Residents in Connecticut and New York are sending their love to the Leonard family who have made a great impact on the community. I grew up in Connecticut and on the weekends, my family and I would go shopping at Stew Leonard's in Danbury, CT to get some of our groceries. I was always mesmerized by the talking animals, unique food choices, the large space the store was housed in and how we would always get ice cream as a treat at the end of our shopping adventure. When I moved to the Hudson Valley I noticed that people around hear rave about Stew Leonard's as well and they make the trip to Connecticut to do some shopping there. Sadly, the founder of the iconic grocery store recently passed away and many people have been sharing their memories from the store.

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Who was Stew Leonard Senior?

Stew Leonard Senior was the founder of Stew Leonard's and he was 93-years-old when he passed away. He was a graduate of Norwalk High School and attended the University of Connecticut School of Agriculture. Leonard was working at his family's farm called Clover Farms in Norwalk, CT and got the idea there to do something bigger and bolder and wanted to create a retail dairy store where families could come and do their shopping in a farmer's market atmosphere. In December of 1969, Stew Leonard's opened their doors to the public and Connecticut has not been the same since. The family went on to open more locations throughout the state.

More about Stew Leonard Senior:

Stew Leonard Senior was 93-years-old when he passed away and he did pass away on April 26th at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York after a brief illness. He leaves behind 13 grandchildren a fun fact is that the Norwalk location of Stew Leonard's was named the 'World's Largest Dairy Store' by 'Ripley's Believe It or Not'. Wow, how cool.

We are sending out love and thoughts to the Leonard family during this difficult time. Share with us your fun memories at Stew Leonard's and what your favorite item to buy there is.

How about we change the topic to something more positive, here are cool businesses that opened up in the Hudson Valley and gifts everyone will enjoy from here: