Edna Mae Nittel, formerly Smith, 83, of New Castle, PA, passed away on December 17, 2022.

She was born January 21, 1939, in New Castle, PA. She was the daughter of the late C. Edward and Anna Mae Smith. She was the eldest of two children.

Edna Mae lived a long and fulfilling life. As a young woman and daughter of a Mason, she was a

Past Worthy Advisor of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls and graduated from New

Castle High School in 1957. She went on to study at the University of Wisconsin where she was a member of the Delta Gamma Sorority. Edna Mae had 3 children by her first husband, Wayne Grannis. She raised them on her own until she moved the family to Atlantic City where she worked in the casinos and met and married her soul mate Charles (Chuck) Nittel.

She prospered in Atlantic City as an interior designer until Chuck and she moved to Princess Anne, Maryland. In Princess Anne, they remodeled a Victorian home and converted it into the Victorian bed and breakfast known as the Hayman House. Edna Mae opened her own shop, and Chuck and she spent their time tending to their guests, remodeling homes, and shopping for antiques.

Edna Mae and Chuck moved back to New Castle in 1998, where she and Chuck remodeled their last old house. It was her pride and joy. She spent her time ordering Chuck around to fix things, buying antiques, reorganizing her furniture, and calling her sister-in-law, Cheryl.

Edna Mae was preceded in death by her husband, Chuck, in 2006, and her favorite English Sheep Dog, Brinley.

In most recent years, Edna Mae spent her time with her friends and loved ones especially her neighbor, Karen, her sister-in-law, Cheryl, and her dear friend Ilsa "Kiddo." Also, she enjoyed talking to her children and grandchildren about their lives. She had a never-ending battle with her laptop and iPad; and generally, she refused to take advice from anyone. Most nights, she just preferred a book by the fire with her nightly scotch.

She is survived by her three children, Anne Farside, Susan Colby, and the Honorable Wayne E.

Grannis; eight grandchildren, Steve, Sarah, Joe, Grace, Matthew, Nick, Liam, and Brogan; and

two great grandchildren, Angelo, and Joey with a third on the way.

Edna Mae was a fiercely independent, proud woman to the end. She will be dearly missed by family and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the R. Cunningham Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., on February 4, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Rev. Jordan Rimmer will officiate.