Bridget Irene Stinson

Bridget Irene Stinson, age 85, died on November 28 in her home in South Kortright. Born in Brooklyn in 1936 to Anna Hoban, she was placed with various foster parents in Queens by Brooklyn’s Angel Guardian Home before finding her forever family with Rose and Edward Downes and their children Pamela and Dennis. After graduating from Hempstead High School, Bridget took a job with the New York Telephone Company. She then went to work for Grumman Aerospace Corporation and was present for the moon landing, the launch of the Apollo 13, and the rollout of the F-14 Tomcat. Her position in Grumman’s Motion Picture and Presentation Department enabled her to meet and work with many astronauts, notable figures such as Arthur C. Clark and Walter Cronkite, and the man who would become her husband, Richard Stinson. Bridget and Richard moved to South Kortright in 1984, buying an old barn that they restored with their own hands. She worked for South Kortright Central School from 1988 to 2000. Bridget loved books, reading, writing, the New York Yankees, and spirited conversations at full dinner tables with friends and family. She was a proud member of Writers-in-the-Mountains for several years. Bridget was a loving mother and stepmother, a devoted grandmother, a foster mother to many, and a friend to animals. She is predeceased by her foster parents, Rose and Edward Downes, and her granddaughter Erin. She is survived by her husband Richard; son Rick and his wife Sarah; stepsons Scott and Todd and their wives Michelle and Betsy; and her grandchildren Isaac, Kaitlyn, Cody, Dylan, and Marissa. A memorial service will be held at MacArthur Funeral Home on Saturday, December 18 at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Heart of the Catskills Humane Society, Delhi, and Helios Care, Oneonta. Please visit www.macarthurfh.com to share a condolence with the Stinson family.