John J. (Jay) Skowronski, 69, of Derby CT entered into rest on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Griffin Hospital with his loving family by his side. He was born in Derby on January 23, 1955, son of the late Walter and Agnes (Stockmal) Skowronski and was a lifelong Naugatuck Valley resident, mainly of Derby.
Jay graduated from Fairfield Preparatory School in 1973 where he excelled at football and made many lifelong friends. He received a Pharmacy degree from the University of Connecticut in 1978. Jay’s community pharmacy career spanned 30+ years, 20 of which he practiced in the Derby CVS Pharmacy where he was well regarded and known for dispensing doses of humor in addition to medication advice.
Jay’s true passion was nature and the great outdoors. As a gifted home gardener he spent countless hours in his yard creating magnificent landscapes, nurturing stunning specimen trees, and growing a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables, most notably trophy-winning pumpkins. He also loved to forage for mushrooms. Jay was an avid and skilled fisherman, frequenting the Long Island Sound and the Valley rivers. He loved spending time in the Florida Keys where he made everlasting memories with his brothers and friends.
He was an unwavering supporter of his favorite football teams: the Jesuits of Fairfield Prep for whom he played and earned All League honors, the Green Bay Packers of which his cousin Bob Skoronski was a leading player in the 1960’s, and the Black Knights of the Hudson West Point where his brother Walter played.
Jay is survived by his twin children John Skowronski Jr. and Julie Skowronski along with their mother, Carolyn Skowronski, his devoted sister Carol Anderson, brother Edward Skowronski and his wife Linda, sister Evelyn Rupsis and her husband Tony (his go-to guy), and his sister-in-law, Mary Skowronski, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was predeceased by two brothers, Walter and William Skowronski, brother-in-law John R. Anderson, along with two loyal and cherished dogs, Boomer and Tom.
Friends may greet Jay’s family on Friday Sept 6, 2024, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm at the Edward F. Adzima Funeral Home, 253 Elizabeth St. Derby. His funeral service will take place at 2:30pm in the funeral home.
Memorial contributions are requested to TEAM, 30 Elizabeth Street, Derby, CT 06418 (https://teaminc.org/). Online condolences can be extended at www.adzimafh.com.
