Mildred Fornito

Mildred Fornito, 102 years old, of Bowie, MD, and formerly of Saugerties, NY, passed away Tuesday, February 27, 2024. She was born in1921 in Manhattan, NY to parents, Carmine and Lena, and older sister Edith. Mildred spent her youth in the rural farm land of Flushing, NY on Long Island and watching the town grow with her. During WW-II Mildred worked in the offices of Wheeler Shipyard where they built navy ships to support the war effort. When the war ended, she worked in the accounting offices of the Visiting Nurse Association in Manhattan. 

In 1947 she married Leonard Fornito and ten years later, they moved to Saxton, NY, a hamlet of Saugerties, where they built their own home and lived happily with their two children, Richard and Lena. Lenny and Mildred were both active in their community, volunteering at the Saxton Fire House. Mildred was known for cooking roast beef dinners for their annual fundraiser. After their retirement, they purchased a fifth wheel motor home and spent the winters traveling the country. In the 10 years they were on the road they visited all 50 states, spending weeks in each of many towns learning the history of the area and meeting wonderful people on the way. For their 50^th wedding anniversary they celebrated with a grand 50 day cruise around the coast of South America.  Mildred loved telling stories of their adventures and showing off the pictures that they took along the way. When they stopped traveling, they sold their home and moved to Kingston, NY. 

After 64 years of wedded bliss, Lenny passed away and Mildred moved to Bowie to live with her daughter and her family. She enjoyed visiting the local casino; crocheting and embroidering baby blankets; reading; and sharing the adventures of her life with family and friends. 

Mildred is survived by her children, Richard Fornito and his wife Donna of New Berlin, NY; Lena Iredell and her husband Dan of Bowie, MD; her grandchildren, Richard, Anthony, Jennifer (Matthew), Brett (Danielle), and Kevin. In addition, she has four great grandchildren, Nathan, Natalie, Paige, and Leo. 

Arrangements entrusted to Keyser Funeral & Cremation Service, 326 Albany Avenue, Kingston, NY 12401. A private ceremony will be held on Monday, March 4^th. A burial will follow in Montrepose Cemetery, Kingston. For those who wish, contributions in Mildred’s memory may be made to the Saxton Fire House or to the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in Saugerties, NY as animal health and welfare was always important to her. A tribute for Mildred can be found at www.KeyserFuneralService.com, where you may leave memories and expressions of sympathy for her family.