John C. Gebski, age 70, of Portsmouth, RI, passed away peacefully in his home on April 10, 2014. A beloved father and grandfather (Gwampa Jet), John was born in Worcester, MA on May 4, 1943 and raised by loving parents, the late Chester and Elsie Gebski. He was the eldest of three children.
A graduate of Durfee High School, Fall River, MA, John attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL and later the University of Rhode Island, earning a degree in Biology. Following college, he was commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force and graduated flight school at Vance AFB, Oklahoma. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War and later flew for the Rhode Island Air National Guard. Following his service in the Air Force, John had a successful career in commercial lending at Hartford National and Connecticut National Banks and later Shawmut and FleetBoston.
He was an avid reader and enjoyed skiing, golf, traveling to visit friends, and more than anything, time with his grandchildren.
John is survived by his son Todd M. Gebski and his wife Kate, of Holliston, MA, his daughter Megan T. Nolan and her husband Jim, of Newport, RI, sisters Elyse Schuldt and Mary Jane Cobb of Charlotte, NC and Tiverton, RI, and his four grandchildren: Anna M. Gebski, Eliza R. Gebski, John C. Gebski, and Richard James “JJ” Nolan.
The family will hold a private memorial service at the Chapel of Hope on the Newport Naval Base.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Joslin Diabetes Center, 1 Joslin Place, Suite 745, Boston, MA 02215.
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