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Area Deaths

July 25, 2013, 9:16 pm
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Francis J. Calabro, of Grand Island, died July 18.

David D. Celani, of Tonawanda, died July 24.

Travis N. Compeau, 20, of North Tonawanda, died July 23.

Mary Ann (Bajak) Corbetta, 68, died July 21.

Edward J. Czyrny, died July 23.

John L. Freeman, died July 19.

Harold R. “HR” Harter III, died July 23.

Clara L. (Vacanti) Hoffman, 95, of Buffalo, died July 23.

Rudy W. Koehler, 91, died July 21.

Charlotte M. (Cordwell) Lauffer, of Hamburg, died July 23.

Dorothy (Manno) Long, of West Seneca, died July 24.

Frank J. Mazurowski, of Lancaster, died July 21.

Betty (Scott) Morehouse, died July 22.

Ruth E. Mugel, of Kenmore, died July 23.

Henry Nabozky Jr., 70, died July 22.

Mary Ann (Daminski) Nowicki, 66, of Cheektowaga, died July 23.

Emily Amanda (Duckwitz) Omara, of Williamsville, died July 21.

Thomas N. Pearce, died July 16.

Ernestine Perkins, died July 19.

Joan M. (Piech) Rusin, died July 24.

Helen R. (Fratangelo) Scerra, of Hamburg, died July 24.

Mary (Cozen) Shields, died July 21.

William H. Sisson, died July 22.

Wanita Rainey Wawrzyniak, 76, May 19.
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Roy J. Fowler, former owner of Fowler’s Chocolates

July 25, 2013, 9:16 pm
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Feb. 10, 1934 – July 19, 2013

Roy Joseph Fowler, of West Seneca, former owner of Fowler’s Chocolates, died last Friday in Father Baker Manor, Orchard Park, after a long illness. He was 79.

In 1963, after the death of his father, Mr. Fowler joined his uncle Ray in the family business, which had been founded by his grandfather in 1910 on Jefferson Avenue and was widely known for its sponge candy. They moved the business to a larger location on Union Road in West Seneca in 1968, which enabled them to double their sales.

He became sole owner upon the retirement of his uncle in 1978 and retired in 1994 after selling the company to a group of investors.

In retirement, Mr. Fowler operated a small candymaking firm, R.J.’s Olde English Chocolates.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Fowler was a graduate of Amherst High School, where he established several records as a basketball player. He later was inducted into the Amherst High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

He went on to play basketball for Arizona State University and the University of Buffalo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Before joining Fowler’s, he was an accountant for Peat, Marwick and Mitchell.

A lifelong sportsman, he enjoyed handball and bowling, and once rolled a perfect 300 game. He also was an avid golfer and a longtime member of Springville Country Club.

Survivors include his wife, the former Irene Carr; his former wife, the former Jacqueline Brockto; two sons, Royce and Joel; four daughters, Dawn Holenski, Sheryl Gerard, Saima Horab and Kim Worgren; and a brother, Bruce.

A private service was held in Kazmierczak Funeral Home, West Seneca.
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Margarete Scharf, 90, founder of Scharf’s Schiller Park Restaurant

July 26, 2013, 3:26 pm
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July 10, 1923 – July 25, 2013

Margarete Scharf, a German immigrant who re-created the foods of her homeland in a restaurant bearing the family name, died Thursday in Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home. She was 90.

Born Margaret Duerman in Luhe, northwestern Germany, she attended business school as a young woman. She was married and a mother when her family arrived in Buffalo in 1957 under the sponsorship of her uncle, George Troidl.

She worked as a waitress at his business, Troidl’s Restaurant, and at Lougus Restaurant for several years until buying the former Rimbeck’s Schiller Park Tavern in 1967. The name was changed to Scharf’s Schiller Park Restaurant, and it opened Oct. 1, 1967.

Mrs. Scharf fell in love with the place, a converted home at the dead end of South Crossman Street, because of its proximity to the park.

“Look out the window, and you think you’re in Germany,” she said in a 2008 interview with a reporter for The Buffalo News.

In 1968, Mrs. Scharf held one of the area’s first Oktoberfest events, as part of the restaurant’s anniversary celebration. She was proud to have paid off the mortgage – which funded a new kitchen – in just seven years.

While the restaurant is famous for its potato pancakes, Mrs. Scharf received approval from the state Department of Agriculture in 1982 to bottle and sell her homemade “German House Salad Dressing.”

