Colleen Eva (Dumas) Dwyer, 90, passed away peacefully at her home in Hobe Sound, Florida on Friday, June 12, 2020.

Born in Schenectady, New York, to the late Eldrick and Sophia (Gorcicki also known as Miller) Dumas on May 13, 1930, she grew up in Schenectady, New York, where she graduated from Schenectady High School in 1948.  Her first job out of high school was working as a telephone operator before she met and married her first husband, Louis Compositor Jr.  After having four children together, the couple divorced in 1964 and she moved her young family to be closer to her favorite Aunt Leola in Connecticut and enjoy a fresh start.  She spent many years working tirelessly in retail management while raising her family.  She met her beloved husband, William F Dwyer III, while working at a large retail store in Newington, Connecticut.  The couple were married in the United Methodist Church there in 1972 by the Reverend Charlie Brown, a fact that made them both giggle endlessly for almost 50 years.

The two worked hard throughout the years to support their family and make a loving home.  For a time, Colleen gave up retail to work as a machinist at her husband's employer, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft.  However in 1991 the parent company, United Technologies offered an opportunity for the couple to transfer to Florida, where they have remained ever since.  Colleen returned to management and had many opportunities over the past 30 years to bring her skills to several employers in the area.

When not working and taking care of her family, Colleen lived life large:  She was a scratch bowler since the 1950s and an avid golfer for over 30 years.  Not one to take a back seat, she also served in various officer roles in many sports leagues over the years and when her son John's school put out a call for parents to help with a project, Colleen stepped up and successfully organized a fundraising campaign to fully fund the purchase and installation of a greenhouse for the middle school.

She loved to laugh and play jokes.  Her son David still remembers almost putting a forkful of wriggling worms covered in marinara sauce in his mouth one April 1 st years ago.  Her excitement for Christmas was a joy to behold, typically starting with pre-Thanksgiving planning and full throttle post-Thanksgiving manifestation of an amazing Winter Wonderland.   But most often she enjoyed spending quiet time at home with her dogs and cats and loved doing crosswords with her husband.

She was a woman blessed with a long life filled and a large family.  Colleen leaves her devoted and loving husband of 47 years, Bill; her 4 children Diane (Alan) Medvec of Port St. Lucie, Dennis (Isabel) Compositor of Newington, CT, David (Tracie) Compositor of Coventry, CT, and John (Brian Keeton) Dwyer of San Francisco, CA; her 5 grandchildren Lisa (Simon) Lachance of Jupiter, Keith (Rose) Medvec of Southbury, CT, Donna (Steve) Compositor-Taylor of Chandler, AZ, Jessica and Jacqueline Compositor of Maine, and Todd (Casey) Zavatsky of Bristol, CT; her 5 great grandchildren Renee (Hunter) Hektner, Stephanie (Trevor) Robinson, Nicole (Steven) Brooks, Aspen Medvec, and Tristan Zavatsky; and her 5 great great grandchildren Khloe and Carter Blaszczynski, Lily Hektner, Luke Robinson and Eli Brooks.  She also leaves her brother- and sisters-in-law, many nieces and nephews and many friends who have touched her life in invaluable ways over many years.  She leaves this world to rejoin her much missed daughter, Donna Compositor.