Winifred Brandt Colleran

Winifred “Wini” Brandt Colleran, 86, died peacefully at home in North Haven, Connecticut, on February 23, after a short battle with cancer, surrounded by her family. Wini was born on December 5, 1939, in Suffern, New York, to Flora Marguerite Shelbourne and Bernard Culver Brandt. She grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, and Springfield, Massachusetts, alongside her brother, Geoffrey Brandt. She graduated from Bay Path Junior College and worked for American Airlines for more than a decade in the 60s, rising to Supervisor of Stewardesses. Later in life, she spent many meaningful years working at Hopkins School in New Haven in a number of different roles including as the President of the Parent Council and in the Development Office. The majority of Wini’s life, and the years she treasured most, were spent in North Haven, Connecticut, where she and her husband of 57 years, John Colleran, raised their four sons. Together they built a beautiful home, a loving marriage, and a family that became the center of everything. When Wini talked about her life, she always returned to the same truth: family was who she was. She was also a longtime parishioner of St. Thomas More Chapel in New Haven, where her faith was an important and steady presence in her life. She is survived by her husband, John, and their four sons, David, Timothy, Matthew, and Kevin. She always said to them plainly, “You are my life.” She was a loving mother-in-law to Rose, Erin, Laura, and Erica, and a proud and devoted grandmother to her nine grandchildren: Madison, Megan, Riley, Ryan, Jack, Nora, Kennedy, Andrew, and Brandt. She called them her legacy and was proud of that legacy beyond words. Wini loved her home and her plants. She cultivated a number of beautiful gardens there and, for many years, cared for multiple spaces at Edgerton Park. She treasured the friendships that grew from these shared passions. She loved art of all kinds, especially metal sculpting. For more than 30 years, she took classes at Creative Arts Workshop. She greatly valued her many friends in the North Haven Garden Club and the Women’s Book Club. These communities brought her creativity, laughter, and deep connection. She spoke with joy about her family traditions, ColleranFest, Colleran Christmas, and their summer and winter family vacations in Aspen, Colorado. She knew these traditions were the substance of her family. When people heard about them, they often told her how lucky she was, and she agreed. When reflecting on her life, Wini struggled to think of anything she would change. She felt grateful for all she had been given and was at peace with the life she lived. Wini was not afraid of dying. She felt she had done everything she wanted to do in her life, except watch her grandchildren grow up. There was nothing else she longed for, nothing else she felt was missing. She felt complete. She believed she was at a good ending. She felt loved. She felt grateful. She felt blessed beyond measure. She had a beautiful family, a loving marriage, meaningful friendships, and a life she would not trade for any other. Calling hours will be held on Friday, February 27, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, 3105 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, Connecticut. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, February 28, at 11:00 a.m. at Saint Thomas More Chapel, 268 Park Street, New Haven, Connecticut. Friends are requested to go directly to the church on Saturday. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed and information can be found on the church’s website (stm.yale.edu/livestream/mass). Burial will follow at St. Lawrence Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Creative Arts Workshop, 80 Audubon Street, New Haven, Connecticut, or the North Haven Garden Club, 12 Stanton Road, North Haven, Connecticut.

Winifred Brandt Colleran

December 5, 1939 - February 23, 2026