MILLBURY - Cora Irene (Gelinas) Vitkauskas, a few months shy of her 103rd birthday, took her last breaths at her residence at CareOne Millbury, the morning of December 30, 2024.

Cora Gelinas married Peter J. Vitkauskas on July 13, 1940 at St. Joseph’s Church in Worcester, then raised five sons with him at a home on Johnson Street in Millbury, spending several years as a single parent during World War II while he served as a Marine.

Predeceased by both her husband Pete (in 1994) and her son Jack (in 2010), she is survived by four sons: Ron and his wife Anne Tisdell of Webster, Paul of Taylorsville, Utah, Peter of Millbury, and Richard of Worcester.

Her descendants also include grandchildren Dina Brisson, Janine Gallagher, Lee Vitkauskas, Evan McCorry, Marilyn Hampton, Matthew, Stephanie Lee, Stephanie, and Pauline Vitkauskas, as well as great-grandchildren Jayce, Samantha, Ashley, Ashton, Avery, Braxton, Marcus, John, Cora, Everly, Oliver, Elijah, and Mia.

Cora opened her home to her sons’ friends and to extended family members including cherished relationships with the families of her daughters-in-law. Of special note is the family of the late Gloria Vitkauskas including Darrell, David, Melody and Brandon Allen, Yvette Ward, and Paul John Bridgeforth.

Born March 5, 1922 in Worcester to parents Philip Joseph Gelinas and Emma Chalifoux, she had strong French Canadian roots and culture. Cora’s ancestors can be traced back to 1604 to the first settlers in Acadia, a colony of New France, now Canada. This key family history was learned because Cora remembered her mother’s stories about three brothers traveling to Canada from France to begin their new lives. She was the youngest of four children and was predeceased by brothers Philip, Arthur and Alfred.

Cora was a talented seamstress, having graduated from Worcester’s David Hall Fanning Trade School for Girls in 1940 with a focus on dressmaking. Many family members benefitted from her skills crocheting, sewing, and tatting as she made clothes for the newest arrivals.

She often sang around the home and her soprano singing voice was so good that she earned a place in The Worcester Chorus. For many years during the 1970s, she took part in their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah at Mechanic’s Hall.

Also in the 1970s, Cora capably managed a Texaco self-serve gas station along the Southwest Cutoff, hiring and training many family members, keeping the station open for Christmas Eve travelers when so many stations were closed.

One of Cora’s greatest passions was ballroom dancing. She and her husband could be found many Saturday nights at the Frohsinn Club in Shrewsbury where they were members, enjoying the evening’s live music.

She and Pete also spent many nights with her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, and their families playing pitch amid gales of laughter and accusations of cheating at the card game as The Lawrence Welk Show was broadcast on a black and white console tv.

She enjoyed travel and toured the west with Pete by bus, visiting national parks and other points of interest. During a 1984 Scandinavian Sea’s cruise to nowhere taken with her brother Arthur and his wife Rita, a fire broke out and made for a frightening hour on deck wearing life preservers until the ship was back within sight of land.

Cora’s longevity can be attributed to many factors, with the greatest one being her inner strength. She was born only two years after women received the right to vote, at a time when women were homemakers and had few opportunities outside the home. This inner strength saw her through multiple bouts of COVID-19 and frequent isolation in her room when others were ill with it.  She delighted in newborn babies and young children and seemed at her happiest with the little ones.

Cora was a member of St. Brigid’s Church.

The funeral will be Saturday January 18, 2025 with a Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Brigid Church, 59 Main St, Millbury, MA.  Burial will follow at Central Cemetery in Millbury.  Calling hours will be held on Sunday January 5, 2025 from 3:00 -5:00 pm at Rice Funeral Home, 300 Park Ave, Worcester.