Zavatkay, Gary J.
Gary J. Zavatkay, 62, of Suffield, loving husband of 24 years to Wendy L. (Royce) Zavatkay, passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 6, 2023. He was born April 5, 1961, in Torrington, to Henrietta (Dreger) Zavatkay and the late Joseph C. Zavatkay.
Gary was raised in Torrington and graduated from Torrington High School, class of 1979, where he was recognized as an all-star baseball and basketball player. Following high school, Gary received a “full ride” baseball scholarship to the University of New Haven where he started at third base all four years for the UNH Chargers and compiled such strong statistics that he was inducted into the UNH Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. To date, he ranks eighth in career RBIs (126) and recently fell out of the top-10 for all-time home runs. In 1981, Gary played for the Harwich Mariners of the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League and was named to the AllRegion and All-New England Collegiate Conference in 1983. After graduation, his love for baseball continued and he played numerous seasons on the Society for Savings team in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League all while continuing his education earning his MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hartford Campus.
Professionally, Gary leveraged the leadership skills he learned on the field and built a successful career as a National Account Manager for several industrial organizations such as J.M. NEY Company, Curtis Industries, and Barnes Distribution. In addition to his full-time job, he went on to have a prolific career as a women's basketball official at the Division I, II, and III collegiate level, ultimately getting to spend time on the court refereeing teams of the Atlantic 10, Ivy League, American East and MAAC conferences.
In his personal life, Gary was an avid runner having completed the Boston Marathon and too many road races to count, namely the Litchfield Road Race, an annual occurrence with a large group of his friends and family in attendance. Over time, golf became his passion and something he enjoyed regularly with friends and family. He was a member of Indian Hill Country Club as well as Suffield Country Club where you would find him weekly trying to improve his game. We will always remember the many years filled with laughter on and off the course annually sponsoring what became known as the ZAV OPEN. Although Gary's time with us was cut short, his memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew him for years to come.
In addition to his wife Wendy, Gary is survived by his mother, Henrietta; his three siblings, Michael Zavatkay of Torrington, Scott Zavatkay and his wife Rima of Woodbridge, and Judi Mariano and her husband John of Glastonbury; his sister-in-law Laura Zavatkay of Plainville; his in-laws, David and Mary Lou Royce of Bloomfield as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. Gary was also predeceased by his brother and best friend, Jeffrey Zavatkay.
A time of visitation for family and friends will be held on Sunday, April 23, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Carmon Windsor Funeral Home, 807 Bloomfield Ave., Windsor. A graveside service will be held on Monday, April 24, at 11:00 a.m. in Mountain View Cemetery, Bloomfield. Memorial donations may be made to Suffield Community Aid, 450 South Street, Suffield, CT 06078. To leave an online message of condolence for his family, please visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com.