Phyllis D. (Dutkiewicz) Heath, 78, widow of Wayne B. Heath, Sr., died on Tuesday, June 28, at her home in Bristol. Phyllis was born on Jan. 11, 1944, in Bristol and was a daughter of the late Joseph and Aurele (Gagne) Dutkiewicz.
Phyllis, a devout Catholic, married Wayne B Heath Sr. on Aug. 29 1964. For the next half of a century Phyllis stood by Wayne side as the foundational anchor of his military career in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, a journey that took the family across the United States through countless military installations in eight states.
In her spare time Phyllis harnessed her passion for family and education while serving as a director of faith based educational programs for the U.S. Air Force Church until Wayne’s retirement in 1983. After returning to Bristol in 1983, Phyllis began her own career serving the J.C. Penny corporation as the Executive Manager of the local store in Bristol Plaza until her retirement in 1997.
Phyllis, a selfless giver to her children and relatives, enjoyed cross-stitching, crocheting, reading, and cross word puzzles. She was a parishioner of St. Matthews Church in Forestville, where she served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister, sang in the choir and was an Associate of the Sisters Cross and Passion, and a devoted supporter of the Our Lady of Calvary retreat house in Farmington.
Phyllis is survived by four children: Cassandra Harmond and husband, Richard of Katy, Texas, Wayne B. Heath, Jr. of Bristol, Richard A. Heath a U.S. Navy Veteran of Bremerton, Wash., and Christopher E. Heath of Lakeridge, Va.; three grandchildren: Caleb, Robert, and Sarah Harmond; and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 6, at 10 a.m. at St. Matthews Church, 120 Church Ave., Forestville. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery, Bristol. Relatives and friends may call at Funk Funeral Home, 35 Bellevue Ave., Bristol, on Tuesday, July 5 between 5 and 7 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to St. Matthew Church, 120 Church Ave., Bristol, CT 06010 or to Our Lady of Calvary Retreat Center, 31 Colton St., Farmington, CT 06032.
Please visit Phyllis’s memorial website at www.FunkFuneralHome.com.