Area Deaths

March 7, 2014, 10:59 pm

≫ Next: Vernon Jones, WWII vet, service manager

≪ Previous: Gerald E. Winkler, food brokerage executive

Genevieve A. (Rucinski) “Gene” Barnas, of West Seneca, died March 4.

Violet M. (Caruso) DelGross, 95, died March 3.

Rita Anna G. “Anne” DiLullo, died March 4.

Dr. Elliot F. Ellis, 84, formerly of Buffalo, former director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at the University at Buffalo, died Feb. 22.

Anna F. (Ryniec) Fisher, 71, of Colden, died March 5.

Darryl H. Gilliam, of Buffalo, died Feb. 27.

Wanda G. (Dudek) Gniewecki, of Williamsville, died March 3.

Laura D. (Mastrangelo) Grisanti, of Buffalo, died March 5.

Robert C. Heffner Sr., 69, of Angola, died March 5.

John W. Herman, 86, of Akron, retired chemical operator for O-Cel-O, died March 4.

Robert M. Keller, of Depew, died Feb. 19.

Francis E. “Frank” Kosiur, of Cheektowaga, Army veteran, died March 4.

Marion M. (Lucas) Kress, 91, died March 5.

Dorothy M. (Meyers) McCabe, of Bennington, died March 4.

Robert L. McClain, died Feb. 27.

Harry Mesches, died March 4.

Edward P. Metzger, of Hamburg, World War II Army veteran, died March 3.

Renae (Smodics) Miller, died March 4.

Kenneth A. Pratt, retired from the U.S. Army, 79, died Feb. 14.

Robert W. Rogan, formerly of Orchard Park, died Feb. 19.

Alvin Herman Russell, died Feb. 27.

Joann M. (Appleton) Schraven, of Elma, died Feb. 22.

Kim Marie (Skotarczak) Seifert, of Clarence, died March 5.

Michael A. Sessum, of Buffalo, Army veteran, died March 4.

Ruth Ann Simon, 87, formerly of Buffalo, retired customer service agent for U.S. Airlines, died March 3.

Joseph G. Smith, of Tonawanda, served in U.S .Merchant Marine in World War II and in the Army in the Korean War, died, March 4.

L.C. Spearellia Johnson, of Buffalo, died March 4.

L.C. Spencer, died March 3.

Jared Van Volkenburg, died March 4.

Erma L. (Gilmour) (Thompson) Weigel, died Feb. 26.

Mary Louise (Green) Willard, of Buffalo, died March 2.

Jenine M. (Cox) Wilson, 78, of Lancaster, packer at Gioia Marcaroni Co., died March 1.

Robert R. Witek, of Cheektowaga, Army veteran, died March 3.

Eugene W. Wolanski, formerly of Buffalo, died Jan. 31.

Anna M. (Smith) “Dolly” Yaw, died March 4.

↧

Vernon Jones, WWII vet, service manager

March 7, 2014, 11:00 pm

≫ Next: Sister Annette Mirco, teacher, guidance counselor, principal

≪ Previous: Area Deaths

Nov. 28, 1924 - March 6, 2014

Vernon Jones of Buffalo, a World War II veteran, died Thursday at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Tonawanda after a brief illness. He was 89.

Born in Norfolk, Va., he served in the Navy on the USS Reuben James as a machinist mate first class during War World II. In 2011 Mr. Jones was among several World War II veterans selected for a one-day escorted flight by Honor Flight Buffalo to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials dedicated to honor their sacrifices. He was active in the Reuben James group for veterans, involved in fundraising and social events.

Mr. Jones started working in 1969 for Lee Distributing Co. in Buffalo, a kitchen and appliance distributor. He retired in 1990 as service manager.

He was an avid golfer, hitting a hole-in-one at the Tan-Tara Golf Course in North Tonawanda. He also enjoyed bowling and traveling.

Survivors include his wife of 19 years, the former Onabelle “Ann” Mead; two sons, James and Steven; two step-sons, Terry and Donnie Potter; two step-daughters, Patty Arnold and Judy Hubbard; three grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren.

His first wife, the former Janet Damon died in 1984.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Amigone Funeral Home, 2600 Sheridan Drive, Tonawanda.

↧

Sister Annette Mirco, teacher, guidance counselor, principal

March 8, 2014, 1:14 pm

≫ Next: Barbara R. Spangenthal, active hospital board member

≪ Previous: Vernon Jones, WWII vet, service manager

Jan. 21, 1918 – March 1, 2014

Sister Annette Mirco, a teacher, guidance counselor and principal, died March 1 in Buffalo General Medical Center. She was 96.

