Paul L. "Topsy" Del Gobbo

1935 - 2022

Paul L. "Topsy" Del Gobbo
Paul Louis "Topsy" Del Gobbo of Durham, passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his loving family on August 2, 2022. An accomplished athlete, gifted and dedicated educator, and familial champion with a larger than life yet unfailingly humble personality, he was the beloved husband of 62 years to Janet "Chickie" Bonito Del Gobbo and impacted the lives of countless others. Born in New Haven on October 14, 1935, the son of the late Rocco and Josephine Ambrose Del Gobbo, Topsy was a proud United States Army Veteran, a graduate of Wilbur Cross High School, where he excelled as an athlete, and a graduate of the New Haven State Teacher's College (now Southern Connecticut State University). At SCSU, Topsy still holds the record as the 11th all-time leading scorer in basketball, with 1,507 points. He was considered one of the great outside shooters of all time and touted as perhaps the best all-around athlete to play at SCSU, where he also starred in baseball. He went on to play for the Baltimore Orioles Minor League system, played basketball in the famous Semi-Pro Leagues of the '60s and '70s and in fast pitch softball for the Raybestos Cardinals. In 2004, he was named in the New Haven Register's list of the top 25 high school basketball players ever to live in the New Haven area.
Topsy was known to turn defenders on their respective heads, creating havoc on the basketball court. Although it was not often that a player steals the show from the Harlem Magicians' star Marques Haynes, Topsy did just that by showcasing this ability in the Boston Garden in the 1969-70 season before a crowd of 8,000 fans; putting on a sensational shooting show with 30 to 40 footers from the outside to wind up the night with 48 points. He left the court to a standing ovation. While playing in the Semi-Pro Basketball League, he competed against pros from the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Baltimore Bullets, and the Harlem Globetrotters. In later years, in his spare time, he continued his basketball career playing for the Columbus Bears, Viera's All-Stars, and the New Haven Elms; and he and his wife Janet spent a lot of time on the tennis court. He was also inducted into several Halls of Fame, including Wilbur Cross, SCSU (basketball, baseball, and track), Greater New Haven Diamond Baseball Club, New Haven Tap Off Club, East Hartford Explorers Basketball Hall of Fame, March of Dimes Legends, and the New England Hall of Fame.
While his on-the-court accolades were numerous, his lifelong passion for teaching and making a difference in the lives of students was his true calling. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Topsy began his teaching degree in New Haven, earning his Masters, Sixth Year, and Ph.D. He served as a teacher, coach, and later administrator in the New Haven Public Schools for 36 years, retiring in 1994 as Executive Director for School Operations and Director of K-8 Schools, where he'd been responsible for the administration, supervision, and evaluation of 37 elementary and middle schools. In 1994, he worked alongside Dr. James Comer of the Yale Child Study Program and Yale University School of Organization and Management as a consultant, implementing a national model to be utilized in a pilot program in two New Haven schools. Through their work, two low-achieving schools were transformed from the inside-out to become exciting and dynamic places to teach and learn, with attendance and achievement levels soaring. His work implementing this program and the results they achieved were some of Topsy's proudest accomplishments. From 2008 to 2013, Topsy served as an Executive Coach, consulting for the Connecticut Association of Schools, working with several schools and their leadership to develop and improve instructional and organizational leadership principles; transforming the faculty in order to better-improve student achievement. Also upon his retirement from New Haven Public Schools, he served as a consultant to the Superintendent of Schools, New Haven Headstart Program, and the New Haven Physical Education and Athletics Department.
Topsy was married to the love of his life, Janet Bonito Del Gobbo. He enjoyed sharing the story of how he first spotted "the girl in the blue blazer," on the corner of Lombard and Monroe Streets in New Haven. He called her the next week for a date, then went on to marry. He was the brother of the late Jennie Notargiacomo, and Michael, Frank, and Frank Del Gobbo. He was the proud father of Dawn DiVincentis (Al), and Tracee Carroll (Charles), and the adoring grandfather of Elizabeth Laura DiVincentis (fiancée, Alexander Grieve), Alex Mitchell DiVincentis, Tucker Paul Carroll, and Parker Elena Carroll. He was most proud of all of his grandchildren and could be seen cheering loudly at every single athletic event and in attendance at all school events, brimming with pride and smiling from ear to ear.
Visiting Hours will be held Friday, August 12th 2022 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM in the Iovanne Funeral Home, Inc., 11 Wooster Place in New Haven. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Michael's Church, 29 Wooster Place in New Haven, Saturday morning at 11:00. Burial will be Private. The family requests that those who wish to express sympathy consider donating to the Prostate Cancer Foundation at cure.pcf.org or by mail to: Prostate Cancer Foundation, 1250 Fourth Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at stjude.org/donate or by mail to: ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Share a memory and sign Topsy's guestbook online at www.iovanne.com