Grace M. Petty, a local area resident since 2008, formerly of Yonkers, died on Thursday, August 27, 2015 at home in Fishkill. She was 96.
Daughter of the late Charles and Katherine (O'Connor) Hanson, she was born in the Bronx on September 20, 1918.
Grace served in the "WAVE" sector of U.S. Naval Reserve and was a World War II Veteran. During her tenure in the Navy, she met Charles J. Fitschen. After they were released from service in 1945, they were married in Farragut, Idaho and then relocated to Oregon. Charles died suddenly in 1950.
In 1955, she married Robert L. Petty at St. Eugene's Church in Yonkers. They raised their family in Westchester County. Robert predeceased her in 1995.
Grace attended St. Mary, Mother of the Church in Fishkill and was a former parishioner of St. Eugene's in Yonkers, where she was very active with various church groups and programs. She was very skilled at card games, especially Mahjong and Bridge. She enjoyed teaching these games and also competed in many Bridge tournaments. Grace was also an avid Bowler.
She is survived by her son, Keith Fitschen & his wife Donna of Charlotte, NC; her daughter, Carol Baxman of Yonkers; her daughter, Patricia Taylor & her husband Stephen of Forest Hills; her daughter, Mariann Markard & her husband Edgar of Hopewell Junction; her grandchildren, Joanne Santorelli & her husband Nick, Larry Baxman, Keith Fitschen, Kathryn Fitschen, Scott Fitschen, and Torie Markard; her great-grandchildren, Nicole, Michael, and Nicholas; and her sister-in-law, Maureen Hanson of Rochester; also many nieces, nephews, and other loving relatives & friends.
In addition to her parents and husbands, she was also predeceased by her brother, Charles Hanson.
Calling hours will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 30 at the McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street, Fishkill. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 31 at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, 106 Jackson Street, Fishkill. Interment will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, where the U.S. Navy will conduct Military Honors.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 22478, Oklahoma City, OK 73123, www.cancer.org or the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005, www.heart.org.
For directions, online condolences, and memorial donations, please visit Grace's Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.