She remained actively involved in the restaurant, where she took great pride in hosting the family’s Christmas dinner, until 2010. It continues to operate.

Mrs. Scharf was the former secretary – before serving multiple terms as president – of the Genesee-Pine Hill Businessmen’s Association, having been installed by former Mayor James D. Griffin, who became a great friend.

In recognition of Mrs. Scharf having been named Woman of the Year by the Christopher Columbus Committee on Oct. 12, 1989, the mayor declared that day Margarete Scharf Day in the city.

She traveled frequently, including visits to Germany and Austria.

Mrs. Scharf was a devout Catholic who attended Mass regularly and was a supporter of the St. Jude Shrine.

Her husband, Karl, died in 1989.

Survivors include two sons, Karl Jr. and Gerald; and a sister, Kriemhilde Mueller.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church, 180 George Urban Blvd., Cheektowaga.
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Area Deaths

July 26, 2013, 4:20 pm
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Jennie K. Abel, 82, died July 25.

Beatrice M. Bahn, died July 25.

Robert C. Cole, of Buffalo, a self-employed accountant, died July 21.

Mary Ann (Bajak) Corbetta, 68, died July 21.

Ronald J. Federice Sr., died July 21.

Richard J. Fessler, died July 24.

Searcy L. (Ashby) Hawkins, 80, died July 21.

Rev. J. Robert Jackson, 99, retired service manager for Harrison Division of General Motors, rector at several local parishes and dean of the Cattaraugus Deanery of the Diocese of Western New York, died July 24.

Florence M. (Arendt) Kubera, of Cheektowaga, died July 25.

Anthony N. Laprell, died July 24.

Phyllis A. (Lechner) Marino, died July 24.

Rev. Jose A. Roman, of Buffalo, died July 24.

George T. Ryszka, of Buffalo, member of Sheet Metal Workers Local 71, died July 25.

Lorraine M. (Zubris) Schaffer, of Buffalo, died July 24.

Beverly Ann Smith, died July 22.

Alson J. “Bud” Wilhelm, Chevrolet Tonawanda Plant retiree, died July 24.

Kathleen (Gallego) Wilkie, of Blasdell, died July 23.
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Roy J. Fowler, former owner of Fowler’s Chocolates

July 26, 2013, 4:24 pm
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Feb. 10, 1934 – July 19, 2013

Roy Joseph Fowler, of West Seneca, former owner of Fowler’s Chocolates, died July 19 in Father Baker Manor, Orchard Park, after a long illness. He was 79.

In 1963, after the death of his father, Mr. Fowler joined his uncle Ray in the family business, which had been founded by his grandfather in 1910 on Jefferson Avenue and was widely known for its sponge candy. They moved the business to a larger location on Union Road in West Seneca in 1968, which enabled them to double their sales.

He became sole owner upon the retirement of his uncle in 1978 and retired in 1994 after selling the company to a group of investors.

In retirement, Mr. Fowler operated a small candymaking firm, R.J.’s Olde English Chocolates.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Fowler was a graduate of Amherst High School, where he established several records as a basketball player. He later was inducted into the Amherst High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

He went on to play basketball for Arizona State University and the University of Buffalo, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Before joining Fowler’s, he was an accountant for Peat, Marwick and Mitchell.

A lifelong sportsman, he enjoyed handball and bowling, and once rolled a perfect 300 game.

He also was an avid golfer and a longtime member of Springville Country Club.

Survivors include his wife, the former Irene Carr; his former wife, the former Jacqueline Brockto; two sons, Royce and Joel; four daughters, Dawn Holenski, Sheryl Gerard, Saima Horab and Kim Worgren; and a brother, Bruce.

A private service was held in Kazmierczak Funeral Home, West Seneca.
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David D. Celani, truck driver, National Guard veteran

July 26, 2013, 5:14 pm
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May 24, 1943 – July 24, 2013

David D. Celani, an Army National Guard veteran who had a long career as a truck driver for a variety of local businesses and was active in the community, died Wednesday. He was 70.

Born in Lackawanna, Mr. Celani began driving trucks in his 20s after a brief stint as a locomotive mechanic at Republic Steel convinced him that the workplace environment in a steel mill did not suit him.

His first job as a truck driver was driving routes for various local companies as a member of the Teamsters.

He went on to work for a long list of local companies, including McDonald’s Bus Co., Kaufman’s Bakery and Northtown Automotive.

