Michael Dearington Obituary

Michael Dearington
July 18, 2025
Michael Dearington, the former State's Attorney for the New Haven Judicial District-believed to be the longest-serving State's Attorney in Connecticut history-died peacefully on July 18, 2025, surrounded by his wife and three adult children.
Mike was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in June 1942 to Searls Dearington, a former State's Attorney and Circuit Court Judge of Windham County, Connecticut, and Margaret Woodman Dearington. He grew up in Danielson, Connecticut, and attended the St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island, where he was on the varsity football, wrestling, and lacrosse teams. He went on to attend Trinity College, graduating in 1964, and the American University Washington College of Law, where he graduated in 1967. Following law school, he served in the Army for two years and was stationed in Virginia.
Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, Mike began his long and distinguished career as a prosecutor, initially in Washington D.C., and then returning home to Connecticut, where he first served as an Assistant State's Attorney. He was appointed the State's Attorney of Ansonia-Milford in 1985, and he was appointed the State's Attorney of New Haven in 1987, where he served for nearly three decades.
Known as the "dean" of Connecticut State's Attorneys, Mike oversaw one of the largest and busiest judicial districts in the state during his tenure, but he always identified as a trial attorney, having tried more than 100 cases to verdict. He was a brilliant and methodical trial attorney who prosecuted some of the state's most notorious criminal defendants. Despite his many high-profile cases, he never sought the limelight, attention, or recognition for his many professional accomplishments. He led with grace and humility, serving the public and advocating for crime victims and their families, many of whom formed lasting friendships with Mike, while earning the respect of law enforcement and defense attorneys alike.
Mike's commitment to public service extended beyond the courtroom. He served as the president of the Shoreline Chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. He also taught police officers the law of searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment at the State's Attorneys Law Enforcement Training Program.
During his youth, Mike taught sailing at a YMCA camp in Rhode Island and remained an avid sailor throughout his life. He spent his vacations sailing his 40' Bristol to Block Island, the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. Later in life, he sailed a 16' Hobie Cat catamaran, and on two occasions he crossed the Sound from Branford to Long Island, had a hotdog, and returned the same day. He loved working with his hands and on home improvement projects, including building a screened-in-porch at the family's home in Madison. Every fall, he would proudly announce how many bags of leaves he raked, bagged, and transported to the local stump dump, and every weekend, he found an excuse to visit his beloved hardware stores, Tuxis Lumber and Page Hardware. He also enjoyed running in road races and, each morning, running several miles along the Shoreline as the sun rose over the Sound.
While Mike loved his job, his greatest joy in life was his family, and he was always a devoted husband and father. He was keenly aware that he would not have had the same career and family life without the consistent love and support of his wife of 46 years, Gerry, which remained unwavering through his final days. Besides his wife, he is survived by his adult children Meredeth Whittier (Mike), Bob (Allison) Dearington, and Mike (Rachel) Dearington. He never missed a sports game, recital, or other milestone in his children's lives. While trying the most high-profile case of his career, he moved to adjourn the trial for a day so that he could attend his son's attorney swearing-in ceremony. Around the same time, he took time off from work to drive a moving truck 500 miles to help another of his kids move into a new apartment, and, despite being 68 years old at the time, he helped carry heavy couches and other furniture up multiple flights of stairs at the end of the journey (to the surprise of no one).
Later in life, Mike delighted in being the loving "Pop Pop" to his eight grandchildren, whom he adored and devoted countless hours to entertaining. He loved hosting his children and grandchildren at his home, where he gladly pushed his grandchildren in a toy car up and down the hallway and read them stories for hours on end.
In addition to his immediate family, Mike is survived by his brother, Sy Dearington, his friends on the Shoreline and in Naples, Florida, and his many friends and colleagues in the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice. He will be dearly missed but forever remembered.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on August 2 at the First Congregational Church, 122 Broad Street, Guilford. Calling hours will be 4-7 p.m. on August 1 at the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church Street, Guilford. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Save the Children (Attn: Gift Processing, 501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825; savethechildren.org), and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105; stjude.org).
To share a memory or leave condolences, visit www.guilfordfuneralhome.com