John Bobka

John Bobka, 85, of Middletown, beloved husband of Georgia Rose (Gike) Bobka, died peacefully on June 25, 2013. He was born in New York City on July 14, 1927, the son of the late John Bobka and Catherine (Kornak) Bobka.

John joined the United States Merchant Marine at the age of 16, serving as a radio officer and traveling the world from 1943 until 1949. He had a lifelong affection for black coffee, boats and the water. On June 19, 1949, John married Georgia, who always refers to him as, "the love of my life." The couple moved to Riverside, California, when John's New York Air National Guard unit was activated during the Korean War and returned to New York in 1952, settling in Elwood on Long Island where they raised their family. John graduated from Hofstra College with a B.S. in Applied Physics in 1959 and worked as an electrical engineer for Sperry Corporation and Grumman Aerospace Corporation until his retirement in 1988. One of his proudest accomplishments was participating in the design of the backup navigation system for the Apollo Lunar Module. He was an avid reader and had an intense interest in military history, the financial markets, and high level mathematics.

John leaves behind four children, Vivian Bobka of the San Francisco Bay area, Captain Christian Bobka of Apple Valley, Minn., Ellen Bobka of Armonk, N.Y., and Susan McNamara, M.D. and her husband Glenn F. McNamara, of Middlefield; and four grandchildren, who brought him much happiness, Troy E. McNamara, Britt A. McNamara, Erich Bobka, and Adam Bobka. John is also survived by two brothers, Walter Bobka and George Bobka.

Services were held June 29, 2013 from the Doolittle Funeral Home, Middletown followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Saint Mary of Czestochowa Church, Middletown.

Burial was held Monday, July 1, 2013 in the State of Connecticut Veterans' Cemetery, Middletown, with full military honors.
Donations may be made in John's memory to Person-to-Person Camperships, 1864 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820.
Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.