Joan E. Dorozenski

Joan Eleanor Dorozenski (née Pruett), who loved a good joke, a Rum and Coke, and had never met a cookie she didn't like, passed away peacefully at 81 on June 15, 2019, with her son and daughter at her side, shortly after a lung cancer diagnosis. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Joan was raised by her aunt, Doris Tedford, who also cared for Joan’s mother, Florence Pruett, who suffered from multiple sclerosis. In 1955, Joan graduated from Bassick High School where she was voted most artistic. While she considered a move to New York City after an offer to become a cartoonist, she decided to take the “practical path” and became a dental hygienist for the Bridgeport school system where she worked for many years. Having first met her future husband, Robert “Bob” Dorozenski, when she was just 13 and he 15 (and much too short by Joan’s account), they reconnected after Bob, (much taller), returned from serving in the Navy during the Korean War. They married in June of 1960. Joan and Bob had their son, Stephen, in 1966, and Joan became a homemaker in Easton, Connecticut, while Bob worked as an electronics engineer for Sikorsky Aircraft. Later, in 1971, their daughter, Beth-Anne (Mauldin), was born. In 1974, Joan and Bob decided to embark on an adventure and escaped New England’s winters with a move to Naples, Florida. Tapping their creative talents and Joan’s business acumen, they began making artistic shellcraft that they sold through shops in Disney World. Later, they owned Robert’s Designs gift shop in Tin City in Naples until their retirement in the early ’90s when they moved to Marco Island. On Marco, Joan was able to devote time to pursuing her creative passions and became an active member of the Marco Island Art League’s clay guild. Joan lost Bob to cancer in 2009 after 49 years of marriage and missed him dearly. Joan was beloved for her generosity, her mischievous streak, her loyalty, and her straightforward advice. There was nothing about which she didn’t have an opinion, literally…nothing. Joan was a confident woman who supported her friends and family with her wisdom and ability to listen. Her creative, entrepreneurial, and nonconformist spirit has been an inspiration that will live on in her children, their spouses, Lee Dorozenski and David Mauldin, and grandchildren, Benjamin Mauldin and Trinity Dorozenski. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family would appreciate donations in Joan’s honor to: Avow Hospice https://avowcares.org/ and the Humane Society of Naples. https://hsnaples.org/

Joan E. Dorozenski

October 21, 1937 - June 15, 2019