Agnese “Aggie” G. Wojdak, a former ballerina, gold-medal ice-skating judge, and educator, died on Sept. 20 at the age of 79.
Beloved partner of Gary W. Mize and spirited mother of Krista, Jessica, and Stacy, Aggie had been courageously dealing with a rare autoimmune disease, systemic scleroderma, for the past six years. Aggie lived in New Hope from January 2003 until mid-2011.
Born to Stanley and Margaret Froncek in Jessup, a borough northeast of Scranton, on Feb. 22, 1941, she graduated from local schools and earned her master’s degree in education from Marywood College. During her high school and college years, she also studied ballet and performed with her troupe on a USO sponsored tour to the Azores. After graduation, she began a career in education and was an adored high school English teacher in Burlington, N.J. Her former husband, Stephen R. Wojdak, to whom she was married from 1964 to 1994, died in 2015.
After her daughters began life on their own, and later in her lifetime, she joined the Wissahickon Skating Club where fellow ice skaters gave encouragement and helped grow her love of ice dancing. As a volunteer judge for the U.S. Figure Skating Association (USFSA), she earned appointments as a test judge and was qualified to judge gold level freestyle tests, gold level moves in the field, gold level ice dances, and international level ice dances. Aggie had also personally qualified to perform gold level ice dances and some international ice dances. As a judge, she was known by those to whom she imparted her skating knowledge as compassionate and fair.
It was during her ice skating pursuits that she met her partner of the last 20 years, Gary W. Mize. After they moved to Bend, Ore., in 2008, Aggie, ever the athlete, and Gary, took up kayaking, a sport which they both enjoyed and shared. They resided on Awbrey Butte.
She is survived by her partner, Gary, of Bend, and by one brother, Frank X. Froncek of North Myrtle Beach, S.C. The passion Aggie had for children moved her to adopt her three girls who also survive her: Krista Brown (Darien, Conn.) Jessica (Jessi) Lord, (Bend, Ore.), and Stacy Wojdak-Goodman (Denver, Colo.). She loved dearly and spoke often of her five grandchildren: D. Morgan B. Brown, Charlotte B. Brown, Finley G. Brown, Noah A. Goodman, and Emma R. Lord. Those she left behind wish her to be in the limitless light of love.
The family is planning a celebration of her life in 2021.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to the Scleroderma Research Foundation at srfcure.org
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