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PLEASANT VALLEY, N.Y. – Valerie Jane Mackay, a lifelong resident of Pleasant Valley, died Wednesday, June 22. She was 70.
Born on Aug.18, 1945, in Trenton, N.J., she was the daughter of Paul J. and Regina Fannon Fitzpatrick.
She was the owner and principal designer of Valerie J Interiors in Palm Beach and Millbrook. She had a storied career in retailing, starting as a buyer for the Wallace Department Store in Poughkeepsie and advancing to fashion buyer and merchandise manager for Lucky Platt Stores. She moved on to Herman’s Nursery to become the sales, marketing and advertising director.
She was a member of the Mill Street Loft Advisory Board and chaired its Friends of the Arts Award Event. In 1990, she began Valerie J Interiors and had offices in Millbrook, Jupiter Island and Palm Beach, where she created her signature classic but lavish homes across the country.
She is survived by her husband Norm; daughter Regan Smith of Red Hook; granddaughters Makenzie and Chloe Smith of Red Hook; Henny Mackay of Australia; mother Regina Fitzpatrick of Poughkeepsie; and siblings Colleen Fogarty and her husband Jim of Newburgh, Darby Cardonsky of Greenwich, Conn., Patricia Fitzpatrick and her partner Madeleine O’Brien of Katonah and Paul Fitzpatrick of Pleasant Valley.
She was predeceased by her father and sister, Paulete Rainey.
Calling hours will be from 2-6 p.m. Sunday at the McHoul Funeral Home Inc., 895 Route 82, Hopewell Junction. There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. Monday at St. Columba Church, 835 Route 82, Hopewell Junction, followed by interment in Calvary Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to Valerie Mackay Memorial Scholarship for the Girls Leadership Worldwide Program at Eleanor Roosevelt Valkill; ERVC, PO Box 255, Hyde Park, NY 12538.
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