Mary Catherine Kuchinski Sticca, age 79, beloved wife of Nicholas L. Sticca of Oxford, died peacefully on November 15, 2025 at Yale New Haven Hospital with her family by her side. Born in Scranton, PA, she was the daughter of the late Martin and Elizabeth Smierciak Kuchinski. Mrs. Sticca was raised in Derby and was a 1964 graduate of St. Mary’s High School, New Haven. She then entered St. Vincent’s School of Nursing and graduated in 1967 with her Registered Nurse designation. Throughout her 45 years at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Mrs. Sticca, known for her boundless positivity, energy, rosy cheeks, and twinkling blue eyes, compassionately cared for patients as a surgical nurse, as a nursing instructor, as a maternal newborn nurse, then ultimately, worked in the pre-operative and ambulatory surgical care units until in 2012. Together with her family, Mrs. Sticca resided in Shelton for 43 years and was a communicant of St. Lawrence Church of Huntington. In 2017, Mary and Nick moved to Oxford, attended Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church and enjoyed many winters in Port St. Lucie, FL. The matriarch of the Sticca family, Mary was the quintessential homemaker while simultaneously building her career at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. She was a creative and talented crafter and knitter, making hundreds of keepsake heirlooms throughout the years for her family and friends. Her cooking and baking skills made her holiday gatherings epic and memorable, as she loved entertaining family and friends. She was a lifelong Yankee fan, and she loved her nightly routine of watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She also thoroughly enjoyed doing puzzles of all kinds, especially jigsaw puzzles, word searches, and crossword puzzles. A lover of music and the arts, Mary would enjoy old time musicals, loved listening to music, attended live music and theater productions, and enjoyed her children’s many recitals and concerts. She also deeply enjoyed culture and travelling. She will be long remembered for her intelligence, intuitive nature, hospitality, and her innate ability to care for others in their time of need. In addition to her husband of 57 years; she is survived by her devoted daughters, Ann Marie Gillick and her husband, Joseph of Shelton and Lisa Sticca-Conrod and her husband, Michael of Shelton; sisters, Betty Ann Andreadis of PA and Margaret Boulay and her husband, Ralph of Naugatuck; a brother, Marty Kuchinski and his wife, Claudia of CA; cherished grandchildren of whom she was so proud, Katie and Daniel Gillick and Zoe Conrod, all of Shelton; as well as many nieces and nephews. Mrs. Sticca was predeceased by a brother, Joseph Kuchinski and a brother-in-law, Louis Andreadis.
Family and friends may call on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at the Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home, 167 Wakelee Avenue, Ansonia. Funeral services will take place on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at 10:30 AM from the Wakelee Memorial Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 AM in St. Lawrence Church, 505 Shelton Avenue, Huntington. Interment will follow in Mount St. Peter Cemetery, Derby. Memorial contributions may be made to Swim Across the Sound, Support Swim Across the Sound 2026 | PledgeIt for Charities, or to the American Heart Association, Connecticut | American Heart Association. Online condolences may be made at www.wakeleememorial.com.
