Sharon Grover Vassilopoulos
1950 - 2012
Sharon Grover Vassilopoulos, 61, of Rocky Hill, CT, died peacefully on Saturday (February 11, 2012) at Hartford Hospital. She was born November 9, 1950 In Arlington, VT, daughter of the late Kenneth and Helen (Lapp) Grover.
Sharon grew up in Cromwell and graduated Cromwell High School Class of 1968 and the University of Connecticut Class of 1972. She was married to Charles A. Vassilopoulos, Ph.D. in 1992. She worked as a physical therapist in New Britain General Hospital, for Connecticut Therapies, and for the State of Connecticut Department of Developmental Services.
She was the mother of four adopted children and actively participated in school activities and fund raising. She was noted for her devotion to the care of adults with developmental disabilities. She enjoyed counseling people who were adopting children from foreign countries and adults seeking the Rites of Initiation in the Catholic Church, having converted to the Roman Catholic Faith. She was a member of St. Elizabeth Seton Church. She continued to maintain an interest in the Rocky Hill Congregational Church, where she had been in the choir. She served as a counselor at Silver Lake Conference Center for twelve years and she was an EMT for the Rocky Hill Ambulance service for a couple of years.
Her generosity, humor, and spirit left an indelible impression on innumerable lives, including her husband Charles; her children Margaret, Charles II, Christopher, and Kathryn; her sisters, Sandra, Gail, and Jamie; and many other nephews, nieces, in-laws, and friends who loved her dearly.
Her family will receive friends at Rose Hill Funeral Home 580 Elm St., Rocky Hill TODAY 5-8 p.m. A funeral Mass will be at St. Elizabeth Seton Church 280 Brook St., Rocky Hill, CT at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 16, and burial will follow at Rose Hill Park, 580 Elm St., Rocky Hill, CT. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wide Horizons for Children, Inc., 38 edge Hill Rd., Waltham, MA, 02451 or Community Residences, Inc., 732 West Street, Southington, CT, 06489.
the Hartford Courant February 15, 2012