Linda Rose Fengler

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Linda Rose (Vitelli) Fengler, 78, who peacefully passed away surrounded by her loving family in Woodbury, Connecticut, on April 3, 2026, after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. Linda was the beloved wife of Gerald Edgar Fengler for 58 years. 

Together, they built a beautiful life and spent 35 years living in Fort Myers, Florida. In addition to her husband, Linda is survived by her sons, Marc Fengler and his wife Kelly, and Scott Fengler and his wife Deanna; her cherished grandchildren, Jessica, Tyler, Aubrey, and Colton Fengler, all of Woodbury, Connecticut; her sister, Donna Vitelli-Lennon of West Greenwich, Rhode Island; and her sister-in-law, Colette Kimball of Woodbury, Connecticut. She is also survived by her sister/cousins, Nadine Zenobi and her partner Carol Lawless of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Francine Raineault and her husband William Raineault of New Britain, Connecticut; and Danielle Zenobi Long (predeceased) and her husband John Long of Northport, New York. She will be deeply missed by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Linda was the daughter of the late Joseph J. Vitelli and Penny (Ottolini) Vitelli. 

She was born and raised in New Britain, Connecticut, where she grew up in a close-knit, multigenerational family and a vibrant community of Italian immigrants. The values of hard work, kindness, passion, and love that surrounded her upbringing were ones Linda carried with her every day of her life. She was also a proud member of the “Dwight Street Girls,” a group of lifelong cousins, sisters and friends, who shared a special bond that endured through the years. Even though each one traveled their own path during adulthood, their love and reflections on their childhood kept them connected and cemented their sisterhood. Linda attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School and later earned an associate degree in computer science from Central Connecticut State University. 

She was truly ahead of her time in the field of technology-a quiet pioneer in the digital world. While raising her children, she worked at Gordon Fraser Card Company, Region 15 central office in Middlebury, CT for the food service program, and as a teaching assistant at Rochambeau Middle School, Southbury ,CT. She later became a small business owner, founding Panda Publishing, which she operated for many years. While living in Fort Myers, she also worked with Health Force, a home health agency, where she created newsletters for staff and educational materials for specialized medical groups. During this time, her talent for creating one-of-a-kind personalized greeting cards and calendars blossomed. These became treasured gifts among family and friends-each one thoughtfully designed to make people feel special, remembered, and loved.

Linda also had a love for travel and adventure, sharing many memorable cruises and cross-country RV trips with Jerry. She especially cherished times spent on their boat with her husband, family and friends, while watching the sunset over the ocean. She found great joy in walking the Florida beaches and collecting beautiful shells along the shore. Linda was kind, gentle, creative, and thoughtful, with a wonderful sense of humor-she loved a good riddle, corny joke or witty saying and never missed an opportunity to laugh. She loved puns and would have enjoyed -’I am in love with your tulips’, even though her middle name was Rose. 

One of her greatest talents was cooking and baking. She was even an award-winning recipe creator featured in Good Housekeeping magazine. We loved all of her desserts including her ice cream cakes, trifles and cakes that were made to perfection! Though she never won an award outside the family, her ‘Mama’s meatballs’ were award worthy, savored and loved by all. 

Throughout her life, Linda faced many medical challenges with a strength and resilience that few possess. Despite it all, she always wore a smile and maintained a positive outlook. She was deeply devoted to her family and found her greatest joy in caring for and watching her grandchildren grow. She was an incredibly loving, supportive, and devoted mother and grandmother. Her legacy will live on through everyone that loved her. 

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that donations be made in Linda’s memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, to support ongoing efforts to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Their address is: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777 New York, NY 10163-4777 Or click on the link Michael J. Fox Foundation. Please be sure to select "In Memory Of" to mention Linda.