Anne Perrone

Anne (Grabarek) Perrone 1922-2021 long time Preston resident until 2015. Anne Perrone passed away in Forest Hill, Maryland on May 10, 2021. Anne was the daughter of the late Andrew and Anastasia (Majcher) Grabarek. She was also predeceased by her sisters Hermine and Joanna and her brother Joe. Anne grew up a "farm girl" on the current Preston Farms which is still in the Grabarek family. She graduated from NFA in 1941, her yearbook photo stating her greatest ambition was to tour South America on a bicycle. (She never did learn to ride a bicycle.) During the War, Anne worked in a factory that made propellers for our aircraft. In 1946, she met the love of her life, Joe, and they married in 1947. Anne loved gardening, both vegetable and flowers and was known for baking great pies. She worked many years as an assistant at Poquetanuck School. After retiring Anne volunteered for many years at the Backus Hospital, accumulating over 5,000 hours serving the patients there, much of it involving taking care of flowers sent to the patients - no surprise there. She enjoyed feeding and watching the birds and attempting to foil squirrels. Joe and Anne did a lot of traveling in retirement, including visits to their ancestral countries: Poland and Italy, the Holy Land, and Ireland. Anne lost the love of her life Joe in 2004 and her son Vinnie in 2014. She is survived by her son Michael and his wife Daria, four grandchildren, Michael Jr. and his wife Tammy, Kristen and her husband James, Meghan and her husband Henry, and Matthew and his wife Cory. She has eight great grandchildren, Olivia, Natalie, Luke, Everett, Reese, Wyatt, Max, and Finn.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anne's memory to the Poquetanuck Volunteer Fire Department or the Preston Historical Society. Family and friends may visit on May 21 between the hours of 4 to 7 pm at Labenski Funeral Home in Norwich. A funeral Mass will be held at 9 am May 22 at St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Preston, followed by burial at St. Joseph Cemetery in Norwich.