Vera E. Borowik

Vera E. (Broton) Borowik, 105, passed peacefully with her family by her side at her daughter's home in the Avery Heights Retirement Community in Hartford, CT. Her 105 years were filled with faith, love, and family.

Vera's strong faith, devotion to her Church and daily Masses sustained her strength throughout her lifetime.

Her love of her family throughout her entire life was expressed in so many ways. You could count on her to be wherever she saw a need for caring and support. This could include her time, loyalty, homemade Polish meals, cards, visits, attending events, gifts and just being a "good sport".

She received recognition and letters from organizations to which she made hundreds of crocheted shawls, lap and baby blankets for patients, veterans, various Churches and those without homes. These organizations included Divine Mercy Church, St. John Bosco Church, Yale New Haven Hospital, The March of Dimes, and The Connecticut Hospice, Inc. in Branford. Her many gifts of warmth also extended to family members and friends.

Vera kept active her entire life with her walks, golfing with her husband, and at home pedaling until the very end. She was an avid fan of UCONN basketball, Rory McIlroy and the Boston Red Sox, through 105 yrs. of their ups and downs. She remained feisty her entire life and managed to live her latter years doing it "her way".

Vera was born in Bondsville, MA on June 24, 1921. She was the ninth of twelve children born of the late Adam and Mary (Kos) Broton, who had emigrated from Poland in the late 1800s and made their home in Bondsville on a thirteen acre farm. After completing school, she then lived in Springfield with a sister, working to help support her remaining family in Bondsville. During most of her working years she was a skilled solderer.

She then married the love of her life, Theodore J. Borowik from Springfield on October 12, 1941 at St. Adalbert's Church in Belchertown and continued to live in Springfield. When her father passed in 1942, Vera and Teddy moved back to Bondsville and lived on the farm with her sister Stephanie Graveline (Joseph) to support their mother. The United States was now involved in World War II, her husband was now in the Coast Guard and their daughter Susan was born in 1945. Thirteen years later Vera and her husband built a house next door to the farmhouse. She and Teddy enjoyed playing golf together, their many friends, and traveling to Florida, Hawaii, Bermuda and Poland several times to maintain ties with the Kos and Borowik families. Even after her husband died in 1996, Vera stayed in their house until she was 90 years old. She then moved to Branford, CT to live closer to her family for the next ten years. In 2021, Vera moved to live with her daughter and son-in-law in a cottage in the Avery Heights Retirement Community in Hartford, CT.

Along with her parents, she is predeceased by her husband Theodore J. Borowik, Susan's husband Thomas Cloherty, her brothers, Adam, John and Ed Broton, sisters, Pauline, Irene and Carolyn Broton, Sophie Lepianka, Anne Baker, Edna Howard, Stephanie "Kitty" Graveline and Bertha Sablak.

She is survived by her devoted daughter Susan Harrison, her three loving and very much loved grandchildren: Mark Zabawa (Linda DeCrescenzo), Krystyn Eggleton (David), and Beth Small (Dennis). She also leaves her adored great-grandchildren: Michael, Kelsey, Allyson, and Sydnee Eggleton, Katherine and Lauren Small, and Theodore Zabawa.

Vera was fortunate to have nieces and nephews who always remembered her and loved her as she loved them. They included: Sylvia Cummings, Patricia Korzec, Alice Petruzzi, Teresa Aubin, and Ed Sablak, Judy Graveline, Susan Graveline, Rosemarie Ricco, Marilyn Haryasz, William Borowik, John Borowik, Richard Smith, Joseph Lepianka and Frances Haley.

Vera's life was made richer by her entire family and the friends she enjoyed so much.

A funeral Mass to celebrate Vera's life will be at Divine Mercy Parish on Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 am with burial to follow in Sts. Peter & Paul Cemetery. Please meet directly at the church.

The family wishes to extend a heart felt thanks to Maria Harrison as well as the staff at Avery Heights and at accentCare Hospice for their loving support. In lieu of floral offerings, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Phone: 800-822-6344 or stjude.org/donate or Shriners Hospitals for Children, https://donate.shrinerschildrens.org