Laura Mazzetti, painted ceramic handicrafts

January 29, 2014, 3:07 pm

≫ Next: Patrick J. Eddy, Customs and Border Patrol retiree

≪ Previous: Jack B. Prior, businessman, major figure in aeronautical history of WNY

May 10, 1925 – Jan. 26, 2014

Laura Mazzetti, a painter of ceramic handicrafts, died Sunday under hospice care in her Derby home. She was 88.

Born Laura Alimonti in Lackawanna, she graduated from Lackawanna High School in 1942.

She met her future husband, Aldo Mazzetti, a native of Italy who was living in New York City, at the wedding of her sister and Mr. Mazzetti’s brother.

After a long-distance courtship, they were married in 1946 in Our Lady of Victory Basilica.

She moved for a few years to New York City and then to Long Eddy, Sullivan County, where she ran a farm with her husband, before returning to Lackawanna.

In 1956, Mrs. Mazzetti settled with her family in Derby.

She was employed briefly as a cook at an Eden nursing home but primarily was a homemaker.

Her longtime hobby was painting, especially ceramic figurines and collectibles, many of which featured angels or holiday themes.

She also maintained a large garden from which she harvested tomatoes for sauce and strawberries and blueberries for homemade pies.

Mrs. Mazzetti was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in North Evans until its closing in 2011.

In addition to her husband of 68 years, she is survived by two daughters, Judy Almond and Laurie Roche; a son, Gerald; a sister, Katherine Schiffer; a brother, Andrew Alimonti; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Services were held Monday evening in Laing Funeral Home, Eden.

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Patrick J. Eddy, Customs and Border Patrol retiree

January 29, 2014, 3:15 pm

≫ Next: Carl H. Ericson, 94, construction company president

≪ Previous: Laura Mazzetti, painted ceramic handicrafts

April 6, 1951 – Jan. 22, 2014

Patrick J. Eddy, of the Town of Tonawanda, a retired U.S. Customs and Border Patrol technician, died Jan. 22 in VA Western New York Healthcare System’s Buffalo Medical Center after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 62.

Born in Buffalo, he attended Kensington High School and the Sheriff’s Academy at Erie Community College.

An Army veteran, he served two tours in the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1973 in the Military Police and in the Airborne Division.

Mr. Eddy served for more than 39 years with Customs and Border Patrol, retiring in 2012 due to illness.

He was a junior vice commander of Cold Spring Post 3254, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and earned an American Red Cross instructor’s certificate for CPR.

He volunteered for the United Way and the annual Day of Caring through his workplace.

For 15 years, he served dinners to the less-fortunate on Christmas Day at Cameo’s Restaurant in the Town of Tonawanda.

He refined his recipe for chili for many years, winning first prize in the Customs office cookoff in 2005.

Survivors include his wife of 38 years, the former Rosemary Georger; a son, Thomas J.; a daughter, Donna Muldoon; a brother, Thomas G.; two sisters, Linda and Cathy Klimowicz; and five grandchildren.

Services will be at 4 p.m. Sunday in Amigone Funeral Home, 2600 Sheridan Drive, Town of Tonawanda.

↧

Carl H. Ericson, 94, construction company president

January 29, 2014, 3:30 pm

≫ Next: John W. Coleman, editor and publisher of Orchard Park Suburban Press

≪ Previous: Patrick J. Eddy, Customs and Border Patrol retiree

Nov. 3, 1919 – Jan. 23, 2014

Carl H. Ericson, a retired construction company president, died last Thursday in Asbury Pointe, Getzville, where he had been a resident since May. He was 94.

Born at home in Buffalo’s Riverside section during a snowstorm, he attended School 65 and graduated in 1936 from Seneca Vocational High School.

He found a job at General Electric and taught electronics at night. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he volunteered to repair electrical systems on sunken battleships, helping rebuild the USS California and USS West Virginia. He was awarded the Navy “E” pin for his work.

Mr. Ericson gave up his occupational deferment in 1944 and enlisted in the pilot training program in the Army Air Forces, learning to fly the B-25 bomber. When fewer pilots were needed after D-Day, he was transferred to a desk job.

En route home to Buffalo after taking the entrance exam for the engineering school at Yale University in 1946, he was stranded in Syracuse by a snowstorm, applied to Syracuse University and was admitted on the spot. He earned his degree in electrical engineering in 1948 and was a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

In 1954, he went to work for his father-in-law, George Herman, who ran a general contracting firm, Shirley-Herman Co. He spent the rest of his career at the company, serving for many years as president before he sold the business and retired in 1981.

Later renamed George Herman & Associates, the company specialized in commercial and industrial buildings and factory conversions, including many projects in the former Westinghouse plant next to Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

The company built the 20-story addition to the Liberty Bank Building in downtown Buffalo in 1961 and many schools and nursing homes, including Amherst Middle School, which both of his sons attended, and a portion of the Beechwood-Asbury Pointe senior living complex in Getzville.

