RONZIO, Slava (Weislik) Of West Roxbury, June 9, 2015. Beloved wife of the late Thomas H. Ronzio. Loving mother of Richard V. Ronzio and his wife Ellen of Maynard and Robert T. Ronzio and his wife Joan. Cherished grandmother of Matthew and Megan Ronzio, Juliann and Richard Pico, Brian and Kerri Ronzio and Christopher Ronzio and his fiance Tiffany Cuddihy. Great grandmother of Nicholas, Kyle, Olivia, Kalie and Jason.
Slava Weislik Ronzio, 95, died peacefully surrounded by her two sons, Robert and Richard, and daughter-in-law Ellen on June 9, 2015 at Notre Dame Health Care Center in Worcester after a short illness.
Slava was born at home on 20 Kelley Court in Brighton, MA on March 5, 1920 and was raised in the community by her loving parents Stanislaus and Julianna (Pilius) Weislik. The family of six girls, Wanda, Ida, Felicia, Stella, Slava and Irene, eventually moved to 84 Litchfield Street. She and her sisters were all educated in the Boston Public schools and Slava graduated from Brighton High School in 1937.
She married her late husband, Thomas H. Ronzio, of Cambridge, MA prior to Word War II. During that time she worked locally at the Hood Rubber Company (later B. F. Goodrich) in Watertown, MA. After the conclusion of the war, Slava decided to change occupations and went to work for Filene’s Sons and Co. where she eventually became a department manager at the Chestnut Hill branch. After her retirement, Filene’s management now owned by Macy’s sought to rehire her in a part-time capacity due to extensive retail expertise.
Despite her lifetime employment in the workforce, Slava was a wonderful homemaker. She and her husband bought a house on 12 Burwell Road in West Roxbury. Slava loved gardening and spent long hours in her yard planting and beautifying the neighborhood. Being an outdoorswoman, Slava also enjoyed golfing at many of the local public courses in Cambridge, Boston and Brookline.
Eventually she and Tom became snowbirds and bought a home in a private community in Bradenton, Florida. She loved spending the winters at Plantation Grove, where she and her husband gardened, played shuffleboard and swam in the pool. It was a time of enjoyment where she made many new friends from everywhere in North America. Slava always had an air of independence about her and when her husband and lifetime partner passed in 2000, she was able to recover. She continued to make the annual trek to the warmer climes in Florida for the next twelve years on her own.
During that period she pursued her passion for quilting, crocheting and knitting. She and her sisters Irene and Wanda passionately made and donated a prolific number of carefully and lovingly handcrafted products to The Children’s Hospital in Boston in memory Adam Jones.
Eventually, at age 91 1/2 Slava decided to surrender her driver’s license, but that did not keep her from walking around the neighborhood daily. She even routinely went to the grocery store and the doctor’s office. Frequently, her sons would receive reports from the merchants along Center Street informing them of her whereabouts.
However, an insidious ailment, dementia proved too difficult for this strong woman who had faced and overcome whatever obstacle life had placed in front of her. She moved into an assisted living facility, Shrewsbury Crossing in Shrewsbury, MA. There again she made many friends and was extremely well liked by the professional staff of caregivers. Unfortunately, a fall in which Slava broke her wrist sent her to the UMass Medical Center. The wrist healed but Slava was now confined to a wheelchair. Her sons made a difficult decision to move Slava into a skilled nursing facility, Notre Dame Health Care Center of Worcester, MA. Slava instantaneously became a celebrity and her special personality sparked life into everyone. The end finally came months later as she willingly surrendered her spirit to the Lord.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Slava's name may be made to: Boston Children's Hospital 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, (Philanthropy ensures that Boston Children's will always be a resource for kids from everywhere including Boston, and around the world), or Notre Dame Health Care Center, 555 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605 (Supporting exceptional and compassionate care for seniors, hospice patients, and pediatric palliative patients and families).
Funeral from the Robert J. Lawler and Crosby Funeral Home, 1803 Centre St., WEST ROXBURY, on Tuesday, June 16, at 9:00am. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in the Holy Name Church at 10:00am. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours in the Funeral Home on Monday from 4:00 to 8:00pm.
Interment St. Joseph Cemetery open to family and friends.
www.lawlerfuneralhome.com
Lawler & Crosby Funeral Home
(617) 323-5600
Abbreviated version published in The Boston Globe on June 14 & 15, 2015