Louis J. Pacella, dentist, oral surgeon in Falls

April 18, 2014, 9:44 pm

≫ Next: Jeffrey A. Taub, Federal Laboratories founder

Dec. 5, 1928 – April 17, 2014

Louis J. Pacella, a longtime dentist, died Thursday at his Lewiston home after a brief illness. He was 88.

A lifelong resident of the Niagara Falls area, he attended local schools.

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged on Jan. 25, 1945. Following his military service, he continued his education at Niagara University and later graduated from the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in 1955.

Dr. Pacella completed his oral surgery internship at Edward J. Meyer Memorial Hospital.

He went on to practice dentistry and oral surgery for 44 years at his office on Main Street in Niagara Falls, until his retirement in 1999.

He was a member and a former president of the Eighth District Dental Society as well as a member of the American Dental Association, Niagara County Dental Society and the Niagara Frontier Country Club.

He enjoyed golfing and was extremely handy with do-it-yourself projects.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, the former Antoinette Centofanti; three sons, Gary, Alan and John; two sisters, Gloria Rignall and Evelyn Pullo; and two grandchildren.

Services will be scheduled by the family.

↧

Jeffrey A. Taub, Federal Laboratories founder

April 18, 2014, 9:44 pm

≫ Next: Mary Louise Brady, music librarian, member of Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame

≪ Previous: Louis J. Pacella, dentist, oral surgeon in Falls

June 25, 1959 – April 11, 2014

Jeffrey A. Taub, owner and president of Federal Laboratories Chemical Corp. in Alden, died April 11 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst, after a short illness. The East Amherst resident was 54.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of Sweet Home High School, where he established a record for the long jump that stood for many years. He attended Cornell University.

Mr. Taub was instrumental in developing a nontoxic, odor-fighting spray called Abolish and an odor eliminator for veterinarians, both of which he marketed in the early 1990s.

In 1994, he founded Federal Laboratories, a manufacturer of nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical raw materials. He was the first to develop a compound from shark cartilage, which is used for treating arthritis, psoriasis and certain forms of cancer, and he was researching new products.

He enjoyed the outdoors and was a runner and a fisherman.

Surviving are two daughters, Hailey and Anna; his mother, Adelaide; and a sister, Diane Lipp.

A memorial service was held Sunday in Mesnekoff Funeral Home, East Amherst.

↧

Mary Louise Brady, music librarian, member of Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame

April 19, 2014, 3:23 pm

≫ Next: Lucille Binkowski, retired health care administrator

≪ Previous: Jeffrey A. Taub, Federal Laboratories founder

Nov. 11, 1924 – April 18, 2014

Mary Louise Brady, whose four-and-a half decades as music librarian for WEBR and later WNED Radio earned her a place in the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame, died Friday in Elderwood at Amherst under the care of Hospice Buffalo.

She was 89 and, except for the past 15 months as a resident of Elderwood at Cheektowaga, had lived her entire life in Buffalo – in the Burbank Terrace home on the outskirts of Delaware Park that her father had built in 1918.

A lover of music and the spoken word, Ms. Brady started her long career in radio in 1946, when she joined WEBR as a switchboard operator. She soon began helping the station’s record librarian as well.

Within the year, the music librarian’s job was hers – one that, she remembered when honored by the Buffalo Broadcasters in 2010, saw her pulling “half-hour segments of music by artists like Guy Lombardo or Sammy Kaye. We also had a subscription service and took afternoon shows from the Mutual Network.”

The work quickly grew more complicated – with Ms. Brady also providing music for WBEN-AM news, the station’s disc jockeys and other local shows including Bob Wells’ Hi-Teen Club (precursor of Dick Clark’s American Bandstand). She programmed music as well on the station’s FM side, and – after Western New York Public Broadcasting purchased the WEBR signal – also helped develop a classical music library for WNED-FM.

When Ms. Brady was inducted, four years ago, into the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame, she was honored for a career that, the Hall of Fame organizers noted, “spanned the end of the fabled Golden Age of Radio through the transition to easy listening and contemporary.”

Over the years, Ms. Brady recalled recently, she met most of the country’s music promoters, and many of the vocalists and other stars.

“I loved my job,” she said. “I would have paid to do it.”