In retirement, he volunteered for 30 years for the Small Business Administration’s Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) and served as chairman of the Buffalo Niagara chapter.

A longtime Snyder resident, he was a member of the Rotary Club of Buffalo for nearly 50 years and was a past president of the Central Park Methodist Men’s Club.

He was a former member of the Buffalo Yacht Club, the Buffalo Astronomical Association and the Sitzmarker Ski Club.

An active outdoorsman, he skied for nearly 50 years, sailed until he was in his mid- 80s and golfed until just past his 90th birthday. He also was a self-taught photographer, painter and organist. He and his wife traveled extensively in the U.S. and overseas.

A ham radio operator since his teens and a 75-year member of the American Radio Relay League, he was known by his call letters, K2QV. He chatted with friends on the air most mornings until a few weeks ago.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, the former Jean E. Herman; two sons, Bruce A. and Paul C.; and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held in the spring.

↧

John W. Coleman, editor and publisher of Orchard Park Suburban Press

January 29, 2014, 3:35 pm

≫ Next: Loraine Dauer, hosted TV Bible study program

≪ Previous: Carl H. Ericson, 94, construction company president

March 25, 1926 – Jan. 22, 2014

John W. Coleman, the feisty editor and publisher of the Orchard Park Suburban Press, died Jan. 22 in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital, Wellsboro, Pa. He was 87.

Mr. Coleman, known for doggedly covering people, events and government in Orchard Park, was called a “newsman’s newsman” by some, and was a gruff, rabble-rousing troublemaker to others.

He acquired the paper in 1960 and was a champion for the development and expansion of Route 219 in Orchard Park to Springville and was a fixture at Town Board, Village Board and School Board meetings.

Dennis J. Mill was town supervisor when Mr. Coleman owned the paper and recalls seeing the lights on in the Quaker Street office many evenings as the editor worked into the night.

“He was passionate about the town. He was passionate about the paper,” Mill said. “He was impatient at times, as far as things getting done.”

Mill said that he considered Mr. Coleman a friend but that never stopped Mr. Coleman from exercising his community watchdog bark and bite toward town government.

During his tenure, the community weekly won more than 80 state and national awards for editorial excellence.

He published the last edition of the paper in March 1990, closing the institution because it was out of money. He said that it “no longer is worth the effort” and the grief to continue publishing the weekly paper.

But later that year, the Southtowns Citizen was created, with Mr. Coleman as editor and his daughter Desiree as publisher. The weekly later struggled, and it closed in 2008.

Mr. Coleman moved to Wellsboro, Pa., about 15 years ago, and worked for the Williamsport Sun Gazette, reporting on local affairs.

He was active in many community organizations in Orchard Park. He co-founded the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce and started the Quaker Arts Festival and the town’s Citizen of the Year award.

He was a charter member of the Orchard Park Kiwanis Club, was an honorary member of the Hillcrest Volunteer Fire Company and a member of the Orchard Park Historical Society.

He also served on the facilities and implementation committees for long-range planning of the Orchard Park Central School District.

He ran for the Orchard Park Village Board as “an independent voice in village government” in 1995.

Mr. Coleman served with the U.S. Navy on an aircraft carrier in World War II and was a member of Orchard Park Post 567, American Legion, and Post 6247, Veterans of Foreign Wars.

He attended Canisius College and worked on newspapers in Buffalo, Jamestown and Erie, Pa.

He also was a staff correspondent for United Press International after a stint in industrial public relations.

Mr. Coleman was a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, formerly called Sigma Delta Chi, and a charter member and former director of its Greater Buffalo International Chapter; a former director of the New York Press Association, and a former director of the President’s Advisory Committee for the Mass Communication Department at St. Bonaventure University.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, Gloria; three sons, Mark, Jonathan and Christopher; five daughters, Adria Thomas, Desiree Cohrn, Tara Nickel, Melissa Smith and Dana Coleman; a sister, Mary Lou Travers; and seven grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 3 p.m. Friday in Tussey-Mosher Funeral Home, 139 Main St., Wellsboro, Pa.

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Loraine Dauer, hosted TV Bible study program

January 29, 2014, 4:09 pm

≫ Next:

≪ Previous: John W. Coleman, editor and publisher of Orchard Park Suburban Press

Oct. 2, 1926 – Jan. 28, 2014

Loraine Dauer, longtime television hostess for the Catholic Bible teaching ministry known as Comfort My People, died Tuesday in her West Seneca home under Hospice care for congestive heart failure. She was 87.

Born Loraine McCracken, a native and longtime resident of Buffalo, she studied at Buffalo State College during the late 1940s.

Mrs. Dauer hosted the Comfort My People Bible study program for 23 years. The program was recorded by the Daybreak Production Company in Buffalo and broadcast on ABC and cable networks.

