Tekla (Paulius) and Jurgis Jarusevicius, Al was raised in the Brooklyn section of the city and attended St. Joseph School and Church, where he performed with the Lithuanian choir and formed a six-man band called The Young Melodians. He was also among the singers and dancers who performed for Lithuania Day at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. Al played baseball for St. Joe’s, and made the varsity basketball team in his freshman year at Crosby High School, but played for just one season because Saturday night games conflicted with his musical endeavors.