Born in Buffalo, she was received into the congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse on Aug. 15, 1942, and professed her final religious vows on Aug. 16, 1949.

Sister Annette attended St. Columba Elementary School, followed by high school at St. Patrick’s and Mount Mercy Academy, graduating in 1935.

After joining the congregation, she began college courses at Medaille College, continuing at St. Elizabeth Teacher’s College, now part of St. Bonaventure University, Nazareth College in Rochester, Fordham University in New York City and St. Bonaventure, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in education in 1959.

She pursued graduate studies at Nazareth and St. Bonaventure, completing her master’s degree in education and guidance in 1965 at Villanova University.

Sister Annette taught in the lower grades in schools throughout New York and New Jersey, and during several assignments also served as guidance counselor. In 1969, she accepted the guidance position at Archbishop Walsh High School in Olean, later being named assistant principal and principal.

After many years in education, she found a personal calling in pastoral care, serving within many New York parishes as well as ministering to her own sisters within the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse Infirmary.

She continued to be of service at the motherhouse well into her retirement years.

A Mass of Christian Burial was offered last week in the chapel of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse.

↧

Barbara R. Spangenthal, active hospital board member

March 8, 2014, 1:54 pm

≫ Next: John W. Comstock, retired U.S. Customs supervisor

≪ Previous: Sister Annette Mirco, teacher, guidance counselor, principal

Feb. 14, 1929 – Feb. 27, 2014

Barbara R. Spangenthal’s dedication to community service and knack for fundraising started with the old Community Chest, and she became known for volunteering for more than 30 years on the boards of area hospitals.

Mrs. Spangenthal, of Clarence, died Feb. 27 in Beechwood Continuing Care in Getzville. She was 85.

A 1946 graduate of Kenmore High School, she studied accounting at the University of Buffalo and worked in the retail field for many years.

When working for the Music House, she helped out at the Community Chest – now the United Way. When the agency introduced payroll deductions, she helped convince business owners to allow the practice, and showed their bookkeepers how to do it. The method increased donations by 1,000 percent.

She was instrumental in the fundraising efforts that led to the construction of Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in 1974. Mrs. Spangenthal joined the hospital’s Women’s Board in 1971, and served as president in 1979. She served on the board of Millard Fillmore Hospital from 1980 to 1986, where she was on the budget and finance committee and chairwoman of the public relations and development committee.

She began her volunteer work as a board member at the old E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital, and later served on the board of VNA Health Care Group.

She and her late husband, Robert, bought an old church building in Clarence, where they opened and operated Landmark Furniture for 30 years. She served as vice president of the business until their retirement in 1986.

She was active in the Republican Party, serving as the Clarence campaign organizer for Jack Kemp’s first congressional run.

She was a longtime member of Park Country Club, where she was secretary of the Women’s Division and also started the women’s Bridge Club.

Survivors include two sons, Robert E. and Dr. Edward “Ted” J.; and five grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Calvary Episcopal Church, 20 Milton St., Williamsville.

↧

John W. Comstock, retired U.S. Customs supervisor

March 8, 2014, 2:23 pm

≫ Next: Clifford Csont, electronics expert, radio operator

≪ Previous: Barbara R. Spangenthal, active hospital board member

July 15, 1949 – Feb. 26, 2014

PENDLETON – John William Comstock, a retired U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervisory inspector, died Feb. 26 under hospice care in his Pendleton home after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.

Born in Buffalo, the son of a federal immigration agent, he attended high school in Calais, Maine, and was a graduate of the University of Maine.

He served in the Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in the Vietnam War.

He joined Customs and Border Protection in 1974 in Fort Kent, Maine; was assigned in Toronto from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, then was transferred to Buffalo. He worked at all the international bridges in the Buffalo Niagara region, retiring in 2005.

Active in Masonic organizations, he was a past master of Fellowship Lodge 1175 and the Western New York Lodge of Research. He also was active in the Valley of Buffalo of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite and many of the York Rite bodies. He also was a past noble grand of United Lodge 98, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

A Pendleton resident since 1993, he took numerous motorcycle trips on his Harley-Davidsons for patriotic and veterans’ observances and for charitable organizations.

He also was an avid Sherlock Holmes fan. He was a member of the Irish Secret Society at Buffalo, a local Sherlock Holmes group, and often lectured on Holmes and his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Survivors include his wife of 32 years, the former Nancy Numrych; a daughter, Jennifer; three sons, Benjamin, Aaron Yuen and Matthew Yuen; and six grandchildren.

Services were held Monday in Lester H. Wedekindt Funeral Home, 3290 Delaware Ave., Town of Tonawanda.

