Doris Rosa (Wied) Conway, longtime resident of Marlborough, CT, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday, May 7, 2020. She courageously battled several cancers since the age of 55, most recently oral cancer. Doris was born in Wangen, Germany on May 21, 1940 to Erwin and Rosa Wied. She married and came to America in 1966. She will be deeply missed by her daughters, Dorothea Blomquist, Laura (Darren) Lessard, Gloria (Michael) Wilkinson and Linda (Ryan) Romanowski. Doris instilled her work ethic and resilience in her daughters. She loved being a grandmother and “Oma” to her seven grandchildren, Christie (Chris) Berlin and Tyler (Kara) Blomquist, Owen Tardif, Caitlynn and Ethan Lessard, and Luke and Lillian Romanowski. She was fortunate to be a great grandmother to Chase, Oaklyn and Palmer Blomquist. She will be missed by her family and friends near and far. In Germany, her sister, Ursula, nephews Martin, Klaus, Tomas and Bernhardt. She was predeceased by her newborn daughter, Elizabeth Olszewski, former husbands George J. Olszewski Jr. and James T. Conway as well as her brother, Dieter Wied.
Doris learned to sew during her teenage years. She worked as a talented seamstress throughout her lifetime. She also had a long career in manufacturing beginning at Salamander Shoes in Germany. After coming to America, she worked at Colts Firearms where she met her lifelong friend, Betty Varni. She drove special needs children to/from school while her daughters were growing up. She later became employed at Reliable Electric Motors in Hartford, Marlborough Healthcare Center and Intelligent Motion Systems, both in Marlborough.
Doris loved gardening and planted gardens not only where she lived but also where she worked, attended church and at the Marlborough Post Office. The numerous gardens on the grounds of the Florence S. Lord Senior Housing Center serve as a beautiful living legacy to her “green thumb”. Doris lived her life to the fullest and was always ready for an adventure. In addition to gardening, she enjoyed traveling, tag sales, camping, fishing, dancing and sunbathing at the beach. She was a caring person always willing to help someone in need. Doris was a member of the Colt’s Girls Club, First Spiritualist Church of Willimantic, The Red Hat Society, The Loyal Order of Moose Lodge and the American Legion. Her presence will be missed by those who knew her.
A memorial service celebrating Doris' life will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 11:00 AM at D'Esopo-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter St, East Hartford, CT 06118. Memorial donations in Doris' name may be made to Florence S. Lord Senior Housing Center, 155 South Main Street, #1, Marlborough, CT 06447. Checks can be made payable to FLS with a note for Residence Fund in memory of Doris.
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