Quantcast
Channel: The Buffalo News - Obituaries
Viewing all 2826 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Christine D. Uba, volunteer, ‘shining star’ of the legal community, marathon runner

May 4, 2014, 4:34 pm
$
0
0
Dec. 26, 1966 – April 25, 2014

Christine Dombrowski Uba, of Snyder, a mother, long-serving church and school volunteer, and widely known lawyer, died April 25 after a brief illness while visiting relatives near Chicago. She was 47.

Born in Niles, Ill., the former Christine Noel Dombrowski was a graduate of Saint Louise de Marillac High School and earned a bachelor of arts degree with high honors from the University of Notre Dame, where she was a liberal studies major and a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Her husband of 22 years, Mark, whom she met at Notre Dame, said her studies of the great books helped her hone critical reasoning and problem-solving skills that served her well as a mother, confidante to friends and champion for her legal clients.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Ms. Uba worked in the office of the Illinois state’s attorney as an advocate for crime victims.

She moved to Western New York to study at the University at Buffalo, where she earned both her law degree, magna cum laude, and a master’s degree in social work. Ms. Uba was the recipient of several honors at UB, including the Max Koren award.

Ms. Uba practiced in the litigation department of Jaeckle, Fleischmann & Mugel before taking a sabbatical from her full-time legal career to raise three children. She was a frequent volunteer at St. Gregory the Great and Christ the King schools and was also active in Girl Scouts.

During her hiatus from the legal profession, she was often consulted by other attorneys, including Joel L. Daniels, who praised Ms. Uba as “a shining star – smart, skilled and blessed with a great sense of humor.”

When her children reached school age, Ms. Uba joined her husband’s law practice, concentrating on complex commercial and criminal litigation.

Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny said news of Ms. Uba’s death has spread throughout the legal community.

“She is sorely missed by us all,” he said. “Virtually everywhere I go there is a tremendous outpouring of praise and respect and love for her.”

A physical fitness enthusiast, Ms. Uba ran in three Chicago Marathons – her first at age 39. According to family and friends, Ms. Uba’s life was deeply rooted in her faith. She served as a Eucharistic minister, was a religious education teacher and was active in Curcio retreats.

In addition to her husband, survivors include two daughters, Ellen and Grace; a son, John; her mother, Bernadine Dombrowski; and two brothers, Steven and Lawrence Dombrowski.

A funeral was held in Illinois. A memorial Mass will be offered 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 200 St. Gregory Court at Maple Road, Amherst.
↧
Search

Phil R. Durgan, artist, playwright and chef who made a big impression in his brief time

April 30, 2014, 1:51 pm
$
0
0
March 3, 1966 – April 26, 2014

Phil Durgan, an artist, playwright and chef who made a deep impression on the city’s arts community during six short years in Buffalo, died unexpectedly April 26, according to his ex-wife, Crystal Durgan. He was 47.

Mr. Durgan moved to Buffalo from his native San Diego, where he worked as an auto mechanic, in 2008. He quickly inserted himself into Western New York’s tight-knit arts community, first as a playwright and later as a prolific painter and constant presence at art openings and cultural events.

He was a fixture at the Sweetness 7 Café on Grant Street, where he made an art out of chatting up the clientele and gathering ideas that would sometimes appear later in his vibrant canvases. For the past several months, he worked at Spot Coffee’s locations on Delaware Avenue and Elmwood Avenue.

Mr. Durgan, with tattoos on his neck and both arms and almost always sporting a brown fedora and Chuck Taylors, had a casual, West Coast flair that instantly piqued the curiosity of customers and fellow artists. His friends remembered him as a generous and curious man with a passion for creativity and an infectious enthusiasm for subjects as diverse as food and jazz.

“When I think of him, I just think of a spark,” said Crystal Durgan. “He could just engage anyone in conversation. He could speak on any topic. He had a brilliant mind. I’d say that he was somewhere between genius and madness. And people really found that fascinating.”

Megan Callahan, an actor and director who met Mr. Durgan shortly after his arrival in Buffalo and directed a staged reading of his plays “Pound for Pound” and “Jimmy Champagne” at the Road Less Traveled Theatre, described him as constantly on the hunt for creative fodder.

“The best artists that we know about through history are people like Phil, people who you can tell that their artwork is directly fed and influenced with the connections they have to people day to day,” Callahan said.

Mr. Durgan’s paintings often incorporated jazz musicians against riotous backgrounds of letters and abstract blocks of paint. They were as improvisational as jazz, and, like the work of Michel Basquiat – Mr. Durgan’s Twitter handle was @basquiatkase – seemed to capture the messy rhythms of the city.

Often, Callahan said, he would paint over old work instead of starting anew because the urge to project his creativity was so great.