↧

Clifford Csont, electronics expert, radio operator

March 9, 2014, 2:37 pm

≫ Next: Sarah Maria Rotella, teacher, office worker, Girl Scout leader

≪ Previous: John W. Comstock, retired U.S. Customs supervisor

Oct. 17, 1920 – Feb. 25, 2014

Clifford Csont’s life long involvement in the electronics field started when he received an amateur radio operator’s license as a sophomore at Seneca Vocational High School. It continued with his service as an electronics technician during World War II, through his career that ended with his retirement as a program management specialist.

Mr. Csont died Feb. 25 in Brothers of Mercy Skilled Nursing Facility in Clarence. He was 93.

A longtime Amherst resident, he was born in Buffalo and graduated from Seneca Vocational High School in 1938. He received a bachelor’s degree in vocational/technical education from Buffalo State College in 1972.

Mr. Csont served as an electronics technician mate, second class, in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and he was a technician and eventually program management specialist before retiring from Moore Research Center on Grand Island in 1990.

He was responsible for the development and administration of the research project management system and conducted numerous seminars on the fundamentals of project planning and control. He was a member of the Project Management Institute.

Mr. Csont also worked at Sylvania Electronics Systems Research Center in Williamsville, where he developed a project planning and control system known as Baseline Management. A modification of the Navy’s Program Evaluation and Review Technique, it was designed for small or medium-sized research projects.

He also worked at American Radio Institute, Bell Aircraft and Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., and he was a supervisor in the Office of Inspector of Naval Material.

An active ham radio operator, his call letters were W8PON and, subsequently, W2UEL.

He was a member of Kensington Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo and Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville, where he was a teacher and leader in the church school program for 25 years. He was a member of an active scouting family, proceeding from tenderfoot to scoutmaster. He also was a member of the Seneca Vocational High School Alumni Association.

After his retirement, Mr. Csont kept busy with do-it-yourself home projects, and he enjoyed traveling and reading.

Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Rita J.; a son, Paul; two daughters, Jennifer Sperduto and Anne Marie Furlani; three brothers, Frederick, Jack and Kenneth; a sister, Joan Haller; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. March 22 at Calvary Episcopal Church, 20 Milton St., Williamsville.

↧

Sarah Maria Rotella, teacher, office worker, Girl Scout leader

March 9, 2014, 3:06 pm

≫ Next: Area Deaths

≪ Previous: Clifford Csont, electronics expert, radio operator

Sept. 13, 1924 – March 4, 2014

NIAGARA FALLS – Sarah Maria Rotella, of Niagara Falls, a teacher and office worker, died Tuesday in Our Lady of Peace Healthcare Center after a brief illness. She was 89.

Born in Niagara Falls, she was an honor student in the Class of 1943 at Niagara Falls High School while working as a sales clerk at Jenss department store and in the office at Carborundum Corp.

After graduating, Miss Rotella worked in the office at Kimberly-Clark Corp. and became secretary to the general manager. After the company closed its Niagara Falls offices, she was hired as office manager for Tourism Niagara.

She attended evening classes at Niagara University in the 1960s, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees and receiving her certification to teach Spanish. She was a substitute teacher for many years in the Niagara Falls School District.

She also served as a member of the negotiating team for her unit of New York State United Teachers and was treasurer and membership chairwoman for 16 years. She was given an award by the unit when she retired at 77.

Miss Rotella also taught evening adult education classes in typing and shorthand in the Niagara Falls schools for 12 years and taught English to migrant farm workers at Barker High School.

She was a Girl Scout leader for two troops and enjoyed summer camping with the scouts. She also served on the board of directors of the YWCA and was instrumental in restoring the after-school Girl Reserved Program for high school students.

During World War II, she was a neighborhood air raid warden and was senior chairwoman for the YWCA’s military program, which provided refreshments and entertainment for servicemen based nearby.

A member of the Niagara Falls Chapter of the Catholic Daughters of America, she served as secretary, historian and director of the high school girls program. She also served on its community ambassador and student exchange programs.

From 1957 to the mid-1970s, she was local volunteer community coordinator for the Experiment in International Living, arranging lodging, transportation and social activities for visitors from abroad.

She enjoyed gardening, crocheting, tatting, embroidery, macrame, ceramics, needlepoint and making candles.

Survivors include a half-brother, Bernie, and a half-sister, Mary Lou Rawls.

A memorial Mass will be offered at a later date.

↧

Area Deaths

March 9, 2014, 3:08 pm

≫ Next: Virginia D. Chavers, nurse, model, real estate agent

≪ Previous: Sarah Maria Rotella, teacher, office worker, Girl Scout leader

David R. Biniskiewicz, of East Amherst, died March 4.