Mr. Celani spoke often of one of his most memorable experiences as a National Guardsman. In November 1963, he was stationed in Virginia when President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas.

Mr. Celani was among the guardsmen who were given guns, loaded into trucks and sent on patrol in the aftermath of the assassination.

In addition to his career and service, Mr. Celani is remembered for his love of teaching, which he attributed to his influential educators at Maryvale High School in Cheektowaga, his alma mater.

He served as education coordinator and instructor at a truck-driving school owned by a friend, was a National Safety Council instructor for safe driving courses and spent 13 years as a volunteer boat safety instructor for the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Mr. Celani was also known for his political activism. He regularly attended Town Board meetings in Tonawanda, where he lived, to encourage elected officials to improve his community.

He also served as a Democratic committeeman and Board of Elections inspector for the town.

Mr. Celani is survived by his wife, the former Janice M. Greene; and a sister, Claudette Pulley.

A memorial service will be at 9 a.m. today in Lombardo Funeral Home, 885 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst.
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Rev. Jose Roman, leader in Puerto Rican, Pentecostal communities

July 26, 2013, 10:52 pm
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Feb. 12, 1928 – July 24, 2013

Rev. Jose A. Roman, an influential figure in the local Puerto Rican and Pentecostal communities, died Wednesday. He was 85.

Born into a family of 12 children in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Mr. Roman came to Buffalo in 1969. Here, his ministry as a religious leader extended to many Hispanic congregations within the Pentecostal faith. Along with his wife, Emilia, also an ordained minister, he was pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Bethel on the city’s West Side.

Mr. Roman affiliated with the Council of Assembly and Christian Churches to help establish churches across New York State and as far away as Toronto.

His ministry extended well beyond the four walls of the churches he led. Upon arriving in Western New York, he worked to establish Christian radio programming on WDCX and opened the area’s first Spanish Christian bookstore.

Mr. Roman also served in a variety of secular roles. He was a school aide at Grover Cleveland High School and worked for the state Employment Office.

He was also a founding member of the West Side branch of the Community Action Organization.

Despite his limited English, Mr. Roman succeeded in obtaining his real estate license and went on to help establish New Hope Real Estate, an organization that serves Hispanic first-time homeowners in the city.

Mr. Roman’s seven children were among his greatest joys in life. Many of them followed in his footsteps, becoming ministers or leaders in their communities.

In 2010, his daughter the Rev. Delia Knox regained her ability to walk 22 years after a car accident en route to a mission trip in Canada left her using a wheelchair.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Jose Jr.; six daughters, Dr. MervinCapeles, Dmaris Crespo, the Rev. Enid Mojica-McGinnis, the Rev. Delia Knox, Yvette and Dr. Persida Himmele; and a sister, Maria Rodriguez.

Services will be offered at 1 p.m. today in Destiny Church, 172 15th St.
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Louis E. Wagner, engineer, pioneered treatment of hazardous waste

July 27, 2013, 7:24 pm
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March 12, 1937 – July 25, 2013

Louis E. Wagner, an environmental engineer and pioneer in the treatment of hazardous waste, died Thursday at his Buffalo home after a lengthy illness. He was 76.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Wagner graduated from the University at Buffalo in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in chemistry. He started his career as a lab technician for Ameron Co. in Buffalo.

In 1969, Mr. Wagner founded Chem-Trol in Blasdell, which was one of the first professional hazardous waste-treatment companies in the United States.

The company was later purchased, but Mr. Wagner founded, and co-founded, several other related companies during his career, including NEWCO Chemical Waste Systems; Recra Research; Environmental Design; Earth Waste Systems; and Green Resource Energy, a manufacturer of a patented biofuel made from recyclable materials.

Mr. Wagner had more than 20 patents to his name and introduced protocols for classifying and evaluating hazardous and nonhazardous waste materials.

He was involved in numerous hazardous waste cleanups throughout Buffalo and the Northeast, which included serving as general contractor for the Phase I abatement program at Love Canal in Niagara Falls.

Often called the “Father of Hazardous Waste” by his peers, Mr. Wagner was inducted into the Environmental Industry Association’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

Mr. Wagner loved to travel and play golf.

He is survived by his wife of 13 years, the former Linda Klimchuk; a son, Thomas; two stepdaughters, Lisa Kazial and Ellen Fort; a stepson, Steven Egidi; and a sister, Patricia Rausche.