Born in Buffalo, the youngest of five children of prominent local lumberman Andrew J. Brady Jr. and Catherine Clifford Brady, Ms. Brady was a graduate of both Mount St. Joseph Elementary School and Academy. She received a bachelor of arts degree in French from D’Youville College in May of 1945 – only days after V-E Day.

Before going to WEBR Radio, Ms. Brady worked briefly at what was then the Buffalo Municipal (now Buffalo Niagara International) Airport.

A traveler throughout her adult life, she visited Europe five times, once sailing on the Queen Mary. After her retirement, in 1990, she kept up her radio ties, volunteering and answering phones during WNED-AM and FM membership drives.

She also continued to attend performances of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Irish Classical Theatre, and the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

Ms. Brady’s late siblings were also well known: the Rev. Andrew J. Brady, a Jesuit who helped found LeMoyne College; Catherine Finnegan, a professor of psychology; John Clifford Brady, an attorney with the law firm of McKenna, Brady and Levi; and Vincent De Paul Brady, a physicist who worked in the aerospace industry.

Ms. Brady is also survived by her sister-in-law, Ruth M. Sykes Brady.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 263 Claremont Ave., Town of Tonawanda.

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Lucille Binkowski, retired health care administrator

April 20, 2014, 4:52 pm

≫ Next: Delores I. McLaurin, certified nursing assistant

≪ Previous: Mary Louise Brady, music librarian, member of Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame

April 26, 1943 – March 25, 2014

Lucille Binkowski, a retired Buffalo-area health care administrator, died March 25 in San Diego after a short battle with cancer. She was 70.

Born in Lackawanna, the former Lucille Woyshner earned a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from the University at Buffalo and certification as a nursing home administrator after training at Brothers of Mercy Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Clarence.

In a career of more than 25 years, Mrs. Binkowski was business operations manager for Health Care Plan, chief executive officer of Oak Orchard Community Health Center and administrative director of the Department of Pediatrics at the University at Buffalo and at Women & Children’s Hospital.

She was active in many professional organizations, including the American College of Executives, the Association of Administrators in Academic Pediatrics and the Medical Group Management Association. She served on the Community Blue Advisory Council.

She organized the first golf fundraising tournament for the Brothers of Mercy. As executive director for the Professional Woman’s Conference, she held continuing education programs leading to professional licensing.

In retirement, she and her husband, Edward, were Reiki master teachers and together taught classes and were certified Reiki practitioners.

Survivors in addition to her husband of 50 years include three daughters, Michelle, Lorraine and Renee; and two grandchildren.

A memorial Mass will be offered at 11 a.m. Saturday in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, 1182 Ridge Road, Lackawanna.

↧

Delores I. McLaurin, certified nursing assistant

April 20, 2014, 4:52 pm

≫ Next: John W. McKinney, Bell Aerospace vice president

≪ Previous: Lucille Binkowski, retired health care administrator

Jan. 9, 1941 – April 6, 2014

Delores Irene McLaurin, a retired certified nursing assistant, died April 6 in her home after a long illness. She was 73.

Born Delores Irene Peyton in Grand Bay, Ala., she moved to Buffalo with her family in 1957.

She graduated from Fosdick- Masten Park Girls Vocational School, Bryant & Stratton Business Institute and Erie Community College.

Mrs. McLaurin was a factory worker at Western Electric and Trico Products from 1970 to the early 1990s.

From 2000 to 2010, she worked as a CNA at various area health care facilities, retiring in 2010.

Active in her churches, Faith Baptist Church, for more than 25 years, and later Mid-Town Bible Church, she served on the Usher Board and Benevolent Committee. In addition, she served as a Bible scholar and missionary at both churches.

Mrs. McLaurin was a member of the Church Ushers Association of Buffalo and Vicinity; vice president of the Ushers of Great Lakes Association; a member of the Home and Garden Association; and a life member of the Cooking Club of America and NAACP.

She received the Church Ushers Association/Viola Starling Ushers Achievement and Service Award.

Mrs. McLaurin enjoyed swing dancing, gardening, cooking, sewing and decorating her home.

She loved to host elegant gourmet dinner parties for her family and friends.

She is survived by two sons, Steven B. and Kenneth McLaurin; two sisters, Carolyn Smith and Rose Peyton; five brothers, John Kennedy and Mack, Michael, Calvin and Trent Peyton; and a grandson.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesdayat Mid-Town Bible Church, 1722 Main St.

