Grace Willison

Grace O’Toole Willison, 95, a resident of Milford, C.T. and former resident of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., passed away on July 17, 2023 at her home. She was born on May 22, 1928 in Yonkers, N.Y., the daughter of the late James and Helen O’Toole. She was also the beloved sister of James O’Toole and John “Jack” O’Toole, both predeceased. On July 2, 1955, she married her husband, Alfred Willison, also of Yonkers, N.Y. (predeceased) and went on to have two wonderful children, Carol and James.

Grace was a long time secretary for the Wappingers Central School District in New York, a job she loved. She took great pride in her quick typing skills and loved playing a role in education. However, her true love was the beach, specifically Silver Sands in Milford, C.T., where she would spend summers with her parents, brothers, husband, children, and many nieces and nephews. Eventually she and her husband bought a cottage on the beach where she welcomed family and friends throughout her lifetime. Grace was extremely passionate about fixing her beach cottage herself, and took pride in using it as a gathering place for generations of her family. She made lifetime friends with her neighbors, and after she retired, she moved to Milford full-time so she could enjoy waking up to the sounds of the waves daily.

While in Milford, Grace loved to attend events at the Senior Center and went to the Planet Fitness gym on a daily basis. Her drive to stay fit was something that allowed her to live a very long and healthy life. Grace will be severely missed by all who knew her, especially her daughter Carol Conston and son-in-law, Kenneth Conston; her son, James Willison and his long-time partner, Cindy Barboza; her granddaughters, Lauren (Conston) Wilke and her husband Sean Wilke, and Michelle (Conston) Carter and husband Alexander Carter. Grace was also fortunate enough to experience years as a great-grandmother to her great-grandchildren, Hayden, Decker, and Lennon Wilke, as well as Perry Carter. Grace is also survived by many nieces and nephews that loved her dearly.

A private service will be held for Grace. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to a local animal shelter. Both Grace and her late husband, Al, were huge animal lovers and a donation in their memory is extremely sentimental to the family.

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