Prayers will be offered at 8:45 a.m. on Monday in Amigone Funeral Home, 1132 Delaware Ave., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Louis Catholic Church, 780 Main St., at Edward Street.
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Mark L. Kaiser, elementary school principal, sailor

July 29, 2013, 9:16 am
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Nov. 14, 1949 – June 17, 2013

Mark Louis Kaiser, former principal of Holmes Elementary School in the Town of Tonawanda, died June 17 in Greenfield Health and Rehabilitation Center in Lancaster. He was 63.

A Buffalo native, Mr. Kaiser was a 1967 graduate of Williamsville Central High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in 1970 and went on to receive a master of science degree in education from Buffalo State College in 1977.

He began his teaching career in 1972 as a second-grade teacher at the Academy School in Williamsville.

“He was a master of elementary education, a position he loved, and was beloved by his students and their parents alike,” said Margaret Louise Kaiser, his wife.

Before taking over leadership of Holmes, Mr. Kaiser served as superintendent of buildings and grounds in the Ken-Ton School District.

An Amherst resident, he was appointed principal at Holmes in 1993. During his tenure, the school was honored numerous times for excellence.

“He really showed his leadership and organization skills while at Holmes,” Mrs. Kaiser said.

In 1997, the school was awarded a certificate of recognition from the state Department of Education. Buffalo State named Holmes a Professional Development School in 2002, citing the school for its “commitment to the professional preparation of pre-service teacher candidates.”

An avid sportsman, Mr. Kaiser was an accomplished fly fisherman and sailor.

“He loved to fish the streams around Western New York,” his brother Steven said, adding that he had traveled to Alaska to fish for graylings.

Mr. Kaiser owned and sailed boats on lakes Erie and Ontario. He was a member of the Tuscarora Yacht Club.

In addition to his wife and brother, he is survived by a son, Matthew A.; a daughter, Jessica; another brother, Robert A.; and his first wife, Sandy Beth Barton.
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James E. Kuechle, Erie County Home administrator

July 29, 2013, 8:08 pm
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April 19, 1927 – July 28, 2013

James E. Kuechle, of Getzville, a World War II Navy veteran and retired administrator of the Erie County Home and Infirmary, died Sunday in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst. He was 86.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Kuechle attended Hutchinson-Central High School. He left high school to join the Navy in 1944 and was awarded his diploma upon his return from the war.

During the war, Mr. Kuechle served on a minesweeper. His unit was among those that were sent to clear Tokyo Bay of mines prior to a planned U.S. invasion of Japan in 1944. He and his fellow sailors believed that they were embarking on what was essentially a suicide mission, and they had been trained as such, said Mr. Kuechle’s son, Robert. The U.S. invasion was rendered unnecessary after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening Japan’s surrender and Mr. Kuechle’s return to the United States.

His naval service fostered a lifelong interest in ships, and one of his hobbies was building intricate models, including a replica of Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso, a converted World War II wooden-hulled minesweeper, the vessel on which Mr. Kuechle served.

Upon his return from the war, he attended the University of Buffalo, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in biology. In 1965, he graduated from the University of Toronto with a master’s degree in health administration.

Throughout his career in the health care field, he worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative, an assistant administrator at Millard Fillmore Hospital, a member of the nursing home survey team for the Erie County Health Department, executive director at Mount View Hospital and Nursing Home in Lockport and administrator of the Erie County Home and Infirmary in Alden, retiring in 1988.

He was a past president of the Western New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, a member of the state board of that organization and had been honored as nursing home hospital administrator of the year.

Mr. Kuechle married the former Carolyn “Kay” Snyder on Oct. 4, 1956, and they raised five children. She died in August 1997.

In addition to model ship building, he enjoyed traveling. He visited England, Germany and Austria, and took a trip to Belgium to view the trenches where his father fought during World War I.

He enjoyed military history and took a special interest in Adm. Horatio Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar.

In addition to his son, Dr. Robert, survivors include four daughters, Karen Bordonaro, Peggy Ghanime, Joan Sinclair and Cathy MacLean.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Thursday in St. Pius X Catholic Church, 1700 North French Road, Getzville.
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Area Deaths

July 29, 2013, 8:08 pm
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Michael A. Benzel Jr., died July 26.

Angeline V. (Farina) Fuller, died July 27.

Wilfred L. Genzel, of Colden, died July 28.

Inez (Graves) Hall, died July 25.

