Obituary of Courtney Beth Wilczewski

Courtney Beth Wilczewski was granted her angel wings on May 26, 2015, following a tragic car accident. For many Courtney’s life would seem too short, but those that were touched by her passion and love for others understand she lived more than most will ever. Courtney was born on May 28, 1992 in Bryn Mawr, PA, the daughter of Joseph and Diane Wilczewski. She graduated from Glastonbury High School in 2010. She graduated from Providence College receiving a BA in Biology and BS in Health Policy Management. During her time at PC she volunteered in Peru helping women and children and spent a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark. Courtney was passionate about everyone she met and anything she did. Next to her love for her family, especially her sister and best friend Kaite, service to others was a part of her everyday life. She volunteered with Unified Sports, Special Olympics and worked at Camp Horizons, an agency for children and adults with developmental disabilities. Courtney was employed by the CCMC School. She wanted to positively impact as many people as possible. Courtney was in the final stages of applications to medical school and nursing masters programs. A final gift of love was given by Courtney by helping others through donation. With Courtney’s passing we remind others that her life is one to be celebrated. Although we will miss her beautiful smile and hearty laugh, she will remain in our hearts. It has been a privilege to be her parents. Courtney is survived by her devastated parents, Diane and Joseph Wilczewski and her B&B sister Kaite, Yaya and grandmother, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, and coworkers. She is predeceased by her grandfathers. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday May 30 at 10am in St. Paul Church, 2577 Main St., Glastonbury. Friends may call at the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury TODAY Friday May 29 from 4-8pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Courtney’s name would be appreciated to the two organizations closest to her heart, Camp Horizons, Inc. - 127 Babcock Hill Road South Windham, CT 06266 or Glastonbury Special Olympics – Tina Yenkner -310 Overlook Road, Glastonbury, CT 06033. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.

EULOGY AT COURTNEY'S FUNERAL

Yesterday, my family had to say farewell to my beloved niece, Courtney, who in the words of her mother, Diane was granted her angel wings on May 26th, following a tragic car accident. My sister Diane, her husband Joe and their daughter Kaite granted me the ultimate privilege to deliver Courtney’s eulogy. For those of you who were unable to attend, the family requested I share this with you. With a heavy heart, the eulogy follows.

First of all, I need to thank Diane, Joe and Kaite for sharing Courtney with us all these years. I always felt that I had a special bond…being her Godmother and all, but after meeting hundreds of people yesterday and listening to them talk, I realized she made everyone feel that way.

Today we gather to celebrate the life of Courtney, a person who made herself stand out…in the words of her mother. They say that each life has a beginning, middle and end. It should not be measured in years, but what we do with the time we are here. Courtney’s entire life was devoted to family, friends and service. To the casual observer, one might have thought that Courtney was a quiet, reserved individual. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Courty’s good works started with the Glastonbury Special Olympics and Unified teams. She truly enjoyed every moment and poured her heart and soul into each individual she met. People were so impressed with her that in her junior year in high school she was bestowed the honor of the Silver Cup. She was such a caring individual, but she knew right from wrong and her competitive side would come out when somebody was wronged especially when it was somebody she loved! In a Special Olympic basketball game final, the most intense game that Courtney ever participated in all her years, an opponent made the mistake of intentionally knocking down her sister, Kaite in the fourth quarter. Courtney got that fire in her eyes and demanded Kaite to “GET UP AND START PLAYING!” With only seconds left ticking in the game, the other team came down to score and Court blocked the shot! Instead of having the glory and taking it down for the winning shot, she passed the ball to one of the athletes who scored the winning basket. Courtney…always the giver and protector.

Another special place very close to Courtney’s heart was Camp Horizon. There she met the most wonderful group of people, the campers and staff members. Reading the book given to Diane and Joe last night, just validated what we already knew about Courty…she was genuine, loving, giving, kind, sincere and thoughtful. She left her mark on these people and is truly loved throughout the world.

Courtney was also passionate about her studies and was blessed to be able to spend a semester abroad in Denmark with Lauren and a crew from Providence College. She had wanderlust and was able to travel to more than ten countries….many with her “besties”.

To Courtney’s friends from Glastonbury and Providence College – I hope you live your lives like she did…Family First, Love Hard and Give Much.

