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In memory of

Alice Mackenzie Yokabaskas

Simsbury, CT, USA

August 2, 1930 - March 27, 2020

Aug 2, 1930 - Mar 27, 2020

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Alice Yokabaskas, of Simsbury, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2020 in Scarborough, Maine. She was 89.

She was born on August 2, 1930 to Elizabeth Soucy and Ian Douglas Mackenzie. She grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, alongside her two older sisters, Betsy and Jeannie. She attended Sargent College at Boston University, majoring in physical education. In the years that followed, she worked as a gym teacher at Bloomfield Middle School and as a referee for both lacrosse and field hockey games. In 2009, she was honored as an inductee into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

She and her husband, Vincent Yokabaskas eloped to Johnston, Rhode Island on March 21, 1952, and were married for 62 years until his death in 2014. The pair made their longtime home in Simsbury, Connecticut, where they raised their five children, Vincent, Robert, Carol, Richard and John.

Ever the athlete, she enjoyed horseback riding, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing and was a fiercely competitive tennis and paddle tennis player, enjoying “friendly” doubles matches with brave friends and family. Alice and Vincent were enthusiastic supporters of UConn Basketball and rarely missed a game, either at Gampel Pavilion as season ticket holders, or on television. She was often reading multiple library books at once, and always had a puzzle in progress on her card table. She loved nature and being outdoors, walking the trails around Great Pond State Forest near her home almost daily, and could point out every bird and flower along the way. She also sang with a local choir, The Bloomfield Music Makers. Throughout her later years, one of her beloved Bichon Frisé, Winston and later, Ian, could usually be found following closely behind her.

Though her illness would eventually erase the details of her life from her mind, she never lost her appreciation for the beauty around her every day, and awe-inspired way of looking at the world. She is survived by her five children, seven grandchildren, and her sister, Betsy Marshall, also of Simsbury, Connecticut.

Alice requested to be cremated. Her family plans to spread her ashes in view of their beloved vacation home, Loch Nest, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in a small, private gathering.

The family would like to thank the dedicated staff and care professionals of Scarborough Terrace, especially of The Rose Garden memory care wing, for their constant, attentive care of Alice for the past five years.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Alice's name may be made to the Friends of the Eastham Public Library, P.O. Box 1025, Eastham MA 02642. Please post online condolences, and feel free to share your own special memories.

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