Aldona “Dawn” Pauline Krantz, age 94, passed away on June 3, 2023.
She was born the younger daughter on Nov. 20, 1928 in Newark, New Jersey to Joseph and Pauline Skema.
Krantz met her future husband, George “Ken” Krantz at the age of 15 at a NYF church-sponsored coffee house for youth. She graduated from Weequahic High School in 1946 and married George in 1949. They had three sons: Kenneth, Robert, and George Krantz. Kenneth lives with his wife Janet in Tinmouth, Vermont. Robert lives with his wife Diane in Farmington, Maine, and George lives in Killington, Vermont.
Aldona Krantz was predeceased by her husband, who passed away in 2000, along with her elder sister, Anne Schrader. She has five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Aldona Krantz was a talented lifelong artist. Highly prolific and precise in her many crafts, she worked mostly at night. She started drawing in high school and learned a range of creative pursuits including watercolor, oil paintings, silhouettes, Norwegian rosemaling, early American decorations, velvet theorem, quilting, and clothes tailoring. She most enjoyed, excelled at, and was best known for her Norwegian rosemaling. She even gained national recognition for her work from The Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum in Decora, Iowa. She was also an accomplished gardener and avid antique collector who passionately sought bargains and interesting finds at garage, yard, and tag sales.
Her first language was Lithuanian. She learned English through her schooling and interactions with neighborhood kids. While she continued to speak Lithuanian with her parents and sister, she only spoke to her children and grandchildren in English.
Aldona Krantz and her husband George moved with their three sons from New Jersey to Vermont in August 1965. She was an avid skier for about 70 years. She started skiing in her teenage years and went regularly to Pico until the age of 84. To share her passion of skiing, she advocated for the academic skiing program at Mill River Union High School, which her grandchildren attended. She was also an excellent cook, known for her potato and three-bean salads, baked ham, cherry cheesecake, apple pie, and Thanksgiving stuffing. She also loved to read.
Aldona Krantz was always in motion; making, doing, and creating at all times. She was an outspoken and spirited person who will be greatly missed.
The Krantz family will be holding a service in memory of Aldona Krantz at 2 p.m. on June 24, 2023 at Aldous Funeral Home in Rutland. Anyone looking to honor her is welcome to join them.
