Obituary of Patricia A. Fritts

Delmar – Patricia A. Fritts, 83, of Delmar, New York, passed away peacefully at home on May 29, 2023, in the presence of her husband Roger, and her children Monique Gilbert of Charlotte, North Carolina and Michael Fritts of Tupper Lake, New York.

Pat was born in Hartford, Connecticut on June 15, 1939, to Richard and Dorothy Finley, and soon thereafter moved to Oneonta, New York where she grew up and ultimately married Roger in 1962. They moved to Delmar one year later when Roger enrolled in Albany Law School.

Pat worked as a teller at Albany Savings Bank until the birth of their first child Monique. Pat and Roger subsequently had two more children, Jennifer (who passed away in 2012) and Michael.

In 1990 Pat returned to the workforce as a secretary in the nurse’s office of Bethlehem Central High School. During her tenure at BCHS, she began coordinating Bethlehem’s Adopt-a-Family program for which she was awarded Citizen of the Year by the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce in 2009. Upon her retirement, Pat spent her time traveling and enjoying her friends and family.

And speaking of family, it’s hard to imagine any person who was more loving, proud, and fiercely protective of her children and husband than Pat. She was active in the PTA, school sporting events, plays and recitals, and closely watched her children’s academic performances. In fact, as certainly her children and husband would attest, she was very, but graciously, demanding of hard work and perseverance.

Pat loved life and lived it to the fullest. She was a member of the Progress Club as well as a golf league known as the Partyers, and she made every effort to make certain this group (and she), lived up to its name! She thoroughly enjoyed dining out with family and friends, and she had many, many friends.

Admired for her candor and common sense, Pat’s opinion was often sought by her friends and family, at times even offered when not requested. Pat was a source of great fun, enjoyment and laughter, elements in life that will be deeply missed.

But after all is said and done, the most honest and accurate thing that will be remembered by all that knew Pat is that she loved people, was loyal to her friends, was a fantastic mother and wife, and a wonderful example of what many of us would hope to be and want as a friend.

In addition to her immediate family, Pat is survived by her son-in-law Toby Gilbert and grandsons Max, Sam and Luke, granddaughter Raegan Fritts, sister and her husband, Suzanne and Peter Fuson, and brothers Jerry Finley and John Finley.

God bless you Pat. You will never be forgotten.

Funeral  services will be held at 10:00 AM Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the Delmar Presbyterian Church, 585 Delaware Ave. Delmar, NY 12054.  The family will receive visitors at the Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave. Delmar Friday 4:00 to 7:00pm.  Interment will be in Bethlehem Cemetery, Delmar.

If desired, donations in Pat’s memory may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Albany, 362 State St. Albany, NY 12210.

Friends and relatives are invited to a reception at Martel’s Restaurant at Capital Hills, 65 O’Neil Rd. Albany, following the interment.