Springfield, MA – Shirley Ozenich passed away peacefully on October 8, 2025, 10 days before her 94th birthday and 21 days after the death of her beloved husband, Richard “Dick” Ozenich.
Born Shirley Mae Howe, on October 18, 1931, in Dover, New Hampshire, to Raymond E. Howe, Sr. and Marjorie (Ellis) Howe, Shirley was the eldest of five children. After graduating from Dover High School, Shirley worked for New England Telephone Company as an operator. In 1954, she married Richard A. Ozenich and in May of this year they celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary together.
Initially, they lived in Newport, RI, while Dick was serving in the U.S. Navy. They moved to Durham, NH, after Dick entered civilian life where he attended the University of New Hampshire. Shirley spent many years as a homemaker raising five children. Shirley and Dick subsequently settled in Peterborough, NH, and lived there for nearly 20 years.
While in Peterborough, Shirley belonged to the Peterborough Garden Club, was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Society and volunteered as a “Pink Lady” at Monadnock Community Hospital. She also belonged to the New Hampshire State Extension Service and served as secretary. She was an active member of the Monadnock Antique Association. In 1971, Shirley began working as a dental assistant for local dentist, Dr. Robert Weathers until his retirement. She enjoyed learning new things and loved the job, meeting and caring for the patients. Shirley had a great gift of talking with people wherever she went and remembering those conversations forever. Besides being an avid bridge player, her hobbies included needlepointing, knitting, playing Bingo and other board games. She loved antiquing, interior design and gardening, and she made the best apple pie.
Shirley and Dick enjoyed spending time and later lived in Ogunquit, Maine, where they made lifelong friends. They enjoyed attending performances at the Ogunquit Playhouse as well as playing bingo at the firehouse. They attended the opening day of Barnacle Billy’s in Ogunquit every year for 61 years. Later in life, Shirley and Dick planted roots in New Hampshire, near Shirley’s hometown of Dover. There she spent time playing bridge with her Ogunquit bridge friends and with her Peterborough bridge friends. At the age of 90, Shirley and Dick moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, to be closer to family. She enjoyed Sunday dinners with her family, late afternoon cocktails with Dick as well as watching “Wheel of Fortune”, “Jeopardy” and “Days of our Lives”.
As noted, Shirley was predeceased by her husband, Richard, who passed away on September 16, 2025. She leaves her five children, Kathi (Walter) Hoszkiewicz of Greenfield, NH, Mark Ozenich of Westfield, VT, Susan (Michael) Parent of Springfield, MA, Michael Ozenich of Goose Creek, SC and John Ozenich (fiancé Ana) of Glendale, AZ. She adored her five grandchildren, Erin Ozenich of Concord, NH, Gierek Hoszkiewicz of Nashua, NH, Krystian Hoszkiewicz of Peterborough, Andrew Parent of Houston, TX and Matthew Parent of Springfield, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, she never met her great-grandchildren, Henry and Nora Parent of Houston, TX. She is survived by her brothers Raymond (Claire) Howe, Jr, of Florida, Harry (Judy) Howe of NH, Marjorie (Rich) Cusson of TX and Dorothy (John) Coluci of AZ as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A committal service with reflection for Shirley blended with a committal service with military honors for Richard will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at the Massachusetts Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, Massachusetts. Guests are invited to a reception immediately following the service at Casa Di Lisa, 801 Springfield Street, Feeding Hills, MA.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Baystate VNA and Hospice, 30 Capital Drive, Ste A, West Springfield, MA 01089.
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