John Louis Gombotz, 85, of Middletown, beloved husband of Susan (Maltese) Gombotz, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at Hartford Hospital.  Born in New Britain, John was the son of the late Frank and Lena (Hadel) Gombotz. He graduated from New Britain High School and later earned his engineering degree from the University of Hartford followed by an MBA from UCONN.

John dedicated many years of his career to CL & P and Yankee Gas, where he worked as district general manager for over 39 years before retiring. He was an active member of the Berlin Inland Wetlands committee and on the board of Call Before you Dig organizations.  John was also Vice Chairman of the Dutch Point Credit Union Board of Directors and a member of the ELKS.  In his retirement, he enjoyed golf, traveling, gardening, working on jigsaw puzzles, playing word games, and watching Hallmark movies. His love for golf extended to serving as a ranger at Portland Golf course for many years where he loved interacting with everyone who played. He was an exceptional handyman for jobs big and small. His greatest pleasure was spending time with his family.

He was actively involved in all his children's youth sports teams and could be found roaming the sidelines at little league games, wrestling matches, and all Berlin High School football games.  He was always a supporter of all his grandchildren's sporting events.

John is survived by his loving family: his sons, Brian Gombotz and his wife Ann, and Mark Gombotz and his wife Catherine; his daughter, Tracy Naples and her husband Frank; his stepdaughters, Kimberly Monte, and Michelle Fleisher and her husband Adam. He was one of eleven children.  He leaves behind his brothers: Frank Gombotz (Sandy), Richard Gombotz (Sue), William Gombotz (Diane), and Ronald Gombotz (Debbie), as well as his sisters: Helen Burkarth, Frances Dorbuck, Elizabeth "Betty" Melinosky (Ted), and Carol Kulasenski. John was blessed with 11 grandchildren (Justin & Emily Gombotz, Jessica Dornfried (Patrick), Kyle & Nicholas (Alexandria Perrone) Naples, Ava & Ellie Gombotz, Grace & David Monte, Dean & Luke Fleisher) and 2 great-grandchildren (Nathan Dornfried, Jackson Torres), along with several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother, Robert Gombotz, and his sister, Marion Bernosky.

John's kindness, warmth, and love will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

The family will receive friends from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Monday, September 16, 2024 at Biega's Funeral Home, 3 Silver St., Middletown, CT.  A funeral liturgy will follow at 11 a.m. at Saint Francis Church, 10 Elm Street, Middletown. Memorial donations may be sent to St. Francis Church, 10 Elm Street, Middletown, CT 06457. To share a message of condolence, please visit www.biegafuneralhome.com.