David C. Cash, of Orchard Park, died Feb. 25.

David DeSimone, died Feb. 28.

Peter J. Duman, died March 4.

Austin F. “Mickey” Finn, died March 4.

Isabelle (Whetung) Gempko, died March 5.

Martin B. Gesicki, of Cheektowaga, died March 5.

Joan J. (Hamilton) Grecco, of Town of Tonawanda, died March 6.

Karen S. “Susie” (Tolluto) Gugliemelli, of West Seneca, died March 5.

Thomas J. Heisler Sr., 77, retired member of Local Union 41 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, died March 5.

Raymond G. Hertel, 85, army veteran, died March 4.

Dr. Hubert Jockin, 90, died March 5.

Clara (Siepierski) Koczanowski, of Orchard Park, died Feb. 25.

Mark Kolkowicz, 78, of Williamsville, died March 4.

Ethel K. (Chapman) Nagel, 95, died March 5.

Hugh Neff, 84, formerly of Buffalo, Coast Guard veteran, retired Buffalo police officer, died March 5.

Mary Lillian “Tina” Parmer, died March 3.

Carleton M. Partridge, 79, of Alden, Army veteran, former sales manager at Joseph Strauss Co. and owner/president, Partridge Pressure Washing, died March 4.

Barbara J. Price, died March 2.

Rita M. (Szemraj) Widomski, of Cheektowaga, died March 5.

Gerald E.“Gerry” Winkler, 62, of Alden, executive vice president of the Great Lakes Region for ESM Ferolie, died March 4.

Wanda R. (Mugas) Zawadzki, 95, died March 5.

↧

Virginia D. Chavers, nurse, model, real estate agent

March 9, 2014, 4:19 pm

≫ Next: Eleanor A. Oddo, Buffalo Tobacco Co. executive, teacher’s aide

≪ Previous: Area Deaths

Dec. 17, 1937 – March 5, 2014

Virginia Daniels Chavers, an Uncrowned Queen of Buffalo, a nurse and a former model, died Wednesday in her Buffalo home. She was 76.

The former Virginia Daniels was born in Chicago and graduated from South Shore High School there, before coming to Buffalo, where she earned an associate degree at Trocaire College and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from D’Youville College. In her nursing career, she was the first African-American supervisor at the Jesse E. Nash Clinic and was a charge nurse for Buffalo General Hospital. She retired from the Erie County Home and Infirmary in 1992.

She also worked as a professional model. She was hired by many area photographers and fashion coordinators, and she was often the only African-American model in their shows at that time. She was featured in many AM&A’s runway and Tea Room shows, as well as appearing occasionally on the television program “Dialing for Dollars.”

Following her advice to other women – “Never limit yourself, and don’t let anyone else limit you” – Ms. Chavers had another job as a licensed real estate agent with the former Stovroff & Herman Realtors.

Even with her professional success, Ms. Chavers considered her greatest accomplishment to be her Christian life. She was baptized at the Linwood Church of Christ in 2000 and served there as chairwoman for Cornerstone Manor Ministry, assisting families in the manor’s women and children’s shelter.

Active in the community, she was involved with the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, where she held a variety of positions, and with the NAACP. The Gloria J. Parks Community Center and the African-American Cultural Center both honored her for her service.

Ms. Chavers is survived by her mother, Virginia Watson; two daughters, Crystill and Brenda; a son, Douglas; five sisters, Eddie Mae Williams, Barbara Berry, Addie Bea Williams, Susan Cooper and Donna Hall; three brothers, William, Pleas and Timothy Daniels; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and a dear friend, Cathleen Osborne.

Services will be held at noon Tuesday in Linwood Church of Christ, 2523 Main St.

↧

Eleanor A. Oddo, Buffalo Tobacco Co. executive, teacher’s aide

March 9, 2014, 5:44 pm

≫ Next: Richard Hayman, award-winning orchestra arranger, conductor

≪ Previous: Virginia D. Chavers, nurse, model, real estate agent

July 25, 1931 – March 7, 2014

Eleanor A. Oddo, of Buffalo, an executive in her family’s wholesale tobacco business and a teacher’s aide, died Friday in the Weinberg Campus, Getzville, after a long illness. She was 82.

Born in Buffalo, Miss Oddo was a graduate of Nardin Academy and attended the University of Buffalo.

She joined her father, Nathaniel, in the Buffalo Tobacco Co., when she was 19, and she was associated with the family tobacco company for 25 years.

Later, she served as a concierge at the Campanile Apartments and was a teacher’s aide in the Buffalo schools.

She enjoyed tennis and bicycling.