Casimir S. “Casey” Helminiak, a veteran of the Korean War, died July 26.

John Iacobucci, of Hamburg, a Marine Corps veteran, died July 27.

June M. (Doering) Kelly, died Jan. 26.

Thomas Kelly, 65, of Tonawanda, a Vietnam War Army veteran, died July 28.

Norma G. (Voit) Kimpel, 93, of Jacksonville, Fla., formerly of Cheektowaga/Depew, died July 15.

Walter C. Kustra, died July 27.

John J. “Chooch” Miceli, of North Buffalo, died July 28.

David J. McGoldrick, 94, of Cheektowaga, an Army veteran, died July 28.

Andrei E. Neimanis, died July 24.

Mary M. (Boberg) Paceli, of Hamburg, died July 25.

Carol A. (Lomastro) Pope, died July 23.

Mildred L. Reid, 88, of Collins, died July 26.

Raymond J. Schieber Sr., of Lake View, died July 26.

Joan von der Empten, 71, a 50-year employee of Mutual of Omaha, died July 27.



Marion R. (Corle) Waterman, 92, died July 27,

Marianne H. (Hartmann) Weber, 78, died July 28.

Marlene (Walter) Wiles, died July 26.
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Irving W. Ehmke, 95, retired DuPont supervisor

July 30, 2013, 5:01 am
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Aug. 13, 1917 – July 28, 2013

Irving W. Ehmke, of the Town of Tonawanda, a retired DuPont supervisor and a World War II veteran, died Sunday in Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center after a short illness. He was 95.

Born in Buffalo, he attended East High School and worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he helped build the lower bridge at Letchworth State Park.

Mr. Ehmke enlisted in the Army in 1943 and served as a corporal in the 194th Glider Infantry Regiment. He was an anti-tank gun crewman and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Returning from service, he worked at DuPont in the Town of Tonawanda for more than 30 years, retiring as a maintenance supervisor in the 1980s.

An avid bowler and golfer, Mr. Emke was awarded a life membership at Brighton Golf Club.

His wife of 53 years, Irene Miga Emke, died in 1993.

Survivors include two daughters, Catherine Toms and Diane Rogers.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Amigone Funeral Home, 5200 Sheridan Drive, Amherst.
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Diane M. Liszka, professional singer, dancer

July 30, 2013, 5:53 pm
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June 7, 1954 – July 27, 2013

Diane Marie Liszka, of Lancaster, who followed up a career on the stage by becoming an award-winning sales representative, died Saturday in Buffalo General Medical Center after a short illness. She was 59.

The former Diane Bycina was first runner-up in the 1974 Miss Buffalo Pageant, was crowned Miss Polonia and was a Buffalo Ambassador Debutante.

Ms. Liszka became a professional singer and dancer, appearing in several local musical productions. She was part of the original cast of the locally produced nightclub revue “Bravo Broadway” and lived in Las Vegas for two years in the early 1980s while performing with the revue as it toured.

She returned to Buffalo with the production in 1982 and performed at Reuben’s Backstage and the Sheraton Hotel. She also sang with Frankie Valli at Melody Fair.

Born in Buffalo, she grew up in Kaisertown, attending St. Casimir’s School. She was a graduate of Archbishop Carroll High School and Erie Community College, where she was elected to the Student Senate, serving as corresponding secretary.

After graduation, she worked for the City of Buffalo and was secretary to Council President Delmar Mitchell, then was a manager at the Radisson Hotel in Cheektowaga.

She later won top awards as a sales representative for Ingram Micro.

Survivors include her husband of 18 years, Edward J. Jr.; her father, John A. Bycina; and two brothers, John A. Bycina Jr. and Michael J. Bycina.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Casimir Oratory, Weimer and Casimir streets.
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John S. Vecchio, retired BOCES special ed teacher

July 30, 2013, 5:58 pm
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July 5, 1927 – July 29, 2013

John S. Vecchio, of the Town of Tonawanda, a retired BOCES special education teacher who pioneered work-study programs for his students, died Monday in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst. He was 86.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Grover Cleveland High School and served in the Army during World War II.

Returning from service, he worked at factory jobs and was an accountant before enrolling at Buffalo State Teachers College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial arts and a master’s degree in special education.

Mr. Vecchio taught at East High School in 1962-63, then taught special education at the West Seneca State School from 1963 to 1966. He went on to teach special education at the Erie II BOCES LoGuidice Center in Fredonia from 1966 until he retired in 1988.

