Former HES teacher, nurse, accomplished cook
Maria Veltri. (Courtesy photo)
On Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, Maria Veltri died at the age of 77, after battling pancreatic cancer.
Maria was born May 15, 1943, to Arie Kroon and Commerijntje Wouters in Alphen a/d Rijn, The Netherlands. Welcomed by her brother Arie, their family grew with the additions of sisters Tine, Trudy, and Wil.
At 16, Maria attended nursing school in Leiden. After graduating in May of 1964, she relocated to America to pursue her nursing career, working in labor and delivery.
While living in Binghamton, New York, she met Enrico Veltri. They fell in love and married April 22, 1967. Maria continued working as a nurse as they moved to Syracuse, Schenectady, and Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Wishing to start a family, Maria and Rick adopted their eldest daughter, Joanna, in 1975. They relocated to Mandeville, Louisiana, where they adopted another daughter, Tine, in 1979. Soon after, they settled in Harvard, where they resided for 37 years. Maria gave birth to their youngest child, John, in 1982.
Maria began working at Hildreth Elementary School with the CASE Collaborative, teaching children with special needs for over a decade. She then transitioned to working as a substitute teacher throughout HES. She was adored by her colleagues for her compassion, quick wit, and no-nonsense personality. She retired in 2014.
Maria was a dedicated wife and mother, steadfast in caring for her husband and three children. She was an incredible cook and loved to read. She never missed a game, a play, a race, a gymnastics meet, or a concert. She was her children’s best cheerleader.
While very proud of her Dutch heritage, Maria also embraced her adopted country, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2004.
In 2016, Maria and Rick moved to Silver Spring, Maryland, to be closer to their daughters and granddaughters. Maria was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Arie. She lost her husband Rick a short four weeks before her own death.
Maria is survived by her three children, Joanna, Tine, and John, and her beloved granddaughters, Maya and Ella.