From 1977 to 1985, under the direction of the late Rev. Linus Hennessy, Mrs. Dauer taught every Sunday Scripture studies for the Comfort My People youth group, numbering up to 50 youths in her West Seneca home. Countless youths from Western New York passed through her home during those studies.

Mrs. Dauer started her career with the Diocese of Buffalo in 1949 as the director of the Catholic Youth Council. She organized many activities for young adults and formed debate teams within the organization.

She was a parishioner of Queen of Heaven Parish since its inception in 1955. She taught religious education for confirmation classes for 12 years. She was a lector, organized Bible studies for the parish and was the leader of Queen of Heaven’s prayer group since 1978.

Survivors include her husband of 61 years, Robert F.; two sons, Robert J. and James; four daughters, Mary Christie, Elizabeth Dauer-Flett, Anna Wirth and Kathryn Black; and three sisters, Margaret Hotho, Janet Jarczyk and Eileen Ward.

Her brother, Robert McCracken, is deceased.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 4220 Seneca St., West Seneca.

↧

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January 29, 2014, 5:55 pm

≫ Next: Eileen L. Bippert, 94, owner of Bippert’s Farms

≪ Previous: Loraine Dauer, hosted TV Bible study program

Patricia S. Czosek, died Jan. 26.

Clifford P. Chitester, of Sanborn, died Jan. 26

George Christel, 104, of Buffalo, died Jan. 26.

Loraine (McCracken) Dauer, of West Seneca, Jan. 28.

Alice (Rozanski) Deery, of Depew, died Jan. 27.

Elese Folley, died Jan. 21.

Zora (Knezevic) Galster, of Hamburg, died Jan. 26.

Rita M. Gilliam (Tramont), of Kenmore, died Jan. 27.

Lois S. Gray, formerly of Buffalo, died Jan. 24.

Robert M. Guggemos, 93, World War II Navy veteran, former firefighter and chief at Kenilworth Fire Company, died Jan. 26.

Parnell Harper, of Niagara Falls, formerly of Buffalo, died Jan. 27.

Richard F. Heller, 83, of North Tonawanda, Korean War Marine veteran, former union carpenter, died Jan. 25.

Emil H. Hoch, 84, taught industrial arts and former department head at SUNY Buffalo State, died Jan. 17.

Pearlie M. (Gatson) Jackson, of Buffalo, died Jan. 24.

Edward J. Josefiak, of West Seneca, died Jan. 27.

Eleanor A. (Krauss) Kankiewicz, died Jan. 27.

Robert J. Kohnke, of Niagara Falls, died Jan. 25.

Joseph D. Korzec, of West Seneca, died Jan. 25.

Carol A. (Lichwala) Kosut, 70, of North Tonawanda, died Jan. 26.

Harold G. LaPrell, died Jan. 26.

Shera D. Lindsay, died Jan. 24.

Betty Jane Maroone, 87, of Akron, formerly of Sunset Bay, died Jan. 26.

Barbara M. (Choloff) Marranca, died Jan. 27.

James T. McAndrew, of Buffalo, died Jan. 28.

Thomas J. McCourt, of Buffalo, died Jan. 27.

Aaron Michael Morgan, 23, of Lancaster, died Jan. 26.

Leonard J. Murawski, died Jan. 20.

William F. Olson, 92, died Jan. 27.

Jean D. (Gora) Pachla, died Jan. 27.

Moira Anne (Oatmeyer) Paine, of Clarence, retired employee of Nussbaumer & Clarke, died Jan. 28.

Leonard “Butch” Pajak, died Jan. 26.

Matthew H. Peters, died Jan. 26.

Robert Poleon, 67, died Jan. 25

Jack B. Prior, 88, died Jan. 26.

Russell A. Putney, 86, of Lakewood, former security officer at Nationwide Insurance and White Consolidated Industries, died Jan. 25.

Anthony D. “Red” Sambrotto, of Buffalo, World War II Navy veteran, died Jan. 26.

William A. Scharf, 55, of Springville, died Jan. 27,

Robert M. Schweitzer, 70, of Tonawanda, Vietnam War Army veteran and retired civilian unity administrator for the 277th Quartermaster Company in Niagara Falls, died Jan. 28.

David Edward Sherman, died Jan. 27.

Gerard P. Smith, 76, died Jan. 28.

Theodore Edward “Ted” Stahlman, 68, Vietnam War Army veteran, died Jan. 24.

Sheryl J. Steindel, of Kenmore, died Jan. 28.

Melinda E. Steadman, died Jan. 25.

Leonard L. Stelmach, of Angola, died Jan. 26.

Angelina (Anastasi) Stravalaci, 99, died Jan. 28.

Louis D. Stucker, of Orchard Park, died Jan. 27.

Ann N. (Kobiernicki) Swistak, died Jan. 26.

Jean C. (D’Amico) Talluto, 100, died Jan. 26.

Willette Thompson, formerly of Buffalo, died Jan. 24.

