Obituary of Richard J. Zboray

Richard John Zboray, 68, of East Hartford, died on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Born in Manchester on June 9, 1952, the son of the late John J. and Dorothy (Phaneuf) Zboray. He lived in Manchester all but the last few years of his life. He was educated at Bunce Center and The Sheltered Workshop before working for MARC, Inc. Rick was employed by George’s Restaurant at the Colony for 17 years, until they closed, a job he loved doing and was loved by everyone there.

At the time of his death, Rick was lovingly cared for at the Goodwin Street Group Home in East Hartford. He spent most of the rest of his adult life in a group home in Manchester, where he was loved and cared for, made life-long friends and had a full, active life in the community, until he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Rick was a friendly, happy-go-lucky man who loved spending time with family, enjoyed bowling, was active in the Special Olympics, was a big fan of Batman, the Red Sox and Harley Davidson.

Richard is survived by his brothers, Michael Zboray and his wife, Debra of Gray, ME, David Zboray and his wife, Catherine of Manchester, Peter Zboray and his wife Jenilu of Chaplin, nieces, Carla Giuka, Jennifer Smith, Samantha and husband, Kyle Bennion, Taylor and husband, Dr. Maxwell Cretcher, a nephew, Jonathan and wife, Chiara Zboray, 4 great-nieces, 1 great-nephew, 2 aunts, Theresa Hayward and Diana Phaneuf, several cousins, dear friends and caregivers.

Funeral service will be on Saturday, June 5, at 9:00 a.m. from the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 West Center St., Manchester followed by a funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. at Assumption Church, with burial in St. James Cemetery. Visiting hours will be held on Friday afternoon from 5:00 to7:00 p.m.  For online condolences please visit www.tierneyfuneralhome.com. 

The family would like to thank all the wonderful, caring people who allowed Rick to lead a full and rich life. The professional caregivers, case managers, supervisors, nurses, and numerous people from DDS, MARC, Inc., and Journey Found were an essential part of his day-to-day life for over 40 years.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association Connecticut Chapter, 200 Executive Blvd S. #4B, Southington, CT 06489.