Shirley Ernestine Sapoznik

Shirley Ernestine Sapoznik
Shirley Ernestine (Colombi) Sapoznik, 92, of Windsor Locks, CT, passed away on Monday, December 29, 2025. She was born in Hartford, CT on December 17, 1933, to Edward and Teresa (Draghi) Colombi. She graduated from Windsor Locks High School and later worked at Flight Enterprises where she met her future husband of 69 years, Theodore (Ted) Sapoznik.
Although she held several part-time jobs over the years, Shirley's primary focus was on caring for her home and raising her three beloved sons. Once they were grown and married, she took further delight in her four grandchildren and, eventually, the eight great-grandchildren that came along. She was a woman of deep faith evidenced by her many years as a parishioner at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church and by the way she lived her life at home. From the cross that hung from her neck and the rosary beads in her pocket to the falling apart prayer books she read from daily, her faith was evident and always on display. Even as dementia began to take its toll, watching daily mass on television was one of the final things that calmed her restless soul.
Shirley is survived by her three sons, Andrew Sapoznik of Windsor Locks, John Sapoznik and his wife Debbie of Enfield, and Theodore Edward Sapoznik and his wife Mary of Vancouver, WA; her sister, Lois Marcinek of Windsor Locks, her brother-in-law James "Bob" Sapoznik of Ashford; her sister-in-law, Joyce Sapoznik of Naples, FL; her grandchildren April Sapoznik, Christopher (Alissa) Sapoznik, Michael (Marie) Sapoznik, and Kathryn (Trent) Fuhrmann; her eight great- grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Additionally, Shirley is survived by her caretaker and most special friend, Karen Maillet. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband and her brother, Freddie Colombi.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, January 7, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 52 S. Elm St., Windsor Locks, CT, followed by burial in St. Mary's Cemetery, Windsor Locks.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Mary, Gate of Heaven Parish, 42 Spring Street,
Windsor Locks, CT 06096.
For online expressions of sympathy, please visit www.windsorlocksfuneralhome.com