“He felt the need to experiment. He’d put on his jazz music, some Charles Mingus or Dizzy Gillespie, and he would just paint like mad,” Crystal Durgan said. “That was his catharsis. That’s the way he really expressed what he was feeling.”

Mr. Durgan is survived by his two children, Mika and Rhett; his ex-wife, Crystal Durgan; two sisters, Monique Worthey and Debbie Collins; and his fianceé, Evelyn Wack.

According to Crystal Durgan, his ashes will be scattered in one of his favorite places, the Anza-Borrego Desert in Southern California.

Mr. Durgan’s friends and family are planning a celebration of his life and work, including live jazz, the music he loved, from 4 to 7 p.m. May 18 in Asbury Hall in Babeville.

– Colin Dabkowski
↧
↧

Area Deaths

May 5, 2014, 2:13 pm
$
0
0
Florence A. (Glowinski) Benczkkowski, of Cheektowaga, died May 4.

Patria E. (Perez) Cannuli, of North Tonawanda, died May. 1.

Michael P. Christopher, died May 2.

Leroy Coe, 69, of Buffalo, died May 1.

Jean C. (Long) Copeland, 84, of Arcade, died May 3.

Jacqueline J. (Bodekor) Curtis, of West Falls, died May 3.

Mary T. (Urbanek) Dickens, of the Town of Tonawanda, died May 4.

John L. Knox, died May 3.

Mary Rose (Wilson) McGuire, 66, of Tonawanda, died May 3.

Marlies E. (Kind) Meyer, of Amherst, died May 3.

Jacob M. Miller, of Darien Center, died May 3.

Helen L. (Sackmary) Muther, 77, died May 4.

Mildred G. (Shaw) O’Donnell, of Blasdell, died May 2.

Eileen M. (Mahoney) “Peggy” O’Meara, of Angola, died May 4.

Anita M. (Giglia) Sandecki, died April 30.

Stephen Szyszka, formerly of Cheektowaga, died May 1.

John F. Turski, died May 3.

Margaret M. (Walker) Volk, died May 3.

James A. “Bud” Welsh, died May 3.
↧

Irene Ella Phillips, 95, secretary, bookkeeper

May 5, 2014, 6:02 pm
$
0
0
Jan. 8, 1919 – May 2, 2014

Irene Ella Phillips, who was a secretary and bookkeeper for many years for the family business, Phillips Brothers Garage, died Friday in Greenfield Health & Rehabilitation Center, Lancaster, after a brief illness. She was 95.

Born Irene Ella Montz in Buffalo, she graduated from St. Mary of Sorrows School in 1932 and St. Nicholas High School in 1936. She graduated from Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in 1937.

As a young woman, she was an employee at National Biscuit Co., where she packed Ritz crackers, Saltines and cookies.

She played the fife and the bells with the Martha Washington Drum Corps.

She and her husband, Alexander E. Phillips, were members of the Buffalo Motorcycle Club for many years. They rode their Harley-Davidson motorcycle together, took their honeymoon on a motorcycle, climbing Pikes Peak, touring the West and visiting many of the national parks.

From 1938 to 1985, she was secretary and bookkeeper for Phillips Brothers Garage at 1099 Genesee St., a general repair garage owned and run by her husband and his two brothers. In 1955, the family business obtained a franchise for the Divco Dairy Truck distributorship, a house-to-house dairy delivery in the Buffalo area, which they maintained for 20 years. They obtained a franchise for the Hackney Refrigerated Body distributorship during the same period, selling and leasing the trucks to customers.

Mrs. Phillips often helped her husband with delivery of trucks and transport of truck chassis to and from the factory in North Carolina. She took great pride in her ability to drive the large multi-gear commercial vehicles, which was an unusual accomplishment for a woman in those days.

A life member of the Tonawanda Island Launch Club since 1968, she and her family were active in boating on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, enjoying water skiing and fishing. The family toured the United States with their Higgins Camp Trailer. In later life, she and her husband traveled with their Airstream Travel Trailer and toured all of the continental United States, including Alaska, made annual trips to Florida and toured Mexico.

A member of Infant of Prague Parish in Cheektowaga since 1949, she participated in many aspects of parish life, including the Altar and Rosary Society, Ladies of Charity and bowling, and she was secretary for Senior Achievers. She and her husband also served as bingo workers at the parish for more than 20 years. She enjoyed handcrafts and producing novel chocolate candies.

Later in life, she cared for her husband of more than 60 years, as he struggled with dementia. He died April 5, 2004.

