Marlborough - Thea M Koenecke, formerly of Stow and Maynard, passed away Sunday December 5th surrounded by her loved ones at a family home in Westminster, MA. Thea was born September 7th 1935 in Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany, the daughter of the late Hildegard and Herbert Koenecke. Thea is survived by her two children Nina Vecchi and John Theroux, son-in-law Michael Vecchi Jr, 4 grandchildren Gina and Anthony Vecchi, Kristen, and John Theroux Jr, 2 great grandchildren Maynard and Joseph Rosbury, and former husband Alfred Theroux of Lady Lake, FL. Thea’s passing was preceded by her late ex-husband Robert Berkio of Fitchburg, MA. She also leaves behind many close friends and acquaintances.

As a young girl growing up in WW II during times of hardship, she learned the valuable skills of sewing and making food when it was scarce. She created lovely crocheted, knitted, embroidered, and sewn garments for family and friends, as well as a huge surplus of knitted mesh grocery bags that can still be found tucked away in the odd corner of a kitchen cabinet to this very day. From an early age Thea was in love with books, and would often tell stories of sneaking into her Uncle’s library to peek at the pages in his collection well before she could even read. A life-long learner, she held an endless curiosity for the world around her, always in pursuit of new topics to explore - everything from spirituality, to metaphysics, to nutrition and health, to romance novels to politics memoirs and so much more. This fascination with the universe and quest for knowledge is a passion she would later pass down to her children and grandchildren.

Coming to America in 1953 with her first husband John King of Cambridge, Thea wholeheartedly stood up to the challenge of learning a new language in a foreign country that would become her home. Much to the amazement of her fellow Duetchlanders, Thea was soon able to swap between her native tongue of German and English with great ease. And as if that wasn’t enough, she would later join Toastmasters International in order to overcome her fear of public speaking, eventually going on to become the committee chairperson for her chapter of the organization.

Thea took immense pride in her career as an electrical professional, working for companies such as Honeywell, Sylvania, and Raytheon, but she would speak most fondly of her time at Digital Equipment in Maynard, MA. As part of the original Components Engineering group at “The Mill” , Thea held various positions involved with components testing, product safety, and compliance. During her 18 years with the company she formed many life-long friendships and memories that she cherished deeply.

As with literature, Thea also had a love of music, another passion she would share with friends and family. Even in her formative years she could be found in the bleachers whenever Roger Waters came to town, or sometimes treating her family to some tickets when the Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish was on tour. She loved to cook all sorts of international Cuisines, taking culinary inspiration from her childhood favorites such as the special liverwurst her hometown was known for, as well as many of the dishes she adopted from the friends she had acquired in her long electronics career.

Although she did not have a particular faith she practiced love, kindness, and generosity to all that crossed her path in life. In lue of flowers donations can be made to www.feedingamerica.org in her name. In lue of a formal memorial service, the family is planning a small event in the spring of 2022 to commemorate her passing.