Dolores Ann (Patsky) Burdick

Dolores Ann (Patsky) Burdick, 89, of Uncasville, loving wife of the late David S. Burdick and daughter of the late Walter and Ceil Patsky, passed away on May 12, 2022.

Known affectionately by her close friends as “Pat” and her family as “Grandma” and “Gigi,” she was born October 25, 1932, and grew up in Morristown and Lake Parsippany, NJ before permanently settling down with her husband David on the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, CT.

Together they raised four children—Patricia, Matthew, Audrey and Mark—who would later provide Dolores with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, all of whom Dolores loved very much. Never one to miss a party, she left this world on her late husband’s birthday—joining him and other loved ones in a joyous reunion and celebration.

Dolores studied the arts in high school. She was very creative and took great pleasure in knitting and arts and crafts activities—especially with her children and grandchildren. Outside of raising her family, she worked as a Lab Technician for American Optical in Norwich. An admitted “diva,” she loved to cook for family gatherings, hit the bingo hall with friends, drop a few coins in the slot machines at the casino and watch her man Alex Trebek each night on Jeopardy. Her talent in matching her shirts and blouses with pants that were the exact same color never ceased to impress or amuse her grandkids.

She loved her house and neighborhood, and always welcomed visiting hummingbirds, but shooed away pesky deer—mocking them as interlopers. She was her children’s #1 fan and enjoyed attending their sports games at Montville High School. Completely unaware and uninterested in the capabilities of the internet, she collected and mailed coupons, recipes, news articles and calendars to family members—and demanded recent photographs in return. Dolores loved to discuss cooking, flowers, gardening and birds—but her favorite subject by far was her family, which she cared for deeply.

Dolores will be forever missed by her son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Lee-Etta Burdick of Bonita Springs, Fla.; daughter Audrey Zaccaro of Colchester; son and daughter-in-law Mark Burdick and Joyce Brown of Lisbon; her eight grandchildren: Andrea, Melissa, Christopher, Joshua, Rachel, Daniel, Laura and Chelsea; eight great-grandchildren (with one more on the way!); and many extended family members and friends. She was predeceased by both of her parents; daughter Patricia Cirillo; brother Robert Patsky; and son-in-law David Zaccaro.

Funeral services will be held at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Road, Colchester, on Sunday, May 22. Visitation will begin at noon, followed by a memorial service and celebration of life at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be private. Donations in her memory may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org. 

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