This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Obituaries

Obituary: Grace T. Pagano

Waukesha woman, 95, cooked at her husband's bar, Kelly's Tavern.

Grace T. Pagano, of Waukesha, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 at Linden Grove in Waukesha at the age of 95 years.

She was born on Aug. 30, 1917, in Waukesha, WI, the daughter of Joseph and Anna (Natalizio) Vitale. Grace married the love of her life, Calogero “Kelly” Pagano on Oct. 19, 1940. She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church, Waukesha since 1953. Kelly was longtime owner of Kelly’s Tavern in Waukesha, Grace was his partner, performing all the bookkeeping and cooking duties, along with occasionally bartending. The two of them worked side by side to operate the business. Most of all, her priority was caring for her family and loving to prepare delicious meals.

Grace will be deeply missed by her children, Mary (Ted) Kuemmel of Waukesha, Richard Pagano of  Elk Grove Village, IL; grandchildren, Angela and Kathryn Kuemmel, Rebecca (Dennis) Perry, Michael, Matthew, and Kaitlyn Pagano; brothers Simon (Vernell) Vitale, Joseph (Louise) Vitale of Waukesha. She is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Grace is preceded in death by her parents, Husband, Kelly; sisters, Mary (Francis)Vaughan,  Josephine (Bruno) Cappozzo; sister-in-law, Johanna Vitale; daughter-in-law Mary Kay Long-Pagano and grandson, Richard A. Pagano.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The visitation for Grace will be held from 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial on Thursday, Feb, 28, 2013, at St. Mary Catholic Church, 225 S. Hartwell Ave. Waukesha, WI 53186. The Rev. Howard Haase will be officiating. The burial will immediately follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials and Masses are appreciated to St. Mary Catholic Church (see address above), Alzheimer’s Association of Southeast Wisconsin, 620 S 76th St #160, Milwaukee, WI 53214 or a charity of your choice. The family wishes to extend a special thank you to all of Grace’s caregivers at Linden Grove and to her longtime physician, Dr. Gerald Berman.

Cesarz, Charapata & Zinnecker Funeral Home, Cremation and Pre-Planning Services is serving the family.  For online obituary or to leave a condolence, please visit http://www.WaukeshasFuneralHome.com, or call 262-542-6609.

Find out what's happening in Waukeshawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Waukesha