Dates
Zelma Jean Wojtek, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, passed away at Sagecrest Care Center on November 2, 2024, in San Angelo, Texas, at the age of 97.
Jean was born on September 21, 1927, in Bronte, Texas to Jess and Cordie Liles. Jean was raised in Bronte and graduated from Bronte High School. She met her husband, Frank Charles Wojtek, Jr., when he returned from service in the South Pacific during World War II. They were married on December 3, 1949, and established a home in Robert Lee. She was an active member of the Robert Lee Baptist Church, and she made sure that we were well dressed and attentive in the pew each Sunday. She and Frank ran the Texas Theater in Bronte from 1949 until the late 70s, when it closed. It was a family affair, as Frank ran the projectors, Jean sold tickets at the box office, and sons Larry and Jerry sold concessions. She also worked at West Texas Utilities in Bronte, Robert Lee, and San Angelo from 1947 through 1967. In 1969, Jean enrolled in Angelo State University, and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in August 1972, and a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in 1974. She began her teaching career at Day Elementary School in San Angelo in 1972 and retired in 1992. Jean loved teaching, and adored her kids, and they adored her. She would often receive letters of appreciation from her former students, including one who later became an astronaut. After retirement, Jean and Frank moved to San Angelo, and enjoyed traveling throughout the United States, until Frank’s death in 1997. In later years, she traveled with friends throughout the world, and loved to tell us stories about her travels, including the time in which she became separated from her friends in London, yet was able to find their hotel with the help of a London cabbie. Jean also remained physically active during retirement. When she was 80 years old, she accompanied her son Larry, and his wife Kelly, on a hike on Smith Spring Trail in the Guadalupe Mountains, which was 2.3 miles long with an elevation of 600 feet, without any problems. She was a member of Sierra Vista United Methodist Church in San Angelo.
Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, her sister, Evona Ritchie, and her brother, Horace Liles.
She is survived by two sons, Larry and wife Kelly Hollway Wojtek, and Jerry and wife Lisa Nichols. Jean has three grandchildren, Chad Hollway and wife Carol, Brooke Wilcox and husband Jon, and Brittney Caputo and husband Thomas. She also has 5 great grandchildren, Cole, Jonas, Noelle, Finnegan and Caitlyn.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff of Sagecrest Care Center for taking such good and loving care of our Mother.
A graveside service for Jean will be held at 1:00 pm, Monday, November 11, at Bronte Fairview Cemetery under the direction of Shaffer Funeral Home. For those wishing to make a memorial donation honoring Jean’s life, the family suggests contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association. Online condolences may be made at shafferpioneer.com.