Veronica Gutleber

Veronica “Ronnie” Gutleber

February 11, 1932 – June 6, 2026

Veronica “Ronnie” Gutleber, a woman whose warmth touched everyone she met, passed gently into the arms of the Lord on June 6, 2026, at her home in Spring, Texas, surrounded by the family she loved so dearly. She was 94 years old, and she lived every one of those years with grace, faith, and an open heart.

Ronnie was born at home in Queens, New York, on February 11, 1932, the cherished daughter of John and Catherine Breslin. Raised with her three siblings by devoted Irish parents, she grew up in a household built on faith, family, and an abundance of love — the very foundation she would carry with her, and pass on, for the rest of her life.

She attended Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary School and later Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School in Brooklyn. In 1953, she married the love of her life, Conrad Gutleber, and together they began a marriage filled with joy, partnership, and a shared devotion to their Catholic faith.

Faith was the quiet heartbeat of Ronnie’s life. At St. Anastasia Church in Douglaston, she gave generously of her time as a member of the Ladies Auxiliary, lovingly preparing the altar for Mass. She and Conrad together served as Eucharistic Ministers, both at St. Anastasia and at St. Pablo’s Church in Marathon, Florida. Mass was never an obligation to Ronnie — it was where her heart wanted to be, and she attended often, even daily, for as long as she was able. In her later years, when leaving home grew more difficult, she simply welcomed Mass into her living room each day, never missing a beat. Her brother, Father John Breslin, a Montfort Missionary priest, would often celebrate Mass in her Douglaston home — a tradition that brought her tremendous comfort and joy.

Ronnie loved cooking, playing tennis, exercising in the pool, and most of all, opening her home to family and friends. Her table was always full — of food, of laughter, and of the bounty from her own garden, where she grew tomatoes and basil and tended her beloved roses with a gardener’s patient hand. But of all her joys, she often said her greatest accomplishment was raising her four children: John, Stephen, Kathleen, and Laureen. As her family grew, she delighted in becoming a grandmother, treasuring every birthday, holiday, and quiet afternoon spent with her grandchildren.

Ronnie’s faith carried her around the world. She made pilgrimages to Fátima in Portugal, Lourdes in France, and Medjugorje, and traveled to the awe-inspiring Machu Picchu in Peru and to the Holy Land in Israel — journeys that deepened a faith already woven into every part of who she was.

Wherever she lived — Douglaston Manor or Garden City, New York; Duck Key, Florida; or most recently, Spring, Texas — Ronnie created a home that felt like an embrace. She was known for her dependability, her caring nature, and a faith that never wavered, even through life’s hardest seasons. She often said how blessed she felt, how charmed her life had been — and anyone who knew her could see she meant it.

Ronnie will be remembered for her kindness, her steadfast love, and the quiet example of faith and devotion she set for everyone fortunate enough to know her. Her legacy lives on in her children, her grandchildren, her friends, and the countless lives she touched along the way.

Ronnie is survived by her daughters, Kathleen Lawrence and her husband, Bill, of Spring, Texas, and Laureen Feehan and her husband, John, of Parrish, Florida; her beloved grandchildren, David and Whitney Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, Jordan and Kit Lawrence, Dr. Tara and Anthony Carella, and Micaela Feehan; her sister, Anne Kalbacher; her brother, Michael Breslin; and many loving nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Conrad Gutleber; her later husband, Roy Janota; and her sons, John Gutleber and Stephen Gutleber.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 18th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Roslyn Heights Funeral Home, 75 Mineola Avenue, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, June 19th at 9:45 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 130 Fifth Street, Garden City, NY 11530, followed by interment at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Veronica Gutleber’s memory may be made to the Montfort Missionaries, 26 South Saxon Avenue, Bayshore, NY 11706, or to the Charity Guild of Catholic Women, 1203 Lovett Blvd, Houston, TX 77006.

The family extends its heartfelt gratitude to Omega Hospice of Houston, Texas, for the compassionate care, guidance, and support they provided during Ronnie’s final days.

May she rest in the peace of Christ, and may she remain forever in the hearts of all who were lucky enough to love her.