Grace Marie Pittman, 59, of Albany passed away Sunday at her home.
She was born in Fairborn, Ohio, the daughter of Carmen and Rose (DeMillo) Peterangelo. She was raised in Ohio, attended Ohio State University and taught middle school in Columbus before moving to Oregon in 1978 to finish graduate school at Oregon State University obtaining her master's degree in counseling.
Grace worked as a teacher at Calapooia Middle School and in 1988 she realized her dream and opened Albany Counseling Center. She ran the company and was a counselor for 23 years. She discovered early on she liked being a counselor much more than being a business owner. She spent over 30 years devoting her life to enriching the lives of others through her spirit, love and acceptance.
Grace loved cooking for her friends and family, and she was an amazing cook. She also loved spending time with her grandchildren. Grace enjoyed reading, being outdoors, hiking, gardening, fishing and animals - lots of animals. She was a respected and active member of the community; she lived her life with incredible passion and faith and always dedicated herself to everything she did. In recent years, she found the love and companionship of her dog, Andre. Grace's love of life, passion for people and laugh were infectious. She was an inspiration to her friends, family and the countless people she touched over the years. Grace embodied the spirit of the words, "My home is your home." She opened her home to countless people over the years and invested her time and unconditional love to help them in any way she could.
Grace was a devoted member of St. Mary's Catholic Church. She was very involved with CARDV, helping Vietnam veterans, and also gave many lectures and workshops at OSU and in the community over the years.
She is survived by sons Trevor M. Pittman and fiancée Lindsay Laux of Albany, Tom J. Pittman and girlfriend Ashley Shoop of Salem, Joel K. Blount and wife Sue Blount of Salem; daughter McKenzie R. Pittman and boyfriend Jake Irving of Albany; brother Jerry Peterangelo of Fairborn, Ohio; and her children's father and friend Mike Pittman. She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Alex, Kelsie, Asher, Mia and Dimitri.
She was preceded in death by her beloved brother, John Peterangelo; and partner Mike Boyd.
A memorial Mass will be at noon Monday, March 26, at St. Mary's Catholic Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to a college fund established for McKenzie Pittman at Citizens Bank.