April 14th, 1939 - March 27th, 2024
John Thomas Goras died on March 27, 2024 at the age of 84 in his home in Longmont, Colorado surrounded by family members and devoted caretakers.
He had battled health issues for the last several years. Born April 14, 1939 as an only child to a first generation Polish American father (John Goras) and a first generation Italian American mother (Mary Napolitano), he was raised in the west end of Boston, Massachusetts. Some of his fondest childhood memories were of playing in the streets with friends from neighborhood families from a diverse background of cultures. He attended Boston Latin and Boston Tech and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in analytical chemistry from Northeastern University in 1963. In 1964 he became an officer in the United States Coast Guard and served five years as a member of the International Ice Patrol.
He married Joan F. Brayer in May of 1966. They had two children, their daughter Marie Elaine and their son John Edward. They raised their family in Gales Ferry, Connecticut where John worked for 32 years as a senior analytical chemist at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in nearby Groton, Connecticut. In retirement he and his wife spent many happy winters in their vacation home in Gold Canyon, Arizona. John was known as a good husband, father, friend and co-worker as well as a loving son to his widowed mother.
He enjoyed physical fitness and had a reputation as an excellent cook. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Joan Goras, his daughter, Marie Vicek and his son in law Scott Vicek of Boulder, Colorado and his son John E. Goras of Gales Ferry, Connecticut. A funeral mass will be held on April 5, 2024 at 10:30 am at Saint Francis of Assisi. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to Cultivate’s VetsGo program at https://cultivate.ngo/vetsgo.
