Sullivan County Democrat
O n l i n e  E d i t i o n
www.sc-democrat.com National Award-winning, Family-run Newspaper info@sc-democrat.com
  OBITUARY ARCHIVES Established 1891 Callicoon, New York  
home  |  archives
July 9, 2002

Memorial Service
for Josephine Diescher

A memorial service for Josephine L. Diescher of Livingston Manor, who died December 2, 2001, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 20, at the Livingston Manor United Methodist Church with the Rev. Stewart F. Pohlman officiating.
A committal service will follow at the Laurel Hill Cemetery in White Sulphur Springs.

Graveside Services
for Maude B. Sarles

Graveside services and burial of Maude B. Sarles of Livingston Manor, who died May 8, 2002, will be held Saturday, July 13, with the Rev. Stewart F. Pohlman officiating.
Family and friends will meet at the Herbert C. Bryant Funeral Home, 29 Pearl St., Livingston Manor, at 4 p.m. and proceed to the Orchard St. Cemetery in Livingston Manor.

Barbara J. Moran
Ret. Legal Secy., 70

Barbara J. Moran of Yonkers, a summer resident of Smallwood, died Wednesday, July 3, 2002. She was 70 years of age.
The daughter of the late John and Hazel Moran, she was born August 11, 1931, in the Bronx.
A graduate of St. Barnabus High School in Westchester County and Our Lady of Victory Business School, she was a retired legal secretary and had worked for 40 years with a large legal firm in White Plains. Upon retirement, Ms. Moran spent most of her time at her summer residence in Smallwood.
She is survived by two sisters and brothers-in-law, Hazel and Michael Stellate of Eastchester and Pat and Karl Ruhland of Greenwich, Conn; and many nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass was offered Saturday at Immaculate Conception Church in Tuckahoe followed by interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Josef A. Boehm
Ret. Truck Driver, 70

Josef Anton Boehm of Highland Lake, a retired truck driver for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and a former longtime resident of Milford, Pa., died Wednesday, July 3, 2002, at the Park Manor Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Middletown. He was 70 years of age.
The widower of Casilda Stuhler Boehm, he was born April 5, 1932, in Germany.
In a family statement, it was said, "He was a loving father and grandfather. In his later years, he enjoyed just being with his family."
He is survived by two sons and a daughter-in-law, Hans and Joanne Boehm of Highland Lake and Manfred "Fred" Boehm of Cuddebackville; five grandchildren, Maranda Boehm, Larissa Boehm, Joseph Boehm, Cassandra Boehm and Zachary Boehm.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a later date.
Cremation was made at the H.G. Smith Crematory in Stroudsburg, Pa.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Marsh-Kellog American Legion Post No. 139, Milford, Pa. 18337.
Arrangements were made by the Gray-Rasmussen Funeral Home in Barryville.

Gustave C. Kester
Retired Carpenter

Gustave C. "Dutch" Kester, a longtime resident of Scranton, Pa., and a retired self-employed carpenter, died Saturday, June 29, 2002, at the VNA Hospice Unit at Community Medical Center in Scranton.
Born in Scranton to the late Charles and Amelia Fergin Kester, he was the widow of Elizabeth Evans who died January 7, 1967.
Mr. Kester was educated in the Scranton School District and was an Army veteran of the Korean War. He was associated with the Peckville Assembly of God Church.
In a family statement, it was said, "He was a man cared for by God through all the seasons in his life; a man who searched for happiness and hope and found the love of God to be real at the end of his life. The hope he searched for was in God's love and forgiveness, which he found on earth."
He is survived by three sons, David Kester of Scranton, Pa., Charles Kester of Middletown, and Mark of St. Petersburg, Fla.; five daughters, Karen Fontini of Waymart, Pa., Roxanne Marcho of Dalton, Pa., Amelia Ramsay of Monticello, Maryanne Ketthisak Bufford of Scranton, Pa., and Gloria Jean Noger of St. Petersburg, Fla.; 11 grandchildren; three sisters, Emelyn Malachowski, Charlotte Jean Gantz and Shirley Angelis, all of Scranton, Pa.; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Gustave Kester Jr.
Services were held July 1 at the Peckville Assembly of God Church in Peckville, Pa., with the Rev. Ernest Drost, pastor, officiating.
Interment was made at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, Pa.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lighthouse Ministries, P.O. Box 293, Scranton, Pa. 18504.