↧

John W. McKinney, Bell Aerospace vice president

April 20, 2014, 4:52 pm

≫ Next: Robert P. Korn, 98, plant engineer, business owner

≪ Previous: Delores I. McLaurin, certified nursing assistant

Jan. 4, 1921 – April 7, 2014

John W. McKinney, a World War II veteran and retired vice president at Bell Aerospace, died April 7 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst. He was 93.

A longtime Grand Island resident, he had been living in Canterbury Woods in Amherst for the past two years.

Born in Saratoga Springs, he attended grammar school and early high school in Albany. He graduated from Kenmore High School in 1938 and earned a degree from Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in 1940.

From 1940 to 1941, he worked for Chas. P. Cochran Co. and American Floor Surfacing Machine Co. He joined the Army in September 1942 at Fort Niagara and transferred into the Signal Corps at Drew Field in Tampa, Fla. He served as a sergeant in the Army Air Forces during World War II. He became an Air Forces operations chief in Naples, Italy, on Jan. 2, 1945.

“Jack,” as he was known, started as a stock room clerk for Bell Aircraft in September 1941. He became an accounts receivable supervisor in August 1956 and, later, a general supervisor in the cost department in 1959, then a director of accounting and controller in March 1969. His long career with Bell continued with the promotion to vice president of finance in August 1978.

He retired as vice president of special products in December 1985.

Mr. McKinney had built his own home in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and resided there for 10 years. He was also a summer resident in Long Beach and Silver Bay, Ont. An avid golfer, he was a member of Port Colborne and Cherry Hill Club. He was past president of the Buffalo Chapter of the Financial Executive Trust in 1978 and a member of the American Legion and Aero Club of Buffalo.

Survivors include his wife of 70 years, the former Harriet J. Mallory; a son, Barrie; a daughter, Bonnie Gaynor; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Sunday at Canterbury Woods, 705 Renaissance Drive, Amherst.

↧

Robert P. Korn, 98, plant engineer, business owner

April 20, 2014, 5:07 pm

≫ Next: Hurricane Carter, Fearsome Boxer Wrongly Convicted of Murder, Dies at 76

≪ Previous: John W. McKinney, Bell Aerospace vice president

March 7, 1916 – April 18, 2014

Robert Peter Korn, a World War II Navy veteran who worked for 47 years as a plant engineer and also owned a dry-cleaning business in Buffalo, died Friday in Fox Run Health Care Center, Orchard Park, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 98.

Mr. Korn, a Buffalo native who grew up on the city’s East Side, served in the U.S. Navy during the war as a Seabee. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands and on the island of Guam. His family recalled that he always reminded them that he served for exactly three years, seven months and 22 days.

He graduated from Seneca Vocational High School and worked at Henry & Henry Inc. as a stationary/plant engineer for his entire career before retiring at age 68 in April 1984.

He also owned the Town & Country Dry Cleaners on Michigan Avenue from 1949 until 1975, when he closed the business.

He married Dorothy Plummer in 1950, and they moved to Cheektowaga in 1956 and then to Elma in 1998, before he became a resident at Fox Run in 2012.

Survivors, besides his wife, include two daughters, Nancy Blaschak and Janet Hrinda; three sons, Robert C., Thomas and Paul; and six grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, 7580 Clinton St., at Schwartz Road, in Elma.

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Hurricane Carter, Fearsome Boxer Wrongly Convicted of Murder, Dies at 76

April 20, 2014, 5:42 pm

≫ Next:

≪ Previous: Robert P. Korn, 98, plant engineer, business owner

May 6, 1937 – April 20, 2014

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a star prizefighter whose career was cut short by a murder conviction in New Jersey and who became an international cause célèbre while imprisoned for 19 years before the charges against him were dismissed, died Sunday morning at his home in Toronto. He was 76.

The cause of death was prostate cancer, his friend and onetime co-defendant, John Artis, said. Carter was being treated in Toronto, where he had founded a nonprofit organization, Innocence International, to work to free prisoners it considered wrongly convicted.

Carter was convicted twice on the same charges of fatally shooting two men and a woman in a Paterson, N.J., tavern in 1966. But both jury verdicts were overturned on different grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.