Donna (O’Brien) Toth, died Jan. 23.

Mary Ellen Travis, of Hamburg, died Jan. 27.

Theresa Murphy Tuminno, of Kenmore, died Jan. 28.

Frank J. Ventura, of Buffalo, died Jan. 27.

Ruth E. (Mengay) Wachowicz, 90, of the City of Tonawanda, died Jan. 26.

Thomas J. Wachowski, member of Operating Engineers Local 17, died Jan. 26.

Alice J. (Johnston) Wagener, 96, died Jan. 26.

Geraldine L. (Krawczyk) Walczak, of Cheektowaga, died Jan. 28.

Roger A. Ware, 82, of Tonawanda, died Jan. 25.

Kathleen L. (Schweikert) Weimer, 54, formerly of East Eden, member of Teamsters Local 449, died Jan. 26.

Lucille F. Wilhelm, AM&As retiree, died Jan. 29.

↧

Eileen L. Bippert, 94, owner of Bippert’s Farms

January 29, 2014, 6:03 pm

≫ Next: Donald L. Rung, retired Tops Markets official

≪ Previous:

Jan. 23, 1920 – Jan. 24, 2014

Eileen L. Bippert, owner of Bippert’s Farms, a fourth-generation agricultural business, died Friday in her Elma home after a long illness. She was 94.

Born Eileen Lein in Buffalo, she was a 1937 graduate of Lancaster High School and attended Bryant & Stratton Business Institute.

In 1944, she married her high school sweetheart, Warren Bippert Sr., who had taken over the original 35-acre farm in Elma from his father two years earlier.

They acquired four more farms in Lancaster and Alden, expanding their operation to about 500 acres, and added livestock – hogs and a registered Angus herd – to their fruit and vegetable growing and distribution activities.

Currently, the farm cultivates about 300 acres, raising primarily potatoes and sweet corn, and maintains a wholesale produce business supplying hotels, restaurants, schools and other institutions.

The Bipperts built a roadside market on Clinton Street to sell produce year-round and in 1995 established a seasonal weekly fresh produce auction for local growers and consigners.

After the death of her husband in 1991, Mrs. Bippert continued to operate the farm with help of her son, Warren Jr., and one of her daughters, Barbara Dygert.

She was a life member of the Erie County Agricultural Society, the American Angus Association and the New York Beef Producers, and was a member of the Elma Senior Citizens and the Eastern Star.

Bippert Farms was certified as a New York State woman-owned business enterprise.

Survivors also include three other daughters, Nancy Kronthaler, Marcia Schneeberger and Dawn Rodgers; a brother, Donald Lein; nine grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday in Elma Methodist Church, 2991 Bowen Road.

↧

Donald L. Rung, retired Tops Markets official

January 30, 2014, 3:40 pm

≫ Next: Lucy Cooper, crossing guard, 51-year city employee

≪ Previous: Eileen L. Bippert, 94, owner of Bippert’s Farms

Nov. 12, 1926 – Jan. 28, 2014

Donald L. Rung, a retired Tops Markets official, died Tuesday in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst, after a long illness. He was 87.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Kensington High School and served stateside in the Army Air Forces as a sheet metal worker in an aircraft repair unit during World War II.

Mr. Rung worked for several years in his father’s furniture store, Rung Furniture, then joined Tops Markets in 1964.

As Tops’ director of regulatory and environmental services, he supervised the cleanliness of stores and oversaw product recalls. He retired in 1996.

A longtime Town of Tonawanda resident, he was a member of George F. Lamm Post 622, American Legion, and the Western New York Sanitarians Association.

He also took part in the Million Veteran Program, donating blood for research into diseases that affect veterans.

Surviving are his wife of 60 years, the former Rojene G. Scherzinger; two sons, Gary and Craig; a daughter, Gail Purpura; eight granddaughters; and a great-grandchild.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Amelia Catholic Church, 2999 Eggert Road, Town of Tonawanda.

↧

Lucy Cooper, crossing guard, 51-year city employee

January 30, 2014, 5:30 pm

≫ Next: Donald R. Fry, retired Buffalo police captain

≪ Previous: Donald L. Rung, retired Tops Markets official

Dec. 1, 1928 – Jan. 29, 2014

Lucy Cooper, a 51-year City of Buffalo employee, died Wednesday in Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Town of Tonawanda, after a short illness. She was 85.

Born Lucia Pandolfino in Buffalo, she grew up on the city’s West Side and lived in her North Buffalo home for 46 years before recently moving to Kenmore. She attended elementary school at Schools 3 and 18, and graduated from Grover Cleveland High School in 1947.

Mrs. Cooper later worked for several years as a school crossing guard at Schools 17 and 56, part of a long career of guiding schoolchildren through the city’s busy intersections. In 2013, her 50th year as a City of Buffalo employee, she was honored at a commemorative dinner.

