Obituary of Josette Fitzgerald Melita

Gloversville, NY- Josette FitzGerald Melita (“Grandmere”), of Gloversville, then Guilderland, NY, passed away Wednesday, June 17th 2015 at St. Peter’s Hospital just a few days before her 96th birthday. Born a U.S. citizen at the American Hospital in Paris, France, she was the daughter of the late Timothy FitzGerald and Yvonne (Moser) FitzGerald. She was predeceased by her husband Dr. Joseph J. Melita who was born in Keck Center (Johnstown), NY and practiced Optometry primarily in Johnstown. She is survived by her daughter Jeanne Kirkpatrick (Roger) of Jackson, Wyoming; her sons Richard (Kimberly O’Brien) and Michael of Albany, Douglas (Friska) of Niskayuna and Timothy (Sara) of Slingerlands; Tom Santoro (Corinne Collins) of Coconut Grove, Florida; and her grandchildren Jeremy, Amanda, Chris, Beau, Rachael, Portia, Juliette and Gavrielle. Josette attended boarding schools in France where her parents were European tour guides. She moved to the U.S. at age nine and grew up in Chicago and New York City where she won medals for her diving prowess. She was a graduate of Hunter College majoring in biology and chemistry and met her husband at a mixer at Columbia University. They were married at the famous Little Church Around the Corner in Manhattan. Josette soon began raising her family in Passaic and Hackensack, New Jersey. In 1950, the family moved to Gloversville, New York where she lived for more than five decades, raising five children (and providing guidance and love to several others) while managing a teaching career. She was an inveterate student, taking graduate courses at SUNY Oneonta, Syracuse, University of Hawaii and elsewhere. Josette taught French and English in Gloversville and retired in 1981 from many years as the Amsterdam High School Librarian. To all who knew her, Josette was a strong, progressive, intelligent and spunky woman with broad interests in travel, the arts, science, history and literature and supporter of civil and women's rights and of our veterans. She chose the noted doctor-poet William Carlos Williams as her first obstetrician and enjoyed long chats with him during her first pregnancy. Her children’s friends were always welcome in her home, and to them she was engaging, supportive and “cool.” Coming from an international family of artists, she was always active in the visual arts, sketched and painted throughout her life and was a principal organizer of the Gloversville Congregational Church annual art show for several decades. She spent most of her extensive retirement traveling. She often drove solo to Wyoming to visit her daughter’s family. She traveled abroad to Tahiti, to see what Gauguin painted with her own eyes, and visited many other countries including China, Greece, Finland, and Russia. Josette lived on her own into her 90’s. She was a voracious reader and a formidable Scrabble player. As things slowed down later in life, she gained a new found interest in watching football, golf and other sports. Over the last year, health issues emerged, and she was taken into the loving home of Tim, Sara, Beau and Rachael in Slingerlands, NY and later was cared for with great compassion by the folks at the Eddy Heritage House in Troy. To the end, she displayed a remarkable resilience and joie de vivre showing us all the way to have a life well lived. This special lady will be missed by us all. A celebration of life memorial will be held on Thursday, July 16, 2015 at the Hans Funeral Home, 1088 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203. Relatives and friends will be received from 4pm until 7pm at the funeral home Memorial contributions may be made to DAV (Disabled American Veterans). Arrangements have been entrusted to: Simple Choices, Inc., Cremation Service, (518) 435-8030.