The legal battles consumed scores of hearings involving recanted testimony, suppressed evidence, allegations of prosecutorial racial bias – Carter was black and the shooting victims were white – and a failed prosecution appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the convictions.

Carter first became famous as a ferocious, charismatic, crowd-pleasing boxer who was known for his shaved head, goatee, glowering visage and devastating left hook. He narrowly lost a fight for the middleweight championship in 1964.

He attracted worldwide attention during the roller-coaster campaign to clear his name of murder charges. Amnesty International described him as a “prisoner of conscience” whose human rights had been violated. He portrayed himself as a victim of injustice who had been framed because he spoke out for civil rights and against police brutality.

“They can incarcerate my body but never my mind,” Carter told the New York Times in 1977, shortly after his second conviction.

Rubin Carter was born on May 6, 1937, in Clifton, N.J., and grew up nearby in Passaic and Paterson. His father, Lloyd, and his mother, Bertha, had moved there from Georgia. To support his wife and seven children, Lloyd Carter worked in a rubber factory and operated an ice-delivery service in the mornings.

Rubin Carter enlisted in the Army and became a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division in Germany, and put on boxing gloves for the first time. He found he enjoyed associating with boxers.

“They were strong, honest people, hardworking and equally hard-fighting,” he recalled. “There were no complications there whatsoever, no tensions, no fears.”

Carter founded Innocence International in 2004 and lectured about inequities in America’s criminal-justice system. In 2011, he published an autobiography, “Eye of the Hurricane: My Path From Darkness to Freedom,” written with Ken Klonsky and with a foreword by Nelson Mandela.

In his last weeks, he campaigned for the exoneration of David McCallum, a Brooklyn man who has been in prison since 1985 on murder charges. In an opinion article published by the Daily News on Feb. 21, headlined “Hurricane Carter’s Dying Wish,” he asked that McCallum “be granted a full hearing” by Brooklyn’s new district attorney, Kenneth P. Thompson.

“Just as my own verdict ‘was predicated on racism rather than reason and on concealment rather than disclosure,’ as Sarokin wrote, so too was McCallum’s,” Carter wrote.

He added: “If I find a heaven after this life, I’ll be quite surprised. In my own years on this planet, though, I lived in hell for the first 49 years, and have been in heaven for the past 28 years.”

– New York Times

↧

//obituaries203.rssing.com/chan-13782213/article969-live.html

April 21, 2014, 2:12 pm

≫ Next: George J. Dixon Jr., News advertising executive

≪ Previous: Hurricane Carter, Fearsome Boxer Wrongly Convicted of Murder, Dies at 76

Mary Ellen (Fones) Aplin, 73, of East Aurora, died April 20.

Donald J. Bauer, died April 18.

Joseph F. Boxhorn, of Lancaster, construction business owner, died April 19.

Mary Louise Brady, died April 18.

Lindsey Kaye (Nephew) Castillo, of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, died April 19.

Albert J. Covino, 95, of Orchard Park, died April 20.

Michael T. Curry, died April 14.

George J. Dixon Jr., of West Seneca, retired U.S. Army Reserve captain and retired advertising executive at the Courier-Express and the Buffalo News, died April 19.

Tillie T. (Sieroslawski) “Otylia” Fagowski, died April 16.

RoseMarie (Balone) Giess, died April 19.

Charlyn A. (Hoover) “Char” Glenn, 62, died April 18.

Josephine Greiner, 84, died April 20.

Theresa S. (Szuba) “Terry” Gutowski, of Lackawanna, died April 19.

Esther A. (Eagan) Hofmeister, died April 11.

Gloria (French) Koithan, of Niagara Falls, formerly of North Tonawanda, died April 17.

Gloria M. (Chameli) Liberatore, of Amherst, died April 20.

Marion Marionowsky, died April 18.

Craig A. Owens, died April 17.

Amy (Itzkowitz) Pici, died April 19.

Anna M. (Harrer) Reiner, of West Seneca, sales clerk at the former Krasner store at Southgate Plaza, died April 20.

Frank G. “Fritz” Styka, WWII Marine Corps veteran, died April 18.

Herbert S. Turner, WWII veteran, Dunlop retiree, died April 17.

Robert D. Ventola, of Buffalo, Vietnam War Navy veteran, died April 19.