Survivors include a son, Robert Edward; a daughter, Allene Claire Barans; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Infant of Prague Church, 921 Cleveland Drive, Cheektowaga.
↧

Thomas S. Leonhard, legal fight led to book, movies

May 5, 2014, 6:10 pm
$
0
0
May 4, 1939 – May 2, 2014

Thomas S. Leonhard, whose fight with the federal Witness Protection Program to find his children was the basis for the book and movie “Hide in Plain Sight,” died Friday after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 74.

Mr. Leonhard’s eight-year quest began in 1967 after he went to the home of his ex-wife, Rochelle, for his weekly visit with his children and found they had vanished.

He eventually learned that they had been taken away by federal agents and given new identities to protect them and Rochelle’s new husband, mob informant Pascale “Paddy” Calabrese.

Mr. Leonhard was successful in getting a court ruling giving him custody of his three children in 1971 but did not get to see them until 1975.

Salvatore R. Martoche, his attorney, said he received a call from Rochelle, who said she had just broken up with Calabrese and “told the kids who their real father is, and they want to meet him.”

“A week later,” Martoche said, “he was on a plane to Nevada. He re-established a relationship with them, but it was never quite normal.”

Martoche said that Mr. Leonhard was likable, quiet and unassuming, but “I saw the side of him that was tenacious and resolute about finding his family after he lost them.”

Martoche noted that the case eventually brought changes in the federal Witness Protection Program. Mr. Leonhard, however, was unsuccessful in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the federal government.

Mr. Leonhard’s life changed again, but not for the better, when the film, starring James Caan, was released in 1980.

At the time, he told Buffalo News reporter Lee Coppola that he and his second wife had become edgy because of reaction to the film. He said people thought he had become rich from the movie and took him to task for factual errors.

“Sometimes I wish they had never made the movie,” he said then. “I don’t want to be no star. I just want to be an ordinary guy.”

Born in Buffalo, he was an Army veteran. He worked at Western Electric until it closed in 1975, then had a variety of construction jobs, working as a cement mason.

His second wife, Joanne G. DiVita Leonhard, died.

Survivors include a son, Michael; two daughters, Karen and Gina; a brother, Ray; a sister, Carol Dobler; five grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Services will be at 1 p.m. today in Lombardo Funeral Home, 885 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst.
↧
↧

//obituaries203.rssing.com/chan-13782213/article1026-live.html

May 6, 2014, 2:06 pm
$
0
0
Adela F. (Pando) Cecchini, 100, of Orchard Park, died May 4.

Bryan William Demerly, 60, formerly of Buffalo and Hamburg, Navy veteran, died May 2.

Louise Reese (Cook) Dietrich, of West Seneca, died May 3.

Annette C. (Mizerkiewicz) Falkowski, died May 4.

Kenneth T. Federowicz, Marine veteran, died May 3.

Arthur C. Fentner, of Tonawanda, died May 4.

Marie L. (McCabe) Forbes, of Irving, died May 3.

Dolores M. (Kieffer) Galloway, died May 3.

Elaine (Berman) Gornbein, 88, died May 4.

Jeanne G. (Vigneri) Jowsey, of Buffalo, died May 4.

Alfred R. Kasmire, 97, WWII veteran, died May 4.

Helen M. (Zolyomi) Kelemen, 91, of the City of Tonawanda, died May 4.

Paul E. Malecki, of Grand Island, died May 4.

David J. Mundt Sr., of West Seneca, died May 5.

Loraine M. (Meyer) Osborne, of the Town of Tonawanda, died May 5.

Jason A. Ramirez, of Buffalo, died May 2.

Richard N. “Dick” Santley, 72, of North Tonawanda, Navy veteran, retired from Harrison Radiator, died May 3.

Mark Schukraft, of Angola, died May 2.

Dolores H. (Ciesla) Sieteski, of West Seneca, died May 5.

Betty J. (Wulff) Smith, 86, formerly of West Valley, died May 5.

Dorothy E. (Wojciechowski) Thuston, died April 30.

Tyrone T. Trammell, of Buffalo, died May 2.

Mary Beth Weiss, died May 4.

Stella M. (Buziak) Williams, of Hamburg, died May 4.

William A. Woods, of West Seneca, died May 5.
↧

Paul A. Tarantino, Buffalo State professor emeritus

May 6, 2014, 4:11 pm
$
0
0
June 29, 1927 – April 26, 2014

Paul Anthony Tarantino, of Buffalo, a professor emeritus of design and metalsmithing at SUNY Buffalo State, died April 26 in Erie County Medical Center after a short illness. He was 87.

Born in Duquesne, Pa., to Italian immigrants, the youngest of 11 children, he showed his artistic talent early with hand-drawn cartoon books and, mentored by a teacher, began taking Saturday art lessons at age 10.

Mr. Tarantino enlisted in the Army in 1945 and, in recognition of his mechanical abilities, was assigned as a drill instructor on heavy artillery and as sergeant of colors.

