Grace E. Galetsky

Grace Galetsky (née Klingbeil) died peacefully in her home on December 23, 2018, in Bowie, Maryland, at the age of 98.

Grace was born on August 15, 1920, in Westfield, Wisconsin, to Carl A. and Elsie W. Klingbeil (née Hebbe).  Raised on a small farm in Westfield, she graduated from Westfield High School in 1938 and completed nursing school in 1941 at St. Mary’s Hospital, in Madison, Wisconsin, where she worked as an RN at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and in private duty nursing.  Grace married Alexander Galetsky in 1945 and moved to the Washington area and Germany before settling in Bowie, raising a family along the way.

Grace possessed a creative spirit that touched many aspects of her life, freely sharing her talents with family and friends. Wherever she lived, she cultivated gardens with produce, herbs, or flowers.  A skilled jewelry maker in the Fort Meade Lapidary Club, she specialized in silversmithing, casting, and cabochon work. Her interest in fabric arts led her to become a founding member and officer of the Southern Comforters Quilt Guild in Bowie. Cooking, traveling, and sewing continued to engage Grace throughout her life. In later years, she derived great pleasure from watching birds (particularly hummingbirds) and other wildlife in her backyard.

Her parents, her husband Alexander, and her brothers, George Klingbeil and Gerald Klingbeil, preceded her in death.

Grace’s spirit continues with her three children: her two daughters, Nancy Galetsky of Annapolis and Dale Bjarnason (Gary) of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina; one son, John Galetsky of Queenstown; one granddaughter, Elsie; extended family members; and longtime neighbors and friends.

Family will receive friends on Friday, January 4, 2018, from 1pm to 2pm. Beall Funeral Home, 6512 NW Crain Highway (Rt 3 South), Bowie, Maryland, where a funeral service will begin at 2pm. Interment at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery will take place on January 7, 2018.

Donations in her name may be made to the Hospice of the Chesapeake, 9500 Medical Center Drive #250, Largo, MD  20774.