James L. Wentland, of Hamburg, died April 19.

↧

George J. Dixon Jr., News advertising executive

April 21, 2014, 8:31 pm

≫ Next: Robert C. Mihelbergel, retired English teacher

≪ Previous:

March 27, 1936 – April 19, 2014

George J. Dixon Jr., a retired advertising executive for The Buffalo News who was well known for his dedication to Canisius College and its alumni, died of leukemia Saturday in Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He was 78.

Born in Buffalo, the South Buffalo resident graduated from Canisius High School in 1953 and from Canisius College in 1958, earning a bachelor of science degree.

He was an Army veteran, serving as an armored division captain following ROTC at Canisius and then for a decade in the Army Reserve.

After military service, Mr. Dixon joined the Buffalo Courier-Express in its advertising department, followed by a long stint in advertising sales for The News.

He retired several years ago.

Gregarious, friendly and always eager to discuss the Golden Griffins and their prospects for the season, Mr. Dixon was best known for his devotion to his college alma mater.

He received the LaSalle Medal for his outstanding contributions in 2002 and was inducted into the college’s Di Gamma Honor Society for his exceptional service on behalf of students.

Mr. Dixon was a familiar face at Canisius basketball games and a 40-year member of the Cage Club.

Canisius also awarded him its Golden Jubilarian Citation for 50 years of service.

In addition, he was a regular attendee at his grandchildren’s activities, especially hockey and baseball games.

He is survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Gromek, whom he married in 1962; a son, George J. III; a daughter, Kathleen; four grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Michael Catholic Church, 651 Washington St.

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Robert C. Mihelbergel, retired English teacher

April 21, 2014, 8:39 pm

≫ Next: Albert A. Himmel, chemistry professor, fisherman

≪ Previous: George J. Dixon Jr., News advertising executive

June 21, 1945 – April 15, 2014

Robert C. Mihelbergel, of Kenmore, a retired English teacher at Cheektowaga Central High School, died last Tuesday after a long illness. He was 68.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Mihelbergel was raised in the Allentown neighborhood. After graduating from Grover Cleveland High School in 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He was trained as a medical corpsman and served on the USS Plymouth Rock, which was stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He received an honorable discharge in 1969.

While serving in the military, he married his high school sweetheart, Sharon Conk, in 1966. The couple settled in Kenmore. She died in 2011.

Mr. Mihelbergel graduated from Buffalo State College, where he majored in English and later earned his master’s degree.

An English teacher at Cheektowaga Central High School for 30 years, he directed the Drama Club and started a Conservation Club, and was voted Teacher of the Year many times. He retired in 2000.

From 2003-2009, he taught English at St. Mary’s High School in Lancaster.

Mr. Mihelbergel was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church, where he served as an usher and attended daily Mass.

He loved nature, especially canoeing and fly-fishing and spending time in the woods. He wrote prose and poetry, penning his own epitaph: “Here lies Sir Robert, a knight without armor, a learner of books, a lover of nature, a fisher with hooks and a teacher. Amen.”

Survivors include a son, Eric; a daughter, Leah Reynolds; a brother, Michael; and three grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:15 a.m., today in St. Paul Catholic Church, 33 Victoria Blvd., Kenmore.

↧

Albert A. Himmel, chemistry professor, fisherman

April 22, 2014, 2:19 pm

≫ Next: Jean Rogowski, active in politics, civic affairs

≪ Previous: Robert C. Mihelbergel, retired English teacher

Aug. 20, 1924 – April 8, 2014

Albert A. Himmel, a chemistry professor and avid fisherman who also wrote for many publications about both of his interests, died April 8 at his home in West Seneca. He was 89.

Mr. Himmel was born in the Town of West New York, N.J., across the Hudson River from Manhattan. He served with the U.S. Army’s 279th Engineer Combat Battalion during World War II in the European Theater.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Mr. Himmel moved to Western New York in 1962 and took a position teaching chemistry at Buffalo State College. He retired 25 years later as a full professor.

But it was fishing that was his passion. Mr. Himmel was a lifelong member of Trout Unlimited and was the author of seven fly-fishing booklets on such topics as identifying insects and salmon fishing in New York State.

