John Worobey Sr.

Waterford — John Anthony Worobey Sr. (JAWS), of Waterford passed away April 24, 2021.

John was born Jan. 5, 1930, in New London, the son of Anthony and Audokia (Lazuk) Worobey.

He attended local schools, graduating from Chapman Tech in 1948. He went on to Mitchell College, graduating in 1950. John served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He married his high school sweetheart, Viola Santangelo, on June 28, 1952. He was the owner of the Palm Garden Tavern in Hodges Square before going to work at Electric Boat. He retired from Electric Boat as a designer after 37 years of employment and was a member of the Marine Draftsmen’s Association. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus and a lifetime member of the Elks and Groton Sportsmen’s Club.

John loved the outdoors, hunting in the fall and winter and fishing and boating on his boat “Lady Vi” early spring into fall. He also enjoyed tending to his annual vegetable garden and spending time with his family.

John is survived by his wife, Viola (Santangelo) Worobey; sons, John Worobey Jr. and his wife, Margaret, of Cape Coral, Fla., and Paul Worobey and his wife, Margaret, of North Stonington; daughter Linda Worobey and her husband, Keith Jones, of Waterford; grandchildren, John III, Laura, Paul, Matthew, Amanda, Kyle, and Blair; 12 great-grandchildren; and his loving niece Judi Leary. He was predeceased by his siblings, Stanley and Alexander Worobey, Jenny Leary, and Nellie Scacciaferro.

The family would like to send a special thank you to the staff at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for the compassionate care he received.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 30, in St. Joseph Church, New London. Burial with military honors will follow in St. Mary Cemetery, New London. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. Impellitteri-Malia Funeral Home, New London, is handling arrangements.