Alice Bratlee, 74, of Avoca, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Thursday, May 9, 2024. She was born in Avoca on June 6, 1949, and was the daughter of the late John and Irene Kachmarsky Endres.
Alice was a lifelong member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Hughestown. She was a 1967 graduate of Pittston Area High School. She attended the Pittston Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1970. Alice then obtained her BS in 1996 having graduated from Kings College School of Nursing. Alice was employed as a operating room nurse for 40 years, having worked for Mercy Hospital, South Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger South, Wilkes-Barre.
She was a member of the AORN, the Association of Operative Registered Nurses. Alice was an avid New York Yankees fan and enjoyed attending their yearly spring training sessions, with over 15 years of visits to Yankee training camp with her husband and best friend of 53 years, Kent Bratlee. She was a loving mother, sister, aunt, friend, and her most precious title, Grandma. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her, especially her grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her sister Dawn I. Hobbs.
She is survived by her husband Kent, her son Michael Bratlee and his wife Christa, of Avoca, her daughter Nichole Okuniewski and her husband Keith, of Avoca, grandchildren, Rhiannon and Addison Okuniewski, and Jacob and Emma Rose Bratlee. Also surviving are her stepmother Josephine (Deprimo) Endres, her brother John Endres, Jr. and his wife Deborah, of Spring Brook, sisters; Linda Farruggia and her husband Stephen, of Hughestown, Virginia Szumski and her husband Matthew, of Dupont and Tessie Toole, of Duryea, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
A mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, May 13th, 2024, at 10:00am at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, 100 Rock St., Hughestown. Friends may call for visitation on Sunday evening May 12th from 5-7pm at Kiesinger Funeral Services, Inc., 255 McAlpine St., Duryea. Family and friends are asked to go directly to the church on Monday morning for the service. There will be no procession from the funeral home. Interment will be held at the parish cemetery.
I was very saddened to read of Alice's passing. I knew from my years working with her in the endoscopy suite at Mercy Hospital and found her to be a very calm, competent and smart nurse who was extremely compassionate and great to be around. My deepest condolences to her entire family. The world lost a good woman. Thomas Castellano MD
Our deepest sympathy. Fred Pierantoni III