Joseph Jadamec
Mystic — On April 27, 2019, after he had suffered many years of failing vascular health, Joseph Richard Jadamec and his family gathered in New London and sorrowfully accepted they had enjoyed their last Easter season with him. He passed away during a beautiful sunrise April 28, 2019, with sons Joseph and Nicolas and daughter Margaret at his side. He was 79 years old.
After graduating with a Master of Science degree in geology from Lehigh University, his professional career began with a short employment by the Office of Naval Research in Washington, D.C., supporting oceanography in 1963. He transferred to the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center, which relocated to Avery Point in Groton in 1972, and worked there for the remainder of his civil service career through 1995.
During his career with the Coast Guard he received numerous service awards and medals, co-authored patents in oceanographic sampling systems and methods, and supported the development of detection and identification systems for USCG environmental and drug enforcement, including deployments away from his family to coastal locations in the Caribbean, Alaska, and many Eastern U.S. shipping ports.
In 1995 he retired and was awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation medal for his career in civil service. Shortly before retirement he began and enjoyed teaching for the University of Connecticut as an instructor in undergraduate chemistry and geology, and continued research and development in chemical identification methods at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point campus in Groton through 2005. During this time, he also partnered with other physical scientist career associates to form a small group providing environmental pollution detection and identification services. From there he was retained by Westco Scientific to support their products and services in chemistry detection and quantification systems through March 2019.
He married his wife, Lillian Ann Sudol, in 1964 and together they raised nine children: six boys and three girls.
He supported his sons and daughters in Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, minor league and Babe Ruth league baseball, high school varsity athletics and higher education. He tirelessly raised his children to be self-reliant, innovative and resourceful. All have achieved in higher education, many have professional degrees and several have worked and resided internationally. He enjoyed cooking, gardening, fishing, bowling, sailing and traveling. He highly valued the cooking and Catholic holiday traditions of the Polish families he was raised by and passed on those to his children. He attended Catholic Masses at St. Patrick’s Church and was a member of the Knights of Columbus Mystic Council No. 1943 during his residence in Mystic. He is survived by his wife of 55 years Lillian, nine children, and 12 grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday, May 17, at St. Patrick Church, 32 E. Main St., Mystic. His burial will follow the Mass at St. Patrick Cemetery in Mystic. There are no calling hours.
The Mystic Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.