Thomas S. Sabotka

Thomas S. Sabotka RUTLAND — Thomas S. Sabotka, 81, of Rutland, VT, passed onward peacefully at home on Wednesday, January 10th, 2024, surrounded by his devoted and loving family. He was born on September 27th, 1942 in Center Rutland, VT, the son of John and Helen (Rostkowski) Sabotka. He attended Center Rutland School through 8th grade and then graduated from West Rutland High School in June of 1960. While in high school, he played football and baseball and in his later years, he loved telling his grandchildren how he would hitchhike to school because he didn’t have a car like ‘everyone does these days.’ He was also proud to inform his children and grandchildren that the day after graduating high school, he began his first job at Diamond National sweeping floors where he worked his way to assistant manager through the 60s. From 1964-1969, he also served in the National Army Reserves. It was also during these years that he met the love of his life Janice Duby, whom he married on June 28th, 1969. They bought a house on Lafayette Street where they spent all 54 years of their marriage, raised their two children and where he stayed until he took his last breath. In the late 70’s as his family was growing, he was wooed from Diamond National to Mintzer Brothers by the Gartner brothers where he spent 30 yrs specializing in windows and mill work. It was here that he had the opportunity to build lifelong relationships with various local contractors, builders and developers. When Mintzer Brothers was sold to LaValley’s in the 2000s, he worked for LaValley’s until he retired in 2009. Tom prided himself on being dependable, hard working and knowledgeable which was obvious in all of his professional endeavors. Long after his retirement, he would run into people that he had helped over the course of his 49 year career and every single one of them would say the same thing... how respected and missed he was. While his career was important to him, what was more important was his dedication to his family. He prided himself on being a role model and teaching his children and grandchildren how to be kind, goodhearted and in service to others. He was always home on work days at 5 pm and never missed any sporting event, school function or family gathering. He was a family man through and through. And what he provided to TJ and Jill, he also provided to the next generation... being head taxi driver for his grandchildren. Always soft-hearted and gentle, he also enjoyed a good laugh... often playing Polish polka music in the car to embarrass them and their friends. When he wasn’t being a full-time family man, like any lifelong Vermonter, he enjoyed following baseball (Yankees in his early life, Red Sox in his later years), as well as horse racing and chasing the next possible jackpot at the slot machines. Tom is survived by his wife Janice, his son TJ Sabotka (wife Traci) of Rutland VT and his daughter Jill Sabotka of Mill Valley, CA; his four grandchildren Alyssa, Kendra, Andrew, and Brayden, all of Rutland VT. He is also survived by his brother John Sabotka, of Pawlet, VT and his sister Elizabeth Sabotka, of Center Rutland, VT; by grown nieces whom were dear to his heart, as well as cousins who he loved trading stories with about the good old days. Tom was predeceased by his parents John (1985) and Helen (1997), as well as his favorite sister-in-law Joan Gilbert Sabotka and his brother-in-law Norman Duby and wife Noreen Daley Duby. We would like to acknowledge with gratitude all of the deeply generous people who have participated in his care these last few years. He knew how blessed he was to have the support and we will be forever indebted to the role you played in his life. Tom was one of a kind- soft-spoken, gentle, simple-minded and generous in ways so few are. He will be deeply, deeply missed. To honor and celebrate Tom’s life, there will be calling hours on Monday, January 15th from 3-5 pm at Clifford’s Funeral Home in Rutland. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, January 16th at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church on Lincoln Avenue in Rutland starting at 11 am. A reception will follow at Southside Restaurant. Tom’s burial will be in the spring at St Joseph’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in his memory to the West Rutland High School Alumni Association c/o Patty Johnson, PO Box 27, West Rutland, VT 05777. Clifford’s Funeral Home is assisting with Tom’s funeral arrangements.