Adele Gottron

Adele was born on March 21, 1930 in Manhattan, NY, to Luca and Helen Vanni.

She grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx with her parents and brother Eugene (Gene) near her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Adele loved swimming, roller skating, ice skating, dancing, visiting the parks, zoo, circus and all that city life offered. During the summer she, her brother and cousins, with their parents, spent time upstate on the farm of her Uncle Tony’s dear friends, affectionately called Uncle Joe and Aunt Katie. Shortly after Adele’s 14th birthday, the youngest of her cousins was born, Nanci. Finally a girl who would be more of a little sister, and someone whom Adele remained close with her entire life.

After Adele graduated HS she worked at B. Altman & Co, a luxury department store and later at the New York Telephone Co, both in New York City. Then at a church dance Adele met Air Force pilot, Francis (Bud) Gottron. They they were both athletic and loved to dance. It was kismet on the dance floor. Within a year in December 1955, they married at St. Margaret Mary’s Catholic Church, in the Bronx. Adele joined her husband, Capt. Francis M. Gottron, traveling as a military Air Force wife.

She traveled with Bud and their four children, Helen, Vicki, Fran and Tommy from AFBase to AFBase, and in between staying in the Bronx with her parents while awaiting base housing. Their last station was Panama Canal Zone. Bud became an international Air Force bowler while in Panama. Adele decided, in addition to joining the officer’s wives club, she would learn to bowl. She joined Bud’s team on a recreational Air Force league. Adele and Bud’s team took first place and she, very proudly, was awarded the league’s most improved player, as she took to the game very quickly.

It wasn’t always an easy life being away from her family for a few years at a time, but one she embraced. When Bud’s 20 year service was complete, they settled in Yonkers across the street from Bud’s parents.

Shortly after moving to Yonkers, her father took ill and passed. Her mother then came to live with Adele, Bud, and their children. Adele’s life was devoted to family and close friends. She loved being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, niece, cousin, daughter-in-law, aunt and probably most of all grandmother. She was often seen playing basketball in the driveway with her grandkids and at nearly every sporting event they participated in, along with her bag of juice boxes, Swedish fish and other candies. She quickly became the grandma of all her grandchildren’s team members, and even to some of the opposing team. Adele loved with all her heart. She helped in the care of her in-laws in their final time, as well as her mother who became bed bound the last years of her life.

Adele is survived by her four children, Helen O’Shea, Victoria Kocher, Francis and Thomas Gottron, her grandchildren, Theresa, Lisa, Marni, Michael, Lucas, Vincent, Nicole and Mia, her cousin Nanci, and Angie and her brother Eugene’s sons, nephews Eugene, Andrew, Richard, Joseph, and Louis, and nieces and nephews Stewart, Arleen, Susan, John, Stephen, Jean, Joan, Terri and Patti and Christopher, her sister-in-law, Sheila and her children.

Over the years Adele has been adopted by many friends and their children as their “Grandma Dell.” She loved you all and we want to thank all of you for your special love of Adele and support of our family.