Zena had a long and full life. She grew up on a small farm and was the first in her family to attend and graduate college. She first attended Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and then graduated with a teaching degree from what is now Georgia College & State University. Her teaching career brought her to Punta Gorda as a young women in the 1940s where she met and eventually married Leo Wotitzky with whom she spent over 50 years prior to his death in 2005. Together they had three children who survived her: Ed Wotitzky (Sabrina), Mary Monaco (Joe), and Hal Wotitzky (Allison); five grandchildren: Jacob, David, Leo, Hannah, and Rachel; and four great-grandchildren, Stella R. Headley, Avery R. Headly, Isaac B. Wotitzky and W. Frank Headley . Zena enjoyed her teaching career, and was admitted to Delta Kappa Gamma, an honorary society for outstanding educators. Zena also enjoyed gardening and was active in the Punta Gorda Garden Club.
A memorial service will be held at her church, First Baptist Church of Punta Gorda, 459 Gill Street, Punta Gorda, Florida, on Saturday, December 17, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. The service will be preceded by a visitation at the church beginning at 10:30 a.m. and a reception after the service in the Fellowship Hall. A private committal service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Zena’s name to the Leo Wotitzky Scholarship Fund at the Charlotte Community Foundation, a cause for which she cared deeply.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kayspongerpg.com for the Wotitzky family.
