STILLWATER - Catherine June (Patterson) Vano, 94, passed away peacefully on May 25, 2017 at the Wesley Nursing Community after a brief illness. Born in Mechanicville on September 28, 1922, she was the daughter of the late Nora and James Patterson.
In 1941, she graduated from Stillwater High School. In 1942 she went to work at General Electric in Schenectady where she met Tom Vano who started out by stealing her lunch and ultimately stole her heart. They were married at St. Peter's Church in Stillwater on January 23, 1944 where June was an active parishioner. They celebrated 57 happy years together before Tom's passing in 2001.
As a young woman, June was the catcher for a softball team sponsored by Carter's Lumber in Mechanicville. She was always ready for an adventure. When her children were young, she would prepare picnic lunches of Kool-Aid and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches then lead the neighborhood "gang" to Belly's Beach in Stillwater for afternoons of swimming. She also enjoyed camping at the Battleground in Lake George and golfing at the Mechanicville Golf Course.
June worked shift work in the cutting room of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company in Mechanicville before leaving for a job as a bank teller at Union National Bank in Schaghticoke. She retired from the bank in 1979 to help care for her grandchildren. She was a founding member of the Stillwater Ladies' Bowling League that met at the lanes above Stillwater Wood and Iron at the time "when boys set the pins." She was a Cub Scout leader, a member of the Arvin Hart Fire
Company Ladies' Auxiliary, and a lifetime member of the Elk's Ladies' Auxiliary. June and Tom were snowbirds who wintered in West Palm Beach, Florida where they made lifelong friends. June loved to celebrate, and she always looked forward to gatherings in Art and Betty's backyard or holiday trips to Kansas to visit her son and his family.
June is survived by her children, Karen(Dan) Witkop of Mechanicville, NY and Hon. James (Ruth) Vano of Overland Park, KS; Grandchildren, James(Lois) Witkop of Fairfax, VA; Anne(Dan) Dillon of Durham, NC; Danielle(Stephen) Sala of Ballston Lake, NY; Janelle Vano of Kansas; Emily Vano of Kansas; Trevor(Laury Fortin) Witkop of Stillwater, NY; Isaac Vano, and Glenna Vano of Overland Park, Kansas; Great-grandchildren; Sabrina, Beckett, Teague, Sullivan, Benen, Regan, Annabelle, Genevieve, Aubree, Mariah, and Elijah; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She is predeceased by her husband, Thomas; parents Nora (Lynch) and James Patterson; siblings Robert(Jean) Patterson; John(Mary) Patterson; Eileen(Earl) Antolick; Arthur(Betty) Patterson.
A Mass of Christian Burial and a celebration of a life well-lived by a vibrant woman will be held at NOON on Wednesday, May 31st at All Saints on the Hudson North Church, 895 Hudson Ave., Stillwater, NY. Family and friends are invited to call from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30th at DeVito Salvadore Funeral Home, 39 South Main Street, Mechanicville.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wesley Community Activity Fund, 131 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. To leave a message for the family, light a candle, obtain directions, or view other helpful services, please visit www.devito-salvadorefh.com

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