An officer in the Crossing Guard Association for 18 consecutive years, Mrs. Cooper’s most noted moment occurred in the late 1960s and involved a paper bag discovered on school premises containing narcotics. After local children pointed out the suspicious substances during lunch hour, Mrs. Cooper retrieved more than 200 packets of heroin stashed by criminals in a tree stump and turned them over to police.

A local TV commentator dubbed her the “heroin heroine,” and the incident attracted widespread local and national attention.

On another occasion, a passing Buffalo Courier-Express newspaper photographer snapped a photo of Mrs. Cooper with a stray dog she befriended and had followed her on duty. The photo was judged one of the year’s best and was included in the Courier-Express’ annual calendar

Mrs. Cooper was especially known for her huge collection of Italian cookbooks, which resulted in specialties like spadinis, tripe and various pasta dishes.

She also served as a leader of Cub Scout Pack 45 at Annunciation Catholic Church during the 1950s.

In 1948, she married Dennis Cooper, who died in 1994. She is survived by two sons, Scott and Tony; three sisters, Felicia Zarcone, Toni Paler and Nancy Basalyga; and four grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 1035 Delaware Ave.

↧

Donald R. Fry, retired Buffalo police captain

January 30, 2014, 6:11 pm

≫ Next: Martin H. Hardick, retired bank vice president

≪ Previous: Lucy Cooper, crossing guard, 51-year city employee

Dec. 28, 1948 – Jan. 24, 2014

Donald R. Fry, a retired Buffalo Police captain, died unexpectedly last Friday in his North Buffalo home. He was 65.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Hutchinson-Central Technical High School and the University at Buffalo. After serving with the Army in the Vietnam War, he was a member of the Army Reserve and the Navy Reserve.

He joined the Buffalo Police Department in 1980 and retired with the rank of captain in March 2007.

His assignments included the Colvin Station, the Northwest District, the South District and the Burglary Task Force.

His wife, Mary Jane “Sissy” Winkler Fry, died in 2004.

Survivors include two brothers, Brian R. and Warren H.; and a sister, Marcia C.

A memorial service will be at 6:30 p.m. today in Perna, Dengler, Roberts Funeral Home, 1306 Hertel Ave.

↧

Martin H. Hardick, retired bank vice president

January 31, 2014, 2:34 pm

≫ Next:

≪ Previous: Donald R. Fry, retired Buffalo police captain

Dec. 20, 1935 – Jan. 29, 2014

Martin H. Hardick, of Kenmore, a retired bank executive, died Wednesday in Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Town of Tonawanda, after a long illness. He was 78.

Born in Buffalo, he attended St. Paul’s Elementary School and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. He served in the Army as a radio operator.

Returning from service, he became a teller at Marine Midland Bank, later HSBC Bank. He had a 45-year career at the bank, retiring as vice president of operations.

An active member of St. Paul Catholic Church, he taught religious education classes and was a leader in the Legion of Mary. He was a daily attendant at Eucharistic adoration at St. Paul’s.

He was known for his attachment to his Siberian husky dogs, which were a familiar sight in Kenmore traveling with him in his car.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, the former Jacqueline “Jackie” Schmidt; two daughters, Ann Taylor and Mary Militello; three sons, Patrick, John and Michael; a twin sister, Mary Morris; and 12 grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:15 a.m. Monday in St. Paul Catholic Church, Delaware Avenue at Victoria Boulevard, Kenmore.

↧

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January 31, 2014, 4:29 pm

≫ Next: Philip V. Pici, state honored Buffalo fire captain

≪ Previous: Martin H. Hardick, retired bank vice president

Charles “Chuck” Arnold, of Lockport, died Jan. 17.

Frances (Massaro) Aronica, died Jan. 30.

Deborah Lynne Austin, 59, of Youngstown, died Jan. 25.

Robert P. Baetzhold, died Jan. 28.

Salvatore “Sam” Bellittiere, died Jan. 28.

Margaret L. “Peggy” (Sweeney) Borowicz, died Jan. 28.

Claudia A. (Price) Bunny, died Jan. 25.

Bertha L. Burden, died Jan. 27.

Gregory C. Bynes Sr., formerly of Buffalo, died Jan. 16.

William J. “Bill” Clark Jr., of the Town of Tonawanda, died Jan. 29.

Mark David Clapsadle, of North Tonawanda, died Jan. 22.

Lucy (Pandolfino) Cooper, of Buffalo, died Jan. 29.

James V. Cronin Sr., of West Seneca, died Jan. 28.

Lorraine E. Dierich, died Jan. 28.

Bernice (Ziblut) Ficner Vandeburgh, 92, of Kenmore, died Jan. 28.

James B. “Jimmy” Golden, of South Buffalo, died Jan. 14.

Stephanie (Kluczynski) Gorski, died Jan. 29.

Lois S. Gray, died Jan. 22.

Eleanor M. Hahn, 76, died Jan. 24.

