- Date Of Birth: January 17, 1916
- Date Of Death: March 17, 2009
- State: Connecticut
Frances (Rokosa) Zaleski, 93, of Hartford, passed away on Tuesday March 17, 2009, at Avery Heights, Hartford. For 58 years, she was the beloved wife of the late Harry W. Zaleski. Frances, the daughter of the late Joseph and Barbara (Korytko) Rokosa, was born in Bristol, Connecticut, on January 17, 1916. When her mother died in the influenza epidemic, her father married Anna Janas, who raised Frances and her young siblings as her own. Frances graduated from Bristol High School, and during World War II, became a nurse’s aide at Bristol Hospital, a role that brought her great pride, even allowing her to be present at the birth of her youngest sister. After their marriage in 1948, Harry & Frances moved to Newington, where they lived for close to 50 years, raising their daughter in the home on Styles Avenue that Harry built himself. Fran began working at Connecticut General Life Insurance in the 1950’s. With the arrival of the computer era, she became a punch card operator, and then was chosen to be the very first tape librarian for the company.
Fran is survived by her daughter, Janice Klein and son-in-law, David, of Hartford. She also leaves her granddaughter, Jordan Klein, of Hartford, and her step-grandchildren and their families: Rebecca Klein, her husband Jason Qua and their children Gabriel & Georgia, of Suffield, and Adam Klein, his wife Jennette Kollmann and their daughter Emma, of Riverdale, New York.
She was the much loved matriarch of a large and devoted Polish clan, and is also survived by her sisters Judith Grisamore, of Lake Bluff, IL, and Susan Woodcock of Tiverton, RI, and by 25 nieces and nephews, and numerous great nieces & nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, Fran was pre-deceased by sisters and brothers Thaddeus Rokosa, Stanley & Madeline Janas, Josephine Rokosa Lozinski, Sophie Rokosa Simpson, Philip & Muriel Rokosa, Bill Grisamore and Helen Rokosa.
Frances’s & Harry’s family is deeply grateful to the devoted staff and caregivers at AveryHeights – in The Heights apartments, the Brainard Sub-Acute Unit, the Betty Larus Adult Day Care Center and Station 3 Skilled Nursing. For nine years, they have provided never-ending love, support, patience and compassion.
