Willa Thompson Schuster

Mystic - Willa Thompson Schuster, 73, a lifelong resident of Mystic, died at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital on June 27, 2013.

She was born Dec. 4, 1939, in Westerly, to the late Dr. Harold G. and Willa (Broxy) Schuster. Willa contracted polio in 1955 and became a quadriplegic. She graduated from the Williams School in New London in 1959, and in 1968, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and cum laude from Connecticut College with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy.

After college, Willa initiated what would become an enduring commitment to community service. She began her civic engagement as a member of the newly founded Mystic Junior Women's Club, where she later became president and an executive board member of the Connecticut State Federation of Women's Clubs. She and her sister-in-law, Lynda Schuster, became co-owners of Pennywise Consignment Shop in Mystic, one of the first independent consignment shops in the region. She was a trustee of the Mystic River Historical Society, as well as editor of their newsletter, co-chairman of the Mystic Bicentennial Committee, and member of the Groton Bicentennial Committee, publicity chairman for the Mystic Outdoor Arts Festival, chairman of fundraising and Brownie troop leader for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, member of the Mystic & Noank Library Book Selection Committee, and president of the Williams School Alumni Board.

In recognition of her record of service, Willa was awarded the Mystic Chamber of Commerce Community Service award in 1983.

Willa was a longtime supporter of arts and culture in Mystic. In the 1990s, she began to work closely with the Mystic Arts Center, formerly the Mystic Art Association, as newsletter editor. Eventually, she became head of the Long Range Planning and Permanent Collection Committee, Public Relations chair, and president of the board of directors. Her most recent contribution involved planning for the Center's 100th anniversary in 2013.

Willa is survived by her siblings, Jennifer Villiger (Armand), of Huntington, N.Y., John Schuster of Bremerton, Wash., Sara Peck of Mystic, and her cousin, Lora Broxy Joseph of Niantic. Willa maintained and nurtured relationships with a large extended family that included many loving nieces and nephews and their children, cousins and their children, and the ongoing cooperative effort of dedicated friends, aides, and helpers.

A memorial service will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, at the Mystic Congregational Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Willa's memory may be made to the Mystic Arts Center, 9 Water St., Mystic, CT 06355.

For obituary information, directions, or to send an online condolence to the family, please visit www.dinotofuneral.com.