Shirley A. Wochomurka

1934 - 2025

Shirley A. Wochomurka
1934 - 2025
Shirley (Tluck) Wochomurka, 91, of Manchester, beloved wife of Eugene Wochmomurka, peacefully passed away on September 14th, 2025. Shirley was born August 13, 1934, in Manchester, CT, to immigrant parents Anna and Andrew Tluck from Malthern, Slovakia. She is survived by her 3 children, Karl Turek and Karin Turek, both of Manchester, and Dr. Paul Turek of Beverly Hills, California and his two daughters Sophia Turek and Vanessa Turek. Cheryl Looke (Stephen) is a surviving stepdaughter along with her step-grandson, Fred Yates IV (Boston MA).
Shirley grew up in Manchester and graduated from Manchester High School. She then obtained a business associate degree at Hillier College in Hartford. During her career, she worked for the Aetna Insurance company and the Manchester public school system, including retiring from her position within the vice superintendent's office based at Robertson School. Shirley's gifts to us were her timeless optimism, her love of children, her loyal and lifelong friendships and her dedication as a mother, wife and friend. Her true obsessions were cooking and baking, best exemplified by her apple pie that dominated at 4-H fairs year after year, and the UConn women's basketball team.
The essence of Shirley was aptly captured in a toast that her son Dr. Paul Turek gave at her 90th birthday celebration in 2024:
Once upon a time, in a place quite near and dear,
A little girl named Shirley was raised by the Tlucks.
With sky blue eyes and a smile so sincere,
She radiated goodness, God's grace and good luck.
She married in earnest to one named Jack
Whose tall, dark-haired presence moved her so,
And the two had 3 great children, almost back-to-back,
And believe me, they have kept her on her toes!
She then entered a tumultuous time in her life.
Single with children, working hard for four,
Unwaveringly strong, through harmony and strife,
To us, she was the West, South, East and North,
She was our ground, are all, and our lives she lit bright.
But what she never lost was a shred of hope,
That life could be better than the cards she was dealt.
Then, into her world rolled a simple man with many jokes,
Dear saint Gene, who inspired a deep love newly felt.
Yes, mom is a fortress, a force of kindness and good,
Weathering 90 years of life with her mile-wide smile,
Radiating all the dignity, love, and grace that one could,
Through her long, full life filled with tribulations and trials.
There are those who are pillars, and then there is Mom.
The mother of mothers, the bedrock of calm.
A beacon of hope, a rock of Gibraltar,
Timeless, tireless, unwavering and unfaltering.
With what you were handed and what you have done,
In the world of Moms, you're second to none!
Relentlessly selfless and without complaint,
Surely on the short-list of being a saint.
Relatives and friends may join the family on October 4th at Concordia Lutheran Church, 40 Pitkin Street, Manchester, CT, for visitation from at 9:30 – 10:30 a.m., followed by a short church service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow immediately at East Cemetery in Manchester. We encourage the sharing of stories and memories of moments shared with Shirley at www.tierneyfuneralhome.com.