Former Resident With Passion For Teaching Children Mourned

CLEARWATER, FL — Elizabeth Leslie (Moran) Maguder, 77, (formerly of Glastonbury, Connecticut) of Woodbridge, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.

She was the loving wife of 47 years to the late Dr. Theodore L. Maguder Jr. Born on Jan. 9, 1944, daughter of the late Edward N. and Rita M. (O'Connell) Moran of Woodside, Queens, New York.

Elizabeth is survived by her sister Kathleen M. and brother-in-law Richard J. Rowan of Cotuit, Massachusetts, and her brother Edward J. Moran of Hackensack, New Jersey, and her four children: Theodore L. Maguder III, Kevin P. Maguder, Patricia (Maguder) Ward and Timothy D. Maguder.

She was predeceased by her loving sisters Rita N. Vecchio and Ann C. Martin.

She was most proud of her eight wonderful grandchildren: Connor, Emily, Nathan, Gabriela, Natalia, Sofia, Victoria and Margaret.

Her main passion was early childhood education and development, focusing on the merits of humor, and encouraging children to embrace their own unique voices. Elizabeth was the playschool director at the Glastonbury Public Recreation Center for 15 years, where she developed her pioneering approach to learning through play. She later taught at the Light of Christ Early Childhood Center in Clearwater and the Annandale Co-Op Preschool in Annandale, Virginia.

The funeral service will be held at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Meriden, Connecticut, on Saturday, April 3 at noon. Memorial donations can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation at: www.jdrf.org