Anne was born to Dominick and Grace Colavito, two Italian immigrants in 1923. She was the youngest of four children and throughout her life was lovingly referred to as the baby of the family. She spent her formative years in the beautiful, it really was at that time, Bronx, NY. Later the family moved to Queens.

After graduating from high school, she passed on college and went straight into the workforce, working for Shell Oil in Manhattan. It was a few years later on a New Years Eve blind date, that she met the love of her life, an artist, Bernard Puertolas, they were married four months later.

A little over a year later her first son, Gregory, was born. Twenty two months after that a second son, Mark, followed. Life was good for the couple living in a small house in Oceanside, Long Island and after a few years they bought an even larger one in Seaford, Long Island.

However, life sometimes throws you curveballs and Bernard's company folded, with Anne being a stay at home mom, the family's finances went south and they lost their house. This did not deter the family. They moved to a small apartment in Flushing. Anne went to beauty school and became a manicurist. Bernard started his own wallpaper factory with a co-worker and the family moved forward.
Eventually, they would be able to move up to a larger apartment and send their sons to private school. However, the scar of losing her home often haunted Anne in the following years.

From beautician, she switched to working as a bank teller, and then to working in the office with Bernard. The couple then expanded and opened their own wallpaper and paint store, the Gallery of Wallcoverings in Flushing. Anne ran her store for fourteen years. There were good times, trips to Europe, the family was prospering. However, good times are often followed by bad and business became shaky for both the store and the factory. Eventually the store had to close.

Undeterred, Anne when out and began looking for another job, a true survivor, she found a position in sales at Tiffany & Company in New York. The steady income from Tiffany's helped the couple start to save money for the first time in years. For a bit times were good again. Both sons moved out, went to college and found lovely wives.

Then tragedy struck, while on vacation in Florida, Bernard suffered a massive stroke and died. After 30 years of marriage, Anne was alone. Yet slowly she pulled herself together. She continued working at Tiffany's. She purchased her apartment after the building went co-op, once again becoming a home owner. When she decided to retire, she sold her apartment and bought a home in Delray Beach. There she lived with her beloved cat Bebe and then her spunky dog Puccini.

Anne loved her family; she loved living close to her sister Mary. She loved getting visits from her children and grandchildren who called her Grammy. She loved seeing her nieces and nephews who always called her Annieou. She loved animals; she always had dogs and cats living in the house her entire life. She loved the opera and going to the movies. She did not have an easy life but she always moved forward, she maintained her faith and above all she was an individual and she lived life her way.

Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, June 23, 2013 from 2:00PM - 4:00PM at Lorne and Sons Funeral Home, 745 NE 6th Ave, Delray Beach FL 33483. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30AM at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 10935 S Military Trail, Boynton Beach FL 33436, on Monday, June 24, 2013. Burial will take place at St. Raymond Cemetery in Bronx, NY at a later date.

Anne Puertolas, 79, of Delray Beach, FL, and formerly of Bronx, NY, passed away on June 19th, 2013. She is survived by her 2 sons, Gregory (Linda) Puertolas of Cary, NC & Mark D. (Conny) Puertolas of London, England; grandchildren, Emily, Daniel, Ian and Isabella; sister, Mary Adamo of Delray Beach, FL, and several nieces and nephews. Anne is predeceased by her husband, Bernard. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, June 23, 2013 from 2:00PM - 4:00PM at Lorne and Sons Funeral Home, 745 NE 6th Ave, Delray Beach FL 33483. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30AM at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 10935 S Military Trail, Boynton Beach FL 33436, on Monday, June 24, 2013. Burial will take place at St. Raymond Cemetery in Bronx, NY at a later date.