George A. Dagon

George A. Dagon, 95, of Rocky Hill, former long-time resident and Mayor of East Hartford, later resident of Old Saybrook, Sinatra music lover, died peacefully in the wee small hours of the morning on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Middlesex Hospital. George was born in Hartford on September 24, 1929, to the late James J. and Grace (Clancy) Dagon. He was the loving husband of Mary Ellen (Coppinger) Dagon for 70 years until her passing in 2023.

George was a graduate of East Hartford High School, later studying business and management with the University of Hartford and Cornell University. His first job in the 1940s was at his father's full service gas and auto repair station, which for many decades was a Burnside Avenue institution and gathering place. The Burnside neighborhood of that era was filled with extended family. There were many cousins and close friends with whom George hunted, fished, swam in the Hockanum River, played league basketball (his jump shot earning him the nickname "Legs"), listened to baseball on the radio, and served as an altar boy in St. Rose Church (he was captain). George was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, also serving in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. While he and Mary Ellen were raising a family, George built a very successful long-term marketing career at Gerber Products Company, where he quickly became territory manager, supervising all sales staff and handling major accounts throughout a three-state region. Gerber offered him further promotions, but he turned them down, wishing to remain in the Hartford area and close to his extended family.

George dedicated himself to nearly thirty years of service to the Town of East Hartford in various capacities, including the Public Building Commission, Inland Wetlands/Environmental Commission, fifteen years on the Town Council, five years as Council Majority Leader, five years as Council Chairman and Deputy Mayor, and finally, six years as Mayor. George and Mary Ellen each worked on a committee studying emergency medical systems, and together with Mary Ellen's firefighter brother Michael Coppinger, they were very proud to have been the driving forces behind East Hartford's creation of a ground-breaking Emergency Medical Services program which was, at the time, a national model. Other accomplishments included establishment of the local 911 system and the dial-a-ride program; creation of a municipal day care center; dramatic expansion of senior housing and senior services, parks and recreation facilities, and youth programs; development of East Hartford's Connecticut River frontage; and initiation of the annual Riverfront Fourth of July Festival. George also chaired the Capitol Region Council of Governments; was a Commissioner of the Metropolitan District; served on the Transportation and Economic Development Committees of the National League of Cities; and served on the Boards of Hartford Hospital, Riverfront Recapture, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, and the Leadership Institute of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Twice a guest of the Republic of China in the 1980s, George represented Hartford County in a ceremony of alliance with Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Afterwards, George worked for the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority for ten years as manager of administrative services, where he negotiated and supervised vendor contracts and was responsible for coordinating the planning and build-out of CHFA's then-new headquarters in Rocky Hill. Upon moving to Old Saybrook, George became active in the Knollwood Beach Association, serving as its president for many years. Among his accomplishments in Knollwood was a major reconstruction and restoration of its beach structures and sea wall following the severe destruction caused by Hurricane Gloria. George returned to his marketing roots in retirement, selling power boats in Madison and participating in several boat shows in Connecticut and New York. He and Mary Ellen spent many summers traversing Long Island

Sound and the Connecticut River on board their vessels “Mistyfied” and “GeoMar” out of Old Saybrook. Together with Mary Ellen, George also enjoyed many winters in Venice, Florida, where he helped organize reunions of East Hartford friends, and often found occasion to meet up with old buddies for coffee in the Florida sunshine.

The single most important thing in George's life was his family. Whether it was family dinners, telling old stories, boating day trips, long walks on the beach, or crabbing or searching for shark teeth with the grandkids, George was devoted to family. He is survived by his son George A. Dagon Jr. and wife Trisha Beatty of Berlin; daughter Cindy Valdivia and husband Gustavo of Laguna Niguel, California; three adoring grandchildren, Katie Dagon and husband Jeremy Brown of Longmont, Colorado, Meg Dagon of Waltham, Massachusetts, and Nicky Valdivia of Laguna Niguel; great-grandson Luke Dagon Brown of Longmont; sister Ann Barno of East Hartford; brother-in-law Kenneth Coppinger and wife Carol of Clover, South Carolina; sisters-in-law Theresa Ehrhardt of East Hartford and Betty Coppinger of Colchester; and numerous nieces and nephews. In addition to his beloved Mary Ellen, he was predeceased by his brother James and sister-in-law Barbara Dagon; sister Doris and brother-in-law Leo O'Connor; sister Caroline O'Neill; and brothers-in-law Robert Barno, Michael Coppinger, and Daniel Ehrhardt.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, April 21, 2025, from 4 pm until 6 pm at Newkirk and Whitney Funeral Home, 318 Burnside Ave., East Hartford, CT 06108. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at 10 am at Saint Mary's Church, 15 Maplewood Ave., East Hartford. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery. The family gives heartfelt thanks to George's caregivers at Maple View Manor in Rocky Hill and at Middlesex Hospital. Donations in George's memory may be made to any local organization or agency providing emergency medical services, to support training and equipment needs.