CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) – A Cheektowaga woman looking forward to enjoying her retirement was killed in a house fire early Wednesday morning.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 6, a house fire on Yeager Drive in Cheektowaga took the life of 64-year-old Connie Gwinner.

Fire crews arrived just minutes after the call and found Gwinner inside of the home. While responders attempted life saving measures, she died from her injuries.

Loved ones are now sharing their memories of her, calling her a shining light.

“She made the world a better place,” said Joseph Muschaweck, who said Gwinner took him in at a young age. “She made people not feel bad for being themselves.”

“She saved my life. She was a role model,” he said. “She was my mom and she didn't have to be, that was her.”

Muschaweck reme

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