Fair Winds & Following Seas, CAPT Garbuzinski, USNR

From the Sun Chronicle
North victim 'true patriot'
BY DAVID LINTON SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

NORTH ATTLEBORO - A local man killed by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 95 in Connecticut was remembered Friday as a dedicated family man and a "true patriot" who trained hundreds of submarine crews as an officer in the U.S. Navy.Terrence Garbuzinski, 46, of 56 Laurie Lane, was on his way home from work Thursday night when his car was struck head on as he travelled on I-95 in Stonington, Conn. Both he and the driver of the other vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.

"He had the highest integrity and ethics," said his brother-in-law Ed McDade. "He was a dedicated husband and family man and he was completely dedicated to his country and the Navy."

He is survived by his wife Jennifer, whom he met 23 years ago in Boston on St. Patrick's Day, and their sons John and Michael. He and his wife would have celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary in June.

A 1985 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Garbuzinski was a decorated nuclear submarine officer while on active duty and traveled all over the world for the past 15 years in the Navy Reserve to train submarine crews.

"He was a person of the highest caliber. He basically dedicated his life to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. submarine force," said Capt. Dennis McKelvey, Garbuzinski's immediate supervisor.

"His contributions to the submarine force cannot be overestimated. He literally provided leadership for and trained hundreds of submarine crews before they were deployed. He was a true patriot," McKelvey said.

Garbuzinski was a Tennessee native but his allegiance as a "sports fanatic" was with the Boston teams he grew to love and support, especially the Boston Red Sox, according to McDade and McKelvey.

Garbuzinski was the Red Sox's biggest fan in Groton, Conn., which McKelvey said is considered a "demilitarized zone" halfway between Boston and New York, where the fans are divided in half between the Red Sox and Yankees.

A captain in the Navy Reserve, Garbuzinski worked closely with the Navy as an engineer at Sonalysts Inc., a company based in Waterford, Conn., with a dozen offices around the country with clients in government, corporate and entertainment industries.

He was also proud of his award in 2008 of the Robert M. Thompson Award for Outstanding civilian leadership from the Navy League of the United States, the highest national award the group bestows on civilians.

McDade said his brother-in-law was a proud father and husband. He and his wife Jennifer traveled all over the world through his job and personal trips and packed a lifetime of memories in the two decades they spent together, McDade said.

The couple was together in Boston at the opening Red Sox game with the Yankees in 2005 when the Red Sox were presented with their 2004 World Series rings.

In a sad bit of irony, Garbuzinski remained late at work for a raffle for Red Sox tickets before traveling home, McDade said. Garbuzinski was traveling north on I-95 when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle traveling southbound on the wrong side of the highway around 7 p.m., according to police.

He and the wrongway driver, Lance Lewis, 36, of Batavia, N.Y., were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Connecticut State Police. Lewis' SUV briefly caught fire before it was extinguished by firefighters, police said.

A third driver, 55-year-old Veronica Crowley of Stonington, Conn., who was traveling behind Garbuzinski's car, suffered non-life threatening injuries when her car hit Garbuzinski's car, police said.

It was unknown why Lewis was on the wrong side of the highway and the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Despite the recognition he earned through his work, McDade said his brother-in-law would be embarrassed to hear people talking about him.

"He was a quiet and unassuming person. He was very humble," McDade said.

Visiting hours will be held Tuesday evening from 4 to 8 at the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home, 161 Commonwealth Ave. in North Attleboro.

A funeral Mass will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at St. Mark's Church on Stanley Street in North Attleboro.
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Terry's passing was also noted at the Navy blog "The Stupid Shall Be Punished". In the comments someone post this -
There is a port of no return,
where ships May ride at anchor
for a little space
And then, some starless night the cable slips,
Leaving an eddy at the mooring place...
Gulls, veer no longer. Sailor, rest your oar.
No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.
Leslie Nelson Jennings
"Lost Harbor"