Milford J. Deprey, 88, of Orange, CT, passed away on April 16, 2012 at Griffin Hospital in Derby.
Mr. Deprey was proud of his northern Maine heritage. He was born in the village of Wallagrass and grew up in the French speaking town of Madawaska.
He had a lifelong interest in learning which he pursued at Boston University, Wesleyan University and the University of Connecticut.
He shared this love of learning as a science teacher with students at Amity Regional Junior High School in Orange for over 25 years and went on to train other science teachers as a member of the faculty at Southern Connecticut State University.
Mr. Deprey was known for his memorable attention-grabbing experiments at Amity and his nurturing support of aspiring science teachers at SCSU.
He was an avid gardener and conservationist and a founding member of the Orange Land Trust.
A hiking trail in the Maltby Lakes Recreation Area was named for him in recognition of his contributions as a member of the New Haven Regional Water Authority Board.
He had an insatiable appetite for learning, for teaching, for science, for people, for food, and for life. He will be greatly missed by those who knew him.
Mr. Deprey is predeceased by his beloved wife Eileen Rice Deprey and is survived by his children Jerome Deprey of Harwinton, CT; Lissa Law of Orange, CT; Karen Gardiner of Davidsonville, MD; Marc Deprey, of Sebastopol, CA; and grandchildren Phillip and Katy Law, Jason and Eryn Deprey, Patrick and Alex Gardiner, Lucas and Sabrina Deprey and great-grandchildren, Liana and Jeremiah Rodriguez.
A celebration of Mr. Deprey's life will be held from 5 to 8 pm on Thursday, April 19 in the Community Room at the Orange Congregational Church, 205 Meetinghouse Lane, Orange, Connecticut.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to establish a scholarship fund in Milford's name at Southern Connecticut State University. Checks should be made payable to: SCSU Foundation (note on the check that the funds are intended for the Milford J. Deprey Science Educator Scholarship Fund) and sent to: Advancement Services, Attention Nancy Ronne Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515.
Arrangements are being handled by Cody White Funeral Home, 107 Broad Street, On the Green Milford, CT. www.codywhitefuneralservice.com
