Joseph Ruwet Bunnell (1985-2020) Obituary and Memorial

Life story

Joseph Ruwet Bunnell (“Joe”), 35, of Morris died tragically on Monday while working on farm equipment. Joe was born in Torrington on January 30, 1985, the son of Helen (Ruwet) and Frederick Bunnell of Litchfield.

He grew up on the family farm in Litchfield and graduated from Litchfield High School in 2003. For the past several years he worked at Arethusa Farm. Joe had a big smile, infectious laugh, gave huge hugs, and leaves behind countless memories with his many family and friends. He was a stabilizing presence with his gentle, calming demeanor. Joe was selfless, always putting others before himself. Joe enjoyed the outdoors, whether spending time on Bantam Lake or working on the farms he loved. He loved sports and was an outstanding athlete. He played baseball for Litchfield High and more recently for the Tri-town Trojans. He also led the defensive unit for the Shepaug Co-op ice hockey team that made it to state finals in 2003.

Besides his parents he is survived by his longtime partner Brittany Houle with whom he lived in Morris; two brothers, Nicholas and his wife Sarah Lally of San Rafael, CA and Coleby of Litchfield; and a sister Kirby, of Litchfield. He also leaves his adoring niece Adeline and nephews Oliver and Ollie, several aunts, uncles and many cousins. He was predeceased by his grandparents Joseph and Virginia Ruwet, and Harold and Frances Bunnell and his dogs Troy, Holly and Hershey.

A celebration of life will be held outside on Saturday at the Bunnell Farm from 1-5 PM. Graveside service will be held on Wednesday at 12:00 Noon in St. Peters Cemetery, Torrington. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in honor of Joe for an award being established for a Litchfield High School Student. Checks can be made payable to the Joseph Ruwet Bunnell Scholarship Fund. c/o Litchfield Bank Corp. 294 West St. Litchfield, CT 06759

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Lifetime

The world Joseph knew

Family milestones in gold, history for context

1985

Born January 30

1989

Joseph was 4 when "The Simpsons" debuted as a series

1995

Joseph was 10 when "Toy Story" became the first fully computer-animated film

1998

Joseph was 13 when "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was published in America

2003

Graduated Litchfield High School

2004

Joseph was 19 when Facebook was launched

2005

Joseph was 20 when the first video was posted to YouTube

2017

Bought a house Morris CT

2020

Passed away March 23, age 35

Tributes and memories

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Brittany Houle 90w

Joe & I

Joe and I met in June 2010 randomly one night at Senor Panchos in Litchfield. He was coming in with his teammates after a Trojans baseball game and I was out having drinks and catching up with my girlfriends after graduating from college. We ran into each other at the bar, started a conversation which then led to me taking his cellphone and putting my number in it for him so that it definitely would not get lost. The rest of that summer brought many Trojan baseball games, boat rides on the lake and spontaneous trips until I had to leave to live in London, England to get my masters degree. What could have ended our summer romance led to us growing stronger and becoming an inseparable duo. Over the next ten years, we lived in an apartment in Torrington, then with his grandfather Joseph N. Ruwet on the Ruwet Farm in Torrington then in 2017 we bought our home on Bantam Lake in Morris, CT. Throughout our relationship, we went about our lives based on three key things, family and friends came before anything else, there is always time for new adventures and giving back while helping others makes life more meaningful. Joe meant more than the world to me but also to pretty much anyone who knew him. He was a friend to everyone and made sure they were treated as if they were his family. He was a key example for how one should live life, he took nothing for granted, always gave the shirt off his back and had a personality that was as bright as his pants. He made me a better person every day! Taught me how to never say NO, to always do good, give/help others, be a hard worker and to use every last bit of energy left in my tank. He showed me how to live life to the fullest, enjoy the small things and how to be the best person I could possibly be. To this day, I continue to live my life with these values that we cherished for so long - always making time for those I love, welcoming everyone as my family, taking adventures, working hard and mostly living every moment to the fullest with no regrets. None of us can take anything with us when we leave but we can always leave things better than we found it and that's how I chose to live.