Florence Tritt

Florence Hettler, the youngest of five children, was born on May 6, 1922 in Manhattan to her loving parents, Marie and Oscar Hettler. Soon after, her father won a fully furnished Dutch colonial house in a city-wide popularity contest and the family moved into “The Home That Happiness Built” in Forest Hills.

In her twenties, Florence enjoyed working for MetLife, joining the company’s basketball and ski clubs. Always an avid traveler, she took a singles cruise to Cuba on the S.S. Brazil with her best friend and they both came home with husbands-to-be.

She married Wilbur Harrison Tritt, Jr. in 1950. Along their 58-year journey together, they raised 3 children in Old Bethpage, amassing a huge fortune in lifelong friendships. Florence also shared her natural gift with children for a dozen years at Montessori School in Plainview. During their lengthy retirement in Hampton Bays, Florence and Wilbur continued to travel the world, ultimately exploring 45 states and 77 countries.

Florence treasured every moment with her five grandsons and humongous extended family. She was active in the Hampton Bays Beautification and Civic Associations, volunteered for the Dominican Sisters and served as Eucharistic Minister for St. Rosalie’s Catholic Church. Whether swimming in the Peconic Bay, strategizing at the card table, visiting the library, or enjoying local dining and theater, she never met a stranger. Her innate ability to bring joy to others made her everyone’s hero. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

Florence is survived by her children, Laurie Verdeschi, Roger Tritt and Diane Tritt Eaton; her son-in-law Alex Eaton; her five grandsons Vincent and Benjamin Verdeschi, Jeffrey Tritt and James and Garrett Eaton; many beloved nieces and nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her husband, Wilbur H. Tritt, Jr., her daughter-in-law, Sheila Tritt and former son-in-law, Albert Verdeschi.

Funeral services will be held at RJ O’Shea Funeral Home in Hampton Bays on November 29, 2021 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. Funeral mass will take place on November 30, 2021 at The Church of St. Rosalie in Hampton Bays at 10:30 AM.

Donations in her memory can be made to East End Hospice, 481 Westhampton-Riverhead Road, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 or The Hampton Bays Beautification Association, PO Box 682, Hampton Bays, NY 11946.