Amy Coken Wyrobek

Amy Lynn Coken Wyrobek, 66, of Glen Allen, Virginia, passed away on August 14, 2021 after bravely battling pancreatic cancer. Born in Chicago, Illinois where she graduated from Taft High School and earned degrees at Kishwaukee Junior College and the University of Illinois Chicago. Amy used her education and mathematics degree to begin a teaching career in 1976 but in 1980 switched to Information Technology accepting an entry level position at Western Electric (AT&T) in Warrenville, Illinois. Here she met her husband, Wayne Wyrobek, whom she married in 1983.

Amy and Wayne’s IT careers at AT&T flourished through the years and they both accepted transfers with promotions to data centers in Denver, Colorado in 1988 and then Orlando, Florida in 1991. Despite her success in the corporate world, Amy’s passion remained with educating special needs children. She left AT&T in 1994 after 14 years of service and went back to teaching special education in the Orange County (FL) school system. In 1996, her husband Wayne accepted a job with the Federal Reserve System and they relocated to the Richmond, Virginia area. Amy then took a teaching position in the Chesterfield County (VA) school system’s Special Education Program.

Amy was gifted in her ability to teach children with special needs both scholastic and life lessons. Her always calm demeanor and engaging smile enabled her to connect with kids in various elementary school grade levels no matter what their learning disabilities or behavioral problems. She was akin to a substitute parent for many of her students who came from broken homes. Amy retired from teaching in 2017 when she and Wayne moved to their new home in Glen Allen, Virginia.

Amy enjoyed her red wine, sports, especially baseball and had an artistic side as well. She was adept at making and painting ceramics and had a knack for most arts and crafts, a talent which she imparted on her lucky students. A very special talent was her ability to design epic scrapbooks, arranging family and travel photos while adding a host of artistic embellishments to create unique keepsakes commemorating life events and memorable vacations. Amy was also a serious collector of baseball cards, pins and her beloved squished pennies.

Wayne and Amy loved to travel and take cruises together and they vacationed in many U.S. states, numerous islands in the Atlantic and Pacific as well as many countries in North and Central America, Europe and exotic middle eastern destinations, Egypt and Turkey. Lighthouses fascinated Amy and we always visited and photographed any that were in the vicinity of our travel destinations.

Amy had a love of animals, especially dogs. She and Wayne provided wonderful lives to their Golden Retriever, Jake and later their rescue Jack Russell Terrier, Jackie-O. Dogs could immediately sense her friendliness and compassion and readily cuddled up to her for some good petting and loving. Amy’s endearing qualities were not limited to animals but people too as she approached everyone with politeness and kindness and no judgement. However, when she did get to know you well, Amy enjoyed trading good-natured ribbing and teasing but her engaging smile always showed she meant no harm or insult. Amy will be missed by all who knew her and whose lives she touched.

Amy Coken Wyrobek was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Betty Coken. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Wayne Wyrobek; sister Patricia (Kevin) Sherlock and brother James (Cindy) Coken both of Elmhurst, Illinois; and nieces Elyse Sherlock of Chicago and Kimberly Coken of Rochester, Minnesota. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Diane (Dave) Garthus and Sandy (Bob) Botwinski; nephews Bobby and Kevin Botwinski, all of Illinois. A Memorial Service will be held on October 3rd, 2021 at the Christ United Methodist Church of Elmhurst, Illinois and a Celebration of Life gathering here in Virginia for her local friends will be announced at a later date.