Grace M. Putignano, 90, passed on to be with the Good Lord on Monday morning, January 14, 2019, at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood NJ. She was a beloved wife, devoted mother, grandmother, aunt and great-aunt. She will always be close in our hearts.
Mrs. Putignano was raised in Hasbrouck Heights NJ, where she attended school before graduating from New Jersey College for Women (now Rutgers University/Douglass College) with a degree in English and a minor in Art. She then worked for an interior designer.
Grace met her dear husband Patrick at a CYO event, shortly after he returned home from WWII decorated with honors. They married in New Hampshire and settled in Park Ridge NJ for 43 years, where they raised their family of two sons and a daughter. They then retired to Lakewood NJ. Grace and Pat enjoyed frequent walks hand-in-hand, and exploring the American countryside and the shore together.
Grace had a keen intellect with wide-ranging interests in literature, nature, art, history, fashion and interior design, and current affairs. She was gifted in creating couture-quality clothing--sewing, knitting and crocheting as hobbies. She also played the piano. Grace always had a soft spot for animals. She supported humanitarian causes, veterans’ affairs, and animal rights. She enjoyed yoga with her friends and was a loyal Giants fan.
Grace is predeceased by her beloved husband of 62 years, Patrick J. Putignano, her first-born son Patrick A. Putignano, a West Point graduate, her brother Edward and her parents Florence and Edward.
Grace is survived by daughter Anita Dillon and her husband Bob of Mt. Pleasant, SC, son Rich Putignano and his wife Mary Ellen of Park Ridge, NJ, her grandson Michael Putignano and his girlfriend Courtney Schultz of Hoboken, NJ, her younger brother Jim Flanagan of New London, NH, and in-laws, nieces, nephews, great-nephew Harrison and great-niece Grace.
Grace Putignano’s services will all take place on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. Her Memorial Gathering and Viewing will be held 9am to 10am at D’Elia Funeral Home, Route 70 & Vermont Avenue, Lakewood, NJ; followed by 10:30am Mass in celebration of Grace’s life at St. Luke’s Church, 1674 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, NJ. Interment service will then take place at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Memorial Cemetery, 350 Province Line Road, Wrightstown, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Grace’s memory to:
Red Cross, redcross.org, PO Box 37839, Boone IA 50037-0839;
West Point Association of Graduates, westpointaog.org, 698 Mills Road, West Point NY 10996;
ASPCA, aspca.org, PO Box 96929, Washington, DC 20090-6929.
For further information or to post a tribute, please visit www.deliafuneralhome.com.
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