Mike Colaiacovo, Jr. (7/17/2020)

The following was written by Bob Freeman of the Hamden CERT team.

To the Hamden community who has lost a good friend and a great man,

​As I sit here today and attempt to put into words what a great man Michael Colaiacovo Jr. was, my heart is so very heavy with this loss. So many people knew him by name but only a few really knew the real Mike. To say he was a “Hometown Hero” only describes a small part of the real person who Mike was. Mike did so much for so many and his thousands of hours of service to the Town of Hamden were just a part of what he did for so many people behind the scenes. His limitless number of hours that he devoted to the Town of Hamden as a member of the Legislative Council, representing District 7 for close to 15 years, was only a small part of the person that he was!

​I am proud to say that Mike was a member of the Hamden CERT Program and not only did he find the time during his busy schedule to participate in the class years ago, but made sure to bring along some of his Council Members with him! He wanted to make as many of his fellow Council Members aware of what the Hamden CERT Program was all about. He may not have put on the uniform (we did get him to wear the helmet a few times during training!) but he was always a phone call away and continually made it a priority to be with us at graduation ceremonies and special events to let our members know how much our team was appreciated. At any community event where CERT was working, he would always make sure to stop by and say "hi" to our members and see how our team was doing.

​With a little persuasion from Mike’s sister Debbie (DiLeone), not only did Mike become a CERT Member but Debbie also influenced her son Mark and father, Mike Senior to consider our class also! We have been blessed and are honored to have the whole Colaiacovo clan to be part of our team! When a total renovation was needed years ago on our 1994 CERT Vehicle, Mike was the one who made it happen and secured funds though the council to help us sustain our truck for a few more years. This is just a small example of what Mike did to help many civic and volunteer services like Hamden CERT and the Volunteer Firefighters from Dunbar Hill Volunteer Station #8.

It was always about what Mike could do for Hamden, to make the residents of Hamden safer and to insure the best of conditions for the town and its citizens that he loved! This tribute to Mike will always be part of our website and his memory will always remain in our hearts. He will be missed by so many and especially those who were privileged to have known Mike, worked alongside of him or had the privilege to call him friend. From all of our CERT Members, please accept our sincere condolences to Mike’s Family, his Hamden Family and to his many friends and fellow civil servants.

“May the Good Lord always hold you close Mike and protect those that you loved! Thank you Mike for always being there for us."

Rest easy my friend!

Sincerely,

RJF