Theresa "Terry" Mary (LaFlamme) Wojtanowski, 66, of Windsor, beloved wife of Joseph Wojtanowski, died Saturday, February 11, 2023. She was born in Hartford to Joseph Leo Paul & Mary Alice (Boblett) LaFlamme on April 20, 1956. Named after her father's favorite saint she proved to be a little devil in her youth before finding her way. She always had a zest for life and new adventures.

Terry leaves behind her son, Jonathan and his wife Joy of Somers, along with her three grandchildren; Sophia, Emma, and Jack whom she adored deeply and wholeheartedly; her daughter Christina of Manchester; her lifelong friend and ying to her yang, Rena Matus of East Hartford; brother in-law John S. Wojtanowski of Hartford; her faithfully devoted granddog Daschie and a countless number of family and friends worldwide.

Terry was predeceased by her parents, Joseph Leo Paul and Mary Alice (Boblett) LaFlamme of Hartford; younger siblings, sister Elizabeth Bonnie(LaFlamme) Sullivan and brother Paul LaFlamme; dear friend and colleague Juta Semmel of Windsor as well as her loyal fur babies Jerry and Taboo.

Terry went to Immaculate Conception in Hartford for grade school and found great joy playing the fife in parades and at fairs for the Fife and Drum Corp. Afterwards she went on to Bulkeley High School where she met and later married her high school sweetheart Joe on May 17, 1975. 

At Bulkeley she excelled in sports; joined the track, cross country and gymnastic teams. She won many awards and trophies, became the captain of the gymnastics team and was proud to earn her varsity letter. She was also on the Math team and in the Allied Health Club of Future Nurses. 

Her first job while still in high school was at the Institute of Living where her eyes were opened wide due to her new life experiences. Terry got to know patients from all walks of life struggling with various issues where they that felt they had no reason to live. She wanted nothing more than to make a difference in someone's life by using whatever talents God gave her. 

Terry really wanted to become a nurse and went to nursing school after high school. Although it didn't work out, she loved the medical field so much she never gave up and pursued other avenues. Over the years, Terry furthered her education in Medical Administration by attending Porter & Chester, Briarwood College and Greater Hartford Community College. She enhanced her appreciation for life in the different departments on the Hartford Hospital campus including; Medical Records, Radiation Oncology, Vascular Lab and Urology in the CT Surgical Group as well as at the CT Children's Medical Center. With her warm and gentle spirit, she had a gift for comforting others and has touched many lives. 

When Terry was 17 years old she received her first bible and her life was forever changed. She studied with Jehovah's Witnesses, joined their ministry, and was baptized on July 12, 1974. 

She dedicated her life to being a meek and humble servant of Jehovah, never missing an opportunity to share the message of His love. She enjoyed going door to door and had the privilege to minister with a group from her congregation in Warehouse Point, CT to an unassigned territory in Kentucky. She would pioneer as time and life circumstances would allow. 

Finding joy in service, she loved working at Kingdom Hall Quick-Builds where Halls were built from the ground up in just three days. She participated in 8 quick builds; in Berlin, South Windsor, and Wethersfield, CT; Brentwood, NH, Red Hook, NY; Bennington, Hardwick, and Newport, VT. She was trained and assigned to the Trim and Paint Crew for five of them. 

Terry looked forward to attending conventions and circuit assemblies where she diligently listened and took notes. She loved taking trips to Bethel and the Watchtower Farm where she enjoyed meeting her Christian brothers and sisters from all over the world. 

Terry had many other interests as well. She loved to read, mainly adventures, mysteries, history, and science. As a child, the library had a reading program, and one summer she read close to 100 books. She was very shy and felt more at ease expressing herself through pen and paper, so she wrote quite a bit. At age 11, Terry began writing to pen pals from all over the country and learned to converse with those of all ages, intellects, and different backgrounds. She continued through the years as she loved writing letters to family and friends. In recent years, she rekindled her passion of creative writing and joined the SCRIBE Writer's Workshop at the Windsor Senior Center where she was able to recapture life stories in written form. 

She loved to dance and would take any opportunity to cut the rug and dance the night away. In addition, Terry loved taking pictures and was found more often behind the camera, than in front of it. She loved to travel and always made time to visit old historical landmarks. As a history lover, she did extensive research into the family's genealogy and did this for friends as well. 

Terry enjoyed going to International & Ethnic Festivals to experience new cultures and loved the variety of food. As a food lover, she baked and cooked quite a bit, and hoped to put together a family recipe book. 

She was an avid birdwatcher and a member of the Allan Bird Club for over 20 years and participated in the Northeast Hawk watch and the Mass Breeding Bird Survey.

Memorable unexpected life highlights that sent Terry over the moon; 

*had a couple of rare bird sightings, one of a Painted Bunting, seen the farthest north of the Missouri River while bird watching with the St. Louis Audobon Society, and it became published as a state record, and the other rare sighting was of a Dark Morph Broadwing Hawk while hawk-watching with the Allan Bird Club on Blueberry Hill in West Granville, MA.

*she unified families internationally through her love of genealogy

*went to Fenway Park to watch the Boston Red Sox play and ended up being an extra in the movie Fever Pitch

*once, while volunteering on behalf of CCMC at the New England Celebrity Player Tour Team Championship Golf Tournament, New York Yankee's Bobby Murcer saw her having difficulty walking, pulled up to her in his golf cart and asked  "can I give you a ride little lady?" 

*had a run-in and made small talk with Neil Young not realizing who he was at moment. 

*danced the "YMCA" on stage with the Village People.

Terry was an incredibly strong woman that endured a great deal of distress over the years. As a faith-driven devotee, even in some of her darkest days, she was unwavering in her love and devotion to Jehovah and continued to encourage others. She appreciated every day of life as a precious gift. She was a kind, sincere and generous soul who was happier in giving than in receiving. Her family and friends will live on with the wonderful memories of her zany sense of humor, contagious smile, laughter,  kind spirit, and unyielding love. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

Friends are invited to join her family on Thursday, February 23, at the Sheehan Hilborn-Breen Funeral Home located at 1084 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford. Visitation will be from 5pm - 6:30pm with words of remembrance from 6:30pm - 7pm. 

In addition, there will be a memorial service on Friday, February 24, 2023 from noon - 1pm held at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, located at 202 North Road, East Windsor, CT that can also be attended virtually on Zoom; Meeting ID: 683 670 3752, no password required. 

Terry's family would like to extend their deepest gratitude to the over 20 doctors and their staff at Hartford Hospital and in the Hartford Healthcare system for their dedication, attentiveness, and care.

Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com

In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations to the American Heart Association, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.