While at the LoGuidice Center, he created an innovative work-study program for special needs students, spending one day a week going out to supervise them at their workplaces. He also traveled to Albany to push for legislation to encourage the hiring of special needs people.

A Fredonia resident while teaching at the LoGuidice Center, for a few years he and his wife owned and operated a health food store on Main Street.

A handyman with a talent for fixing things, he also enjoyed art, music and his family. He also had a lifelong passion for health and fitness.

His first wife of three years, the former Isabella Radoani, died in 1954. He married the former Mary Rose Sfratta in 1958.

In addition to his wife, survivors include a son, John A.; four daughters, Mary Louise, Isabelle, Roseann and Ann; and a sister, Carmella Volpe.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:15 a.m. Saturday in St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Delaware Avenue and Victoria Boulevard, Kenmore.
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Eileen Brennan, actress honored for roles on the stage, in movies and on television

July 30, 2013, 9:59 pm
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Sept. 3, 1932 – July 28, 2013

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Eileen Brennan, who went from musical comedy on Broadway to wringing laughs out of memorable characters in such films as “Private Benjamin” and “Clue,” has died. She was 80.

Brennan’s managers, Jessica Moresco and Al Onorato, said she died Sunday at home in Burbank of bladder cancer.

Brennan got her first big role on the New York stage in “Little Mary Sunshine,” a musical comedy that won her the 1960 Obie award for best actress. Along with her “excellent singing voice,” her performance was “radiant and comic,” said a New York Times review.

But it was a series of sharp-tongued roles that won her fans on television and in movies, including gruff Army Capt. Doreen Lewis in 1980’s “Private Benjamin,” aloof Mrs. Peacock in 1985’s “Clue” and mean orphanage superintendent Miss Bannister in 1988’s “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking.”

“I love meanies, and this goes back to Capt. Lewis in ‘Private Benjamin,’ ” Brennan said a 1988 interview with the Associated Press. “You know why? Because they have no sense of humor. People who are mean or unkind or rigid – think about it – cannot laugh at themselves. If we can’t laugh at ourselves and the human condition, we’re going to be mean.”

“Private Benjamin” brought her a supporting-actress nomination for an Oscar. She also won an Emmy for repeating her “Private Benjamin” role in the television version and was nominated six other times for guest roles on such shows as “Newhart,” “thirtysomething,” “Taxi” and “Will & Grace.”

“Our world has lost a rare human,” said “Private Benjamin” star Goldie Hawn in a statement. “Eileen was a brilliant comedian, a powerful dramatic actress and had the voice of an angel. I will miss my old friend.”

Brennan’s “Private Benjamin” role led to an enduring friendship with Hawn. A couple of years after they filmed the movie, Brennan and Hawn had dinner one night in 1982 in Venice, Calif. As they left the restaurant, Brennan was struck by a car. Her legs were smashed, bones on the left side of her face were broken, her left eye socket was shattered. Brennan said she fought her injuries with rage.

“I was no saint,” she said in an interview with Ladies Home Journal. “I was angry, and anger is a powerful emotion. It increased my determination not to go under, to get well.”

Brennan became dependent on painkillers, and two years after the accident she entered the Betty Ford Center to cure her addiction.

“We get addicted to dull the pain of life,” she told the magazine. “But once we accept that life is tough and painful, we can move on and grow and evolve.”

A decade after the accident, she said she was glad she was struck by the car.

“You learn from powerful things,” she said in 1992. “Initially, there’s enormous anger, but your priorities get shifted around.”

Brennan was a member of the original company of “Hello, Dolly” on Broadway. From the New York stage, she moved to the screen in “Divorce American Style” and “The Last Picture Show,” a pair of appearances on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” and TV guest shots on everything from “All in the Family” and “McMillan & Wife” to “Kojak,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder She Wrote” and “Mad About You.”

Brennan was born Verla Eileen Regina Brennan in Los Angeles. She was educated in convent schools and studied at Georgetown University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York.

She is survived by her two sons, Sam and Patrick Brennan.
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Area Deaths

July 31, 2013, 2:47 pm
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Shirley R. (Haskell) Billittier, 83, of Oneida, formerly of West Seneca, died July 28.

Douglas Canfield, of Ransomville, 85, died July 30.

Terrence “Terry” Davern, of Akron, Vietnam Army veteran, died July 29.

