Obituary of Charlotte D. Sleezer

Charlotte D. Sleezer, 91, of Fultonville (Montgomery county), passed away on Wednesday, March16, 2022, at Rome Health in Rome NY. She was born on October 8, 1930, in Schenectady, the daughter of Willard and Evelyn McCauliffe Tracy. Her life started and ended during events that are historical moments in time. She was born during the great depression and died during a time marked by pandemic and war. She lost her father and grandfather to the influenza epidemic in 1936, and was raised by her mother and step father, Floyd Borden, who was the oldest soldier drafted into WW2. She contributed to the baby boom when she had her first child, witnessed the onset of the civil rights movement, mourned with the nation when Kennedy was shot, celebrated putting a man on the moon and watched technology take off in ways she never could have imagined. As a child during the depression, she hunted for food with her father in the woods of Upstate NY and attended a one room school house. As a teen during the war, she did the twist and jitterbug and like most girls she worried about the line on her stockings and the pin curls in her hair while wondering if her father would make it home. Charlotte was a graduate of Fultonville High School, Class of 1948. She then found a career she loved as a dental assistant for Doctors George and Frank Parisi in Schenectady for whom she worked for many years. She raised her daughter and had many friends while living in the small town of Fort Hunter then lived an unexpected "second life" moving around the United States from the mountains to the ocean with her second and again unexpected child and husband. She lived next to ski slopes, flew to Vegas for weekends and walked on sandy beaches, but it was always her small town that was home. Later in life she discovered her love for sharing the word of the Bible with others and was an active member of her church and prayer groups. She was even part of a small group of women who went to prisons to hold Bible studies. She was simple but elegant and full of energy and fight. She was small in stature yet big in heart and was so much stronger than she seemed. She taught her family to give until it hurt, to love unconditionally and to know that life is tough but with prayer all things are possible. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Candace and Abrahan Medel, of Rome; a son-in-law, William W. Whipple, Sr.; six grandchildren, Annette Whipple, Bill (Mabellene) Whipple Jr., Giovanna Sudol, Amelia Sudol, Rocco Medel, and Gunnar Medel; six great-grandchildren; and 8 great great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter, Leona L. Whipple, on December 4, 2021. Graveside services will be held in Vernon Center Cemetery in the spring. There are no calling hours. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Nunn and Harper Funeral Home, Inc., 418 . George St., Rome. You may light a candle, send a message of sympathy, and read the obituary at www.nunnandharper.com.