QUEENSBURY — Jeanette W. Holmberg of Queensbury, New York left behind a legacy of love and family, her daughter said. She died on Thursday, May 2, 2019, at Glens Falls Hospital. She was 94.

She was born on May 7, 1924 in Stuyvesant Falls, New York, the daughter of the late Benjamin and Sadie Williams. The youngest of seven children, she grew up in Albany and graduated at the top of her class, from St. Anne’s Academy in Albany.

She met and later married her brother’s Army buddy, John Holmberg, on Nov. 30, 1946. Their union lasted 43 years, ending only with his death, in 1990.

The story of how Mr. and Mrs. Holmberg met could be characterized as love at first sight.

“The story that we all heard from my aunt — who was married to my mother's brother, my uncle, the uncle who was in the Army with Pop — is that my father saw [my uncle’s] family photo when they were in the Army and he liked the way my mother looked,” said Karen Bresnahan, Mrs. Holmberg’s daughter.

“And then, when they got out of the Army, my father was going out one night with my uncle and aunt, and my mother was babysitting for their daughter. So, he met her [in person] for the first time … The story we heard was that they were at the Rainbow Room and my father left to go back and talk to my mother.”

Mr. Holmberg, known to their children as “Pop,” was a carpenter and built their family home on Crow Ridge Road in Voorheesville in 1954. Mrs. Holmberg was a devoted wife and mother.

“Jeanette’s greatest joy was to experience the fun and festivities as her family gathered for special occasions and holidays,” her family wrote in a tribute.

For the 50 years that her mother lived on Crow Ridge Road, Ms. Bresnahan said, “every single Christmas,” her children and her grandchildren, as many as 25 of them, would travel from near and far — mostly far — to be together for the holidays. “And that was pretty special, I think,” Ms. Bresnahan said.

Mrs. Holmberg was a stay-at-home mom for most of her child-rearing years. During that time, she served as a Girl Scout leader and a member of the Rosary Society of Saint Matthew’s Church of Voorheesville.

“Her home was always open to family and friends, where they received a warm welcome,” her family wrote.

She was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening, and loved the challenge of a good crossword puzzle.

She was employed by New York State for many years and retired from the state’s Department Office of the Aging. After retirement, she enjoyed traveling with the “Happy Wanderers” of Voorheesville.

In 2004, Mrs. Holmberg moved to Amesbury, Massachusetts where she attended Holy Family Parish of Amesbury. She was a member of the Amesbury/Newburyport Low Vision Group.

In April 2019, she moved to Queensbury.

To quote her daughter, Paula, “Somehow, this small, powerful lady bridged generations, brought her style, strength, and humor to every moment, and left behind a legacy of love and family that extends beyond boundaries, that even she couldn’t comprehend.

“She will be greatly missed!”

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Jeanette W. Holmberg is survived by her children, Karen Bresnahan of Amesbury, Massachusetts; Peter Holmberg and his wife, Jill, of Queensbury, New York; Julie Bowyer and her husband, David, of Ludlow, Vermont; and Paula Benson and her husband, Todd, of Los Angeles, California; by her grandchildren, Jill Clair of Crested Butte, Colorado; John Holmberg and his wife, Celestin, of Hatfield, Pennsylvania; Brian Holmberg of Somerville, Massachusetts; Jessica Holmberg of Webster, New York; Kathryn Smith and her husband, Darren, of Argyle, New York;  Erik Holmberg and his wife, Jeanette, of Orlando, Florida; Samantha Holmberg of Ludlow, Vermont; Jack Bowyer of Australia; and by her great-grandchildren, Dillan and Dahlila Hickey; Jake and Abby Holmberg; Ariela, Zander, and Asher Smith; Cooper Holmberg and Everly Holmberg.

Her parents, Benjamin and Sadie Williams, died before her, as did her siblings, Helen Schwind, Charlotte Marks, Lauretta Libonati, Edward Williams, Stanley Williams, and Benjamin Williams; her husband, John A. Holmberg; her son, John W. “Jack” Holmberg; and her son-in-law, Christopher Bresnahan.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 17, at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church at 448 Aviation Road in Queensbury, New York. Arrangements are under the care of Regan Denny Stafford Funeral Home in Queensbury. 

Memorial contributions may be made to melanoma research or to Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon, Watertown, MA 02472.

— Sean Mulkerrin