Irma (Ela) Venosta Heiter, 93, of Milford, passed away peacefully with her family by her side in her home, on May 9, 2024. She was born in General Pico, La Pampa, Argentina on May 25, 1930–the same day as her late husband, Eugenio Guillermo Heiter, who was born in Neustadt, Germany. They were married for 53 years before his passing.
Irma is the daughter of the late Antonio Venosta and Rosario (Elvira) Lobos Escudero de Venosta. Irma’s father was born in Italy. Although her father passed when Irma was only six, he left a lasting impression on her life. Irma’s mother worked hard to support them both after Antonio's death. Irma believed that she and her mom made it through difficult times because of her mother’s determination, help from her mom’s family, and an enduring promise of protection from the Virgin of Lourdes.
Irma is survived by her four devoted children and their spouses, eight grandchildren, and loving relatives throughout the U.S., Europe, and Argentina–all of whom were so special to her.
Irma’s love for children, teaching, and learning led to a 50 year career as an educator. She began her teaching career in Buenos Aires, continued in Yonkers, N.Y., and concluded in New Haven, CT where she was a Kindergarten teacher in the Bilingual Program at Hill Central School. She spent the last 30 years of her professional career in the bilingual program in New Haven. Teaching was a calling that brought her tremendous joy.
A lifelong learner, Irma pursued and received a Master’s Degree in education from the University of Connecticut. Irma’s excellence as an educator was recognized and she was the recipient of several teacher appreciation awards, which she accepted with humility and grace. Noteworthy, is her 1990 New Haven Bar Association Liberty Bell Award. The Liberty Bell Award acknowledges the awardee’s sense of community service and dedication to civic responsibilities. Irma humbly shares this award with several notable past recipients. Other New Haven Bar Association Liberty Bell Award winners include George Herbert Walker Bush, American philanthropist Paul Mellon, and Yale University’s past president and 7th Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Bart Giamatti among others. Most noteworthy and treasured by Irma is the respect and gratitude she received from her students and colleagues. So many of these special individuals have taken the time to share their beautiful and heartfelt memories about Irma’s kindness, generosity, presence, and support during their lives.
Following her retirement from public school teaching, Irma continued to educate and support those around her with her wisdom about things that matter. Retirement also afforded her the gift of time to devote to her gardening, grandchildren, and travel. Unbeknownst to Irma, a trip to Argentina just 4 months before her passing, allowed her to bid farewell to beloved sites and people.
The Irma we know loved to clean, cook, host holidays, garden and wear warm, soft cashmere sweaters. However, the most important thing to know about Irma is her devotion to the God she loved with all her being. From the young age of 6 and throughout her life, she was influenced, amazed by, and drawn to all things spiritual: both the divine and the human. She prioritzed her soul’s health and held that more significant than anything material. Irma was blessed to attend schools where good people of strong faith taught her how to invite the Holy Spirit to work through her. She sought her strength from the most powerful source–the Eucharist. She gently, but passionately, engaged in God’s work with her daily actions instead of words. In Argentina, her priest opened his doors to give her the Eucharist before all her high school and college exams. She later received communion daily at morning Mass before going to work. She never missed receiving It on Sundays, whether home or on vacation. Since making her first holy communion, she relied on the bread of life for her remaining 86 years. When Irma’s beloved neighbor, Jean Coleman, a St. Agnes Eucharistic Minister, passed, Irma was prompted to continue Jean’s mission. Under Father Callahan’s guidance, she became a Eucharistic minister for St. Agnes. Her grandchildren loved to find “her spot” at church so they could receive the body of Christ from their grandma - along with a special wink. Her inner joy just smiled through her eyes!
Irma was always so grateful for the people who God put in her path to help her. She transformed this gratitude into a mission of love. She used that love to serve, support, pray for, or in some small and quiet way help someone in need. Irma reflected and meditated frequently on the miracle of her life and her faith–faith that could move mountains.
Irma will forever be remembered as a devoted daughter, wife, sister-in-law, mother, aunt, godmother, grandmother, educator, colleague, neighbor, trusted confidant who never revealed secrets or gossiped, and a prayer warrior whose protection will be greatly missed. Irma never prayed for herself, but unselfishly remembered and prayed for others. Her family asks that even though she would never expect it, that we remember and pray for her now and always.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of one of the charities Irma loved would be greatly appreciated. Her favorites include: Office of Radio and Television (ORTV) for televised masses since these provided her with the opportunity to attend mass from home and receive communion spiritually later in her life (special thanks to to Father Gatzack for his wonderfully inspiring sermons); Her parish, Precious Blood Parish; The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA); Mouth and Foot Painting Artists; the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; The American Heart Association; or The American Lung Association.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. at Saint Agnes Church, 400 Merwin Ave., Milford (MEET DIRECTLY AT CHURCH). Interment will follow at Milford Cemetery, 35 Gulf St., Milford.
Irma is being compassionately cared for by Cody-White Funeral Home. To light a candle or leave a condolence please visit https://www.codywhitefuneralservice.com/tributes/Irma-Heiter