Survivors include a sister, Theresa M. Papa.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the UB Newman Center, 495 Skinnersville Road, Amherst.

↧

Richard Hayman, award-winning orchestra arranger, conductor

March 9, 2014, 6:42 pm

≫ Next: Norbert W. Bucholtz, Niagara Mohawk supervisor

≪ Previous: Eleanor A. Oddo, Buffalo Tobacco Co. executive, teacher’s aide

March 27, 1920 – Feb. 5, 2014

Richard Hayman, an arranger and conductor who appeared as guest conductor with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra from the 1970s to the 1990s, died Feb. 5 in a Manhattan nursing home. A resident of New York City, he was 93.

Mr. Hayman was the award-winning principal arranger for the Boston Pops Orchestra for more than 50 years under Arthur Fiedler and John Williams.

From 1976 to 2002, he also was the principal pops conductor for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where he was widely known for his harmonica solos, his sequined jackets, his imaginative arrangements and his jokes.

“He was a colorful guy, a fun personality,” Fred Bronstein, chief executive of the St. Louis Symphony, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “People came for the music, but they also came for Richard.”

He retired in 2012 as the principal pops conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan and music director of the Space Coast Pops Orchestra in Cocoa, Fla.

He was one of several conductors under consideration to succeed Mitch Miller as the Buffalo Philharmonic’s principal pops conductor in 1991. His last appearance here was in June 1999 as a last-minute substitute for Doc Severinsen in a Mexican-themed pops concert. He walked out on stage wearing a huge red and white beaded sombrero.

Born in Cambridge, Mass., Mr. Hayman was a self-taught musician who began his career as a player and arranger for the Borrah Minnevitch Harmonica Rascals, then was an arranger for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in the early 1940s. From 1945 to 1950, he was musical director for the Vaughn Monroe Orchestra.

In the 1950s, he was head of artists and repertoire for Mercury Records and had a million-selling hit in 1953 with “Ruby,” playing solo harmonica over an orchestral arrangement. He recorded more than 60 pop albums and singles with the Richard Hayman Orchestra and continued to hit the charts into the 1960s.

He also conducted orchestras and served as emcee on tours for dozens of artists, including Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Olivia Newton-John and Barbra Streisand.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Maryellen; two daughters, Suzy Hayman DeYoung and Olivia Hayman Kidney; and four grandchildren.

↧

Norbert W. Bucholtz, Niagara Mohawk supervisor

March 10, 2014, 1:45 pm

≫ Next: Richard L. Berger, executive of many businesses

≪ Previous: Richard Hayman, award-winning orchestra arranger, conductor

Feb. 11, 1927 – March 7, 2014

Norbert W. Bucholtz, of Cheektowaga and Bradenton, Fla., a retired Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. supervisor, died Friday in Mercy Hospital hospice care. He was 87.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Burgard Vocational High School and served in the Army Air Forces in World War II.

Mr. Bucholtz was an employee of Niagara Mohawk for 39 years and was a transportation supervisor when he retired in 1985.

He was a life member of Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. Post 6251, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and its senior club; a member of the Niagara Mohawk Retiree Club and its 25 Year Club; and the Cheektowaga Seniors Club.

Mr. Bucholtz was a parishioner at St. Martha Catholic Church and was a member of the St. Barnabas Holy Name Society and the Seniors Club.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, the former Mary Ann Matysiak; three sons, Gary, Barry and Norman; a daughter, Donna Schaub; a sister, Lorraine Bialoglowicz; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Martha’s Church, 10 French Road at George Urban Boulevard, Depew.

↧

Richard L. Berger, executive of many businesses

March 10, 2014, 2:56 pm

≫ Next: Earl J. Wickett, 94, Pearl Harbor eyewitness

≪ Previous: Norbert W. Bucholtz, Niagara Mohawk supervisor

Jan. 19, 1947 – Feb. 25, 2014

Richard L. “Rick” Berger, who headed several local companies and was active in many community and philanthropic organizations, died Feb. 25 in Buffalo General Medical Center. He was 67.

A native of Erie, Pa., he graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1968 and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force. He served in Japan and New Mexico, and was discharged in 1974 as a captain.

Mr. Berger began his business career in human resources with Coca-Cola Co. in Dallas. He then joined JTL Corp., a Coca-Cola bottling company based in Chattanooga, Tenn., as vice president of operations and procurement.

In 1983, he joined Buffalo-based Advanced Refractory Technologies. In 1990, he was recruited by Spaulding Composites, where he became chief executive officer of Mykro Myclex, Filawound Technologies and Spaulding Fabrication before being named president and chief executive officer of the parent company, Spaulding Composites, headquartered in Rochester, N.H.

