Ronald Francis Dabkowski

Ronald Francis Dabkowski, 79, of Weeki Wachee, FL passed away on January 5th, 2023. Ron was born in New Britain, Connecticut, grew up in Unionville attending Farmington High School (Class of 61), and raised a family in Amston, CT before formally moving to Weeki Wachee in 2018.

He served in the US Army from 1965-1971 as a Cobra helicopter pilot, retiring with the rank of Captain. One day, when a Colonel asked him why he hadn’t served in Vietnam yet, he was quick to reply, “Because I have a note from my mother!” Although it made the Colonel laugh, he was ordered to deploy to Vietnam two months later where he earned several medals including a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and two Air Medals.

Ron and his young family moved from Fort Bragg, NC to Amston, CT in 1974 where he followed his passion and became an enthusiastic member of his church choir, and a member of American Legion Post 95 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8776. He supported the local Little League as a coach and president of the league, was a regular at his son’s sporting events, enjoyed cooking hamburgers at the Hebron Harvest Fair for the American Legion, and spending time boating in Long Island Sound and on the beach at Napa Tree Point in RI. His passion for salmon fishing on Squam Lake in New Hampshire was eclipsed only by his fanatical support for the UConn Huskies basketball teams, his alma mater. Ron was never short of a good joke, interesting story, or opinion about good customer service.

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Virginia; sons James (Christchurch, NZ), Robert (Laporte, CO), and Stephen (Nicholasville, KY); sister Elaine (Burlington, CT), and brother Alan (Waterbury, CT). He is also survived by his three grandchildren; Owen, Anna, and Jack. He is predeceased by his parents; Stanley and Hedwig (Unionville, CT), brother Greg (Deerfield, MA), and brother-in-law Donald (Burlington, CT).

A funeral mass will be held at St. Andrews Catholic Church in Colchester, CT on January 18th at 11 AM. He will be laid to rest with military honors at the convenience of the family at the state Veterans Cemetery in Middletown, CT.

In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial contribution to the Gary Sinise Foundation who serves our nation by honoring our defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need at www.garysinisefoundation.org, or a charity of your choice.

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