Frances V. (Faggello) Demeester, of Getzville, died July 29.

Jeanette Kinney Donovan, died July 29.

Reinold M. Eschner, of Irving, died July 30.

Michael J. Falter, 54, of Cheektowaga, died July 30.

Wendell Ferrell Sr., died July 28.

George W. Folger Sr., 93, of Lancaster, died July 28.

Donald J. Godios, of Hamburg, WWII Army veteran, died July 29.

Carol M. (Kelley) Hale, died July 29.

George H. Heath Jr., of Angola, died July 30.

Darmayne Jackson, died July 24.

Jane A. (Satkowski) Jarzyniecki, died July 28.

Earl George Jehle, 93, Army veteran, formerly employed at the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. and a real estate agent in Buffalo and Florida, died July 28.

James E. Kuechle, died July 28.

Esther C. (Kosniewski) Laskowski, of Hamburg, died July 29.

Thomas E. Locher, of West Seneca, died July 30.

Richard Lucas, of Buffalo, died July 25.

Mary (Schild) Manning, of Derby, died July 27.

Mary M. (Stewart) McMichael, died July 29.

Sheila A. McMillan, of Cheektowaga, died July 29.

Kyle M. Mesch, 52, of Collins, died July 28.



Eugene S. Norton, 93, of East Aurora, WWII Army Air Forces veteran, former teacher, guidance counselor and vice principal at John F. Kennedy High School in Sloan, died July 30.

Dorothy (Kacalski) Primiano, 87, of the Town of Tonawanda, died July 27.

Ruth D. (Spengler) Raynak, of Hamburg, died July 30.

Ruth M. (Wisniewski) Sardes, died July 29.

Betty D. (Davis) Schubauer, of Hamburg, died July 20.

Mary Ann (Dudziak) Shanahan, died July 27.

Dorothy P. (Jamison) Sheehan, died July 28.

Clarence F. Sims, of Alden, died July 26.

Mamie L. (Knight) Varner, of Buffalo, died July 28.

Lana B. (O’Connell) Wirth, died July 28.
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Ruther Lee Crawford, 97, church, community leader

August 1, 2013, 3:09 pm
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Aug. 12, 1915 - July 23, 2013

A memorial service Ruther (Ruth) Lee Crawford, a community leader, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Second Baptist Church, 18 Church St., Lackawanna.

Mrs. Crawford died July 23 in Erie County Medical Center after a short illness. She was 97.

Born Ruther Lee Pearson in Alexander City, Ala., she relocated with her family to Dayton, Ohio, and then moved to Lackawanna when her mother died in 1927.

A Lackawanna High School graduate, she hit many milestones in her life. She was the first minority member hired at E.J. Meyer City Hospital – now Erie County Medical Center – in the dietary department. She also was the first minority member hired at the A&P grocery store that was located on Ridge Road in Lackawanna.

In addition, Mrs. Crawford worked for Tomaka’s Drugs as a cashier and then was hired as a teacher’s aide in the Lackawanna School District.

She retired in 1978 from the Lackawanna schools and then started working with the Erie County Senior Companion Program for Erie County Child and Family Services. She retired from the county job in 2008.

A longtime member of Second Baptist Church, she helped carry lunches to workers constructing the facility on Church Street more than 50 years ago, her family said. She also transported coal from the Bethlehem Steel railroad tracks to the church to keep the fires burning during the winter months.

As an adult, Mrs. Crawford was a musician for various choirs at the church, a member of the Senior Usher Board, kitchen committee, Senior Choir and the Missionary Society. She also was a pastor’s aide and was the supervisor of the Littlest Angels Children’s Choir.

In addition, she was one of the founding members of the Medical Task Force at E.J. Meyer Hospital. The group was later renamed the Nurses’ Guild.

Mrs. Crawford enjoyed taking daily walks throughout the neighborhood for exercise.

She is survived by a daughter, Juanita.
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John Edward Allen, Tuskegee Airman, Vietnam War veteran, dies at 84

August 1, 2013, 5:11 pm
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – John Edward Allen, a New Mexico veteran who served as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II and later earned honors for his Air Force service during the Vietnam War, died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer.

The NAACP Albuquerque Chapter President Harold Bailey said Allen died from multiple myeloma. He was 84.

A long-time resident of New Mexico after retiring, Allen was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Forces right out of high school in Live Oak, Fla., in 1945. At 17, he was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Wing of the Tuskegee Airmen — a group that broke racial barriers in World War II by becoming the first black aviators in the U.S. military.