He returned to Western New York as president and chief executive officer of TAM Ceramics in Niagara Falls.

His next position was heading Speedline Technologies in Foxboro, Mass.

In 2001, he again returned to the area to help found NanoDynamics, a leading manufacturer of nanotechnology materials and products, employing 175 people at its peak.

For the past decade, Mr. Berger also worked with business consulting organizations, including the InVentures Group, which he co-founded, and First Wave Technologies of Buffalo.

He ended his career as president of Magnetic Seal Corp. in Warren, R.I.

Mr. Berger served on the boards of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, the Library Foundation and Riverkeeper, and was involved with the Westminster Economic Development Initiative.

He enjoyed racquetball, golf, motorcycling, was an avid sailor and captain of the NanSea III and former treasurer of the Buffalo Yacht Club. He also served as an elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

He and his wife of 33 years, the former Nancy Hartman, hosted and became surrogate parents to several foreign students attending Buffalo Seminary.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Troy, and a sister, Lin Blakely.

A celebration of his life will be at 3 p.m. Saturday in Westminster Presbyterian Church, 724 Delaware Ave.

↧

Earl J. Wickett, 94, Pearl Harbor eyewitness

March 11, 2014, 1:39 pm

≫ Next:

≪ Previous: Richard L. Berger, executive of many businesses

Sept. 30, 1919 – March 9, 2014

Earl J. Wickett was a 22-year-old Army private, heading toward 8 a.m. Mass in Hawaii on what turned out to be one of the darkest days in U.S. history.

“All of a sudden, I heard a lot of noise, but it was in the distance,” Wickett said last December, recalling that at first he assumed it was just a routine plane maneuver.

“But then I saw a low-flying plane, and I saw the rising sun on the wing,” he said of the Japanese symbol. “Then I knew.”

Mr. Wickett, one of the few surviving eyewitnesses to the attack on Pearl Harbor and a retired Buffalo Fire Dept. lieutenant, died Sunday in Mercy Hospital. He was 94.

Even in his last years, Mr. Wickett, of South Buffalo, delighted in the chance to keep the Pearl Harbor story alive for younger generations.

He and his wife, Jean, used to attend Pearl Harbor survivor reunions in Hawaii, but those became more difficult as the survivors reached their late 80s and 90s. For years, he kept in touch with fellow Pearl Harbor survivors from Cleveland and Rochester. And he appreciated the annual Pearl Harbor remembrances, to help prevent such tragedies from happening again, for the sake of his five children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Three months ago, on Dec. 7, Mr. Wickett addressed the crowd at the American Legion’s annual Pearl Harbor Memorial Service in West Seneca.

“The biggest thing is, it’s a pleasure to be here one more year,” he said. “Hope to see you next year.”

A Buffalo native, Mr. Wickett graduated from Buffalo Technical High School, was drafted into the U.S. Army in April 1941 and shipped to Hawaii on the President Cleveland..

After surviving the Pearl Harbor attack, he went on to serve with the 251st Coast Artillery in Fiji, Guadalcanal and Bougainville. He was honorably discharged in July 1945 as a corporal.

Mr. Wickett then joined the Buffalo Fire Department, rising to the rank of lieutenant and receiving the Honorary Deputy Chief Carl Hitchcock Award for his part in rescuing an infant from a burning building. He retired in 1981 after 36 years of service.

Following retirement, he enjoyed traveling with his children and grandchildren, gardening, working around the house and trying to beat the odds at the casino.

Survivors include his wife of 62 years, the former Margaret “Jean” Finnegan; three daughters, Joanne Stetter, Susan Hosken and Judith Brug; two sons, Gerard and Robert; and a brother, Kenneth.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Abbott Road, South Buffalo.

– Gene Warner

↧

//obituaries203.rssing.com/chan-13782213/article815-live.html

March 11, 2014, 2:15 pm

≫ Next: Gertrude M. “Kay” Sweeney, retired reading teacher

≪ Previous: Earl J. Wickett, 94, Pearl Harbor eyewitness

Goran B. Andersson, 61, died March 9.

Alice (Smith) Belter, died March 8.

Cathleen M. (Tierney) Beyer, of Lancaster, died March 8.

Edwin L. Carrick Sr., of West Seneca, retiree from Curtiss Screw Company, died March 9.

Rosalind (Turner) Devine, 89, of the Town of Tonawanda, WW II Coast Guard veteran, died March 9.

Donna M. DiDomizio, of North Tonawanda, died March 8.

Phillip J. George, 67, formerly of Buffalo, former sheriff’s deputy at the Erie County Holding Center, died March 5.

Sarah H. (Jarrett) Hutchins, of Buffalo, died March 8.

