Obituary of Nicholas John Sambides

A husband, father, grandfather, lover of hockey and the outdoors, Nicholas John Sambides died peacefully in his sleep from complications created by Alzheimer's disease at the Birmingham Health Center on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2015. He was 81. Born on Aug. 8, 1934 in New Haven to Jack Sambides, owner of the Greek-American Club of New Haven, and Catherine Gauthier Sambides, Sambides grew up in the Morris Cove and Westville sections of New Haven. He graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in 1953 and attended New Haven Teacher's College before serving from 1957-61 in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army National Guard as a private and military policeman, most notably at Fort Dix in New Jersey and Fort Stuart in Georgia. He married Loretta Postupack of McAdoo, Pennsylvania on May 19, 1962. They lived in Nichols and Bridgeport before moving to Ansonia. Their marriage produced two children, Tara Alexandra Sambides Severino, and Nicholas John Sambides Jr. Sambides worked at Sikorsky Aircraft of Stratford, General Electric of Bridgeport, Equity Employment Co. of Milford and at several retail establishments before his retirement. In retirement he was a wood sculptor. A starting defenseman on the Wilbur Cross hockey team that finished third in New England during his sophomore year, Sambides was an avid player and fan who was “adopted” by the hockey team of Notre Dame of West Haven, his son's Alma mater, after Nick Jr. graduated in 1985. Players of many years' teams at Notre Dame deeply appreciated his bringing them oranges that they consumed during games. Prior to that, Sambides regularly attended his daughter's volleyball and softball games at St. Joseph High School of Trumbull, where she was an All-League and All-State setter and an All-League centerfielder before graduating with the Class of 1984. A doting father, Sambides and his wife took great pride in having a home with many pets where his and his neighborhood's children were always welcome to play badminton, swim in an above-ground pool, and warm themselves on a large sundeck and around a backyard fire pit under lights that he installed. In his later years, Sambides loved to walk the dogs and bring firewood to the West Haven home of his daughter and her husband, Robert Severino, and play with their five children – Alexis Nichole, Tyler Rose, Riley, Cori and Robert Severino Jr. Sambides is predeceased by his half-brothers John and William Cummings, who also worked at Sikorsky, and John's wife, Mary. In addition to his wife of 53 years, devoted children and cherished grandchildren, Sambides is survived by his nephew, John Cummings Jr., his wife, Diane and their daughter, Lisa. In lieu of a memorial service, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association Connecticut, 200 Executive Blvd., Suite 4B, Southington, CT 06489. The Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, 167 Wakelee Avenue, Ansonia is in care of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.wakeleememorial.com.