Rita M. (Kiebzak) Heim, of Hamburg, died Jan. 28.

Betty L. (Rice) Kestner, of Springville, died Jan. 28.

Edith M. (Koene) Krieger, 92, died Jan. 28.

Carl S. Krol, of Buffalo, died Jan. 27.

Elisabeth (Allen) Lapey, 99, died Jan. 13.

Claire H. Lippert, 91, former Navy nurse and registered nurse, died Jan. 26.

Rose K. (Holmes) Major, 86, of Williamsville, formerly of East Aurora, died Jan. 29.

Margaret Mayo Lyness, of Kenmore, died Jan. 28.

Richard L. Mutka, of Tonawanda, died Jan. 29.

Janet E. (Krier) Nagel, died Jan. 28.

Dennis P. Pisarek, of North Tonawanda, registered nurse, died Jan. 28.

Jeanette “Jennie” Popkin, died Jan. 29.

Eleanor (Nowak) “Ellie” Ptak, 97, of West Seneca, died Jan. 28.

Karen L. (Shumaker) Roth, of West Seneca, died Jan. 29.

Rose M. (Steger) Ruppert, died Jan. 24.

Eugene “Gene” Schleicher, haberdasher at Riverside Men’s Shop for 36 years, died Jan. 28.

Alfonzo Shack, died Jan. 28.

Kelly Nicole Shell, died Jan. 16.

Diane (Johnson) Smigiel, died Jan. 28.

Mary Stevens, died Jan. 26.

Jessie May Bohlen (Cook) Strong, registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Willette Thompson, died Jan. 24.

Marie L. (Gallagher) Villano, 82, died Jan. 29.

Eva G. (Dziechciarz) Walski, of Lackawanna, died Jan. 28.

Roger A. Ware, 82, of Tonawanda, died Jan. 25.

Richard L. Williams, retired Buffalo Public Schools music teacher, died Jan. 26.

↧

Philip V. Pici, state honored Buffalo fire captain

January 31, 2014, 5:08 pm

≫ Next: Richard A. Schwede, retired News district manager

≪ Previous:

June 4, 1934 – Jan. 30, 2014

Philip V. Pici, who received an award for bravery from New York State for rescuing a man from a fire while serving with the Buffalo Fire Department, died Thursday in DeGraff Skilled Nursing Facility, North Tonawanda, following a lengthy illness. A resident of Amherst, he was 79.

Mr. Pici was born in Cleveland and graduated from St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute and Erie Community College. He served in the U.S. Air Force in 1961 and 1962.

During his 33-year career with the Buffalo Fire Department, he attained the rank of captain and received numerous commendations, including the John J. Trobidy Memorial Award from the State Senate in 1978 for saving a 75-year-old man who was trapped in a burning building. He retired in 1991.

Mr. Pici also managed the University Club on Delaware Avenue and was an avid racquet ball and squash player.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, the former Loretta Mangus; two sons; two stepsons; a stepdaughter; two brothers; and eight grandchildren.

A funeral will be at 8 p.m. Wednesday in Lombardo Funeral Home, 885 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst.

↧

Richard A. Schwede, retired News district manager

February 1, 2014, 2:20 pm

≫ Next: Daniel H. Golombek, retired Buffalo firefighter

≪ Previous: Philip V. Pici, state honored Buffalo fire captain

Jan. 24, 1945 – Jan. 18, 2014

Richard A. “Rico” Schwede, of Holland, a retired Buffalo News district manager and high school football official, died Jan. 18 in Fiddler’s Green Manor, Springville, after a lengthy illness. He was 68.

Born in Cleveland, he was adopted and grew up in the Buffalo area. He escaped safely from the tragic Cleveland Hill Elementary School fire in 1954 and was a 1962 graduate of Cleveland Hill High School. He served in the Marine Corps in Europe during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Schwede worked in the circulation department at The News for more than 30 years, retiring as a district manager about 10 years ago.

Widely respected as a football, baseball and softball official, he was a member of the Western New York Umpires Association for more than 40 years and served on its board of directors.

A member of the Western New York Chapter of Certified Football Officials for 41 years, he served for 28 years on its board of directors and 17 years as president. He oversaw the assigning of Little League football officials for 25 years.

He received the Richard E. Leous Award from the New York State Association of Certified Football Officials, as well as its Merit Award for longtime service to the game.

He was the last surviving member of the football officials’ original contract negotiation committee for Section VI and the lead negotiator on the last four contracts with the scholastic sports organization.

He also served for more than 20 years on the committee that awards the Conley Cup to the outstanding prep school football player in Western New York.

In 1985, he founded his own business, Rico’s Trophies, supplying plaques and awards to local schools and organizations.

He also enjoyed golfing and was a member of Holland Hills Country Club.

Survivors include his wife, Jinhua;and a stepson, Johnson.

