Charles R Popp

Charles R Popp, born August 20, 1952, in Stamford, Connecticut, died August 22, 2026, at age 74. He was surrounded by love at Yale New Haven Smilow Cancer Hospital. Charley was a bigger-than-life presence who made an impression on everyone he met. Raised by his parents Rose and Archie Popp, he was a man defined by kindness, loyalty, and the ability to fix anything. He graduated from the University of New Haven with a degree in Package Engineering and spent 37 years as a master packaging mechanic at Clairol Hair Products in Stamford before the company relocated. He then worked eight years as a developmental packaging mechanic at Schick in Milford, retiring in 2014. With his wife Carol of fifty years, Charley built and maintained Hidden Bridge Farm in Ridgefield, a horse training and boarding facility that became the heart of his life. He was endlessly generous—keeping everyone at the farm fed with cakes, cookies, and muffins he baked himself. An avid history buff with a particular love of military vehicles, Charley could rebuild a farm tractor transmission or repair the kitchen stove. He was also a gifted athlete who earned a spot on a New York Jets free agent trial as a middle linebacker in the 1970s and played baseball for several local industrial teams. Beyond his work and his farm, Charley gave his time to Habitat for Humanity and other charities, always watching out for neighbors in need. Charley was preceded in death by all five of his siblings. He is survived by his wife, Carol, his devoted partner in life and at the farm. Charley did not want a traditional funeral and preferred to have a dinner to celebrate his life after his ashes are strewn at Hidden Bridge Farm, the place where he and Carol built their life together. Dinner will be held in the near future for friends and family.