Florence Elizabeth Kretsch

Florence Elizabeth “Flo” Kretsch, wife of the late Armin Kretsch, passed away on September 7, 2024, at the age of 91, at her home in Trumbull, Connecticut. Flo was born on March 5, 1933 and grew up in Kiel, Wisconsin. Her parents were Hugo and Hildegard Klapperich Huberty. Flo and Armin Kretsch married in 1955. With Armin’s job, they moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Westland, Michigan; and in 1967, they moved to Southport, Connecticut.

Flo is survived by her three children: Michael Kretsch of Trumbull, Connecticut; Christine Kretsch and her husband, Michael Matese, of Charleston, South Carolina; and John Kretsch and his wife, Katerina, of Bristol Connecticut; And six grandchildren: Michael Cheney, Tyler Cheney, Stephen Kretsch, Katrina Matese, Thomas Kretsch, and Anna Kretsch. She has 16 surviving nephews and nieces.

Flo was predeceased by her husband, Armin Kretsch, who died in 2008. She was also predeceased by her brother, James “Jim” Huberty in 1981, and sister, Margaret “Marge” Pfister in 2006. Three of Flo’s maternal aunts were nuns and Flo was named after the youngest one.

Flo made many friends through bridge, playing tennis, and bowling. She was an avid bridge player for over sixty years. She enjoyed playing tennis on Fairfield’s clay courts all year long. In the colder months, she also played Platform Tennis. She enjoyed taking the train into Manhattan to see Broadway plays and shows, shopping in Midtown stores, and attending the U.S. Open tennis tournament in Forest Hills and Flushing. Flo was a subscriber to the Westport Country Playhouse and Westport Community Theater. She studied painting with Sister Eileen Gillen of the Sisters of Notre Dame. Every May, Flo attended the Boston Museum of Fine Art’s “Art in Bloom.” She enjoyed traveling to see her children and grandchildren and sewing clothes for daughter in the earlier years. Neighborhood get-togethers were a priority. She was a member of Welcome Wagon, Fifth Wheel, St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Southport, St. Pius Catholic Church in Fairfield, and attended St. Theresa Catholic Church in Trumbull.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.