2/11/1936 – 6/7/2024
Eric George Musa, 88, beloved husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, and friend passed away on June 7, 2024 from complications following surgery.
Eric Musa
He was a native New Yorker but called New Canaan, Connecticut home for 48 years. He had recently moved to Darien, where he quickly became an active member of his new assisted living community. He had a friendly, positive personality and was instantly liked by everyone he met. His optimistic outlook on life was infectious.
Eric was born on February 11, 1936 in New York City to Dr. George and Helen Musa and grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. He graduated from Horace Mann School in 1953 and from the University of Rochester in 1957. While at Rochester he made lifelong friends in the Kappa Nu fraternity and played piano at the Eastman School of Music. He greatly enjoyed his time at Rochester and spoke of it often throughout his life.
Eric started his career in the fashion retail business, working at New York City department stores including Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdales. For several years he was a buyer for Montgomery Ward, one of the biggest stores in the country at the time. Eventually he moved to the wholesale side of the industry where he worked until retirement. He enjoyed building relationships with colleagues and clients. He looked forward to seeing his friends on his daily train commute and at his city lunch spots. Eric took several business trips to Asia, one of the favorite aspects of his career.
In 1962 he married Constance “Connie” Coan of Rahway, New Jersey after being introduced at an engagement party. He liked to joke that he proposed to her before joining the army just so he would have someone to write letters to him! However, those who knew Eric and Connie witnessed a loving marriage that lasted for 61 years. The Coan family accepted Eric with open arms, and they always loved him as one of their own. Eric and Connie had two daughters, Margaret and Beth, and enjoyed a full and active life in New Canaan.
Eric was a devoted father. He was generous, affectionate and fun, and never failed to be 100% supportive. He always knew how to help with homework and was a whiz with numbers. He would take the girls to get candy on Saturday mornings and to amusement parks when visiting the Jersey Shore. His daughters adored him and always felt so lucky to have such a happy, easygoing, loving father. He was Grampy to four beloved grandchildren who loved him back with all their hearts.
Eric had a number of interests, including playing tennis, paddle tennis, and bridge. These not only kept him busy and active but helped him to develop strong friendships with several groups that met regularly for decades. Eric was a big crossword puzzler, completing the New York Times puzzles practically every day. He also loved chocolate, books, dogs, penguins, and cheetahs. He was a beachgoer and spent decades vacationing in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina with family and good friends. Eric was a big sports buff, and despite his New York City roots, he was a die-hard Red Sox fan.
For nearly 30 years, Eric was an active member of the Men’s Club of New Canaan. Just last month he stepped down as the bridge director, where he taught classes and ran bridge games a few times each week for the Men’s Club and for the Lapham Community Center of New Canaan. He was a regional master of bridge, a game he had been playing since his college days.
In later years, Eric and Connie spent their winters in Naples, Florida with close friends. They also traveled extensively during their retirement. An African safari for their 50th wedding anniversary was one of Eric’s favorite trips, along with a trip to Paris with the entire family including his grandchildren in celebration of his 80th birthday. Paris was his favorite city in the world.
The biggest passion of Eric’s life was classical music. He often expressed that he could live without playing bridge or doing crosswords but could never live without music. Eric could recognize the composer of any piece that came on the radio within seconds. You couldn’t walk into the Musa household without hearing music. He loved sharing this classical music wisdom and has many friends who attribute their love of classical music to Eric.
Eric was predeceased by his wife Connie in October, 2023. He is survived by his daughters Margaret Beeler (husband Michael) of Westport, CT and Elizabeth “Beth” Archambault (husband Mark) of Mansfield, MA; grandchildren Wesley and Carly Beeler, and Aidan and Kaelyn Archambault. He is also survived by Connie’s sisters, Alice Larsen (husband Robert) of Bozeman, MT and Margaret “Peggy” Loytty (predeceased by her husband Eric) of Winston-Salem, NC. Eric also leaves behind five nieces and nephews as well as many dear friends, including the new ones he made in his assisted living community. He will be greatly missed by all.
A memorial service to celebrate Eric’s life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan on Saturday, July 13th at 2:00 PM. Livestream here: https://events.locallive.tv/events/149481
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Eric and Connie to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at give.michaeljfox.org.
Doesn’t his warm, mischievous smile jump right off the page!… he wore and shared that smile all the time. Those of us who took bridge lessons from Eric will really miss his expertise which he shared so freely.
The local Bridge community is taking donations to purchase a bench to honor Eric. Aggie at Lapham Community Center is collecting cash and checks for the purchase.
As Eric would say, it is a great day for bridge!
Rest in peace my friend.