He did not see combat in World War II but he later received the Air Force Commendation Medal for assisting in de-arming two dozen 500-pound bombs that were dropped from the wing of a B-52 being prepared for a Vietnam War mission.

In addition, Allen and about 300 original Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

Upon retiring, the Rio Rancho resident was a sought after speaker around New Mexico and founded in 2000 a local arm for the General Lloyd W. “Fig” Newton Chapter of the Tuskegee Airman.

“History speaks for itself,” said Bailey. “He was a role model, not only for African-Americans, but for all Americans in general.”

Despite his accomplishments, Allen’s wife, Willie E. Allen, said her husband rarely talked about them unless he was asked.

“I didn’t even know he was a Tuskegee Airman until after we were married,” she said. “When I found out I started reading all about the Tuskegee Airmen. I was so proud of him.”

His wife said her husband also hardly talked about the racial discrimination he faced in his early days in the military and refused to carry any anger over it.

“That was just not the type of person he was,” Allen said.

Last year, the veteran was a subject of an Albuquerque Journal investigation that reported Allen was a victim of a botched surgery by the Albuquerque VA hospital that resulted in an eye infection. The surgery also resulted in permanent scarring and vision impairment, the newspaper reported.
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Roger D. Gates, retired National Gypsum foreman

August 1, 2013, 5:36 pm
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Nov. 11, 1931 – July 13, 2013

Roger D. Gates, of Akron, a retired foreman for National Gypsum, died July 13 in Hospice Buffalo, Cheektowaga, after a short illness. He was 81.

Born in Redwood, near Watertown, he served in the Army from 1952 to 1954, was stationed in Germany and attained the rank of corporal.

Mr. Gates was board plant foreman for National Gypsum for 26 years in Clarence Center and for 12 years in Oakfield after the Clarence Center plant closed. He retired in 1994.

Formerly active in First Baptist Church of Akron, where he served as an usher and trustee, he recently was a member of High Point Church in Corfu.

He also was a member of L.L. Tillman Post 900, American Legion, and served as its historian. He was a devoted Bills and Sabres fan.

Survivors include his wife of 56 years, the former Joanne Rohloff; three sons, Dale, Steven and Krist; a daughter, Nancy Palizay; and a sister, Eleanor Sharkey.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in High Point Church, 1163 Main Road, Corfu.
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Sister Mary Tiburtia Gorecki, led Hilbert library

August 1, 2013, 6:12 pm
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Nov. 25, 1921 – July 31, 2013

Sister Mary Tiburtia Gorecki, FSSJ, who founded and designed the library at Hilbert College and directed it for 28 years, died Wednesday in the Colette Hilbert Care Community, Hamburg. She was 91.

Born Irene Gorecki in Baltimore, the youngest of 12 children, she entered the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph as an aspirant in 1936, became a postulant in 1939 and professed her final vows July 8, 1944.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Mount St. Joseph College, now Medialle College, and a master’s degree in library science from Marywood College in Scranton, Pa.

She told an interviewer in 1987 that she became a librarian by accident.

She was supposed to go to a college in Wisconsin to earn a degree in remedial reading, but a mistake in her transfer notice sent her to Marywood instead.

During her 47-year career in education, she served at Corpus Christi School in Buffalo, St. Vincent’s School in North Evans, St. Mary’s of the Lake School in Hamburg and in schools in Massachusetts and Michigan.

Assigned to Hilbert College as library director in 1962, she helped establish the Francis J. and Marie McGrath Library. She led the transfer of 40,000 books into the new library building in 1969, inaugurated several special book collections and was considered the library’s “heart and soul.”

For her first 10 years at the college, she also served as an instructor. She received Hilbert’s President’s Medal in 1972.

She also helped to set up libraries in elementary schools and high schools, at St. Joseph Hospital in Cheektowaga and at Creekbend Heights in Hamburg.

She was active in the American Library Association and the New York Library Association, and had traveled out of state as a library consultant.

She also served as an officer in the Western New York Educational Communications Council and the Western New York Catholic Librarians Conference.

She retired from Hilbert in 1990 and became periodicals librarian at Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora.

She had been a resident of the Colette Hilbert Health Center since 2004.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Monday in the chapel of Immaculate Conception Convent, 5229 South Park Ave., Hamburg.
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