Returning from service, he worked in the cooler pit at a steel mill and studied at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). As a junior, he attended a silversmithing workshop, which inspired a lifelong interest in the craft.

After earning his degree, he continued for a while as a steelworker, making jewelry and painting murals on the side. Then he enrolled in Cranbrook Academy of Art near Detroit, where he earned a master’s degree in metalwork.

Mr. Tarantino worked in a Detroit factory, did contract work making signs and spent three years in Korea with the U.S. government’s Intercountry Adoption program, teaching welding, weaving and other handicrafts.

Returning to the U.S., he was invited to teach metalsmithing at Syracuse University in 1962 and helped develop it into a master’s degree program.

Mr. Tarantino joined the art department at Buffalo State in 1964, teaching basic design and metalsmithing. He also taught part time for several years at Rochester Institute of Technology. He retired in 1995.

He made large sculptured metal wall plaques for interior design and created silver service and jewelry designs for the Danish jewelry company Georg Jensen.

Mr. Tarantino’s best-known work locally is the sculpture “Angel With Gas-Lit Torches,” the doorway and the gates at Gabriel’s Gate Restaurant on Allen Street.

He collected vintage automobiles and motorcycles. He was a member of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association and the BMW Riders Club of Western New York.

Survivors include nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be at noon Saturday in Lombardo Funeral Home, 102 Linwood Ave.
↧

Daniel R. Gernatt Sr., 97, entrepreneur, horseman

May 7, 2014, 5:57 pm
$
0
0
Feb. 7, 1917 – May 5, 2014

Daniel R. Gernatt Sr., an enterprising businessman and lifelong resident of Collins, died Monday in his home after a brief illness. He was 97.

Born into a farming family of 10 children, Mr. Gernatt began his first business adventure raising turkeys as a 4-H project.

In 1938, Mr. Gernatt, along with his new bride, the former Flavia Schmitz, entered into a new enterprise of dairy farming, which grew into one of the largest dairy farms in Erie County. They spent tireless hours hauling grain to build the foundation for the Gernatt Family of Companies, a sand and gravel producer in New York State.

Mr. Gernatt began marketing gravel items from his farm in 1946. In 1955, he established Dan Gernatt Gravel Products, in 1961 Gernatt Asphalt Products, and then Country Side Sand and Gravel Products followed in 1964. Over the years the Gernatt Companies had grown to include operations in Chaffee, Delevan, Freedom, Gowanda, Great Valley, Hanover, South Dayton, Springville, West Seneca and Westfield.

Mr. Gernatt had a special love for horses. Anywhere in New York State and throughout the United States harness-racing fans knew the name of “Collins,” representing the locale where the family lived. Dan Gernatt Farms was the home of several hundred world-class horses that carried the last name of “Collins.” He was proud of his horses and took great pride in their record achievement and breeding. Throughout three decades, the couple established themselves in horse-breeding and harness racing, selling more than 1,000 standardbred horses. In 1983, the couple owned nearly 250 horses.

He was a founder of the Daniel and Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation, a charitable and private financial assistance program for organizations and entities in Western New York State, mostly in the areas of education, health care and Christian-related endeavors, particularly for those in need and who are homeless.

A lifelong member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gowanda, he was a trustee and member of its Holy Name Society. He was director of New York State Dairy Council, United States Trotting Association, a former president of Gowanda Chamber of Commerce and former advisory board member for HSBC.

His wife of 57 years died in 1995.

Survivors include a son, Daniel Jr.; two daughters, Patricia Rebmann and Phyllis Ulmer; a sister, Esther Dittenhofer; 16 grandchildren; and 32 great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. Joseph Catholic Church, 71 E. Main St., Gowanda.
↧
Search

Felix L. Armfield, SUNY Buffalo State professor

May 7, 2014, 6:17 pm
$
0
0
Aug. 27, 1962 – April 30, 2014

Services for Felix L. Armfield, Ph.D., the SUNY Buffalo State professor who died in a three-alarm fire April 30 at the Commodore Apartments, where he lived, will be 1 p.m. Saturday in Holly Hill Free Will Baptist Church, Greenville, N.C.

Dr. Armfield, 51, a professor of history and social studies at the Elmwood Avenue college since 2000, died from injuries suffered in the late-night fire at 1240 Delaware Avenue.

Born in Tarboro, N.C., he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at North Carolina Central University.

In Buffalo, he was an active member of First Shiloh Baptist Church. He was baptized and was a lifelong member of Holly Hill Free Will Baptist Church in Greenville.

Dr. Armfield earned his Ph.D. in history with a concentration in African American history and archival administration at Michigan State University.