John P. Iacono, of Williamsville, died March 9.

Robert E. Kinzly, 74, of East Amherst, died March 9.

Alice S. (Wytrwal) Kozek, 30-year retiree from General Motors, died March 7.

Frances (Di James) Magro, died March 7.

Patricia (DiGiulio) Mango, 69, died March 9.

Guy F. McCormick, 63, of North Tonawanda, retired systems analyst for HSBC, died March 3.

Gregory A. Mendola, of West Seneca, Vietnam War Army veteran, died March 8.

Wallace D. Mohn, died Feb. 28.

Lisa R. (Hansen) Morazzini, 43, of Springville, died March 10.

Anne J. (Jakubczyk) Redman, died March 10.

Amy M. (Spratz) Safe, of Angola, died March 7.

Thomas W. Smith, of Cheektowaga, died March 3.

Ryan E. Sojda, of West Seneca, died March 8.

Ruth (Brandt) Spychaj, died Feb. 26.

Michael R. Stefan, of Lackawanna, died March 7.

Gertrude M. “Kay” (Maher) Sweeney, died March 8.

Provie (Biondo) “Joan” Tripi, died March 9.

Earl J. Wickett, 94, of South Buffalo, WWII veteran, Pearl Harbor survivor, retired Buffalo Fire Department lieutenant, died March 9.

↧

Gertrude M. “Kay” Sweeney, retired reading teacher

March 11, 2014, 8:12 pm

≫ Next: Dr. Hubert Jockin, physician, emeritus professor at UB

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May 15, 1929 – March 8, 2014

Gertrude M. “Kay” Sweeney, of Williamsville, a retired reading teacher, died Saturday in Clare Bridge of Williamsville, a residence for senior citizens. She was 84.

Born Gertrude Maher in Brooklyn, she was a graduate of the College of Mount St. Vincent in the Bronx. She met her husband, James. J., in Brooklyn, and they were married in 1954. In the 1950s, the Sweeneys moved to Buffalo, where he took a job with Graphic Controls Corp. Mr. Sweeney died in 2010.

After raising five children, Mrs. Sweeney returned to school to obtain her master’s degreee in education and began teaching at Bishop Timon Catholic High School. She specialized in teaching reading. She also taught in the Orchard Park School District and various other area public schools throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, when she retired.

Mrs. Sweeney served as a volunteer with several local organizations, including Meals on Wheels and at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. She also was lector at SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Williamsville, and she taught religious instructions at St. Benedict’s Parish in Eggertsville.

She is survived by five sons, James, Robert, Brian, Paul and Thomas; and six grandchildren.

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

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Dr. Hubert Jockin, physician, emeritus professor at UB

March 12, 2014, 2:57 pm

≫ Next: Rosalind Devine, World War II Coast Guard veteran

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Sept. 30, 1923 – March 5, 2014

Dr. Hubert Jockin, of Williamsville, retired physician and emeritus professor of pathology and pediatrics at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, died March 5 after a brief illness. He was 90.

Born in Delft, the Netherlands, Dr. Jockin and his family endured food shortages and deprivation during the German occupation from 1939 to 1945. On several occasions, he narrowly avoided capture by the Nazi troops searching for able-bodied young men from the occupied countries for use as slave labor in German munitions factories. Near the end of the war, he found work in a hospital and decided to become a physician.

Though the war interrupted Dr. Jockin’s student years, he was able to complete his medical education at the University of Amsterdam in 1948 and obtain his medical license in 1951. During the early 1950s, he served as a military doctor for the Royal Dutch Air Force and later as a ship’s doctor for a private ocean freight line that ran routes from Europe to the Caribbean and South America.

In 1955, Dr. Jockin accepted his first job in the United States, a medical internship at Flower Hospital in Toledo, Ohio. Around this period, he also made two trips that would change his life. The first was a skiing vacation to Austria, where he met the woman who later became his wife, Henriette S. Krijers Janzen. The second trip, following his internship, was a driving tour of the United States. There, he fell in love again, this time with the United States, and he decided to become an American citizen.

The immigration process required him to apply from abroad and to stay abroad until issued a U.S. immigration visa. He applied from Mexico and, after a brief stay in Mexico City, relocated to Canada from 1957 to 1959. There, he trained in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg. When his immigration to the U.S. was granted, he accepted a position as a resident in hematology and pathology at Washington, D.C., Children’s Hospital. He became chief resident in pediatric pathology and later a staff pathologist at Boston Children’s Hospital in 1960. At that time, he also taught at Harvard Medical School.

