DawnMarie (Galat) Lorenc

DawnMarie Galat Lorenc passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 18th, 2020 while surrounded by her family at home in Torrington, CT. She battled breast and other cancers for 7 years. She was born December 6th, 1953 in Southington, CT to Walter and Marie (Dalena) Galat. Her childhood was spent in Bristol, CT. She attended Alliance College in Pennsylvania and earned a BS in Biology. It was in that Polish community that she met her loving, devoted husband of 45 years, John.

Anyone who knew DawnMarie knew she was a vibrant go-getter. She was lovingly nicknamed the “energizer bunny”. Whatever she put her mind to, she made happen. She built a rich, loving life for her family and her ever growing community of friends and neighbors. She poured her soul into everything she did. Any time there was cause to celebrate she made sure to invite one and all! She was the life of the party. She was a talented piano teacher, violinist, dancer, gardener, public speaker, chef, genealogist, researcher, hostess, outdoor enthusiast, swimmer, and advocate of homeschooling and alternative medicine.

Besides her children, travel was DawnMarie’s passion. She was an adventurer. She traveled to 18 states as well as Austria, Bermuda, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Nepal, Poland, Russia, Tibet, and Vatican City—some places twice! She also made sure to instill the same love for adventure, nature, independance, and learning in her children from a young age.

Ultimately, there is no way to encapsulate DawnMarie in this short note—her talents, ventures, and passions were endless.

She was predeceased by her father, Walter, and her soul sisters Ruth, Ency, and Vivian. She is survived by her mother, Marie; husband, John; children, Alexander, Jolanta, and Karina; sisters and brother-in-law, JoAnn, Ramona & Mark, and Lorilyn; nieces and nephews Nicole & Jonathan, Alyssa & Mike, Tanisha, Sabrina, Sarah & Krista; as well as her mother-in-law, Teresa; brothers and sisters-in-law Tony & Teresa, Mark & Ela, Stella & Zbigniew, Helen & Richie, Joe & Donna, JoAnna & Tom, and all their children. And many close friends and neighbors whom she loved dearly.

The funeral service and burial will be by invitation only as there are strict capacity limits due to Covid-19. However, there will be a party in honour of DawnMarie at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in DawnMarie’s name to either the Vipassana Meditation Center (Dhamma Dhara, 386 Colrain Shelburne Rd, Shelburne, MA 01370, 413-625-2160) or St Joseph’s Indian School (www.stjo.org/donate or 800-341-2235).

Finally, to honor DawnMarie, her family is collecting cherished memories and would love to hear any and all of your favorite stories or anecdotes of her via email to talesofdmgl@gmail.com.