Obituary of Ione M. Pelletier

North Creek: Ione M. “Dolly” Pelletier, 93, passed away peacefully, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at the Adirondack Tri-County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Inc. , North Creek. Born on May 9, 1917 in the town of Bolton, she was the daughter of the late Arthur and Justa (Twiss) Braley. She married her beloved husband, Howard J. Pelletier on September 1, 1940 at the Minerva Baptist Church. Howard died March 2, 1977 after 37 years of marriage. In addition to her parents and husband, her brother Linwood Braley, her daughter Shirley Pelletier Stoughton and her son-in-law, Harold (Skip) Stoughton of Canton have all predeceased her. She was a school teacher, graduating from Bolton Central School in 1934 and Plattsburgh St. Normal School in 1937. She began her teaching career in one-room schools around the Town of Johnsburg, including Edwards Hill, Bartman District, and Garnet Lake before the birth of he daughters. After her children were of school age, she resumed her teaching career, teaching first grade at Minerva Central School from 1955 to 1974. By attending summer school, she received her B. S. degree in Education from the State University of NY Plattsburgh in 1962. Ione strove to teach the love of reading to both her daughters and her students. Her girls were encouraged to bring home huge piles of books from the bookmobile and were surrounded at home by classics and popular children’s books. Her classrooms always had a library corner, stocked with books that she had purchased; she believed in reading out loud to her class on a daily basis, reading such classics as Black Beauty and enjoying the stories as much as her students did. She loved to travel with her friends touring the United States, England, Ireland, and Israel; she was always ready to pack her bags for a trip, hence her love of the song, “On The Road Again”. Her special friends included John and Fran Paradis and Dave and Joanne Carver of Minerva and the Frank Hewitt family. The family would like to thank the caring staff of the Adirondack Tri-County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and High Peaks Hospice for their wonderful care of Ione when she was in that facility. Also, the family would like to acknowledge the North Creek-Minerva Baptist church members for their support during her illness. She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Pelletier) Rawson and her husband Bill of North Creek; grandchildren Kevin Stafford of North Creek, Kensey Batchelder and her husband Tim and their children Maren and Trenton of Erving, MA and Karrie Stafford and her husband Keith Terriberry of Pacifica, CA. Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. There are no calling hours scheduled. Ione’s earthly remains will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Howard in the Minerva Baptist Cemetery in the spring. Memorial contributions may be made to Adirondack Tri-County NRC, 500 Ski Bowl Road, P.O. Box 500, North Creek NY 12853. Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online guestbook, condolences and directions.