John Joseph Gudebski

1944 - 2024

John Joseph Gudebski

November 3, 1944 - May 11, 2024

Montecito, California - John Joseph Gudebski (1944-2024) died peacefully surrounded by his beloved family and friends at his home in Montecito, CA on May 11, 2024, after a courageous fight with pancreatic cancer. A dearly loved husband, father, grandfather and friend. John was born November 3,1944 in Winfield, Kansas near McConnell Air Force base. As a child, he traveled the world in the Air Force with his mother, Geraldine, father, Joseph, and sister, Jeri, with whom he has always had a special relationship. They lived early on with their extended Italian family in the Bronx, NY, then overseas to Guam and France before finally settling in California. A voracious lover of languages, John studied International Relations at UC Davis and continued to travel the world. After college he enlisted in the Air Force and attended Officer Training School in San Antonio, TX graduating top of his class. John married his first wife, Wendy, while at munitions training in Denver, CO. He then enlisted and served six months in Korea before finishing his USAF Weapons Officer career in 1971 and moving to the Bay Area to attend UC Hastings School of Law. He and Wendy had their two sons Jordan (1972) and Jay (1975) while he practiced law at the San Francisco firm of Chickering and Gregory. A decade later, fate brought him to Inside Out, the gym Marcie owned in Piedmont. It was love at first sight and they soon married. They traveled, helped raise the boys and shared their joy of cooking and great wine together. John carried his passion of flying into his next career as the proud owner of Patterson Aviation which became the Sacramento Jet Aviation Center. He and Marcie eventually moved to Sacramento and were blessed with the birth of their daughter Jianna in 1994. His love of daughter and community led him to serve 12 years as a Trustee of the Sacramento Country Day School. Those who knew John were well aware of his other true passion, real estate. In 2003, he sold Sac Jet and pursued his ultimate career of designing, building, and selling homes. He eventually formed the Gudebski Group and rose to be one of the Top Ten producing agents in Coldwell Banker's Sacramento-Tahoe Region. After 25 great years in Sacramento, he and Marcie moved to Montecito, CA, a town they dreamed of living in. John joined the Montecito Coldwell Banker Office where he continued to earn the respect and admiration of colleagues and clients alike. He will always be remembered for his charm, brilliance, positive nature and infectious smile. He will be forever missed and remembered. John is survived by his wife Marcie, sister Jeri, son Jordan (Jasmin), son Jay (Jenn), daughter Jianna (Andreas), and grandkids Taylor, Elias, Aliyah, and Jacob and dog Crosby. A celebration of his life will be held this summer in Northern California.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in honor of John to breakthroughsac.org through their donation link. Breakthrough Sacramento is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for underserved youth in the Sacramento area in partnership with Sacramento Country Day School.