Mary Anne Petro

Mary Anne Petro Loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Aunt, and Friend   Mary Anne Petro, 80, of Rockford, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 after a long illness in her home surrounded by her family.  Mary Anne was born April 8, 1929 in Durand, IL the daughter of Carl and Beulah (Cook) Thoreson.   Mary Anne grew up in the Great Depression and was one of the 346 survivors of the 1945 Rockford polio epidemic.  Mary Anne worked as a bookkeeper for Amerock in Rockford and didnt let her disability slow her down.  A Rockford resident for 60 years, Mary Anne married Nerino J. Petro, Sr. in Ringgold, GA on January 23, 1957.  She owned and operated Central Park (Centro Ace) Hardware for almost 50 years with her husband.  Mary Anne helped start the Rockford Journal and was known and loved by many in Rockford and the West Side.  She was a successful business woman and customers and friends were always welcome at the holidays with Tom & Jerrys and good memories at the hardware store.  In addition to Central Park Hardware, Mary Anne  and Nerino operated a number of commercial businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin.  While she suffered from Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and breast cancer later in life, she never gave up and overcame these challenges as well.  Mary Anne touched many lives and will be missed.   Mary Anne is survived by her husband, Nerino; one daughter, Meri Beth (David) Petro-Nichols of Rockford; one son, Nerino J. (Mary) Petro, Jr., of Belvidere; granddaughter, Zoe Nichols whom she loved very much, and many nieces and nephews.  She was predeceased by her parents and three sisters, Ethel Domrzalski, Katherine Betts, and Mildred Gorham.   Funeral services will be celebrated on Saturday, July 25, 2009 at 11 A.M. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Rd., with Rev. Dean parker officitating, followed by burial in Calvary Catholic Cemetery.  Visitation will be held on Friday from 6 8 P.M. and on Saturday from 10 A.M. until time of service.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mayo Clinic, Department of Development, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905.  Family and friends may