Elizabeth June Petragnani

A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.
Elizabeth "Betty" June Colvin was born on June 1, 1930, in Tannersville, Pennsylvania. As a child, her parents moved frequently before finally settling in Fernwood, Pennsylvania, in Delaware County. It was there that she met her future husband, Nicholas Petragnani Jr., when she was just 18 years old and he was 19. They were married on February 19, 1949.
Betty loved to tell the story of their wedding day: a Protestant who had converted to Catholicism, she wore a women dress suit to the ceremony, and afterward they celebrated with friends over a simple spaghetti dinner reception.
The couple purchased a lot in the country on a quiet cul-de-sac, where they would spend the rest of their remarkable 76 years of marriage. Together they raised six children—three daughters and three sons—in a Cape Cod home that originally had only three bedrooms. Betty often said she had the perfect family. Their children were raised in the Catholic faith and attended St. Thomas the Apostle School, and Betty and Nick remained devoted members of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania.
Betty embodied the classic American roles of wife, mother, daughter, and sister. She was grateful, compassionate, and optimistic, always seeing the world through what we called her "rose-colored glasses." A hardworking and industrious woman, she loved her family—and especially her husband—fiercely.
She rarely sat still. Betty cooked three meals a day for her family, always finishing with a wonderful dessert. She managed endless laundry for a household of eight in the basement of their home, joking that it was the secret to "keeping her figure." Her home was always neat and welcoming, with windows open, potted flowers everywhere, and geraniums—her favorite—brightening the yard.
On their property, Betty and Nick kept a large garden filled with corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers, which she turned into her famous bread-and-butter pickles. Betty was always deeply grateful for the life that Nick provided for her and their family.
When the children were young, every summer Betty would load them all into the family station wagon and take them on a "Blue Circle Tour" along Route 6 through Potter County, Pennsylvania—what she called "God's Country." The family often visited Kinzua Dam and the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon for hikes, followed by a swim at Lyman Run Lake in the icy mountain water. Some of Betty's happiest days were spent in Potter County at the family hunting cabin, where she lovingly cared for the camp and for her husband.
Betty always saw the glass as half full. She was one of the most gracious and complimentary people you could meet, often greeting others with a kind word or sincere compliment. She loved welcoming visitors into her home and never let anyone leave hungry. Guests were often offered ginger ale, ice cream, or a Manhattan. Even in her later years, when it became difficult for her to get up, she still tried to serve her family and made it nearly impossible to refuse anything she offered.

Betty lived eight months after the passing of "her man," Nick Petragnani, in June of 2025. She loved him deeply and stood by him through every season of life. Her devotion never wavered. It brings great peace to her family to know they finally reunited in heaven, on February 24th.
Betty is survived by her six children: Patricia (Anthony) DeMeo, Nicholas (Charlene) Petragnani III, Michael (Carol) Petragnani, Cindy (Michael) Frugoli, Christine Ticknor, and Thomas (Renee) Petragnani; 15 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Frances Cowell; her brothers, Gerald and Buck Colvin; and her beloved husband, Nicholas Louis Petragnani Jr., & Nicholas Petragnani IV

A Mass will be held at St Thomas Parish in Chester Heights, Friday March 27th, 2026 at 10:30 in the Old Church, there is no accessibility ramp at the old church and bathrooms are in the main church, Visitation will start at 10


"So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun."
— Ecclesiastes 8:15