His work appeared in Fly Fisherman magazine and the Catskills Fly Tyers Guild Gazette, along with other newsletters and publications, including The Buffalo News, and his reputation in the regional fly fishing community has been described as “legendary.”

Michael Levy, the late News outdoors writer, once quoted Mr. Himmel’s monograph “What Every Trout Should Know” in a story for the paper. Mr. Himmel wrote that there were three types of fisherman:

“Type As, who are aggressive, compulsive and willing to go to any extreme to locate wild fish.

“Type Bs, who fish with flies for wild fish, but are willing to use attractors if insect imitations don’t work.

“And Type Cs, who are just out for a pleasant day on the stream, but likely to be dry-fly enthusiasts.”

Mr. Himmel described himself as a Type B, a purist who would use any kind of fly that produces fish.

Mr. Himmel’s wife, Anne, died in 2003.

He is survived by a son, Brad; two daughters, Karen Himmel and Lynne Seawright; and four grandchildren.

Services were private.

↧

Jean Rogowski, active in politics, civic affairs

April 22, 2014, 2:08 pm

≫ Next:

≪ Previous: Albert A. Himmel, chemistry professor, fisherman

Aug. 23, 1929 – April 15, 2014

A Mass of Christian Burial for Jean Rogowski, a judge’s widow who was active in politics, charities and civic affairs, will be offered at 9 a.m. Saturday in Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church, 180 George Urban Blvd., Cheektowaga.

Mrs. Rogowski, the widow of Erie County Judge John V. Rogowski, died at Hospice Buffalo, Cheektowaga, after a long illness. She was 84.

The Amherst resident was a homemaker and spent many years volunteering at her church and in other community organizations. She was the first woman ever to serve as a trustee at Queen of Martyrs Church. She was also a former trustee at Villa Maria College and was active in the women’s group at Father Justin Council, Knights of Columbus, in Cheektowaga.

“She liked to stay busy, and she liked to do things to help the community,” said her son, John E., an assistant U.S. attorney.

The former Jean Eberle was also an Erie County Democratic Committee member and spent many hours working on her husband’s successful campaigns for the Cheektowaga Town Board, for a town judgeship and the county judgeship. Her husband of 54 years died in 2007.

Mrs. Rogowski grew up in Williamsville and graduated from Sacred Heart Academy. She spent several years working as an executive secretary at the Westinghouse Electric plant in Cheektowaga.

She loved cooking for family and friends.

She is survived by her son and three grandchildren.

↧

//obituaries203.rssing.com/chan-13782213/article974-live.html

April 22, 2014, 2:13 pm

≫ Next: Norma R. Ferro, former registered nurse

≪ Previous: Jean Rogowski, active in politics, civic affairs

Janet L. Bacon, 53, of Springville, died April 19.

Maggie Eloise Ball, of Buffalo, died April 21.

Alice L. (Newton) Benz, of Orchard Park, died April 19.

Michele R. Cudney, of Hamburg, died April 20.

Albert J. Covino, 95, of Orchard Park, formerly of Lackawanna, Army veteran, crane operator at Bethlehem Steel, died April 20.

Oda Verlon Currie, 97, of Amherst, diesel engine mechanic at International Harvester, died April 19.

Theresa F. (Zgoda) “Tess” Dunkowski, died April 18.

Richard L. “Richie” Enser, of Lancaster, died April 20.

Anna Louise Evans, retired from Buffalo Psychiatric Center, died April 19.

Robert Giles Jr., formerly of Elma, Vietnam War Marine veteran, worked at Bell Telephone for 30 years, died April 19.

Donald E. “Pappa Donn” Hartsch Jr., of the City of Tonawanda, died April 14.

Alla (Sawrischenski) Hillyard, 56, died April 21.

John Jaros, died April 19.

Debra A. (Mattern) Jarvis, of Kenmore, died April 21.

Dolores M. (Slojkowski) Krempa, of Depew, died April 11.

Alfreda (Pazych) Makarowski, died April 20.

Shirley A. (Morris) Makowski, 67, of Blasdell, died April 10.

Dante G. Mancuso, of the Town of Tonawanda, died April 20.

Thomas Paul Merlette, 67, formerly of Hamburg, retired quality assurance specialist at General Motors in the Town of Tonawanda, died April 19.

Ann (Trzeciak) Miklas, of Cheektowaga, died April 21.

