Mrs. Myra I. Petronis, age 99, of Hudson Ave., Stillwater, NY, passed away Saturday afternoon, May 7, 2011, at The Good Samaritan Lutheran Home, Delmar NY. A lifelong resident of the Mechanicville/Stillwater area, Myra was born May 26, 1911 at Samaritan Hospital, Troy, NY. She was the daughter of Lester Truman Aldrich and Harriet "Hatti" Rice Aldrich, Saratoga Ave., Mechanicville, NY. Myra attended school in Mechanicville, leaving at age 15 to work at the Hall & Hartwell Dress Shop in Mechanicville and help raise her siblings. A seamstress by trade, she retired in the 1960s after 40 years of service from Cluett & Peabody Shirt Co. of Troy, NY. Her hobbies included cooking, knitting and crocheting and she loved to dance. She collected shoes and maintained a vast wardrobe. An immaculate dresser, she seldom ever wore the same outfit twice. Myra was of the Presbyterian faith. She was also a proud longtime and, at the time of her death, the oldest member of the UPTON Chapter Order of the Eastern Star. On April 26, 1931, Myra married Anthony "Butch" Petronis. They lived a full and happy life together until Butch died, October 25, 1987. They were able to build a home via their own hands during the Depression. Told she could never have any more children after their first son, Anthony, died in the womb, Myra gave birth over ten years later, 1942, to her miracle baby, in her home in Stillwater during a blizzard and a WWII blackout. She is survived by her son, Gerald "Jerry" (Cynthia) Petronis, Stillwater; two sisters, Edith (William) Yankowski and Doris Aldrich; two sisters-in-law, Carolyn and Lillian Aldrich, all of Mechanicville; her late in life lunch companion, Eastern Star sister and niece, Sandra Petronis; her loving grandchildren, Jacqueline Ruth (Christopher Seamon), Colonie; Tiara-Layna (Christopher) Brown, Stillwater; Tressa (Jason) Monell, Stillwater; Christopher (Tiffany) Royal, Aim-Arbor, Michigan; John Robens, Mechanicville; and Ashley (Alex) Aguirre, Goodyear, Arizona. Myra's joy in her later years was seeing, holding and talking about her beloved and adored great-grandchildren, Anjel, Kyle, Hayden, Issac, Shane, Joshua, Noah, Ryleigh, Ian, Aubrie, Carson and Tatum. Myra was predeceased by her parents; sisters, Ethel (Manuel) Medina; Bertha (Joseph) Pena, Leona (Donald) Fawthrop, Marion (James "Ike") Richardson; brothers, Charles "Sonny" and Donald "Porky" Aldrich; and her beautiful great-granddaughter, Hannah Monell. Myra fondly remembered and thanked her at-home caregivers, Sandy McVeigh, Anita Morand, and Heidi Wittchen. A funeral service will be held on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Devito-Salvadore Funeral Home, 39 South Main Street, Mechanicville. Her nephew, Rev. Arthur Fawthrop, will officiate. Burial will follow the service at Hudson View Cemetery, Mechanicville. Calling hours will be at the funeral home on Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. Contributions may be made to The Stillwater Rescue Squad in loving memory of Myra Isabelle (Aldrich) Petronis. Visit www.devito-salvadorefh.com for directions and to pay condolences.
Published in The Daily Gazette from May 9 to May 10, 2011