Edith H. Muth
Retired Secy., 74

Edith H. Kautz Muth of North Branch, a retired secretary at the Albert Einstein Hospital in the Bronx, died Friday, May 24, 2002, in the Bronx. She was 74 years of age.
The daughter of the late Charles and Edna Hust Kautz, she was born July 26, 1927, in Callicoon.
She was a 1945 graduate of Delaware Valley Central School.
She is survived by a son, Mark Muth of the Bronx; a daughter, Desiree Muth of North Branch; five grandchildren; a brother, Raymond Kautz of Callicoon; two sisters, Mae Jackson of Jeffersonville and Violet Hill of North Branch; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by two brothers, Harold Kautz and Jerry Kautz.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Grace Lutheran Church in North Branch with Rev. Kristen Anderson officiating.

Robert H. Hartmann
Ret. Attorney, 66

Robert H. Hartmann, a three-year resident of Boynton Beach, Fla. former resident of Monroe, a retired self-employed attorney in Goshen, a lifelong area resident, died Saturday, July 6, 2002, in Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. He was 66 years of age.
The son of the late Adam and Johanna Clements Hartmann, he was born March 29, 1936, in New York City.
Mr. Hartmann was a member of the Knights of Immaculata, the Kiwanis Club of Monroe, a member and Eucharistic Minister at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Lantana, Fla., and a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Marine Corps.
He is survived by his wife, Anita A. Cirigliano Hartmann of Boynton Beach, Fla.; a son, Adam H. Hartmann of Florida, N.Y.; two daughters, Alice Milazzo of Bloomingburg and Donna Gennaro of Monroe; five grandchildren, Dawn Marie Arraiz, Nicholas Gennaro, Marcello Gennaro, Alexis Hartmann and Danielle Hartmann; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a brother, Adam Hartmann, and a grandson, John Michael Arraiz.
A Memorial Mass will be offered Wednesday at St. John the Evangelist Church, 71 Murray Ave., Goshen, with the Rev. Trevor Nicholls officiating.
Cremation will be made at the Cedar Hill Crematory in Middle Hope.

Esther H. Hubert
Homemaker, 87

Esther H. Hubert of Hankins, a homemaker and a lifelong area resident, died Friday, July 5, 2002, at her home. She was 87 years of age.
The daughter of the late William and Alice Wilcox Freidenstine, she was born May 8, 1915, in Fremont Center. She was the widow of Charles Hubert.
Mrs. Hubert was a member of the Fremont Center Community Church and the Hankins United Methodist Church and its Ladies Aid.
She is survived by a daughter, June Ellmauer, a son Paul and his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Hubert, and a sister, Grace Hubert, all of Youngsville; a brother, Theodore Freidenstine of Callicoon; five grandchildren, Michael and his wife Trish Ellmauer, Cindy Ellmauer, and Paula and her husband James Vooght, all of Youngsville, Susan and her husband David Munyon of Ft. Pierce, Fla., and Jill Hubert and her husband James Simon of Liberty; and five great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son-in-law, Jack Ellmauer and a brother, Lawrence Freidenstine.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the Stewart-Murphy Funeral Home in Callicoon.
Burial will be made in the Fremont Center Cemetery in Fremont Center.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Fremont Center Community Church, Fremont Center, N.Y. 12736 or to the Hankins United Methodist Church, Hankins, N.Y. 12741.

