Cecilia Wutka always attended gymnastics competitions, watching her daughter compete, and eventually became a judge on request. After passing a series of clinics and tests, she scored local club competitions.
She officiated for 20 years, even serving as a line judge for an NCAA women's regional event at the University of Georgia, home of the Gym Dogs.
"One time she came home upset because she missed the chance to score her first 10," said Mark Wutka, her husband of 18 years. "Everything was perfect until the gymnast stumbled coming out of her last pass. Cecilia was so disappointed. She liked to see the girls do well."
On Feb. 26, Cecilia "Ceal" Merz Wutka of Lithonia died at Hospice Atlanta from complications of colon cancer. She was 64. A memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Atlanta Friends Meeting house on Howard Avenue in Decatur.
In 1978, Mrs. Wutka and her first husband, William H. Tombow, moved to metro Atlanta from Cleveland. She worked as a temporary secretary for Kelly Services staffing firm, and later as an administrative assistant at the Winship Cancer Center of Emory University. The couple divorced in the early 1990s.
In 2001, a series of events led Mrs. Wutka and her second husband to seek spirituality, though they'd never been all that religious. First, Mark's grandfather in Florida called and implored him to pay a visit, which the couple did. The grandfather died days later. The following month, Mrs. Wutka's father died. And a short time later the terrorist attacks took place in New York. The couple was moved by all of this.
Mr. Wutka took an online spirituality test and the results showed he aligned with the Quaker faith. He researched and attended meetings, and soon was joined by his wife. She embraced programs like the Southern Appalachian Young Friends, which serves Quaker youth.
"Just like with gymnastics, she loved watching the kids grow up and become responsible," her husband said. "And she loved just talking to them as people."
Dawn Pierce, a daughter from Buford, said the Quaker ministries became a big part of her life.
"When they started on their spiritual journey, mom jumped in with both feet," she said. "That's what she does with everything."
For six years, Mrs. Wutka volunteered for the Prisoner Visitation and Support Program, which serves federal and military prisoners in the U.S. Monthly, she'd visit the same inmates housed in the Atlanta Penitentiary.
Additional survivors include daughter Amy Tippin of Covington, son Brian Tombow of Dayton, Ohio, sisters Juanita Ansteatt of Milford, Ohio, and Ellie Kenny of Cincinnati, and three grandchildren.
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