John Ernest Sleights, 72, beloved husband passed away at his home in Southbury, Connecticut on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

John was the only child of John and Mary (Collinson) Sleights born on July 1, 1953 in New London, Connecticut. He was a licensed electrician and graduated with an electrical engineering degree from the University of New Haven and a master's degree in fire protection engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

In the early years of his career, John worked at United Nuclear Corporation (UNC) in Montville, Connecticut until the facility was shut down in 1990. After UNC's closure, he went back to school to obtain his master's degree and gained employment at Factory Mutual in Norwood, Massachusetts upon graduating. John spent the last years of his career working for Travelers Property Casualty at their engineering lab in Windsor, Connecticut until he retired in 2019. He had a strong work ethic and problem solving skill that he utilized throughout his life and career.

John spent many years as a volunteer firefighter with the Jordan Station of the Waterford Connecticut Fire Department. After his retirement, he joined the Southbury Connecticut Volunteer Fire Department for a period of time.

Throughout his life, John had numerous pets (dogs, cats and rabbits) of which many were rescues. He loved animals, nature, exploring the outdoors, working with his hands, historic fire apparatus, steam trains, and learning about the country's history. He was so fascinated with nature's gifts and history that every vacation was built around visiting national parks, zoological parks/reserves, historical sites, and museums. During his lifetime, John traveled to several countries and was able to visit most of the national parks and ride a majority of the steam trains running in the lower 48 states.

John didn't like sitting still and kept himself busy by taking walks, exercising, and working on a multitude of projects. He was an avid reader in the late evenings with an affinity for mysteries, thrillers, and historical non-fiction. It was typical to find him at night reading a book with one of his pets curled up beside him.

John will be remembered for his willingness to help others, his unending love of animals, his dry sense of humor, his many years of service as a volunteer firefighter, and so much more.

John was predeceased by his parents, John and Mary. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Pamela (Muninger), and many friends.

There will be no public services as per John's request and his interment in the columbarium at New North Cemetery in Woodbury, Connecticut will be private.

In lieu of flowers, you can honor John by making a donation in his memory to one of the following organizations that he supported for many years:

1. Alzheimer's Association at https://www.alz.org/

2. Second Chance Animal Rescue in Littleton, NH at https://www.secondchancear.org/

3. Southbury Connecticut Land Trust at https://ctconservation.org/land-trusts/southbury-land-

trust/

4. Southbury Connecticut Volunteer Fire Department at https://southburyfire.com/

5. Southbury Connecticut Ambulance Association at https://southburyambulance.org/

6. Whiskers Pet Rescue Southbury at https://whiskerspetrescue.org/

7. Southbury Connecticut Food Bank at https://southburyfoodbank.org/