Jessie Elizabeth Hewitt

1918 - 2008

Jessie E. Hewitt
1918 - 2008
PETERSBURG, N.Y. - Jessie Elizabeth Hewitt, 90, died April 20 at her home in Petersburgh in the arms of her devoted daughter, Lilly. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday.
Born on Jan. 7, 1918, one of eight children in the family of George and Edna O'Dell Eldred, they lived in Potter Hill.
Jessie and her sister, Lillian, helped their mother run the Meadowbrook Farm and Tourist Home. It has been said that she was rarely seen near the barn and never ever got her shoes dirty! Jessie was more at home in the farmhouse and in the large fields of flowers that tourists came from far away to see.
Jessie graduated from Hoosick Falls High School and Wilfred Academy in Boston. She worked at beauty salons locally until opening her own successful business in Petersburgh, which she continued until her children were born.
During World War II, Jessie did as many women of the times did – worked in a factory in Bennington Vt., to support the war effort.
Jessie was first a gracious lady, gentle and proper in her ways, full of old-fashioned kindnesses and with unshakable values. To her last breath, her main interest was her family.
A creative artist, Jessie used her talent in differing ways over the years, including: designing and making ceramic pieces that won her several blue ribbons; creating free-hand paintings; being the first called upon at the Veterans Hall and elsewhere to decorate for weddings and anniversaries, often picking wildflowers in the fields to create a magical setting. She was passionate about her photography, and her extraordinary penmanship demonstrated her flair for quietly beautiful work. She loved music and encouraged singing and playing of musical instruments among children of all ages.
As many women of her era did, Jessie supported her husband's dreams and work, including the building of Rainbow Pond and Hewitt's Haven and partnership in Hewitt & Sons, a family business that served the community for three generations.
Jessie loved people and delighted in supporting the community through active participation in several organizations: The National Farm and Garden Club, the Taconic Valley Garden Club, which honored her in 2004 as the one living Charter Member; The Hoosick Grange, a place of great friendships for 73 years; the Auxiliaries of the Petersburgh Fire Department and the American Legion.
She and her husband, Leyton Jay Hewitt, were married in 1944.
Besides her daughter, Lilly Hewitt, and son-in-law Kent Goodermote of Berlin, Jessie leaves her son, Gary Hewitt of Troy; three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a special niece, June Horton of Wilmington, Mass., and her brother, Ken Eldred.
She was predeceased by her husband of 51 years, Leyton Hewitt; by her beloved sisters and brothers, and her grandkids, Moyo and Whiskers Hewitt, who lived out their old age comforted by her calm and constant presence.
FUNERAL NOTICE: Friends may call at Jessie's Home, 46 Hewitt Road, Petersburgh, on Friday, April 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. "Jessie's Farewell Party" will be Saturday, April 26, at 11 a.m. at the Grange Hall in Hoosick. Guests are requested to wear something pink, a color that made her heart sing. Interment will be at Meadowlawn Cemetery on Hewitt Road.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Taconic Valley Garden Club Scholarship Fund and to the Petersburgh Rescue Squad in care of the THOMAS M. BARBER FUNERAL HOME, P.O. Box 361, Petersburgh, NY 12138