Joseph J. Grabinski

Joseph John Grabinski, 88, died July 22, 2016 at Rockville Hospital in Vernon, Connecticut following a brief illness. He leaves behind his wife of 49 years Madeline (Lamarre) Grabinski, his daughter Stephanie Christopher and her husband Brian Christopher of Palatine, IL, his son Adam Grabinski of Santa Monica, CA, his grandchildren Allison, Katherine, Lindsey, and Ryan Christopher, his sisters Dorothy Bunn and Gloria Polley, his brother Stephan Grabinski, and his many cousins, nieces, nephews, and close friends. Born and raised in Meriden, Connecticut, the son of Polish immigrants John and Anna Grabinski, Joe rose out of Depression-era poverty to live a long life distinguished by accomplishments in engineering, education, and public service. In 1946, immediately after graduating from Wilcox Technical School, Joe joined the U.S Army and served in Japan, attaining the rank of Technician Fifth Grade. Following his honorable discharge, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University, repairing washing machines to earn his room and board and discovering a passion for piloting fixed-wing manned gliders. Joe soon found himself busy as an electrical engineer and plant manager, working on, among other projects, circuitry systems for the first nuclear submarines. His work eventually led him to being named Chief Engineer for Sightmaster Corporation in Providence, a post he held until 1965. That same year, shortly after meeting his future wife Madeline Lamarre of Pawtucket, RI, Joe began his 32-year career as a Professor of Electrical Engineering at Hartford State Technical College. During this time, Joe authored the book Electronic Power Supplies (Holt, Reinhart and Winston) and published articles in "Industrial Arts and Vocational Education" magazine. He earned his Master's in Education from Central Connecticut State University in 1968 and his Doctorate of Education from the University of Massachusetts in 1975. He also served for 20 years as Union Steward for the Federation of Technical College Teachers, a position from which he helped lead the first state employee teachers' strike in Connecticut history in 1977. In 1997 Joe retired from teaching and was elected Mayor of the Town of Vernon. During his 2-year term, "Mayor Joe" secured state funding to replace the historic Town Hall windows, cleaned up the Saxony Mill site, and fought against the ECHN Rockville Hospital/Manchester Hospital merger. After his term as Mayor, Joe served as Treasurer of the Vernon Taxpayers' Association and as a Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the Vernon Elks Lodge and the Mason's Lodge #24, and in recent years he was Vice President of the Community Voice Channel, a member of the Cable Advisory Council, and Treasurer of the Vernon Senior Center Advisory Committee. While he dearly enjoyed being an active member of his community, what Joe loved most was to learn. He was never without a book, and he was often content to sit in the McDonalds on Route 83 in Vernon with a coffee and a historical biography as his company. Always the engineer, he thought every problem could be solved with the right information and the proper tool, an optimism that sustained him up until the very end of his life. Above all else, Joe was a good guy: he was cheerful, he was principled, he loved telling corny jokes, and he was proud to be called a father, a husband, a grandfather, a teacher, a patriot, a Mayor, and a friend. We should all, especially the author of this obituary, be so lucky to live such a remarkable life. Family and friends may call at the John J. Ferry & Sons Funeral Home 88 East Main St. Meriden, on Friday July 29, 2016 from 4 to 7 P.M. A Funeral service will be held at 7 P.M. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family request that you buy yourself a book and read it in Joe's memory. For online condolences, please visit www.jferryfh.com.