WATERTOWN, NY —Â Colleen M. Schraenkler passed away Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022, at the Albany Medical Center Hospital where she was admitted on Aug. 26, 2022. She was 69 years old.
A funeral Mass will be said noon Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with Rev. Frank Natale, M.S.C. officiating. Calling hours will be held prior to the Mass starting at 10:00 am – 12 noon at the church. Burial will be private.
Colleen was born May 21, 1953, in Fulton, NY, the daughter to the late William and Gertrude Hickok Gardner.
She worked for 17 years as a housekeeper at Sisters of St. Joseph’s in Watertown.
She is survived by a son, Christopher (Michelle Garneau) Diaz, East Syracuse; a stepdaughter, Nicole (Dale) Phillips, Sackets Harbor; four sisters, Penelope Fargo, Watertown, Pamela Bownam, Ontario, NY, Maureen Griffin, Fla, and Mary Bond, Harrisville; two brothers, William, and Kevin Gardner, both of Middletown, Conn.; three grandchildren, Noah, and Natalie Diaz and Grace Phillips.
Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, James, two sisters, Bridget Carter, Lorraine Gardner, and a brother, David Gardner.
Colleen was a devoted catholic and loved her church family. She spent many years as a lector for the church, volunteered for the RCIA program, and found other ways to help the church and its members over the years.
She was an avid history buff, spending many hours researching her own family’s ancestry. She loved cardinals & lighthouses and spent much of her free time making crafts. Her beloved dog Toby will also miss her dearly.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 320 W. Lynde St., Watertown, NY 13601.
Online condolences can be made at www.reedbenoit.com