Philip Shapiro

Philip Shapiro, a devoted husband, loving father, cherished grandfather, and respected local optometrist, passed away peacefully, on December 13, 2025, just two weeks shy of his 92nd birthday. He was with his wife of 60 years, Janet Shapiro. He had resided in Newington for more than 55 years. Born and raised in West Hartford, Philip attended Hall High School. He continued his education at the New England College of Optometry. Philip proudly served in the US Army and was honorably discharged in November 1963.

Philip dedicated nearly 50 years to the profession of optometry, working until he was 80 years old. He spent most of his career serving the local Teamsters Union and later worked with Harvey & Lewis Opticians. He spoke passionately of his love for his work, valuing his ability to help protect and improve his patients’ vision. He was especially proud of and honored for his volunteer work at the Maria C. Colon Sanchez Elementary School in Hartford where he pioneered a program to ensure students had access to vision care. The family estimates he peered into more than 150,000 eyes during his long career.

A true enthusiast, Phil was known for his love of conversation, always ready to engage anyone he met about any topic. He was an accomplished violinist from the young age of 10, eventually serving as first chair violinist in the Hartford Symphony and later rediscovering his passion as a member of the West Hartford Symphony. Beyond his musical pursuits, Phil loved sports…every and all sports. He loved the Boston Red Sox, the Hartford Whalers, and Muhammad Ali. But nothing compared with his pride in the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team–he knew and loved every one of the trailblazing ladies and tracked everything there was to know about their dominant coach, Geno. He loved tennis, earning the title of local club champion. Finally, he loved golf, especially at Rockledge.

Philip is survived by his wife, Janet; his daughter, Lisa Gunty, and her husband, Murry, of Bethesda, MD, and their children, Skylar, Matthew, and Miles; and, his son, David Shapiro, and his wife, Maggie, of Denver, CO, and their children, Abigail and Jack. Philip is also survived by his sisters, Helene and Grace, and preceded in death by his sister, Sheila.

A private family service will be held. In honor of Philip’s memory, the family suggests donations be made to the West Hartford Symphony Orchestra https://whso.org Weinstein Mortuary are assisting the family, to sign the on line guest book go to www.weinsteinmortuary.com