Mildred M. Pitcher

Rhinebeck – Mildred M. Pitcher, 97, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, surrounded by family at her home in Rhinebeck.

“Millie” was one of life’s unique and eccentric characters and left an indelible mark on just about everyone she met. Her nearly century-long journey through life started in New Rochelle on October 9, 1927, but her time there was short. Her immigrant parents were servants for a wealthy family and wanted to forge their own path and decided the best place to do that was in Rhinebeck.  Millie grew up in town above her mother’s beauty shop, “The first beauty shop in Rhinebeck,” Millie would often boast.

She attended Rhinebeck schools as a young child and spent high school at Mount Saint Mary’s Academy in Newburgh.  After graduation she attended the Fashion Academy in Manhattan and was considering a job at the famed Bergdorf Goodman department store but was torn because she had two suitors back home in Rhinebeck competing for her hand in marriage including a young man by the name of Kenneth Pitcher who had recently returned home after serving his country during World War II. Ken sealed the deal with the couple’s first kiss, “I thought I heard bells,” Millie said. The newly married couple built a home on the family property where Ken, his father and brother Donald ran the family business Ralph Pitcher and Sons, known for their unique anemones. Millie occasionally helped with the flower business and pitched in at the family’s liquor store on East Market Street.  Sadly, Millie’s life was marked with great tragedy. Her first daughter, Debbie, died as a toddler and her teenage son Kevin was killed in a car accident. But Millie found comfort in faith and became a born-again Christian, eventually leading her own bible studies and her main focus in life became her daughters Mary Lou and Lee Anne. The trio could often be seen driving around town in Millie’s bright orange convertible. Later in life Millie enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, especially during family trips to Martha’s Vineyard.

Millie is survived by her daughters LeeAnne Pitcher, and her husband John Imperato of Rhinebeck, and Mary Lou Pitcher, and her husband Chris Stein of Kingston; four grandchildren: Sarah (Jonathon) Fernandez, Evan (Jessica) Traudt, Hannah (Nathan) DiRenzo, Emma Traudt and 11 great grandchildren.

Millie was predeceased in death by her husband Kenneth, her daughter Debra Elizabeth Pitcher and a son Kevin Ralph Pitcher.

There are no calling hours. Funeral services are at the Dapson-Chestney Funeral Home in Rhinebeck on Thursday, April 24th, 2025, at 10am.

The burial will be private.

Memorial donations may be made to the Rhinebeck Fire Department.