There will be no services. Mr. Schwede donated his body to the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

↧

Daniel H. Golombek, retired Buffalo firefighter

February 1, 2014, 3:25 pm

≫ Next: Thomas R. Montemage, Olympic cyclist, Buffalo firefighter

≪ Previous: Richard A. Schwede, retired News district manager

Oct. 17, 1928 – Jan. 26, 2014

Daniel H. Golombek, of Orchard Park, a retired lieutenant for the Buffalo Fire Department, died last Sunday in Mercy Hospital. He was 85.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Canisius High School, where he played catcher on the school’s baseball team. He served in the Navy during the Korean War and sailed around the world on a naval carrier. He later became a member of the Naval Reserve.

Mr. Golombek joined the Buffalo Fire Department in 1965 and retired as a lieutenant in 1989. He was a member of the Wanakah Country Club in Hamburg and the former Bethlehem Country Club in Hamburg. He was an avid golfer, reader and poker player.

His wife of five years, the former Virginia Rose Bayer, died in 1983.

He is survived by a son, Michael; a daughter, Paula; a stepdaughter, Robin Manning, Ph.D.; seven grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a longtime companion, Joann Shaffer.

Mr. Golombek donated his body to the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Eventually, his remains will be buried next to his wife’s in Lakeside Cemetery, Hamburg.

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Thomas R. Montemage, Olympic cyclist, Buffalo firefighter

February 1, 2014, 4:34 pm

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Jan. 21, 1927 – Jan. 31, 2014

Thomas Ronald Montemage, an Olympic cyclist who also rode his bike to his job as a Buffalo firefighter, died Friday in Williamsville. He was 87.

A Kensington High School graduate, Mr. Montemage started bicycle racing as a teen at what is now Martin Luther King Park. After getting drafted to the Army in 1945, at the end of World War II, Mr. Montemage won a cycling competition representing Fort Dix at Crystal Beach, Ont.

The Olympics followed. He tried out for five Olympiads and made the U.S. team three times: the London games in 1948, Helsinki in 1952 and Tokyo in 1964.

“He was just a low-key hardworking individual,” said Mary Flanigan, his daughter. “He always said, ‘It’s not the bike that wins the race, it’s the person riding.’ ”

In the Olympics, he competed in “team pursuit,” a track cycling event, and long distance contests. He held a half-mile “flat track” record of 1 minute and 4.2 seconds, a time taken at the Connecticut Street Armory before cycling race tracks were banked.

Mr. Montemage was proud of winning gold medals as a senior and master cyclist in the Empire State Games in the 1980s. “There was always a shelf full of trophies,” Flanigan said.

He came from a cycling family; his father was also a champion racer. His brothers tried racing for one year but only Thomas stuck with it.

He was featured on the front page of the New York Times in July 2012 and on the cover of The Buffalo News for stories about the 1948 Olympics.

“There’s fun in competition,” he told The News in 2012. “Believe me, that’s all it was. Fun. I didn’t make no money. I beat the best in the country. But it didn’t matter. I just had fun. That was the best time to ride. My time.”

Mr. Montemage rode to work and then for exercise through his late 70s.

“He just had a lot of energy ... I think bike riding fulfilled that,” Flanigan said. “He would purposely ride out to the Boston Hills, out by Kissing Bridge, to purposely ride up and down the hills to practice.”

His son Jon Scott died in 1980.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Montemage is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lois Powell Montemage; two sons, Thomas and Jeffrey; and seven grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, 5480 Main St., Williamsville.

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Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell dies at 83

February 1, 2014, 4:36 pm

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VIENNA – Austrian-born actor Maximilian Schell, a fugitive from Adolf Hitler who became a Hollywood favorite and won an Oscar for his role as a defense attorney in “Judgment at Nuremberg,” has died. He was 83.

Schell’s agent, Patricia Baumbauer, said Saturday he died overnight at a hospital in the Austrian city of Innsbruck following a “sudden illness.”

It was only his second Hollywood role, as defense attorney Hans Rolfe in Stanley Kramer’s classic “Judgment at Nuremberg,” that earned him wide international acclaim. Schell’s impassioned but unsuccessful defense of four Nazi judges on trial for sentencing innocent victims to death won him the 1961 Academy Award for best actor. Schell had first played Rolfe in a 1959 episode of the television program “Playhouse 90.”

Despite being type-cast for numerous Nazi-era films, Schell’s acting performances in the mid-1970s also won him renewed popular acclaim, earning him a best actor Oscar nomination for “The Man in the Glass Booth” and a supporting actor nomination for his performance alongside Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave and Jason Robards in “Julia.”

The son of Swiss playwright Hermann Ferdinand Schell and Austrian stage actress Noe von Nordberg, Schell was born in Vienna in 1930 and raised in Switzerland after his family fled Germany’s annexation of his homeland.

Schell followed in the footsteps of his older sister Maria and brother Carl, making his stage debut in 1952. He then appeared in a number of German films before relocating to Hollywood in 1958.