Edna Dubson
Ret. School Aide, 77

Edna Dubson of Monticello, a retired school aide at PS 193 in Queens and a longtime area resident, died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at the Seelig Division of the Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. She was 77 years of age.
The daughter of the late Nathan and Jennie Rappaport, she was born August 10, 1924, in Brooklyn.
She is survived by her husband, Sidney Dubson, at home; a son, Ira and his wife Bonny Dubson of Damascus, Pa.; a daughter, Nadine Dubson of New York; a brother, Alfred Rappaport of Brooklyn; and a step-grandson, Matthew.
Graveside services and burial were held Sunday at the Beth Moses Cemetery in Pinelawn.
Funeral arrangements were made by the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home in Monticello.

Marilyn Richardson
Homemaker

Marilyn Kontje Richardson of Monticello, a homemaker formerly of Bergen County, N.J., died Friday, July 5, 2002.
She is survived by her husband, Earl Richardson; ten children, Jean Hearld, Patricia Ekonomidis, Mary Chacon, George Churchill, John Churchill, Thomas Churchill, Cecilia Cumming, Elizabeth Tanenbaum, Kathleen Duncan, and James Hussey; 27 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and a cousin, Sharon Matthews. She was predeceased by a daughter, Eileen Hussey who died in 1970, and a granddaughter, Brittany Schauer who died in 1987.
Services were held Monday at the Vander Plaat Memorial Home in Paramus, followed by a Funeral Mass at Sacred Heart R.C. Church.
Burial was made in George Washington Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 2550 U.S. Highway #1, North Brunswick, N.J. 08902.

Kenneth Flannigan
Former Disney Emply., 48

Kenneth M. Flannigan of New Hampton, a former employee of Disney in Burbank, Calif., died Friday, July 5, 2002, in Branford, Conn. He was 48 years of age.
The son of the late Kenneth and Sophia Orzeck Flannigan, he was born June 2, 1954, in Middletown.
He is survived by three sisters, Karen DiCaprio of Bloomingburg, Sharron Quackenbush of Goshen and Katherine Petrozak of Connecticut; two nieces; three nephews; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
A Funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. John's R.C. Church in Goshen.
Burial will be made in the Wallkill Cemetery in Phillipsburg.

Margaret Snowberger
Homemaker, 59

Margaret Snowberger of Port Jervis, a lifelong area resident and a homemaker, died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. She was 59 years of age.
The daughter of John and Edna Tice Carr, she was born February 4, 1943, in Cornwall.
She is survived by two sons, Sergio Rivera Jr. of Middletown and John Snowberger of Port Jervis; a daughter, Marcelina Rivera of Middletown; four brothers, Edward Carr of Cuddebackville, Roger Carr and Thomas Carr, both of Woodridge, and Andrew Carr of Eldred; two sisters, Pat Carr and Barbara Carr, both of Middletown; five grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. at the Ralston-Lippincott-Hasbrouck-Ingrassia Funeral Home, 72 West Main St., Middletown.
Burial will be made in the Wallkill Cemetery in Phillipsburg.

Pauline Grogan, 86
Ret. Food Svc. Wkr.

Pauline "Polly" Grogan of Middletown, a lifelong area resident and a retired 42-year food service worker at Orange County Community College in Middletown, died Thursday, July 4, 2002, at the Middletown Park Manor. She was 86 years of age.
The daughter of the late Henry and Mary Befus Sherman, she was born May 7, 1916, in Edenville. She was the widow of H. Donald Grogan.
Mrs. Grogan was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Middletown and a member of the Otisville-Mt. Hope Senior Citizens.
She is survived by two sons, Daniel Grogan of Circleville and Gerald Grogan of Middletown; three sisters, Esther Radar of Warwick, Lydia Wood of Middletown and Dorothy Delillo of Bloomingburg; two brothers, Alex Sherman and Herman Sherman, both of Middletown; six grandchildren, Tim Grogan, Dave Grogan, Chris Grogan, Lauren Grogan, Amy Miller and Kara Hartley; eight great-grandchildren, John, Nicole, Hunter, