Barbara Engle

NAUGATUCK – Barbara (Thurston) Engle, 84, passed away on Thursday, June 15, 2017, at Waterbury Hospital with loving family by her side.

Barbara was born on February 2, 1933, the daughter of the late James F. and Helen (Dowling) Thurston. She was raised in Naugatuck and attended St. Francis School and Naugatuck High School and was a graduate of Bay Path College. Barbara worked at The Bristol Company and was a substitute teacher in the Naugatuck School system for several years. She will be fondly remembered by many students and teachers at St. Francis School where she worked as the secretary for 18 years.

Barb was a former member of the Naugatuck Council of Catholic Women and a former volunteer for the Peter J. Foley Little League.

A loving sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Barb will be most remembered for her kind heart and endless love for her friends and family.

She is survived by her son, David Engle; her daughter, Lynn E. Raczkowski and her husband, Brian, of Branford; her beloved grandchildren, Matthew, Eric and Erin Engle of FL, Matthew Almeida of CO and Laura Almeida of CT; three great grandchildren, Jackson, Logan and Carter; and her brother, Howard Thurston and his wife, Janet, of Naugatuck, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Engle, her son, Douglas Engle and her brother, James F. Thurston, Jr.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, June 23, 2017, at 11 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 318 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT. Those attending are kindly asked to please meet at church. Burial will follow in St. James Cemetery, Naugatuck. Calling hours will be held from 4 to 7 on Thursday, June 22, at Buckmiller Thurston Mengacci Funeral Home, 82 Fairview Avenue, Naugatuck, CT. In lieu of flowers and to honor Barbara’s memory, donations may be made to St. Francis/St. Hedwig School, 294 Church Street, Naugatuck, CT 06770.