NORWICH – Gayle June (Petley) Mirabito, 75, of Norwich, passed away on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at Chenango Memorial Hospital.
Born in 1938 in Harcourt, New Brunswick, Canada, Gayle was the oldest daughter of Earl V. and Susan (Morris) Petley. Her family moved to Fitchburg, MA in 1952 and in 1956, Gayle graduated from Fitchburg High School. In 1959, while living in Germany, Gayle met her husband of 49 years, Salvatore J. Mirabito, who survives. They were married in 1964 and moved to Ithaca, NY. While living in Ithaca, Gayle managed a Fanny Farmer candy store. Gayle and Salvatore moved to Norwich in 1967 where she started her own antique business in 1972, and worked as an antique dealer until 2005. She was also a member of the Norwich Artist Guild, and her work was shown at various locations in Norwich.
Gayle’s passion was her garden. Over the years, she transformed her backyard into a traditional English garden with stone walkways and various nooks dedicated to specific species of plants.
In addition to her husband, Gayle is survived by her sons, Vincent J. Mirabito and Stephen R. Mirabito; sisters, Linda Ptak and Susan Moschner; brothers, Ross E. Petley and Brian Petley; daughter-in-law Lisa Mirabito; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Friends are invited to call from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Wilson Funeral Home. To honor Gayle’s wishes, there will be no funeral service. Burial will take place at St. Paul’s Cemetery at the convenience of the family.
To send the family a message of condolence, please visit the funeral home website at www.wilsonfh.com.