Obituary of Marsha J. Rockwell
Marsha Jean Rockwell, 72, of Fort Myers, Fl, formerly of Pomfret, CT, passed away September 29, 2022 after a long courageous battle with cancer. While she was plagued with many medical issues over the years, she fought them all with courage and grace. Marsha was born in Putnam, CT, daughter of Lucien and Clarice (Hebert) Baker. She was the beloved wife of Dana Rockwell whom she married on October 28, 1983. She sadly leaves behind her daughter Jen Lesage and husband Keith of Brooklyn, CT; son Scott Grimshaw and wife Stacey of Pomfret, CT; son Tom Grimshaw and wife Linda of Fort Myers, Florida, and Matt Benzie whom she considered her 4th child and his wife Elle of Fort Myers, Florida. She also leaves behind one sister Jeannie Huber and two brothers Ronnie Baker and Gary Baker all of CT. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren, Ashley Green and Madison LeSage both of Portland, CT and Austin, Cassie, and Joey. Marsha was also GranDog/GranCat to Rex, Reggie, Sheba and Zeus. She also had a very special person in her life for many years who sadly passed in 2006, Lillian Anderson “Flo”. Marsha’s love lives on with her family and friends. We all will cherish the time we had with her, as it was an honor and privilege to have her in all of our lives.
Marsha attended Killingly High School and completed her GED, which she was so proud of. Later in life in her forties attended the LPN Nursing Program at Windham Technical Vocational School with her daughter.
Marsha volunteered & dedicated her time to the American Cancer Society (ACS) for the Reach TO Recovery program where she supported breast cancer survivors and shared her own story of hope. She was also one of the original committee members to volunteer for the ACS Relay for Life in Woodstock, CT as the luminary chair for many years. She worked many jobs through her years to support her family including: Danco, Colt’s Plastic, Loos & Co. Inc, Woodstock Medical as a medical assistant, and finally at Pack & Ship in Estero, Florida which she owned and managed the store.
She loved and enjoyed her time in Florida in the last eight years. She loved being in the Pack & Ship Store’s where she met so many wonderful people. She especially loved working with all the employees over the years but had a special place in her heart for Scottie B., Honey, Josh and Brad.
Marsha loved her time spent with Dana at their home on the canal taking their boat out, reading outside in their adirondack chairs, or just enjoying the Floridian sunsets as they were breathtaking. She had many animals over the years including a horse, cow, chickens and turkeys and beloved cats and dogs, but her last two dogs Belle & Radar will especially miss her, as they are lost without her now.
Marsha & Dana enjoyed their many travels and adventures to Ireland, Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Bahamas, and cruising to different ports. She especially enjoyed her many trips with Dana, Jeannie and Kevin. In addition to traveling Marsha loved her Red Sox, whom she went to see every year during training in Fort Myers. Her son Tom even had a Red Sox jersey that was personalized with “Rocky”. She never missed a game of her beloved Patriots either.
She loved her time spent with her son Tom and daughter-in-law Linda going to all the fabulous restaurants in Florida; as everyone knows she loved to eat out. She especially enjoyed her time on “Shark Bite”, Tom & Linda’s boat and all the fun times with them at their beach house “Livin The Dream” in Dauphin Island, Alabama, and was looking forward to their other beach house being built in Belize. Going to the Bon Jovi concert with them and being so close was a dream come true.
While in CT for visits she always enjoyed her time at Easy Acres Gnomestead, her son Scott and wife Stacey’s farm. She loved the many animals and their amazing gardens, as well as their home business they started with their farm from eggs, homemade crafts, etc. and their vegetable stand. She was so happy, proud and overjoyed when they told her last month they were getting married in Florida, and she would be there for it. Sadly mom passed and was not there, but her love and spirit was with them when they married on October 1, 2022.
She also enjoyed her time with her daughter Jen and son in-in-law Keith whom she loved and adored. They spent so much time together over the years at each other’s house, walking, as mom was an avid exerciser and loved being outdoors, picnics, eating out, vacations to Disney, New York, Red Sox Games, animal farms, etc. She was our best friend and we were always together hanging out when she lived in CT. It was many if not daily phone calls when she moved to Florida. She always looked forward to her visits to Connecticut.
Marsha’s life revolved around her two granddaughters, Ashley and Madison, and was there to celebrate and support them in all aspects of their lives. She was there for all their dance recitals over the girls long dance careers, always cheering them on. She made sure she was the one who bought all of their dresses for homecomings, dinner dances, proms, etc. and even took Ashley with family and friends to pick out her perfect wedding dress. She was so proud to see Madison become a hairdresser and Ashley a teacher. She was delighted to see Ashley marry the love of her life, Alex, whom Marsha also loved dearly. With Madison she shared the love of pocketbooks and shoes. Marsha succeeded in her goal to make sure her grandkids would have many special memories of her forever. She loved being a “Grammy” to them and on her last visit up to CT, she enjoyed her time with them at a beautiful scenic winery.
While in CT she always enjoyed time with dear friends Ginny, Dr. Winnie and Jane, and always looked forward to lunch with Ella and Tina as it was all laughter.
Her laugh was infectious and she touched so many lives. She was the best person, most amazing wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. She will be missed by all, especially her family. Life will never be the same for us.
A Calling Hour will be Friday, October 14, 2022 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds Street, Danielson, CT. A Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 AM at the Funeral Home. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Danielson, CT. Share a memory at www.gagnonandcostellofh.com