Christopher N. Sambuco of Greenwich, CT, died unexpectedly in his home on December 18, 2022. Chris is predeceased by his parents, his brother Larry, and his son, Jared. He also mentioned on multiple occasions that he was predeceased by the dinosaurs and the person responsible for cracking Plymouth Rock.
He is survived by his loving wife and life partner, Doris, of 53.7 years (or 57 years depending on how you count), his daughters, Phyllis Sambuco and Ilana Sambuco-Paul (Douglas), his grandsons, Jacob and Nathaniel, and his nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He is also survived by extended family, friends, and undoubtedly former clients who still can’t figure out how to keep their lights on.
Born on August 16, 1939, Chris was known for his mustache, his comedic comments, his fun loving actions, his unending ability to argue, and also his skills as an electrical engineer, contractor, and electrician.
Chris was a true master of multiple trades. No new technologies were unnoticed, and he was often beta testing the next big thing long before the general public even knew it existed. He was a Real Estate Appraiser and Loan Broker, a licensed electrical contractor in multiple states, a Master Electrician in NY, a NFPA Life Member; and in his later years, a Travel Agent (because he liked planes).
In the early years of his career, he would barter his electrical services. This enabled him to acquire unique cars to fuel his car passion and apartment buildings to manage.
Chris later became an electrical engineer by trade, working on many projects throughout New York State.
He frequently talked about the work he did during construction of the World Trade Center, and was exceptionally proud of his work with the Dormitory Authority, State of NY (DASNY), offering tours of every State Office Building and College he ever worked on. He hinted at his classified projects in New London, Connecticut, and often claimed to have built the pyramids but honestly, we were unable to verify that last claim prior to publication.
Locally, his talents were known by many, as he worked on many projects in Connecticut ranging from commercial spaces to private homes where he provided everything from custom lighting installation to air conditioning through his personal electrical and air conditioning side business.
Active in the community, Chris spent countless hours managing electrical and sound systems for Temple Sholom. As a RTM Member (District 9), he was the “voice of alarm” that led to removal of asbestos in the Greenwich Public Schools in the 1980’s, and as a parent of theater kids, he often voiced his concerns on the state of the antiquated electrical system of the GHS auditorium in the 80’s and early 90’s (and told everyone how relieved he was that the whole mess finally got replaced).
In his later career, he worked at the Greenwich Arnold Bakery Plant (now Bimbo) fixing the machine lines throughout the night so we could all enjoy items like Thomas’ English Muffins. He titled himself, “The Muffin Man,” and would tell us stories of the amazing technology he witnessed, giving hints “as to how high a muffin dough needs to drop to get the proper shape.” A great secret keeper, we never did learn the answer.
Chris was always researching or explaining something, which he was always right about (even in the presence of an actual expert on the topic). He loved to spend time with his family, documenting every experience with a high tech camera, or video recorder, or later with his phone. Thankfully we had great technology these past years, so we could continue to help him enjoy seeing concerts and sporting events through lockdowns.
As with all those who have left before us, Chris will certainly be missed, but he did live a fantastic, full, life. We should all follow his lead and keep learning, adapting, standing up for what you believe, and making the time to enjoy and appreciate life through visits, travel, laughter, work, and food. Regarding food, if you have read this far, you probably also know how much he loved food. So we ask, please take a moment and grab a margarita, sandwich or cookie and toast, “To a good drink, to good food and to living life.”
The family requests that should you wish to donate to a charity in Chris’ memory that you consider Memorial Sloan Kettering Foundation, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Lasagna Love, Temple Sholom – Greenwich, CT or any local charity that supports lifelong learning opportunities.