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Adam Jacques Knobelsdorff, 83, of Old Saybrook, passed away peacefully at home on April 16 from long-standing heart disease. He was surrounded by his devoted wife and children.

Adam was born on May 5, 1936, in Gdynia, Poland to Dr. Wladyslaw von Knobelsdorff, a member of the Polish aristocracy, and his wife Dr. Gabriela Maria. Adam’s father, who was also an attorney, had served with distinction as an officer in the Polish military.

When Adam was three, the Germans invaded Poland. He told his children that within hours of the Germans sealing the borders, his parents took him and what little they could carry and left the country by the last available boat—two earlier boats had been bombed and sunk. For the duration of the war, Adam and his parents lived in Europe. There, under the direction of the American Army, his parents provided medical treatment for thousands of displaced persons. They remained in Europe until Adam was 14, when they came to the US and settled in Fairfield County.

Known as Jack to his college friends, Adam received his BS from Fairfield University and attended Boston College for his master’s and a PhD in clinical biochemistry. While working at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, Adam met his best friend and soul mate, Kerry Margaret Nash. They were married in August 1963 in New Canaan.

Adam was a multifaceted, deeply intelligent man who could do anything he set his mind to. He worked in numerous fields, including biochemistry, medical technology, engineering consulting, and technical writing. Very few people knew that Adam spoke four languages and that in 1972, he co-designed and patented a medical instrument for hospitals and other medical providers. In early retirement, Adam ran a consulting business working with Sikorsky on flight and safety manuals; later, he opened his own real estate brokerage. Throughout his life and varied careers, Adam always maintained the highest degree of integrity. Above all, Adam was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

Adam loved the water and enjoyed sailing on the Sound and Connecticut River with his family. He loved all animals, especially Bobby, his beloved Samoyed, whose loss he never fully got over. He was a master model builder, completing many beautiful antique ship and car replicas in his spare time. Adam was also a talented photographer whose wife and children continue to treasure the numerous photographs and movies he took of his family over the years, starting with his first Leica and Bolex.

Adam was the best of men, a gentle and loving husband and father with a wonderful, dry sense of humor and a playful nature beneath his quiet and dignified exterior. He put his family first always, and they are forever blessed as a result of his extraordinary life.

Adam is survived by Kerry, his beloved wife of 56 years, and his devoted children Adam F. Knobelsdorff, Kristina L. Knobelsdorff-Whitaker, Kerry E. Knobelsdorff-McKay, Gregory F. Knobelsdorff, and Kara Joan Knobelsdorff, and their spouses Ria, Ed, and Ken. Adam also leaves behind his faithful Samoyed, Molly.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Adam’s honor to the animal rescue organization Forgotten Felines in Westbrook.