Sharon (Dufault) Kazokas

Sharon passed on from our physical world peacefully in the early hours of the morning, after several years of struggling with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.  She had spent her last three months of this life being cared for in the hands of the loving and nurturing staff of Davis Place Nursing Home in Danielson, Conn., along with the amazing end of life care takers and guides of Masonicare Hospice.  Her daughter and granddaughter were by her side as she made her journey home.

Sharon is predeceased by her maternal and paternal grandparents, along with her mother, Mary Jane, her biological father, Roland Dufault, and her younger brother Jeffrey Dufault.  She leaves her beloved dad John Dufault and her older brother Brian Dufault, both of Florida, her daughter Audrey and son-in-law James Bartlett of Connecticut, three grandchildren whom she adored and who adored her, Harlan, Fiona, and Ronin, her son Alexander Kazokas III and his wife Melissa of Florida, and her beautiful and loving Aunt Dorothy Darr and Uncle Clifford of Bristol, Conn. Bringing immense joy to her final years was her best friend and care giver, Meredith Kilcoin, who is the daughter of Sharon's other best friend Lisa Kilcoin.

Sharon was born in Connecticut to Mary Jane (Fairbanks) and Roland Dufault. The early part of her childhood was spent in Enfield, Conn., and then her family settled in to their home in Plainville on Prentice Street.  Sharon had many friends in Plainville over the many years.  Her friends tell of how she was full of spirit, compassionate, kind, and comedic. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, and was a joy with which to spend time.  For one year in high school she moved to Maryland to live with her father and his wife Melba. From her father's second marriage she enjoyed relationships with additional siblings, who always continued to be important to her throughout her life.

Sharon graduated from Plainville High School in 1981 and married Alexander Kazokas Jr. of Plainville in October of the same year.  They bought her family home on Prentice Street and brought their first child home to that address in 1986. A few years later they moved to Jupiter Florida, where they and their daughter enjoyed time boating on the water.  Sharon was a house keeper while they lived there.  Once pregnant with her second child, the family moved back to Connecticut, and she gave birth to a son in 1989.  As a mother of two, Sharon could always be found in the kitchen preparing food with love for her family.  Some dishes of hers that were popular were her tomato sauce with meatballs, her fried dough, her pot roast, and her stuffed cabbage.  If you were visiting with Sharon at her home you could also be sure that her house was in near spotless condition; she took much pride in having a home that felt clean and clutter free in order to feel truly relaxed.  Sharon was a mother who was enjoyable while chaperoning all of the school field trips of her children.  Her children's friends tell of how they always felt love, care, and acceptance from her.

In addition to raising her family, Sharon was employed at Gnazzo's Food Center in Plainville.  Hence, going in to the store for a simple gallon of milk could turn into an hour's worth of chatting and catching up with the many friendly faces of town.  She also spent many years as a nurse's aide.  She cared for the elderly and infirmed in convalescent homes, and for the newly born and their mother's on the Family Birth Place at New Britain General Hospital.  She cared deeply for the many families whose lives she touched with her compassionate care and unbounding wisdom.  Life took a different course with the divorce from her husband.  She left the healthcare field.  Sharon enjoyed working at Parson's Buick of Plainville in the accounts department, where she made new friends with the lovely ladies in the office.  Her and her daughter spent their leisure time traveling down South.  They visited Maryland and West Virginia frequently, and made many memories together in the Shenandoah Valley. 

Sharon spent many years of her life with a fun-loving, and special man, Edward Hermanowski of Plainville.  It was with Eddie that Sharon felt true companionship and happiness.  The two of them supported her daughter in her academic achievements in high school, and it was Eddie that took Sharon's daughter to her college placement testing.  Sharon and Eddie opened their home to friends in need and were a loving place of warmth and friendship for many struggling with the challenges of life.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease started taking it's toll on Sharon in 2013, and she was emergently intubated in early October.  She spent a few weeks on life support and then finally came home from pulmonary rehab on her first grandchild's first birthday in November.  Over the years Sharon was intubated a second time and fought hard to survive, as she had a second grandchild who was only months old.  As a grandmother, or 'Grammy,' Sharon was exceptionally fun!  She enjoyed playing with the three grandkids as much as her breathing difficulty would allow, and listened attentively to the stories they would tell her. 

She spent her last few years living in her own adorable apartment on the Burlington side of Bristol, where she thoroughly enjoyed decorating to her own taste.  After many years of living to please others, she was finally living to please herself.  She took delight in her neighbors and in the little creatures that graced her yard.  She had a beautiful area set up near her front window where she would watch the squirrels, birds, and chipmunks eat up the goodies she placed out for them.  Her grandbabies especially enjoyed doing this with her when they visited.

Sharon was stubborn and strong.  She fought to maintain breath every day in her last few years, something that so many of us take for granted.  She admired all the beauty in this world.  When the going got tough she could always be counted on to say something funny to lighten the mood, and then would confidently encourage her friends and loved ones to "Just keep swimming."  She will be missed by many, and is now our easy-breathing angel.

A private Celebration of Life is planned by the family.

In lieu of flowers please make a memorial donation to Brian's Angels Homeless Outreach, 99 Summer Street, Rear at Center Street, Bristol, CT or at https://briansangels.org

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