Courty loved being from a big family, especially when we shared holidays at 155. She didn’t mind at Thanksgiving if she wasn’t at the “Cool table.” It was good enough just being there and hanging with each other. Christmastime was always special. We would gather around the house and laugh and joke, and even play a round or two of some college-aged games (with inappropriate Yaya). But, our favorite Christmas memory was when Kaite who was allegedly still in Spain, surprised Court on Christmas morning. All witnessed her love of her sister when she came running into the living room and screamed, “Shut the front door” and fell to her knees and began to sob with happiness. Courtney loved hard and that included the love she gave to her family and friends.

To her cousins…she is truly an example of how to live one’s life the right way…my wish for you is to make her proud and continue her good work down here on earth.

Last night, I had the honor of meeting many of her Providence friends. As devastated as they are, they did the best thing possible…they shared pictures and memories of Courtney. Don’t worry Providence friends; I’m not sharing the Deetrag Hobo story. Instead, the one that best embodied Courtney was the time when she was having a particularly tough day. Court, Lauren, Erin all jumped into Sharon’s car and drove to the market to get some cookie dough. Yes, our vegetarian loving girl who survived on Reese’s, Ben and Jerry’s, tofu and beans, was a raw cookie dough eater. Anyway, she told her friends, “Wait, I want to buy flowers for somebody I am going to meet for the first time tonight.” She paid for the flowers and handed them right back to the cashier…she made the woman’s day. You see, no matter how bad of a day Courtney was having, she was going to make it a better day for somebody else.

Yes, Courtney was a generous giver, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t frugal. One night heading out to Foxwoods, her dad gave her $20 to gamble. She came home the next day and announced, “I made money!” Through her infectious giggle, she told him she made the $20.00 through the money he gambled by giving it to her! She kept the money and danced the night away…to top it off, she left the car on empty!

Courtney had a special relationship with both her parents. Courty and her dad loved to go to D.C. and visit the sites. They could have gone each and every year if Diane and Kaite allowed it! Joe and Courty shared many things including their love of animals, especially Riley and Frodo, watching NCIS, and even Criminal Minds, which Joe really didn’t like, but he wanted to spend time with his Court. They also shared an obsession with the band, Imagine Dragons. Most importantly they shared a special father-daughter relationship including teaching her many things.

Courty-Meister and her mom had so much fun together…they shared the same smile and had that laugh that came from the belly. They would make time to see each other even when Court was away. One time Court called Diane and said pick up some clothes before you get to Providence. Di got up there and suddenly realized that she was the only adult participating in the Holi Festival! They proceeded to have the best laughs as they were bombarded with paint.

One time, Diane probably wished Courtney wasn't’ there was when she was pulled over by a police officer for not fully stopping at a red light. Diane told the gentleman she really thought she had stopped…but you know Courty, she straight out told the policeman, “No, she didn’t stop, and it isn’t the first time!” That’s our girl, the rule follower.

But, on the other hand, Diane was lucky enough to go on a mother-daughter trip to Bermuda where she witnessed first hand the special bond Courtney had with young children. There was a group of students on a field trip when suddenly one youngster took off and ran right into Courtney’s arms just to say hello. Somehow, he knew just how exceptional she was…

Nobody brought Courtney more happiness than her sister, her “go to” person, duet partner, best friend, her B&B, her Kaite Poo, her rap and dance partner. Although there are endless Kaite and “her B” stories, our favorites are the sing-offs! Ever since they were in elementary school, they would drive their parents crazy by seeing who would succumb first and begin singing the other person’s song first. These sing-off could last for hours…and yes, they continued up to the final one just last weekend.

Courtney had many heroes, but her biggest hero was her sister Kaite. Her goal in life was to be as naturally happy and peaceful as Kaite. She spent the last five months working toward this goal and made it. Just this past week, she finally decided that she was going back to school and into medicine so that she could continue to help others.

We are going to miss our “SO FUN & FRESH” Blondie…as I am sure all of you are. We will have to continue her love of rubik cube racing, dancing in onesies, Net Flix binges, singing duet contests and most importantly, giving to others…You also just may consider acting like a Wazowski!

To borrow an old saying, carve your names on hearts, not tombstones. Your legacy is etched in the minds of others as by the stories they share about you. While Courtney’s life ended way too soon, she has left us with many life lessons, stories and memories that will last forever.

On behalf of Diane and Joe, they would like to genuinely thank everyone for the support from family and friends during this most difficult time. They know you will continue to give it. They are confident that all of Kaite’s friends will continue to provide the love and support she will need, especially those of you from Siena and “her Colie”. Their greatest thanks are given to their precious Court who gave them endless memories, which will last their entire lives.

Court…Nana, whom you loved so much and visited you so often is waiting for you. Court, your parents and sister will love your forever… as will we all.

May God bless you Courtney Beth