Jacqueline Pittelli

Jacqueline Bradstreet Pittelliof Danbury, CTJacqueline Bradstreet Pittelli, 78, of Danbury, CT. passed peacefully with family members present, on January 31, 2016 at Regional Hospice and Home Care Center in Danbury Ct.Calling hours for Jacqueline will be 5:00 – 8:00 PM Friday, February 12, 2016 at Hennessey’s Funeral Home, 747 Jackson Ave, Susquehanna, PA. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Saturday February 13, 2016  at Saint Johns Roman Catholic Church 15 East Church Street, Susquehanna, PA. Jackie was born in Susquehanna, PA on August 3, 1937. She attended Laurel Hill Academy in Susquehanna and graduated in 1955. She modeled wedding gowns part-time for Drazen’s Department store, while also working full-time as an Administrator at Security Mutual Life Insurance in Binghamton, NY for 3 years. She relocated to NYC where she worked as a secretary to the Advertising Director at National Geographic for 4 years. While living in N.Y. she was constantly pursued by top modeling agencies, but Jackie preferred being grounded in her life and was proud of working for National Geographic. Though she married and settled in Somers N.Y. she never lost touch with her Pennsylvania roots. She loved, spending summers at her lake cottage near Starrucca PA, a family retreat since the 1950’s. In 2000, she rebuilt the family retreat as a log cabin. She was very proud of her “Cabin on Island Lake” as she liked to call it. The cabin, less than 20 miles from her beloved home town of Susquehanna, allowed her to keep in touch with the friends and family she grew up with.She passed that love of Susquehanna onto her kids and grandchildren. Jackie was an accomplished athlete with a love of sports which included bowling, skiing, horse shoes, tennis, horseback riding, golf and ice skating…and she excelled in all of them. Her memories of ice-skating on Sister’s Pond as a young girl inspired her to pursue figure skating in her latter years, catching the eyes of tourists looking down on the Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center. She loved the game of golf, and nothing was more fun for her than playing a round with friends and family. But perhaps the one thing that remains as a vivid memory, her in a rubber bathing cap adorned with flowers and her Esther Williams style and grace when she would swim across Island Lake. Given the opportunity, Jackie could have probably swum the English Channel.She also enjoyed “cutting a rug”. It was once said about her, “A swell dancer, a pleasure to see, wherever there’s music, she is bound to be” Swing music was written so that Jackie could display her talents on the dance floor.  Perhaps all these things that she loved to do, was the reason Jackie kept in such great shape throughout the years. In recent years, her favorite pastime was probably ‘Porch Sitting’ at the cabin with family and friends practicing her gracious hostess skills on those warm days of summer. She loved entertaining, cooking for friends & family, decorating and gardening, and had an uncanny knack of making things just “so”…which is why her children lovingly referred to her as “Martha” (Stewart). Jackie is preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Arlene Skellett and Her two older brothers, John R. and Arthur A. Bradstreet, both veterans.Jackie is survived by her children, Kimberly Shaw of Hancock, NY, Kendra Howley, (Brian) of Wappingers Falls, Jarrod Pittelli of Danbury CT, her three grandchildren Tyler Shaw, Carly Shaw, and Kayla Howley and her brother Roger D. Bradstreet and his wife Bonnie of Cazenovia, NY aswell as, several nieces and nephews that meant the world to her. In Lieu of flowers donations may be made in Jacqueline B. Pittelli’s name to Regional Hospice & Homecare, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury CT. 06810 The family of Jackie Pittelli wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center in both Sleepy Hollow & NYC, Dr. Smith –Marrone & the nurses & staff at the Regional Hospice & Homecare Facility in Danbury CT.