Col. Thaddeus "Sobie" Raymond Sobieski

Thaddeus Sobieski, aka “Sobie”, died on Saturday July 11, 2020 at the age of 93. Sobie was a last member of the greatest generation. Sobie was born on January 2,1927 in Meriden, Connecticut. He was the son of Felix and Stella (Bochinski) Sobieski. In 1945 he enlisted in the then Army Air Corps. He stayed in the military until 1947, and then entered the University of Connecticut under the GI bill, where he played football, and was the team’s co-captain. During his time at UConn, he entered the ROTC program, graduating as a distinguished student. After graduating from the University of Connecticut in 1951 with a degree in Liberal Arts majoring in history, he then entered the United States Army as a lieutenant. There he served in the Korean War as company commander of a rifle company. As a result of his actions in combat, he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart medals. After his return from Korea, he became a weapons instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia and then joined the Reservist 81st Infantry Division-Atlanta, in order to attend law school at Emory University. His heroics can be found in the historical archives of the Atlanta History Center http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/singleitem/collection/VHPohr/id/422.
After graduating from Emory in 1958, Sobie worked for the National Labor Relations Board Regional Office in Atlanta, Georgia. For over 30 years, he worked first as an investigative agent and trial attorney, and then as a supervisory attorney. During his tenure with the Board, Sobie tried numerous cases before Administrative Law judges, and appeared before United States Appellate and District Courts.
Throughout his legal career, Sobie maintained his service in the United States Army Reserves, rising to the rank of a full colonel before he retired from the military in 1985. After he retired from the NLRB in 1990, Sobie went on to work as a labor law attorney with the employment law firm of Fisher & Phillips for 2 years.
He then joined Steven Leibel, serving his firm of counsel, and later joined Steve at Casey Gilson Leibel where he continued to serve of counsel. In 2007, Sobie left Casey Gilson Leibel, and continued to practice law until January, 2020, when he asked that his bar membership become inactive.
Sobie was an accomplished sportsman, who loved bowling. He was always a great fan of the San Francisco Giants, but also followed the Atlanta Braves, recording the stats for every game. During the last few years he could no longer bowl, but loved watching sports. Sobie was a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, the Atlanta Lawyers Club, the Atlanta History Center, and various other organizations. He was an avid reader, mostly of history books, but recently discovered the books of John Grisham, which he enjoyed tremendously.

Please take comfort in knowing that he didn’t suffer before passing, and that he had just finished reading the latest John Grisham book, Camino Winds.

Sobie was preceded in death by his wife, Rosa Marie Ward Sobieski, who died in 2011 from Alzheimer’s. Numerous nieces and nephews survive him.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in honor of his wife, Marie, to the Alzheimer's Association, Georgia Chapter, 1925 Century Blvd., N.E., Atlanta, GA 30345.

A celebration of Sobie's life will be held on Tuesday at A.S. Turner and Sons at 10:00 a.m. followed by interment at The Georgia National cemetery.