He joined the history department at Western Illinois University in 1995.

At SUNY Buffalo State, he was a member of the African and African American Studies Interdisciplinary Unit and a member of the school’s graduate faculty.

Survivors include his father, Jasper Armfield Jr. of Belvoir, N.C.; his grandmother, Christine Armfield of Greenville, N.C.; two sisters Kimberly Armfield of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Sandy McKenny of Fredericksburg, Va.; and a brother, Jeffrey Armfield of New Haven, Conn.
↧
↧

Area Deaths

May 7, 2014, 8:47 pm
$
0
0
Bernice E. (Eaton) Banks, 90, retired from the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, died May 4.

Ann S. Barney, of Angola, died May 5.

Marcia M. (Dziurbejko) Boehmke, died May 4.

Isabelle Boucher, died Jan. 11.

Barbara C. (Sugarman) Burhans, of Lockport, died May 5.

Thomas J. Cicatello, of Elma, died May 4.

Willie G. Clark, of Buffalo, Vietnam War Army veteran, died May 4.

Mary J. (Giordano) Conkling, died May 5.

Francis X. Deck, 91, of Alden, retired railroad yardmaster, died May 3.

Margaret “Peggy” (Peters) Durni, 81, formerly of Hamburg, died May 5.

Andrew J. Gancarz, died May 9.

Florence N. (Macaldo) Gawronski, died May 5.

Daniel R. Gernatt Sr., 97, died May 5.

Roberta J. “Robin” (Beebe) Govenitto, of Hamburg, former office manager at J.P. Fitzgerald’s restaurant, died May 5.

Ralph T. Haight, of Hamburg, died May 6.

Jeffrey Frank Hicks, 59, Marine Corps veteran, died May 2.

Elmer W. Hoebel, died May 4.

Joanne (Chauby) Hornberger, 77, of Hamburg, died May 5.

Angeline D. “Ann” (Cumbo) Hutchinson, 97, died April 23.

Stuart “Stuie” Imhof, of Angola, Korean War veteran, died April 26.

Victoria R. (Maruszewski) Jank, 91, died May 6.

Eleanor M. (Mach) Jarosz, died May 5.

Robert M. Kulpit, 60, of Elma, machinest at Elmar Industries in Depew, died May 5.



Rosemarie (McNamara) Liebler, retired from the West Seneca Town Court, died May 4.

Charles H. Meyer Jr., of Grand Island, died May 3.

Melvin Mobley Sr., of Hamburg, died April 27.

James C. Nelson, of Buffalo, foundry worker at General Motors, died May 6.

Marion M. Price, 93, of Varysburg, worked at Motorola in Arcade, died May 3.

Doris A. Santercole,, 66, of Kent, formerly of Buffalo, worked at Emma: Women’s Books and Gifts in Buffalo, died May 3.

Rosemary Schaefer, died May 3.

James W. Simpson, 88, of Clarence, died Jan. 31

Brookes S. Spong, died May 5.

John F. Stewart, of the Town of Tonawanda, died May 6.

Elizabeth R. (Shepler) Wojcik, died Dec. 15, 2013.
↧

Area Deaths

May 8, 2014, 2:51 pm
$
0
0
Brother William Batt, died April 28.

James P. “Honcho” Battaglia, of Derby, Vietnam War Army veteran, died April 30.

Charles W. “Chuck” Bellavia, died May 2.

Ferdinand J. “Fred” Ciccarelli, 94, of Amherst, attorney, died May 6.

Robert L. Conforto, 81, died April 26.

Joan (Falk) Doerflein, died May 3.

John C. “Jack” Elberson, WWII veteran, employee of Glen Campbell Chevrolet for over 50 years, died May 5.

Lawrence “Shorty” Ellis, of Orchard Park, WWII veteran, died May 7.

W. Raymond “Ray” Gatgens, died May 4.

Adam V. George, formerly of Arcade, died May 5.

Stephen G. Gessner, retired lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne, died May 4.

Philip S. Grzeskowiak, of West Seneca, died May 6.

Lois Lillan (Hanes) Howell, 83, of North Tonawanda, died May 6.

Angeline D. “Ann” (Cumbo) Hutchinson, 97, died April 23.

Menyhert Kalenda, died May 6.

Sara S. Kowalewski, 98, died May 3.

Frank R. Minnolera Sr., 74, died May 6.

Mary Ann (Bickel) Murschel, 77, died May 6.

Geraldine Nephew, of Gowanda, died May 6.

Irene Ella (Montz) Phillips, 95, secretary/bookkeeper and truck driver for Phillips Brothers Garage, died May 2.

Judith L. (Levy) Rothman, died May 6.

Thomas C. Sicignano, of Sloan, died May 6.

