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- [S5] Obituary.
John Gamache, 68, of Windsor, beloved husband of Mary Ellen (Stubbs) Gamache, passed away on Friday, May 5, 2023.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Amy LaQuerre and her husband Chris; his sister, Helene McGlynn and her husband Mark; mother-in-law, Virginia Stubbs of Windsor, brothers-in-law, Paul Stubbs and his wife Sarah, John Stubbs and his wife Melissa, and Robert Stubbs; sisters-in-law, Maureen Oldham, and Sheila McPhee and her husband William; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
His family will receive friends on Tuesday, May 9, 4-6 p.m., at the Lodge Community Chapel, Windsor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 10 a.m., at St. Damien of Molokai Parish, St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad St., Windsor. Burial will follow in Elm Grove Cemetery, Windsor.
To read the full obituary or leave a condolence for his family, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com
Published by Hartford Courant on May 7, 2023.
- [S5] Obituary.
John J. Gamache, 68, of Windsor, beloved husband and best friend of Mary Ellen (Stubbs) Gamache, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 5, 2023.
John was born in Hartford, son of the late Arthur and Laura (Widzicki) Gamache, and graduated from Windsor High School. He was a star football player in high school and played for Mattatuck Junior College in Waterbury, where he received his Associate degree, and then for Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, where he earned his Bachelor Degree. John's dream was to be a professional football player but he had to give that up due to a career-stopping football injury. After high school, John married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Mary Ellen Stubbs, and took every opportunity while he was in Louisiana to fly back to Connecticut to see his bride because he hated to be separated from her. He was employed in business management with several companies over the years and retired from Radio Frequency Systems in Meriden after many years of service. Food was John's true passion, and he received his Culinary Arts certificate from New England Technical Institute in 2003 and catered on the side while working his full-time jobs. After retirement, he followed his cooking dream and purchased a food truck, specializing in Cajun Cuisine, a love he acquired after living in Louisiana, and named it Mardi Parti! John traveled around for the next five years doing what he truly loved, feeding his family, friends, and the community. His favorite things to cook were Muffalettas, Cajun Mac & Cheese, Shrimp Po Boys, and Shrimp Gumbo.
John was a loving husband, father, nephew, uncle, cousin, in-law, and dear friend. He will be fondly remembered as a man who was amazingly giving of his time and talents and loved his family more than anything. John unconditionally gave to his family and community, and if there was a need somewhere, no matter what it was, he was always ready to fill that need. He was "larger than life" and was always the life of the party. John had a wonderful personality and sense of humor and always had a story to tell.... if you had plenty of time. You felt like family just being in his presence. John was a very opinionated man, always speaking his mind, but in a respectful way. He had some great "one-liners" and every time you asked him how he was doing, he would say, "Livin? the Dream!" John got joy from making other people happy and he was devoutly in charge of everyone's good time. He had a heart of gold and his life revolved around making sure everyone was taken care of, especially his dear wife, Mary Ellen, and his mother-in-law, Virginia Stubbs. John was always very supportive of his daughter, Amy, and when things were difficult, he always encouraged her to take "baby steps" to comfort her and get to where she needed to be. John leaves a legacy of beautiful memories that will live in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved him.
John was a faithful communicant of St. Damien of Molokai Parish, St. Gabriel Church, and also enjoyed attending his Bible study group at Trinity Church. He was a very active member and a huge supporter of the Windsor community and served on the Windsor Town Council. John was a longtime member of the Windsor Club and the Kiwanis Club, where he served two terms as president. He was also a member of the Wilson Volunteer Fire Department and was a judge for the annual Chili Cook-off.
John?s true ?happy place? was the Cape and he enjoyed taking his entire family on a yearly adventure and doting on them with food and entertainment. He would wake up early every morning to move the outdoor furniture to the beach and spend his days cooking meals for everyone and planning the vacation fishing trip for anyone who wanted to go. John's mission was always that everyone had a fantastic time together! As a very social man, John loved having people over and getting together with his friends and neighbors every opportunity he could. He also loved to golf with his buddies, drink dry martinis, and smoke a good cigar. In his free time, he would garden, read, and when he was younger, play the accordion, and drive around in his Jeep with the top down! He loved his animals, especially his white Lab, Piper, who was one of his greatest joys. John was known to feed all the stray cats in the neighborhood, and he actually built a shelter in his back yard for all of them so they would be safe and warm.
In addition to his wife, Mary Ellen, whom he loved with all his heart, he leaves to celebrate his life, his daughter, Amy LaQuerre and her husband Chris of Windsor; his sister, Helene McGlynn and her husband Mark of Summerville, SC; his mother-in-law, Virginia Stubbs; brothers-in-law, Paul Stubbs and his wife Sarah of Rochester, MA, John Stubbs and his wife Melissa of Cape Coral, FL, and Robert Stubbs of Egremont, MA; sisters-in-law, Maureen Oldham of Chicopee, MA, and Sheila McPhee and her husband William of Manchester; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brother, Arthur Gamache, Jr., and father-in-law, Donald Stubbs.
His family will receive friends on Tuesday, May 9, 4-6 p.m., at the Lodge Community Chapel, Windsor. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 10, 10 a.m., at St. Damien of Molokai Parish, St. Gabriel Church, 379 Broad St., Windsor.
Because of his passion for cooking for all his family and friends, donations in memory of John may be made to Windsor Food Bank, 599 Matianuck Ave., Windsor, CT 06095 http://www.windsorfoodbank.org
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