Adelaide Loretta Pritchard's Obituary
Adelaide Loretta Garlinger Pritchard passed away peacefully on May 10, 2016 at her daughter Susanna and husband Michael Brennan’s home in Fort Myers, Florida. Adelaide (Addie) was born in New York, NY on September 7, 1922, and grew up in River Edge, NJ with her parents, brother John, and twin sister Helen. She went to Holy Name Nursing School in Hackensack and upon graduation in 1942 enlisted in the US Army Nursing Corps and trained at Fort Dix, NJ. Lieutenant Garlinger was stationed at the Thomas M. England Hospital in Atlantic City attached to the Amputation Unit. From Atlantic City, Addie was sent to Camp Beale, CA. The hospital ship USS Comfort was in port for repairs after being hit at a kamikaze pilot. When the hospital ship was repaired, Lt. Garlinger was on her way on the USS Comfort to Manila in the Phillipine Islands. While stationed in Manila, Addie was a supervisor of a 50 bed orthopedic ward in charge of several nurses and several civilian employees. After the Philippines, Lt. Garlinger set sail again. Addie became one the first nurses to serve in Tokyo, Japan. While in Tokyo Addie was stationed with the 76th and 172nd Hospital Units. Upon release from the Army, Addie reconnected with her grade school sweetheart and next door neighbor, William H. Pritchard III, a decorated veteran Navy Pilot who just returned from the Pacific. After getting married in 1948, Addie and Bill welcomed William H. Pritchard IV the following year. They went on to have two more boys – Robert S. Pritchard (married to Annette Diorio) of Manville, NJ, John T. Pritchard (married to Amy Graham) of Apex, NC and two girls, Susanna Brennan (married to Michel Brennan) formerly of Salem, MA and currently of Fort Myers, FL and Karen L. Zito (married to Marc Zito) of Milford, CT. After living in Bergen County a short time they moved to Levittown, Pennsylvania for several years. In 1956 they moved to Ramsey, NJ where they spent the rest of their lives in the Ramsey Golf and Country Club. Bill sadly passed away in August of 2001 and Addie eventually moved to Fort Myers, Florida in 2012 to be near her daughter Susan and husband Michael and to enjoy the warm weather. Addie is survived by her five children and spouses, three granddaughters – Maura Pritchard of Boston, Sarah Pritchard Gibson and Heather Pritchard of Apex NC; one grandson, Nick Zito of Mansfield Center, CT; two great-grandsons, Nolan and Declan Gibson of Apex, NC; and two great-granddaughters Rosalie and Charlotte Zito of Mansfield Center, CT. A visitation will be held from 2pm – 6pm Friday, May 13, 2016 in the chapel of Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home at 1589 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers. Funeral Ceremony with U.S. Army Honors will follow at 6pm in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers and in memory of Addie’s late husband Bill, please send donations to the Alzheimer’s Association/Florida Gulf Coast, Sunshine Professional Center, 9220 Bonita Beach Road #223 Bonita Springs, FL 34135.
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