Maria Suzanne Zack

Maria Suzanne Zack, 82, passed June 20th, in Punta Gorda, Florida, in the company of her family and hospice staff. Daughter of Joseph B Dowling and Mary O’Brien Dowling, Maria was born April 14th, 1944, in New Haven Connecticut. She was a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy and later attended Albertus Magnus College.

In her first professional career she was a member of the touring Ice Capades, and then, following her years on tour, taught ice skating to many private students, including olympian, Dorthy Hamil’s, understudy. In her second career, following the raising of her two children, she was a social worker specializing with special needs children, a job she loved very much.

She married her husband, Alfred J Zack, in 1969. The couple recently celebrated their fifty sixth anniversary. She adored the town of Branford, Connecticut, where she and her husband lived together for fifty years before retiring to their adopted hometown of Punta Gorda.

Maria was a lifelong animal lover, and owner, a curious, multi-lingual traveler (Argentina, Brazil, Scotland, Ireland, India, the Caribbean), a courageous cancer survivor, a most devoted friend, and a loving wife and mother.

She is survived by her husband, Alfred, her sons, Todd and Brad, Brad’s spouse, Kristen, and her much-loved grandchildren, Adele and Jameson.

A kind-hearted, warm, and truly inspiring woman, she will always be remembered and always be missed. Maria's memorial details will be announced to her friends and family in the coming days.