By then, Maria Schell was already an international film star, winning the best actress award at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in “The Last Bridge.”

Maximilian made his Hollywood debut in Edward Dmytryk’s “The Young Lions,” a World War II drama starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin.

Schell later worked as a producer, starting with an adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “The Castle,” and as a director.

“First Love,” adapted from the Ivan Turgenev novella – which Schell wrote, produced, directed and starred in – was nominated for an Oscar in the best foreign film category in 1970. “The Pedestrian,” another movie under Schell’s direction and production, received the same nomination three years later.

Perhaps Schell’s most significant film as a director was his 1984 documentary on Marlene Dietrich, “Marlene,” which was nominated for a best documentary Oscar. Dietrich allowed herself to be recorded but refused to be filmed, bringing out the most in Schell’s talent to penetrate images and uncover reality.

Schell was also a highly successful concert pianist and conductor, performing with such luminaries as Claudio Abbado and Leonard Bernstein.

In the 1990s, Schell made appearances in films including “The Freshman,” “Telling Lies in America” and “Deep Impact.” In 1992, he received a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Lenin alongside Robert Duvall in the 1992 HBO miniseries “Stalin”.

In a documentary entitled “My Sister Maria,” Schell portrayed his loving relationship with his sister, who died in 2005.

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Rebecca Lynn Passanese

February 2, 2014, 6:09 pm

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June 4, 1954 – Jan. 31, 2014

WILSON – Rebecca Lynn “Becky” Passanese, a registered nurse, died Friday in her home in Wilson after a long chronic illness. She was 59.

Born in Grand Island, the former Rebecca Bidell was a graduate of Grand Island High School and graduated magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

Mrs. Passanese lived in Atlanta and then for 20 years in Baldwinsville, where she raised her family and was active in church, school and scouting organizations. She returned to Western New York about 10 years ago and had lived in Grand Island and East Amherst.

A talented artist, her interests included painting, drawing, interior design and architecture.

She enjoyed Victorian homes, antiques and combing beaches for “sea treasures” and creating artwork from them.

Survivors include her husband of 36 years, Charles; two daughters, Jessica Lynn and Natale Rose; two sons, John Charles and Myles Christian; her mother, Joan Bidell Fred; three brothers, Fred Bidell, Marty Bidell and John Bidell; two sisters, Marci Lange and Vicki Wilkinson; and a grandson.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Trinity United Methodist Church, 2100 Whitehaven Road, Grand Island.

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Marjorie E. McMahon, acclaimed Catholic educator

February 2, 2014, 6:14 pm

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April 30, 1928 – Jan. 31, 2014

Marjorie E. McMahon, of Buffalo, a former National Catholic School Educator of the Year, died Friday in Sisters Hospital. She was 85.

Born Marjorie Dehan in New Britain, Conn., she earned a degree from Central Connecticut State University. She then taught for a few years in Germany, where she met her future husband, before moving to this area and marrying in 1956.

Mrs. McMahon taught second grade at St. Rose of Lima School for about 27 years, retiring in 2000.

In 1987, she was among those named National Catholic School Educators of the Year. In 1996, she was one of five educators to receive a St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award – from the Federation of Catholic School Parents – for longtime support of Catholic education.

She was an active parishioner at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, where she was a member of the choir. She also was a member of Buffalo Choral Arts. Mrs. McMahon volunteered her time for many causes, most recently the Seton Guild and Sheehan Memorial Hospital.

In retirement, she enjoyed ushering for many local cultural institutions, including the Irish Classical and Kavinoky theaters, the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She was a member of Book of the Month and Young at Heart clubs.

Survivors include her husband, Edward J.; a daughter, Moira H. Allwine; four sons, Dr. Kevin D., Michael J., John P. and Timothy J.; a brother, retired Air Force Col. Edward T. Dehan; and nine grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Rose of Lima Church, Parker and Parkside avenues, North Buffalo.

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William E. Bell Jr., Army veteran, security worker

February 2, 2014, 6:25 pm

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Aug. 25, 1955 – Jan. 31, 2014

William E. Bell Jr., of Buffalo, who worked in security at the West Seneca Developmental Center, died Friday in Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center after a short battle with cancer. He was 58.

Born in Buffalo, he was a 1973 graduate of Lafayette High School.

He served in the Army, earned a medal for marksmanship, and was stationed in Germany.

Mr. Bell previously was a claims adjuster for Aetna Insurance in Buffalo and Rochester, then worked for 15 years at the former Geneva B. Scruggs Community Health Care Center until it closed in 2002.

Survivors include his wife, Bridget Moss-Bell; six daughters, Brittany, Brianna Walton, Brielynn, Briesha, Brinette and Braiden; a brother, Donald; two sisters, Anita Winfrey and Lisa Bell-Wilson; and two grandchildren.

A memorial Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Wednesday in SS. Columba-Brigid Catholic Church, 75 Hickory St.

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