Our beloved mother, grandmother “Babba,” and great-grandmother Mary Elaine (Radway) Valletta passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter Jennifer and family in Mooresville, North Carolina, on Feb. 2, 2024.
Mom was mother to seven of us. She leaves behind Theresa (Foster), Beth (Catranis), Lisa (Maloney), Michael, Jennifer (Michel), Joshua, and Nathaniel, and also her remaining brother, Vernon Radway of Florida. Her children and their spouses, 26 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren are spread out from California to Tennessee and North Carolina, to Pennsylvania and New York, north to Nova Scotia and overseas to the Netherlands and Germany.
Mom was born in Elkins, WV, on June 28, 1934. She spent much of her childhood in Boston, but the family returned to Pompey, N.Y., before the end of high school.
She graduated from Fabius Central School in June of 1951 and completed her college degree at Syracuse University studying both art and education.
Elaine was awarded a Teacher’s Certificate in art in September of 1957, and she worked as an art teacher in Baldwinsville the following year. During that time she met her future spouse, Frank Valletta, of Gardner Road, Pompey, at the “Old Stone Store” in Pompey. They married on April 6, 1958, at the old Pompey Firehouse, and celebrated 62 years of marriage in 2020 before Frank passed away.
Elaine always wanted to be a mother, and she and Frank quickly started their large family. During the years while Frank was a school teacher and then an athletic director, Elaine managed and beautified their home and the children. She loved to create a warm and welcoming space for family and friends. As an artist, Elaine was always working on a new household project or encouraging and delighting in her family’s creative endeavors. As a stay-at-home mom, Elaine was always present at her children’s sports or musical events. Together they often traveled to support their grandchildren’s events, or even took them along on trips. Elaine also held down the home front while Frank was engaged for decades in service to the community.
By the time retirement came along, Frank and Elaine knew they wanted to pursue their interest in American folk arts and crafts. Together with Elaine’s designs, they opened Appletree Creations. They began with hand-carved wooden figurines of Americana scenes, moving on to larger American Folk Art animals. They spent close to 30 years after retirement producing, traveling and selling their unique line at craft shows in the northeast, retiring from that work in 2019.
Elaine was all about exploring and appreciating our incredible world. She loved traveling! She and Frank volunteered for many church-sponsored overseas missions trips helping with many types of service projects; for Elaine these became opportunities to befriend strangers.
She loved lighthouses, finding fields of sheep, enjoying new scenery, immersing herself in the ocean breeze, discovering charming local restaurants and shops, tending her flowers, standing in awe of every new sunset and so much more. First and foremost, Elaine treasured spending time with her children, grandchildren and greats. She made each of us feel uniquely loved and appreciated.
Elaine and Frank were devoted and faithful Christ followers and church members; they spent the last 30 years serving in various capacities at Pompey Community Church, the same church Elaine had attended as a youngster. She was known for her warm hospitality, her striking creativity, abundant energy and love for life, and most of all her passion to spread the love of God shown in Jesus His son, her precious Savior. We will miss so very many things about our mom, our Babba, but we are incredibly thankful for the gift she was to each of us.
Please join the Valletta family for a service to honor both Frank and Elaine, which will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Pompey Community Church. A reception will follow in the fellowship hall. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pompey Community Church for their children’s playground and pavilion to serve the community. Send donations to: Pompey Community Church, 2555 Berwyn Rd., Lafayette, NY 13084. Condolences for the Valletta family may be left at michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.