In 1971, Dr. Jockin accepted a position as department head of pathology at Buffalo Children’s Hospital, as well as an associate professorship at the departments of pediatrics and pathology at UB Medical School. He retired from his position in 1994 but continued to teach at the UB until 2006.

In addition to his wife of 54 years, he is survived by three sons, Victor, Eric and Mark; two daughters, Yvette and Michelle; and 13 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. today in Coventry Hall at Canterbury Woods Retirement Community, 705 Renaissance Drive, Amherst.

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Rosalind Devine, World War II Coast Guard veteran

March 12, 2014, 4:56 pm

≫ Next: Edward Smith Jr., historian and SUNY distinguished professor

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June 15, 1924 – March 9, 2014

Rosalind Devine, of the Town of Tonawanda, a World War II Coast Guard veteran, died Sunday in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst. She was 89.

Born Rosalind Turner in Cazenovia, she graduated from Chittenango Central School in 1941 and attended Syracuse University.

Mrs. Devine enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in July 1944 and was stationed in Cleveland and Palm Beach, Fla. She was honorably discharged as storekeeper second class in May 1946. She was a member of Tonawandas Post 264, American Legion.

Her husband of 63 years, Donald F. Sr., a World War II veteran of the Navy, died in 2010.

Mrs. Devine’s grandson, Maj. Christopher Gemmer, followed his grandparents into the military. He joined the U.S. Army and is serving in Afghanistan.

She is survived by four daughters, Donna Valone, Judy Gemmer, Janet Sherman and Kyle Trudell; a son, Timothy; and 17 grandchildren.

Funeral services were Wednesday in Amigone Funeral Home, Town of Tonawanda.

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Edward Smith Jr., historian and SUNY distinguished professor

March 12, 2014, 5:58 pm

≫ Next: Alexander M. Billi, retired Bethlehem Steel foreman

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April 23, 1936 – March 11, 2014

Edward Owen Smith Jr., Ph.D., a historian and SUNY distinguished professor, died Tuesday in his Buffalo home after a short illness. He was 77.

Known professionally as E.O. Smith, he was associated with SUNY Buffalo State for 50 years and was director of the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center at the college.

Born in Philadelphia, he earned a bachelor’s degree at Muhlenberg College, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and obtained his doctorate in history at Lehigh University under the direction of Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Lawrence Henry Gipson.

Dr. Smith came to Buffalo State in 1963 as an associate professor of history and served on numerous college committees. He was a past president of the Faculty Student Association and parliamentarian of the College Senate.

He also served as chairman of the history and social studies education department and was active as a social member of Sigma Tau Rho social fraternity.

During his tenure as president of the Faculty Student Association, he established an endowment fund for a Distinguished Lecture Series, was responsible for the student lounge in the college’s Classroom Building and was involved in the design of the plantings, fountain and benches at the entry to the building, as well as the renovation of Moot Hall.

Dr. Smith’s many honors included the United Student Government’s Outstanding Service to Students by a Faculty Member Award in 1982, the President’s Award for Excellence in Service to the College in 1989, the SUNY Distinguished Service Professor Award in 1999, the Burchfield Penney Esprit de Corps Award in 1999 and the William Wells Brown Award from the Afro-American Society of the Niagara Frontier in 2008.

He also was a commissioner of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor and a dedicated member of the Harold Peterson Society, Buffalo State’s planned giving society.

He was devoted to his Irish wolfhounds, Cormac and Conner.

Survivors include three best friends, John Kozlowski, Russell Maxwell and Gerhardt Yaskow.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Friday in St. Louis Catholic Church, Main and Edward streets.

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Alexander M. Billi, retired Bethlehem Steel foreman

March 12, 2014, 6:04 pm

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Dec. 15, 1933 – March 10, 2014

Alexander M. Billi, of Lackawanna, a retired steel plant foreman, died Monday in Mercy Hospital after a short illness. He was 80.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of South Park High School. He worked for 30 years at Bethlehem Steel Corp., retiring in 1983 as a foreman in the electrical maintenance department.

Mr. Billi was a past president and 40-year member of the Lake Erie Italian Club and a past captain, treasurer and 50-year member of Commandery 391, Knights of St. John. He was a member of the executive board of the Erie County Conservative Party.

Active in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, he was an usher and a member of the Parish Council, the Holy Name Society, the Senior Citizens Club and the Bereavement Committee. He also was a member of the South Park Senior Men’s Golf League and served as assistant scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 547.

Survivors include his wife of 57 years, the former Patricia A. Pitillo; three sons, Joseph, William and Michael; three daughters, Patti Lynn, Marie Jo Brehm and Beth Ann Griller; 27 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Friday in Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, 3148 Abbott Road, Orchard Park.

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