Irma Gotthelf Diaz-Saavedra
Waterford — Irma Gotthelf Diaz-Saavedra, of Waterford, died at the age of 97 on Oct. 5, 2023 from the effects of Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis. Mrs. Diaz-Saavedra was born Jan. 28, 1926, at The Home Memorial Hospital in New London. She was the daughter of the late Louis and Caroline Edwards Gotthelf of Norwich.
She grew up in Norwich, attended Samuel Huntington School, and graduated from Norwich Free Academy in 1943. She earned a B.S. degree from the Purdue University School of Pharmacy in West Lafayette, Ind., in 1946. She accomplished her pharmacy license internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell School of Medicine and continued working there for six more years. She worked as a pharmacist in the Southeastern Connecticut area for decades.
She traveled extensively around the world in her younger years, as well as upon her retirement. On March 2, 1958, she married Gabriel Diaz-Saavedra in Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. Mr. Diaz-Saavedra predeceased her Oct. 16, 1996.
She is survived by four sons: Gabriel Diaz-Saavedra of Bradenton, Fla., Charles Diaz-Saavedra of San Luis Obispo, Calif., James Diaz-Saavedra, his wife Katherine and daughter Ava, of New London, and Joseph Diaz-Saavedra, his wife In-Bey Chao of Jersey City, N.J., and their daughters, Ariana of Los Angeles, Calif., and Olivia of San Francisco, Calif. She is also survived by sister-in-law Martha Gotthelf of Bozrah, and her daughters Carrie Gotthelf of Encinitas, Calif., and Liz Gotthelf-Othot of Old Orchard Beach, Maine; in addition to many cousins living in all parts of the country. Her brother, Paul Gotthelf, predeceased her Dec. 26, 1995.
Mrs. Diaz-Saavedra was a volunteer at the New London Trolley Information Station, Garde Arts Center, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Eugene O’Neill Theater, York Correctional Institution, Olde Town Mill Harvest Festival and the Friends of Harkness and Fort Trumbull gift shops. She participated in the Senior Swim at the Waterford High School pool and Brain Flex at the Waterford Senior Center. She was a voracious reader and a member of the Women of Waterford Book Club. Mrs. Diaz-Saavedra also audited classes at the Three Rivers Community College and was a founding member of the Adventures in Lifelong Learning program at the college. Additionally, she enjoyed gardening and bird watching, and was an active tennis player and swimmer (at Pleasure Beach in Waterford) well into her 80s. She was an avid fan of Purdue football, watching or listening to their games every Saturday.
Mrs. Diaz-Saavedra has donated her body to the Yale University School of Medicine. There will be no formal services at this time; however a Celebration of Life gathering will be announced in the spring of 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory can be made to Friends of Harkness at friendsofharkness.org, or Waterford Senior Services at waterfordct.org (search “Waterford Donation Form”), or Waterford Public Library at waterfordct.org (search “Support the Library”).