Mary (Fratrick) Postupack

            Mary Postupack transitioned peacefully from this earth after a long illness on Friday, September 14, 2018, with her daughters and a close family friend by her side.

            Mary was born Mary Ann Fratrick in McAdoo on July 8, 1932, to Andrew and Catherine (Yurechko) Fratrick.  Mary graduated from McAdoo High School, where she was a cheerleader and well known for her dazzling smile and sparkling personality. She married Theodore Postupack of Still Creek on April 19, 1953 at St. Mary's Ukrainian Catholic Church, McAdoo. They relocated to CT in 1956 and resided in the White Hills area of Shelton where they raised their children and tended their many gardens for almost sixty years. Mary relocated to Kennebunk, ME in October 2014 where she resided at Huntington Common Assisted Living, followed by St. Andre's HealthCare in Biddeford, ME where she received compassionate and loving care by skilled and dedicated staff.  

            During her lifetime, Mary was very active in many community organizations and her church. Many of her volunteer hours were spent at the Griffin Hospital gift shop, and at VARCA, a special needs support agency in Derby, CT, where she co-chaired their annual fundraiser, the VARCA Ball. As a member of St. Joseph’s Church in Shelton, CT, Mary joined the Rosary Society, became a lay Eucharistic Minister, and sang soprano in the church choir.  Mary enjoyed a long career at JCPenney in Derby and Trumbull, CT, culminating as a merchandising associate where her eye for fashion and creative skills were used to great advantage.

            Mary had many hobbies and especially loved gardening, growing roses, peonies, many other flowers, and herbs. She loved to entertain family and friends and became known as “the hostess with the mostest.”  Uniquely creative in her table arrangements and menus, family and friends still talk about Mary's parties and dinners. We all considered her the original "Martha." She won awards from the White Hills Junior League for her splendid, festive table settings, she was a fantastic and accomplished from-scratch cook and baker, and she simply loved cooking for people. Mary was an amazing singer who loved a wide range of music. She was an avid reader, a supporter of local theater, enjoyed poetry, and self-published many of her own poems. Mary was an able – if not always eager - first mate sailing with her husband, Teddy, as he often enjoyed navigating rough seas and high winds while she would have preferred smooth waters. Mary loved swimming, traveling, and she adored her English sheepdog, Petunia. Most of all, Mary loved her family and dedicated her life to always doing her best for them with a smile and a dish of comfort food. 

            Preceding her in death, in addition to her parents, were her husband of 59 years, Theodore Postupack, (October 17, 2012); children Theodore Postupack, Jr. and Mary Lisa Postupack; and grandson, Andrew Postupack, (August 19, 2017). 

            Surviving are her daughter Janet H. Postupack; her son Jeffrey B. Postupack, his wife Heidi, and their daughter Kathryn; daughter Judith C. Stark, her close friend Bill Carey, and her children Jonathan and Justin Dobrovich; her sisters Joan DeBiase and Eleanor Durishan; as well as many nieces and nephews.  

            The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday at 10 a.m. in Church of All Saints, McAdoo. Interment will follow in St. Cyril and Methodius Postupack Family Cemetery, Weatherly, where she will be laid to rest next to her husband Theodore. Family and friends will then gather at Capriotti’s Palazzo, 1 Banks Ave., McAdoo.

            No public calling hours are scheduled.

            In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made by check to the Postupack Families Association, c/o Wayne Postupack, 189 Ben Titus Road, Tamaqua, PA 18282.

            The Damiano Funeral Home, Inc., McAdoo,  is assisting the family with arrangements.

            Condolences may be entered and information is available at www.damianofhinc.com.

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