Lieutenant Dionisio “Jun” N. Gomez, 76, of Staten Island, NY and recently Greenwich, died peacefully following a brief but courageous battle with cancer, surrounded by the warmth and love of family at Calvary Hospital on April 9, 2018.
Aside from being a loving, dedicated and generous husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend to many, Lieutenant Gomez was extremely proud of his lifetime career as an officer and veteran of the United States Coast Guard and was awarded countless medals, honors and commendations throughout his service.
Lt. Gomez was born November 16,1941 in Zaragoza, Philippines to Dionisio T. Gomez and Rosalina Nieves. In 1968 he was recruited by the United States Coast Guard as a steward.
Lt. Gomez’s steadfast dedication to excellence and empowering himself through education, alongside maintaining an outstanding commitment to serving his country, allowed him to rise quickly through the ranks. Through his unwavering commitment to the USCG, Lt. Gomez consummated his dream of becoming a Naval Engineer and Commissioned Officer.
His tours of duty as a seaman took him to all corners of the globe. He participated in humanitarian missions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, where he valiantly engaged in search- and-rescue missions and ensured proper humanitarian aid and relief to countries such as Haiti, Cuba and Grenada. He also served numerous tours of duty throughout Europe and Africa where he was responsible for overseeing the surveillance and security of the high-seas.
During the height of the Cold War, Lt. Gomez was granted high-levels of US national security clearance in order to ensure that our borders were safe. In one seminal career event, Lt. Gomez was part of the personal security detail of President Reagan and then Russian Premier Mikhail Gorbachev during their Governor’s Island Summit, a meeting which helped pave the way to the end of the Cold War.
Lt. Gomez took great pride in being part of the crew of some of the most iconic Coast Guard Cutters including USCGC(s) Dallas, Gallatin, Rockaway, Tamaroa, and Morgantheau. Of his nearly thirty years of service, he spent close to ten of those years strictly at sea, spearheading the operation, navigation, maintenance and logistics of some the most highly complex and sophisticated engines in the US Coast Guard fleet.
He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Ceniza, his daughter, Karen (Mario) Colella and their two children, his beloved grandchildren, Matthew and Maxwell of Greenwich, CT. He is also survived by his eldest brother Romy Gomez and recently predeceased by his younger brother Renato Gomez. Lt. Gomez also leaves behind a host of countless loving family and friends.
The family extends their sincere gratitude to the selfless and compassionate physicians, nurses and staff of Greenwich Hospital where Lt. Gomez received unparalleled care and attention, as well Calvary Hospital, where he spent his final resting days in comfort and dignity.
To honor his life, family and friends will gather Thursday, April 12 from 3:00-7:00pm at Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home at 134 Hamilton Avenue in Greenwich.
A memorial mass will be held Friday, April 13 at 11:00am at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Riverside.
Lt. Gomez’s final place of rest will be Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia alongside our nation’s bravest heroes. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Greenwich Hospital and Calvary Hospital.