Russell C. Moyer, of Kenmore, died April 18.

Theresa F. (Gorski) Orsolits, died April 19.

Jane Palka, 92, of the Town of Tonawanda, former registered nurse at Buffalo General Hospital, died April 20.

Amy (Itzkowitz) Pici, died April 19

James C. Schubert, retiree of General Motors’ Chevrolet Plant in Buffalo, died April 20.

Ellen Sterns-Paquin, died April 19.

Richard L. “Dick” Thompson, of Corfu, died April 18.

Willie Wallace, of Cheektowaga, Navy veteran, died April 19.

Arthur C. Walter, 85, of the Town of Tonawanda, former purchasing manager for Mills Welding of Buffalo, died April 21.

Mary (Wasieczko) Wielgosz, of North Tonawanda, died April 17.

Paula A. Wier, of West Seneca, died April 17.

↧

Norma R. Ferro, former registered nurse

April 22, 2014, 3:43 pm

≫ Next: Anthony Giansante, founded Gi-Ro Dry Cleaners

≪ Previous:

March 24, 1928 – April 18, 2014

Norma R. Ferro, of Orchard Park, a former registered nurse, died Friday at her home. She was 86.

Born Norma Ruth Meyn in Buffalo, she grew up in Lake View and Hamburg, She graduated from Hamburg High School in 1945 and from the Buffalo General Hospital Nursing School in 1948.

She married Dr. Frank E. Ferro, a thoracic surgeon, in 1951 in Akron, Ohio, where Mrs. Ferro worked as a nurse in Akron City Hospital. After living in Brecksville, Ohio; Anniston, Ala.; and San Antonio, they moved back to Western New York in the late 1950s.

They lived in Hamburg and later, in Orchard Park for the past 50 years.

Mrs. Ferro spent summers in Siesta Key, Fla.

She was an avid reader of fiction and a supporter and patron of the arts. She enjoyed the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Artpark, opera, musicals and the Buffalo Choral Arts Society.

In addition to her husband of 63 years, she is survived by two daughters, Susan Ruth Dosch and Amy Ann Losi; four sons, J. William, Michael Timothy, Dr. Frank Eugene Jr. and Thomas Andrew; a sister, Patricia Burgevin; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Friday in Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, 26 Thorn Ave., Orchard Park, following prayers at 9:15 in F.E. Brown Sons Funeral Home, 6575 Quaker St., Orchard Park.

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Anthony Giansante, founded Gi-Ro Dry Cleaners

April 22, 2014, 3:44 pm

≫ Next: Ellen Sterns-Paquin, occupational therapist

≪ Previous: Norma R. Ferro, former registered nurse

Nov. 8, 1925 – April 19, 2014

Anthony Giansante, of Lockport, founder of Gi-Ro Dry Cleaners, died Saturday. He was 88.

Born in Roccamorice, Italy, he came to the United States as a teenager in 1939. A World War II veteran, he served under Gen. George S. Patton in the Battle of the Bulge.

Mr. Giansante met his wife of 67 years, Angela Dea, when they were children in Italy. They later were reunited in Lockport in 1940. After living briefly in Vineland, N.J., he and his wife settled in Lockport, starting Gi-Ro Dry Cleaners in 1955. They raised nine children.

Known for his generosity, he was a devout Catholic who attended church whenever he could, often rising before dawn for an early morning Mass.

Mr. Giansante was a highly skilled tailor – a trade he learned in Italy – and never fully retired from the business. Until recently, he could still be found sewing buttons at Gi-Ro.

He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Moose Lodge and an Italian American Club in Florida, where he and his wife spent many winters. He enjoyed running and playing bocce, and he took up golf late in life.

Survivors include his wife; four sons, Louis, Joseph, Thomas and David; five daughters, Maryanne Edens, Roseanne Brogan, Susanne Russell, Joanne Bull and Dianne DiPasquale; a sister, Anna Marie Rotondo; 21 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Friday in All Saints Parish, 76 Church St., Lockport.

↧

Ellen Sterns-Paquin, occupational therapist

April 22, 2014, 3:53 pm

≫ Next: Area Deaths

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July 26, 1961 – April 19, 2014

Ellen “Dee” Sterns-Paquin, an occupational therapist, grandmother and golfer, died Saturday in Sisters Hospital after a short illness. She was 52.

