Patricia Iola Grande

Patricia Iola Tartaglione Grande, formerly of Hamden, CT and a long time resident of Westerly, RI passed away on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at the Westerly Hospital. She would have been 77 on June 4.
Grande was the daughter of the late Iola Tartaglione and the late Ralph Tartaglione of Hamden, CT. She was the sister of Ralph Tartaglione, Jr. of Reston, VA. She was a graduate of Hamden High School and Southern Connecticut University and had a master's degree in special education. Pat moved to Westerly when her former husband, the late Carlo H. Grande II, a local New Haven, CT sportscaster at Channel 8, WNHC TV bought WERI radio.
A past president of the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce, Pat was the second female business owner elected as chair of the chamber board. Pat put her heart and soul into the Westerly community through her volunteer work. She had the unique gift of making everyone feel appreciated, welcomed and like family. Grande earned a stellar reputation in Westerly over her years as a businesswoman, running the Grandview B&B for over 25 years. She was known for her kindness, warmth and genuine hospitality. She was active in a number of organizations, including the Westerly Track Club, the Westerly Library and Wilcox Park, where she served as a trustee. Grande was also an accomplished athlete who believed in the power of exercise to improve health who ran, played tennis and just last year competed in the Power Walking category at the 2019 National Senior Games in New Mexico.
In a 2019 interview just before she headed to Albuquerque to compete, Grande said she had a simple philosophy; "Be the best we can be for as long as we can."
The will be a private internment for immediate family. A memorial service for friends and family will be held at a later date. 
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to the American Parkinson's Disease Association - https://www.apdaparkinson.org.
For online condolences please visit www.buckler-johnston.com