Arthur J. Silvernail, died May 4.

Patricia M. (Bourban) Stubbs, of West Seneca, died May 6.

Anthony F. Tamburello, 77, owned and operated Travel Haven travel agency in Williamsville for 30 years, died May 7.
↧

Sister Mary St. Edward Underberg, 94, educator

May 8, 2014, 2:51 pm
$
0
0
Sept. 18, 1919 – May 8, 2014

Sister Mary St. Edward Underberg, a longtime teacher and administrator at schools in the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, died Thursday in St. Mary of the Angels Community Health Center, Williamsville. She was 94.

Born Edith Underberg in Milford, Iowa, she entered the convent Aug. 2, 1938, pronouncing final vows six years later in the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis.

Sister St. Edward received a bachelor’s degree from Rivier College in Nashua, N.H.; a master’s degree in education from Mount St. Joseph’s Teachers College in Buffalo and certification from Catholic University in dogmatic and scriptural catechists.

Her 45 years of religious life were spent in teaching and administration in the Buffalo diocesan schools, involved with children from first grade through senior year in high school.

She said her most rewarding teaching experience was having four grades in one classroom in Strykersville, Springbrook and Darien Center.

She served as principal for 22 years at several local schools, including St. Bartholomew and St. Gerard in Buffalo, Queen of Heaven in West Seneca and St. Leo the Great in Amherst.

In retirement, she assisted in the laundry, switchboard and other tasks at the convent.

Sister St. Edward loved to learn, explore and share her education. News, politics, newspapers, radio and, in more recent years, the computer helped her to stay in touch with church and world events.

She is survived by two sisters, Alberta Hanel and Agnes Wendling, and a brother, Albert.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Monday in St. Mary of the Angels Chapel, 201 Reist St., Williamsville.
↧

Sara S. Kowalewski, News reporter, teacher’s aide

May 8, 2014, 2:58 pm
$
0
0
July 16, 1915 – May 3, 2014

Sara S. Kowalewski, a former reporter for The Buffalo Evening News and teacher’s aide in the reading program at Schools 3 and 18, died Saturday in Hawthorne Health Rehabilitation Center. She was 98.

The former Sara Sciolino, a lifelong Buffalo resident, graduated from School 76 in 1928 and Hutchinson-Central High School in 1932.

She continued her studies with post-graduate work at Buffalo Technical High School and courses at Millard Fillmore College, associated with the University of Buffalo.

Mrs. Kowalewski became a reporter for The News assigned to the Broadway branch, where she worked with her future husband Edmund F. Kowalewski Sr., until their marriage in 1939. He remained at the newspaper until his death in 1969.

During World War II, Mrs. Kowalewski served on the Office of Price Administration and on the board of the Rent Division and Large Truck Tires Board as a secretary-clerk.

In 1965, she was among the first group in the newly established unit of Buffalo teacher’s aides, a position she held in the reading program at Schools 3 and 18 for 20 years until her retirement in 1985.

While employed with the Buffalo Board of Education, she was an active member of the negotiating team that resulted in the unionization of the teacher’s aides with their own chapter in a local union.

She was active in union activities and served as chairwoman.

While her three children were in school, she became active with the Mothers Clubs at School 16, Cathedral School on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, Nardin Academy, Canisius High School and the Canisius College Alumni Parents Association.

Starting in 1951, she was a congregant of St. Joseph’s New Cathedral and Blessed Sacrament Parish, both on Delaware Avenue.

She was an active participant in the Altar and Rosary Society, where she served in various positions including its board.

In addition she enjoyed reading and crocheting.

She traveled to Europe with the Canisius College Alumni Association.

A highlight of another trip was traveling to Poland with her husband, who as a reporter for The News accompanied Mayor Frank A Sedita Sr., who was attending a conference with other mayors of American cities with large Polish-American populations.

The News appointed her as the official photographer during this excursion. The film was subsequently presented by WBEN-TV as a prime-time program.

She is survived by two daughters, Brenda Roberts and Marcia Roberts; a son, Edmund; three grandchildren; and four great grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10 a.m., Saturday in Blessed Sacrament Church, 1029 Delaware Ave.
↧
↧

Jozef Jankowski, businessman, instrument maker

May 8, 2014, 3:03 pm
$
0
0
May 1, 1922 – May 7, 2014

Jozef Jankowski, a business owner and instrument maker, died Wednesday at his Orchard Park home after a short illness. He was 92.

Born in Poland, he was a survivor of the Holocaust and proudly served in the Polish army during World War II. He was captured at age 17 and placed in a slave labor camp.

After marrying his wife, Catharina, in 1950, they emigrated from the Netherlands to America with their young son Peter in 1955.

