John Chester Sikora

John "Jack" Chester Sikora passed away on October 25, 2018, with his family by his side. The son of John Francis Sikora and Agnes Gawronski Sikora, Jack was born in Norwich, CT, in 1943. Jack was a 1965 graduate of Danbury State College/Western Connecticut State University, from which he retired from faculty and administration after three decades of professional affiliation. A Ford Foundation Fellow and recipient of a Shell International Fellowship, he received graduate credentials from Syracuse University. Jack was an author of wide-ranging publications, including Batcats and Religions of India. He served in the War on Poverty as a Volunteer in Service to America in Appalachia. He was commissioned as an Air Force Second Lieutenant and flew in 96 combat missions in Southeast Asia and Vietnam. Jack was predeceased by his much-loved wife of 47 years, Linnea Abbott Sikora. Jack and Lynn travelled extensively and taught in Saudi Arabia and Thailand. He was a faithful member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Essex, Connecticut, and a proud part of the faith community of Art Methodist Church in Art, Texas. Jack had a deep and abiding affection for the Lord, his family, and in a very special way for his numerous friends and his fellow Veterans. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Beth and Bob Labriola, daughter Tempe Sikora, grand-daughter Caroline Labriola, sister and brother-in-law, Barbara and Louis Selvidio, and their children. Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street, Centerbrook from 9 am to 11 am. Funeral service to follow at the Saint John’s Church Main St., Essex at 11:30 am. Interment with the rendering of Full Military Honors will follow in the Cypress Cemetery in Old Saybrook. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Jack's name to Camp Rising Sun Charitable Foundation, P.O. Box 472, Branford, CT 06405 or Veterans In Distress Outreach, P.O. Box 192, Old Lyme, CT 06371. To share a memory of Jack or send a condolence to his family please visit www.rwwfh.com