Shirley A. (Turner) Veltri, 83, of Hebron and formerly of East Hartford, beloved mother and grandmother, died Monday, March 30, 2020 surrounded by the loving embrace of her family at her residence. She was born in Glens Falls, NY, on April 30, 1936, a daughter of the late Theodore R. and Grace L. (Cross) Turner of Queensbury, NY. She was predeceased by her true love of over 56 years, Richard D. Veltri; her sister, Barbara Curley and her brother Francis Turner. She is survived by her daughter, Bernadette “Bern” M. Veltri of South Windsor, her son Daniel M. Veltri and his wife, Jennifer, of Marlborough, her son Carl J. Veltri of Robesonia, PA, and her daughter, Victoria “Vicki” L. Veltri of Colchester. She is also survived by her brother, Theodore Turner of Queensbury, NY; her sister in law, Mary Lofts and her husband, Dave, of Langston, AL; her sister-in-law, Betty Turner of South Glens Falls, NY; her six cherished grandchildren, Kyle, Katlin, Emily, Luke, Grace and Maxwell; many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.
She obtained a Bachelor of Nursing Degree from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY, where she met her husband Richard. She was employed as a registered nurse at St. Francis Hospital and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft prior to spending many years as a school nurse in the East Hartford Public Schools until her retirement. She and Richard spent over fifty years in East Hartford before moving to Hebron in 2007. A devout Catholic, Shirley was a faithful communicant of Holy Trinity Church in Hartford where she had many friends. She was a loving mother and an athlete. She played many sports in her youth including skiing and basketball. She made many runs on the toboggan with her children, taught them how to swim, played baseball and liked to umpire her sons little league games. She loved the New York Giants, spending many summers watching the team’s training camp in upstate NY, and finally seeing them win the Super Bowl. She loved yearly camping trips to the White Mountains and trips to Cape Cod with her family. Shirley had a great flair for style, was elegantly dressed and always the best dressed person in any room. She was a great singer, loved playing the cello, and enjoyed dancing, especially square dancing, with her husband.
In her retirement, she and Richard became avid fans of the UConn women’s basketball team, traveling to championship games until the last few years when she could not attend any longer and cheered for the team from her living room. A history buff, she enjoyed her travels around the world with Richard and her family. She treasured her summers in Lake George, NY, and her beloved Adirondack Mountains. Above all, she treasured her family, spending much of her later years enjoying her grandchildren and watching their basketball, baseball and soccer games.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial on Saturday (September 26) at 1 p.m. at Holy Trinity Church, 53 Capitol Ave., Hartford. Please go directly to the church. To see a livestream of the Mass, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWyaIH7A-q0&feature=youtu.be
The burial will follow in Holy Cross Cemetery, Glastonbury. To see a livestream of the burial, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPInlUbmHQw&feature=youtu.be
The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday from 4-6 p.m. at the D’ESOPO-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Shirley’s name may be made to Holy Trinity Church, 53 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. Shirley’s family wishes to thank her hospice workers from Hartford Healthcare at Home and her aides from Home Instead who provided support for her and her family. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family please visit www.desopoeh.com.
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Holy Trinity Church53 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut 06106
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