Obituary for Dorothea L. O'Hagan (Gessner)
Dorothea Luise Lena (Gessner) O’Hagan
She leaves behind her five children, Evelyn (O’Hagan) Mak and her husband Raymond of Windsor, CT, David O’Hagan and Pilar Cyr of Ellington, CT, Diane O’Hagan and her husband John Riel of Ellington, CT, Francis J. O’Hagan and his wife Jodi and children and grandchildren, of Chicopee, MA and Marian O’Hagan of Somers, CT. She was predeceased by her husband John G. O’Hagan. She also leaves behind several grand-children and step-grandchildren, Jessica (Woike) Gonzalez and her husband Stephen of Sacramento, CA, Eric Mak of New York, NY, Sarah Mak Bilsker and her husband Joshua of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Heather (Teece) Shultz of Dalton, OH and her husband Rob and children, and Ian O’Hagan of Boston, as well as a great-grandson, Gannon Gonzalez of Sacramento, CA, a brother, Helgo Gessner of Germany, and two sisters-in-law: Evelyn O’Hagan of Avon, CT and Frances Peterson of Unionville, CT, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews here and in Germany and Ireland. She was predeceased by her sister Hildegarde Nast and her sister-in-law Sheila Jadovich. Dorothea was born in Gotha, East Germany and grew up during the second World War. When she was a teenager, she escaped the then-Russian occupied East Germany to live with family in West Germany. She met her future husband, John G. O’Hagan, while he was stationed there several years later, and had lived in Enfield for 60 years. Dorothea was an accomplished artist, having trained in West Germany where she hand-painted floral details on ceramics. She took up painting again later in life and created many beautiful works of art. She was employed as a Nursing Assistant for many years at Kimberly Hall in Windsor, and later at Parkway Pavilion in Enfield, CT. She also attended St. John’s school of business. Alzheimer’s is a disease that robs people of their sense of self and eventually even their ability to control their own bodies. At a time when Dorothea should have been enjoying her retirement, she was battling this debilitating disease and slowly losing the connections to her past which anchored her to this world. Despite that, she was content and even happy in this new phase of her life. She was loved and well cared for by family and staff at East Village Place, which became her second home when she was no longer able to safely function in her own home. We would also like to thank the compassionate hospice workers from Baystate Medical, especially Maria, for caring so selflessly for our mother. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that contributions be made to the CT Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., 4B Southington, CT 06489-1058, as they proved invaluable to the family not only as a resource, but as a lifeline for coping with this disease. Dorothea’s family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, March 22, from 4 – 7 p.m. at Browne Memorial Chapels, Enfield, CT. Funeral services will be Saturday, March 23, with the funeral procession forming at 9;30 a.m. at the funeral home to St. Martha Church 214 Brainard Rd. Enfield for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Interment will then follow in the Hazardville Cemetery in Enfield.
She leaves behind her five children, Evelyn (O’Hagan) Mak and her husband Raymond of Windsor, CT, David O’Hagan and Pilar Cyr of Ellington, CT, Diane O’Hagan and her husband John Riel of Ellington, CT, Francis J. O’Hagan and his wife Jodi and children and grandchildren, of Chicopee, MA and Marian O’Hagan of Somers, CT. She was predeceased by her husband John G. O’Hagan. She also leaves behind several grand-children and step-grandchildren, Jessica (Woike) Gonzalez and her husband Stephen of Sacramento, CA, Eric Mak of New York, NY, Sarah Mak Bilsker and her husband Joshua of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Heather (Teece) Shultz of Dalton, OH and her husband Rob and children, and Ian O’Hagan of Boston, as well as a great-grandson, Gannon Gonzalez of Sacramento, CA, a brother, Helgo Gessner of Germany, and two sisters-in-law: Evelyn O’Hagan of Avon, CT and Frances Peterson of Unionville, CT, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews here and in Germany and Ireland. She was predeceased by her sister Hildegarde Nast and her sister-in-law Sheila Jadovich. Dorothea was born in Gotha, East Germany and grew up during the second World War. When she was a teenager, she escaped the then-Russian occupied East Germany to live with family in West Germany. She met her future husband, John G. O’Hagan, while he was stationed there several years later, and had lived in Enfield for 60 years. Dorothea was an accomplished artist, having trained in West Germany where she hand-painted floral details on ceramics. She took up painting again later in life and created many beautiful works of art. She was employed as a Nursing Assistant for many years at Kimberly Hall in Windsor, and later at Parkway Pavilion in Enfield, CT. She also attended St. John’s school of business. Alzheimer’s is a disease that robs people of their sense of self and eventually even their ability to control their own bodies. At a time when Dorothea should have been enjoying her retirement, she was battling this debilitating disease and slowly losing the connections to her past which anchored her to this world. Despite that, she was content and even happy in this new phase of her life. She was loved and well cared for by family and staff at East Village Place, which became her second home when she was no longer able to safely function in her own home. We would also like to thank the compassionate hospice workers from Baystate Medical, especially Maria, for caring so selflessly for our mother. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that contributions be made to the CT Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, 200 Executive Blvd., 4B Southington, CT 06489-1058, as they proved invaluable to the family not only as a resource, but as a lifeline for coping with this disease. Dorothea’s family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, March 22, from 4 – 7 p.m. at Browne Memorial Chapels, Enfield, CT. Funeral services will be Saturday, March 23, with the funeral procession forming at 9;30 a.m. at the funeral home to St. Martha Church 214 Brainard Rd. Enfield for a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Interment will then follow in the Hazardville Cemetery in Enfield.