Steven Downing Alspaugh

 Steven Downing Alspaugh, formerly of Waterbury, died Tuesday, August 20, after a brief battle with heart disease. Steve was 75.

He was born June 9, 1949, in San Diego, CA, son of the late Harry and Mary Alice (Murphy) Alspaugh. He attended local elementary schools, graduating from Crawford High School in 1967 and later from Grossmont College in San Diego.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after high school graduation, and was deployed to Viet Nam. Upon discharge in 1971, he studied two years at Grossmont College where he earned a degree in criminal justice. He then re-enlisted in the Marines, and was selected to enter the Corps’s Military Police.

Steve attended Marine Embassy School in Washington, D.C., achieving the rank of sergeant, and served at the U.S. embassies in Saigon, Viet Nam, and in Burma (Myanmar). Prior to his embassy duty, he served aboard the U.S. S. Ticonderoga with the U.S. Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, and participated in the evacuation of the island of Cyprus in 1974 during the Greek military coup that year. He was honorably discharged from the Marines in 1978, joining the Marine Corps Reserve in Connecticut.

Steve was extremely proud of his military service and celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday every year on Nov. 10. He was also an accomplished golfer, having learned the sport from his father, a PGA professional.

After moving to Connecticut, he worked for Powell Paint in Waterbury, and as a painter for the City of Waterbury Department of Education.

Later he joined the State of Connecticut Department of Corrections, retiring in 2004 after more than 20 years of service. He had been assigned to correctional facilities in Bridgeport, Newtown, and finally in Cheshire as his last post before retirement.

He moved to Florida in June of 2004, settling in the city of North Port on Florida’s west coast. Steve was a lifetime member of VFW Post 8203 in North Port.

He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Mary A. (Kane) Alspaugh; his son and daughter-in-law Matthew D. and Maryann (Menzies) Alspaugh of Texas; his daughter Stephanie Cuiffo and husband Anthony Cuiffo of Southington, CT; a granddaughter, Winnie M. Alspaugh of Texas; two grandsons, Anthony and Vinny Cuiffo of Southington; his stepson, Michael A. Skowronski of Windsor, CT; his brother- and sister-in-law Joe and Cynthia Kane of Rhode Island and Venice; several nieces and nephews; his faithful dog Mr. JIggs; and his feline pal affectionately known as Benny the Paw. He was predeceased by his sister Susan Alspaugh Bottorff.

A military funeral service is planned for 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Sarasota National Cemetery in Sarasota, FL.

Those who wish may donate in his memory to the Humane Society of Sarasota County (https://www.hssc.org) or Cat Depot of Sarasota (https://catdepot.org).