Richard V. Nossek
— Richard Vernon Nossek, of Stonington passed away unexpectedly Saturday, July 11, after a brief illness. “Rich” is survived by his loving wife and best friend, Carole (Johnson); and his two beautiful children,
Paige of Boston,
Mass., and Michael of Manhattan, N.Y. Rich was born Nov. 3, 1959, in New London to John and Patricia (Cochrane) Nossek of Waterford.
Rich attended Waterford Schools and was involved in youth sports. He was a 1977 graduate of Waterford High School where he was a four-time varsity letterman of both the baseball and football teams. As a senior, he led the WHS football team to an ECC victory as captain. When he was 19 years old, he was the manager of the Waterford Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Star team and coached the team to a state championship win. A plaque recognizing this victory is still mounted on the Babe Ruth dugout.
Rich continued his academic and athletic career as a Post Graduate student at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, where he played football and threw the javelin in track, graduating in 1978. He furthered his education at Rider University in New Jersey, where he was the President of Interscholastic Sports and earned his bachelor of science degree in Decision Science and Computers, in 1982.
Richard began his career at the Naval Underwater Systems Center (NUSC) in New London from 1982-1988 as a Systems Engineer and Program Manager. As a dynamic leader of people, process and technology, Rich was sought after by Pfizer, Inc. He was responsible for strategic design, engineering and service delivery of Global Digital Infrastructure Services. Rich was the interim Chief Information Officer for two years. He finished his career at Pfizer in 2019, as Vice President, Business Technology Infrastructure. He was a member of the Infrastructure Council for the Corporate Executive Board, a member of CISCO Board of Advisors, the Board of Advisors for Hewlett Packard Enterprise, a member of the Board of Visitors and Advisors for Worcester Academy, and a former Board of Trustee member of the Science Center of SE CT. His favorite pastime was spending time with his two incredible children: coaching, cheering for and supporting them in all their athletic and extracurricular activities. As a season ticket holder of the New York Football Giants, he enjoyed attending the games with family and friends at the Meadowlands and hosted family room tailgate parties when the Giants were on the road. Rich was a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan and a member of Lake of Isles Golf Club.
Richard is survived by his wife; two children; parents; his brother, Ronald (Isabel) of New London; nephews, Benjamin and Jeffrey Nossek of Boston, Mass.; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. He was especially close to his wife’s family; his Aunt Sharon Sayles (Dalton) of Mystic; and cousins, Scott Curran (Kim, Whitney, Charlotte) of Fairfield, and Chris Curran (Tessa, Winter) of Stonington.
Rich was an All-American man and his family meant everything to him. He was honorable, honest, selfless and generous. He loved the simple things like grilling “Rich’s famous BBQ ribs” and cooking his gourmet Thanksgiving dinners. He was a thinker and strategist, participating in many fantasy football leagues, was a walking encyclopedia of sports knowledge, and played in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas with his son Michael and cousin Chris.
In life, many people’s paths cross. If you were fortunate enough to know Rich, you were fortunate enough!
Calling hours are being held from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Mystic Funeral Home, 51 Williams Ave., Mystic. A private Mass of Christian burial is being celebrated at St. Mary Church in Stonington Borough. Donations in Rich’s memory may be made to the Stonington High School Athletic Boosters, 176 South Broad St., Pawcatuck, CT 06379 or the Cactus Jack Foundation, PO Box 145, Waterford, CT 06385.