From the 1960s until the 1980s, he built a successful business, Jankowski Custom Kitchens, located on Broadway in Sloan. He was a skilled craftsman, having built many homes in Western New York.

In the late 1980s, he and his family moved to Port St. Lucie, Fla., where he worked for Kegel and Stilli, designing bank interiors.

In 2000, they relocated to Orchard Park. Always a hard worker, it was not unheard of for Mr. Jankowski to be on the roof fixing something even at age 90.

Fondly known as a European craftsman who really knew his art, Mr. Jankowski was also a professional instrument maker of violins and hammer dulcimers. A strong lover of music, he learned how to make and play musical instruments from his father.

Before the war, he played tsimbl on Polish radio regularly, with a repertoire that included Polish, Russian and Jewish tunes.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, the former Catharina J. VanDePut; a son, Emil; five grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his son Peter.

A graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Eden.
↧

John C. Elberson, auto mechanic, avid motorcyclist

May 8, 2014, 3:44 pm
$
0
0
June 10, 1923 - May 5, 2014

John C. Elberson, of Cheektowaga, a World War II veteran, longtime automobile mechanic and avid motorcyclist, died Monday in Weinberg Campus, Getzville, after a brief illness. He was 90.

Born in Buffalo, he was a decorated Navy combat veteran, serving as torpedoman second class on the USS Bowers. He was recipient of the Pacific Theater Bronze Medal and Victory Medal, with battle stars for service at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa.

After the war, Mr. Alberson started his career as an auto mechanic for Glenn Campbell Chevrolet in 1951. He retired in 1988 and continued working part time at the dealership until he was 85.

An avid motorcyclist, he rode cross-country twice. He was a member of Regent Riders Motorcycle Club since 1960s.

Mr. Elberson rode his Harley-Davidson until he was 89 years old. He was a member of Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. Post 6251, Veterans of Foreign Wars.

His wife of 52 years, Marion J. Hartke Elberson, died in 1999.

Survivors include two sons, Thomas and Charles; a daughter, Karen; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 7 p.m. Monday in Pendleton Center United Methodist Church, 6864 Campbell Blvd.
↧
Search

Ralph J. Kawalerowski, Postal Service administrator

May 8, 2014, 4:56 pm
$
0
0
Aug. 11, 1936 – May 7, 2014

Ralph J. Kawalerowski, a retired administrator of the employee assistance program for the U.S. Postal Service and a stalwart of the Western New York alcohol recovery community, died Wednesday in Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was 77.

Born in Buffalo, Mr. Kawalerowski was a graduate of St. John Kanty Prep in Erie, Pa.

He worked for Barcalo Manufacturing Co., manufacturers of the Barcalounger, before joining the U.S. Navy in 1955, mainly sailing the Mediterranean until 1960.

After his marriage to Mary R. Snyder in 1961, he joined the Buffalo branch of the Postal Service, first as a mail handler and, starting in 1978, as one of two administrators of the post office’s Program for Alcoholic Recovery – later known as the Employee Assistance Program. He retired in 1992.

With more than 49 years of continuous sobriety, he was a humble and highly effective mentor and friend to scores of alcoholics from all walks of life.

He attended 12-step meetings into the last week of his life, greeting others with the words, “Did you drink today?” and telling anyone who asked about the efficacy of the program: “It works if you work it.”

In retirement, Mr. Kawalerowski attended annual recovery celebrations in Akron, Ohio, and went to a number of international recovery conventions.

“I was glad he had something that interested him so much,” his wife said. “Recovery was his interest, and he threw himself into it. In fact, one time a friend went to a meeting in California and when he said he was from Buffalo, he was asked, ‘Do you know Ralph?’ ”

In addition to his wife, Mr. Kawalerowski is survived by four daughters, Mary Ellen Kather, Ann Morey, Linda and Amy; a son, Joseph J.; a sister, Del Zey; and seven grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 9 a.m. Saturday in Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 91 Dakota Ave.
↧

Gerhard A. Reile, retired aerospace engineer

May 8, 2014, 6:17 pm
$
0
0
June 10, 1930 – April 2, 2014

A memorial service for Gerhard Alois Reile, a retired aerospace engineer, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in the chapel at Fox Run, 4125 N. Buffalo St., Orchard Park.

He died April 2 in Sisters Hospital after a brief illness. He was 83.

An Elma resident, Mr. Reile worked in research and development at Carlton Controls, which was sold to Moog Inc. in 1977. He helped design and test the oxygen pressure regulators for the suits and the space capsule used in the Apollo missions to the moon.

He received awards for similar work on the space shuttle program. He retired in the early 1990s.

Born in Wasserburg Am Inn, Bavaria, Germany, he skied and hiked in the Alps as a boy. He and his family were forced from their home by the Nazis three times during World War II.

