Obituary of Susan Henrietta Enfield MacDonald

Susan Henrietta Enfield MacDonald, 87, of Wappingers Falls, passed away peacefully on January 3, 2012 at home. She was born on July 5, 1924 in Bel Air, MD. A resident of Wappingers Falls for the past 54 years, she was the wife of the late John Edward MacDonald, Jr. of Wappingers Falls, NY and the daughter of the late Jacob Roy Enfield and Martha Susan Holland Enfield of Forest Hill, MD. Henrietta is survived by a daughter, Bonnie Lee MacDonald of North Providence, RI; three sons, John Edward MacDonald III of Oswego, NY, Thomas Enfield MacDonald of Ithaca, NY and David Lane MacDonald of Red Hook, NY; two daughters-in-law, Shelley (Noonan) MacDonald and Terri (Hughes) MacDonald; eleven grandchildren, David Earley, Kenneth Earley, John Edward MacDonald IV, Erin MacDonald, Lucas MacDonald, Trevor MacDonald, Sonia MacDonald, Adam MacDonald, Parker MacDonald, Jacob MacDonald and Jesse MacDonald; three granddaughters-in-law, Tina Earley, Erin Earley and Amy MacDonald, five great-granddaughters, Emma MacDonald, Bailey MacDonald, Jordan MacDonald, Sarah Earley, Kailee Earley and Elaina Earley; one great-grandson, Isaiah Earley; and two sisters, Grace Sturdevant of Prince Frederick, MD, and Jeanne Reick of Fort Pierce, FL. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by three sisters, Dorothea Brand, formerly of Darlington, MD, Marjory Lee Barrow formerly of Bel Air, MD, and Mary Virginia Williams, formerly of Aberdeen, MD. Henrietta was a graduate of Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and taught Home Economics at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, MD. She married John on March 16, 1946 in Bel Air, MD. They moved to Reynolds, IN in the summer of 1946 so that John could attend Purdue University. She taught several subjects in the local high school. While raising her four children, Henrietta was active in the Dutchess County Home Extension Services. She graduated from Dutchess Community College in 1973 with her Associates Degree in Nursing and worked as a registered nurse at Beacon Hospital and as a private duty nurse in the Poughkeepsie, NY hospitals. In the 1980s she operated a horse boarding business and raised horses. An avid contract bridge player, she taught bridge for the Wappingers Falls Senior Center and initiated the weekly bridge games. Henrietta was a prolific painter and her artwork has been a feature of the family home for many years. A memorial service for family and friends will be held in the spring. Burial will be private. Arrangements are under the direction of Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 E. Main Street, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590. To send the family a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.