Torrington- Margaret-Anne “Grammie” “Auntie Mugit” Franzi, 66, passed away December 3, 2025, at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, Torrington. She was the beloved wife of Thomas Franzi for 38 years.
Margaret was born in Hartford on March 25, 1959, daughter of the late Joseph and Terese Kathleen (Dunne) Ruzbasan, and had been a lifelong area resident. Margaret worked as an Emissions Tester with the DMV, a 411 Operator with SNET, and most recently, Food Pantry Manager at FISH.
A woman of deep generosity and quiet strength, the Family Matriarch, she lived a life rooted in service, family, and the simple joys that made every day meaningful. She devoted many years to her community as a proud member of the Dr. Edward P. Dunne Scholarship Committee, the Goshen American Legion Post 46 Ladies Auxiliary, and the St. Agnes Guild. Earlier in life, she was a member of 4H, a reflection of her upbringing on a Unionville farm, where after school, she was known to clean up her horse and ride off across the fields, a tradition that captured her lifelong love of the outdoors.
Whether tending her garden, baking something warm, or preparing a meal large enough to feed an army, she lived by an unspoken rule: no one should ever leave her home hungry. (She always made sure there was extra bacon when Papa didn’t make enough). She was lovingly known as the family "baby whisperer," with a natural gift for soothing little ones. At Christmas time, she could often be found collecting and sorting gifts at the FISH Christmas Toy Drive, spreading kindness in the season she cherished almost as much as her beloved St. Patrick’s Day.
Summers were spent at the Tyler Lake cottage fondly known as Camp Kwitcherkicken, a place filled with laughter, family memories, and the easy rhythm of lake life. She treasured trips to Yankees games with Uncle Alan, Tom and Aaron, weekend visits with Holly and Theo Atkinson, and family adventures throughout New England, especially the cherished journeys to Maine especially Sebago Lake.
Of all her titles, “Grammie” was the one she held closest. Her grandson, Quinn Joseph, was her world, her pride, her greatest joy, and each other's best friend. Recently, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by taking a European trip, an experience made even more meaningful because she shared it with him. It was a journey she spoke of often and held in her heart, which she referred to as her “trip of a lifetime”
Her life was rich in love and service and she leaves behind a legacy of warmth, kindness, and memories that her family will forever hold dear.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, Thomas, include a son, Aaron Franzi and his wife, Melissa; a grandson, Quinn Joseph Franzi; siblings, Stephen Ruzbasan and his wife, Saundra, Thomas Ruzbasan, David Ruzbasan and his wife, Cathy, James Ruzbasan and his wife, Kelley, Joseph Ruzbasan, Michael Ruzbasan, and Kathleen Neuhausser and her husband Roger; cousins and best friends Susan Kellogg and Briana Wall; many cherished nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews; brothers and sisters in-law, David Franzi and his wife, Anne, Alan Franzi, Karen Chagnon, and Christopher Franzi; as well as a large extended family including Aaron’s closest friends, who she considered her adopted children.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 10:00a.m. at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church, 145 Main St., Unionville. Friends may call Friday, December 5, 2025, from 5:00 to 8:00p.m. at Gleeson-Ryan Funeral Home, 258 Prospect St., Torrington.
At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Dr. Edward P. Dunne Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 625, Unionville, CT 06085 or Harwinton Volunteer Ambulance, 166 Burlington Rd., Harwinton, CT 06791 or FISH (fishnwct.org/donate)
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