John Bambino

1941 - 2024

John Bambino, a lifelong Greenwich resident, Air Force and Greenwich Police Department veteran, marathon runner and proud father, grandfather and loving husband, passed away on December 27 following an illness.?
John Bambino was born to Rose and Albert Bambino on January 14, 1941, at United Hospital Port Chester, NY. He graduated high school in 1958 and served in the U.S. Air Force for four years in Texas, Mississippi, The Philippines and Oklahoma.?
After his time in the military, John joined the Greenwich Police force where he served for 21 years. Given the nickname" the Babe" by his colleagues, he worked in the patrol and traffic divisions in the accident car and was considered to be one of the most competent accident investigators, always both thorough and precise. John attended The Traffic Institute at Northwestern University.?
Upon retiring from the Greenwich Police Department John completed his Bachelor's degree as an Accounting major at Fairfield University, and joined a multinational company where he held the role of senior accountant in reinsurance.?
Always devoted to community service, John went on to work in the Greenwich Public School District as a substitute teacher which he saw as a way of contributing back to the town he considered his own 'Bedford Falls' from the famed holiday movie "It's A Wonderful Life."?
John married his wife Barbara Wasil (1966) who he described as "the most caring and loving person in the world." Their travels together and with friends took them to Quebec City, Italy, Sicily, Switzerland, England and France. They especially loved Sienna where they dined in the piazza. They visited Maine twice a year and also took a 7-week trip driving across the United States where they visited national parks, attended baseball games in numerous parks and even made time for the Iowa State Fair.?
They had two children, Diane and Matthew, with eight grandchildren between them who John said, "all gave him reasons to be proud." Diane (whose spouse is also named Matthew) lives in the Pacific Northwest and has five children. Their oldest son Gabe attends college on academic scholarship, their two daughters Clair-Elise and Maria are ballerinas, their daughter Carolina recently completed culinary school and is employed as a sous chef and their son Jesse, a recent graduate of Cedarcrest High School.?
Matthew (whose spouse is Shanon) has three sons: Jacob, who is pursuing a degree in Engineering at Villanova, Maddox, who is studying Business at Georgetown and Rowan who attends Eastern Middle School.?
Additional survivors include his sister Karolina and many nieces and nephews.?
The family would like to thank John's doctors and staff for their kind and compassionate care.?
A Memorial Mass was held on Tuesday, January 14 at Saint Catherine's – Saint Agnes Church, Riverside, CT.?
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in John's memory to a charity of their choice.