After the war, he earned a degree in accounting in Germany and worked as an accountant. A swimmer, he also worked as a lifeguard.

He came to the U.S. in 1951 and was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1957. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Empire State College.

His wife of 52 years, Mary Lou Urso Reile, a minister and director of special affairs for the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, died in 2005.

Survivors include three sons, Christopher T., Peter F. and Paul A.; three daughters, Patricia M. Kanowski, Teresa M. and Meg A. Snow; two sisters, Resi Schmidt and Louise Ross; 14 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
↧
↧

Rev. Richard C. Coveny, longtime pastor in Colden

May 9, 2014, 5:44 pm
$
0
0
Oct. 27, 1929 – May 5, 2014

The Rev. Richard C. Coveny, who served as pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Colden for four decades, died Monday under hospice care in Ormond Beach, Fla. He was 84.

Born in Buffalo, he was a graduate of St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in the Town of Tonawanda, St. Columban Seminary in Silver Creek and St. Bernard Seminary in Rochester.

Father Coveny was ordained into the priesthood by Bishop Joseph Burke on May 26, 1956, in Buffalo. Later that year, he served as missionary apostolate at St. Joseph Church in Bliss.

He was an assistant at St. Patrick Church in Lockport in 1957 and St. Aloysius Church in Cheektowaga in 1966.

In 1974, Father Coveny was appointed chaplain for the Newman Club at Bryant & Stratton Business Institute and served as weekend assistant at Immaculate Conception in Buffalo.

He became pastor at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1976. Under his guidance, the entire church was renovated, and in time a parish hall was erected and dedicated in his name. The music ministry grew and became a mainstay at the church.

Father Coveny retired from pastoral duties in May 2007.

He was a member of the Priests’ Council, Ancient Order of Hibernians and Hamburg Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by a sister, Mary Jane Moran.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church, 26 Thorn Ave., Orchard Park.
↧

Area Deaths

May 9, 2014, 8:13 pm
$
0
0
Robert D. Barus, of West Seneca, died May 7.

Daniel J. Celeste, died May 8.

Father Richard C. Coveny, of Colden, died May 5.

Estelle E. (Lavin) Lyons, died May 7.

Rose J. (Mamon) Michno, 98, of North Tonawanda, died May 8.

Connie M. (Stiner) Witkowski, died May 8.
↧

Peter V. Perrone, owned Mohawk Place

May 9, 2014, 8:14 pm
$
0
0
Jan. 8, 1943 – May 7, 2014

Peter V. Perrone, former owner of Mohawk Place, a longtime center for Buffalo’s alternative music scene, died Wednesday in Greenville Memorial Hospital in South Carolina after a long illness. He was 71.

Mr. Perrone purchased Mohawk Place in 1990 as a haven for the rockabilly, blues and roots music he loved. He turned it into an internationally renowned music club that was a haven for touring Americana, punk and indie bands.

The club became a popular spot for local bands like the Irving Klaws, Girlpope, the Dollywatchers, Bobo and many more. National touring acts performed there, and the club was an incubator for many local artists.

Mohawk Place also hosted many now-famous bands such as the White Stripes, Mudhoney, the Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Broken Social Scene, Daniel Johnston, the Jayhawks, Drive by Truckers and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

Mr. Perrone was highly regarded by members of the Buffalo independent music scene as an enthusiastic booster of local bands.

The club held multiple, annual street festival events such as a classic car show, a blues festival and an American roots music festival called Americanarama. The club hosted annual tribute shows for the Joe Strummer Foundation (The Clash) and held its own benefit to retrofit the 100-year-old building with a new sprinkler system in 2003. The club closed last year.

A native of Pittston, Pa., Mr. Perrone moved to Buffalo with his family as an infant. He graduated from Bishop Fallon High School in 1960.

He served in the Air National Guard with the 107th Airlift Wing in Niagara Falls. He was a mechanic and a member of the ground crew for the Air National Guard’s airplanes.

From 1968 to 1969, he served in the Air Force in the Vietnam War as part of the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at the Tuy Hoa Airbase in southeastern Vietnam.

After returning home, he continued to serve the Air National Guard, retiring after 20 years of service as a master sergeant in 1982.

Mr. Perrone loved fishing on Lake Erie, classic trucks, baseball and rockabilly music.

Surviving are his wife of 46 years, the former Denise Lorraine Hodur; a son, James Vincent; a daughter, Lucy Ann Perrone Van Hoeven; and four sisters, Sally Alexander, Joanne Chimera, Marie DeSalvo and Lucy Perrone-Mancuso.

A memorial service will be scheduled.
↧
Viewing all 2826 articles
Browse latest View live
Search
<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>