Photo courtesy of Reed & Benoit Funeral Home Inc. - Watertown
May 21, 1953 - Sep 4, 2022
Chris, very sorry about your mother's passing. I remember her from Sacred Heart School working with my mother in the library and when she was a lector at Church and helped out with the RCIA. She will be missed by all who knew her.
Carl Franks
September 08, 2022 | Watertown, NY | Friend
Colleen was one of my catechists in my RCIA classes. She was wonderful in explaining to me what it meant to become a Catholic. I could tell that her faith was very important to her. I will miss seeing Colleen at 10:30 mass and her little wave to say hello to me.
Rosie Panunzio
September 08, 2022 | Theresa, NY | Friend
Colleen M. Schraenkler passed away Sunday, September 4th at the Albany Medical Center Hospital where she was admitted on August 26, 2022. She was 69 years old.
Funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Saturday, September 10th at 12 noon with Rev. Frank Natale, M.S.C. officiating. Calling hours will be held prior to the mass starting at 10:00 am – 12 noon at the church. Burial will be private.
Colleen was born in Fulton, NY on May 21, 1953, the daughter to the late William and Gertrude Hickok Gardner. She worked for 17 years as a housekeeper at Sisters of St. Joseph’s in Watertown.
She is survived by her son, Christopher (Michelle Garneau) Diaz, East Syracuse; stepdaughter, Nicole (Dale) Phillips, Sackets Harbor; 4 sisters, Penelope Fargo, Watertown; Pamela Bownam, Ontario, NY; Maureen Griffin, Fla; Mary Bond, Harrisville; 2 brothers, William, and Kevin Gardner both of Middletown, Conn. Also surviving are her 3 grandchildren, Noah, and Natalie Diaz and Grace Phillips.
Besides her parents she was predeceased by her husband, James, 2 sisters, Bridget Carter, Lorraine Gardner, and her brother David Gardner.
Colleen was a devoted catholic and loved her church family. She spent many years as a lector for the church, volunteered for the RCIA program, and found other ways to help the church and its members over the years.
She was an avid history buff, spending many hours researching her own family's ancestry. She loved cardinals & lighthouses and spent much of her free time making crafts. Her beloved dog Toby will also miss her dearly.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in her memory to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 320 W. Lynde St., Watertown, NY 13601.
Online condolences can be made at www.reedbenoit.com
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