Collies, Grace Audrey (Pitt)

Grace Audrey (Pitt) Collies, 83, beloved wife of the late Lyle Edwin Collies, went to be with her Lord on September 23, 2021. She never lost hope during her illness and always believed she was in God's hands. She was born August 25, 1938 in Hartford, CT, the daughter of the late Floyd Jones and Audrey Violet (Jeffries) Pitt.

Grace met Lyle, the love of her life, at Ocean Beach Park on Memorial Day Weekend, 1956. They married in 1958 and settled in East Granby, CT in 1963 to raise their two children.

Grace grew up in Bloomfield, CT and graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1956 and enjoyed celebrating her 60th High School reunion with her lifelong friends. After graduation, she attended Barrington College in Rhode Island and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Hartford Art

School in 1998. Her paintings reflected her love of cats, flowers and the ocean.

She enjoyed working for the University of Hartford Men's Basketball Office for many years until she retired in 1999. Grace was a faithful follower of Christ and became a member of Bethel Baptist Church in high school. In 1958 she became a founding and lifelong active member of Wintonbury Baptist Church. She was also a member of the Windsor Brush and Palette

Club and the East Granby and Narragansett Historical Societies. Her family history was captured in the many scrapbooks she lovingly created and will be treasured always. Grace loved to travel, especially her trips to Florida, California and her yearly trips to the Rhode Island shore.

Grace is survived by her daughter Karen Audrey Schultz and her husband Mark of Tolland, son Gary Lyle Collies and his wife Jenny of West Simsbury, and precious grandchildren Spencer and Lily Collies for whom she was "Gigi", as well as Cousin Frannie Rinehuls of Greensboro, NC, who was like a daughter. She was predeceased by her brother George Floyd Pitt. She also leaves behind many special cousins, nieces, nephews and wonderful friends.

At Grace's request, a Memorial Service will be held at Wintonbury Church, 54 Maple Ave., Bloomfield, CT on October 17, 2021 at 2 p.m. A Live Stream broadcast can be viewed at www.wintonbury.org/services. In lieu of flowers, donations in Grace's memory may be made to Samaritan's Purse at www.samaritanspurse. org/memorial-page/grace-pitt-collies-east-granby-ct. For online condolences, please visit, www.carmonfuneralhome.com.