Mrs. Sterns-Paquin, a City of Tonawanda resident, graduated from Williamsville East High School in 1979 and earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Utica College in 1983.

She married Rene Paquin in 1988.

After starting her career at Bry-Lin Hospital, she moved to Sisters Hospital, where she became chief of rehabilitation services.

In 1997, she joined her mother and brother David Sterns, a physical therapist, in the family-owned rehabilitation company Optimal Therapy Associate Services in Buffalo.

Mrs. Sterns-Paquin was the chief operating officer until the time of her death. “She loved to work with patients, particularly children,” said her mother, Gloria Lucker. “She was a real champion for kids with special needs.”

Survivors include her husband of 25 years; a stepson, Rick Paquin; her mother; two brothers, Fred and David Sterns; and two granddaughters.

A memorial service will be at 1:30 p.m. today in Mesnekoff Funeral Home, 8630 Transit Road, East Amherst.

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Area Deaths

April 23, 2014, 5:11 am

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Howard L. Yood, founding partner in law firm

April 23, 2014, 3:24 pm

≫ Next: Edwin L. Kij, 92, former Lackawanna fire chief

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May 24, 1934 – April 12, 2014

Howard L. Yood, a founding partner in the Silverberg, Yood, Sellers and McGory law firm in Buffalo, died April 12 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital after a short illness. He was 79.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Mr. Yood attended schools in New York City and routinely stopped by Yankee Stadium on his way home to watch practice and spend time with baseball greats Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra. He went on to college and graduated with his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

He and his wife, the former Roberta Sarfaty, moved to Buffalo in 1957 for his work. In the mid-60s, he became a founding partner of Silverberg, Yood, Sellers and McGory and specialized mainly in family law. Family members described him as a “fearless advocate” whose gruff demeanor shielded a personally giving and caring nature.

Mr. Yood moved to Kenmore and later to Getzville where he raised his family. His first wife, Roberta, died in 1990.

He later became the primary guardian of his two young grandsons, William and Nathaniel, who are now in their early 20s.

Mr. Yood retired from his law practice in 1996. In 1998, he married Candace Vogel and moved to East Amherst.

He enjoyed golf, stamp collecting and model trains, a love he shared with his grandchildren. He was a member of the New York State and Erie County bar associations for more than 50 years. He was also a Mason and former grand master of the Perseverance Suburban Lodge 948 in Eggertsville.

He is survived by his second wife, Candace; two sons, Michael and Kenneth; a daughter, Helen; and grandsons William and Nathaniel.

Services were held April 14 in Mesnekoff Funeral Home, 8630 Transit Road, East Amherst.

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Edwin L. Kij, 92, former Lackawanna fire chief

April 23, 2014, 4:52 pm

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Sept. 4, 1921 – April 17, 2014

Edwin L. Kij, former chief of the Lackawanna Fire Department, died last Thursday in his Orchard Park home. He was 92.

Mr. Kij enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Dec. 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, and served in the Pacific Theater as a flight engineer, according to his daughter Debra Johnson.

“He enlisted because the U.S. was under attack,” she said.

After his term with the Navy, Mr. Kij attended Canisius College and the University of Buffalo before graduating from St. Bonaventure University with a degree in biology.

Mr. Kij worked for a time at Bethlehem Steel as a railroad switch operator before he joined the Lackawanna Fire Department, where he worked his way through the ranks to become chief.

“He was the first fire chief in Lackawanna awarded appointment through civil service examination,” said his son, Jim.

Mr. Kij, who lived for most of his life in Lackawanna, was a 20-year member of the Fire Department before his retirement in 1984. He started the Chief Edwin Kij Award for Outstanding Service, which will continue to be given to a current Fire Department member.

His first wife, Virginia Brzozowski Kij, died in 1980, and his second wife, Rose Mancuso Kij, died in 2007.

He served in 1964 as commander of Matthew Glab Post 1477, American Legion. He was a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the Grand Island Knights of Columbus.

He also served as librarian at the Grand Island Golden Age Center, according to his daughter.

In addition to his son and daughter Debra, Mr. Kij is survived by another daughter, Mary Beth; two sisters, Helen Ginal and Doris Pantera; and six grandchildren.

A private interment will take place today in Hillcrest Cemetery, Hamburg.

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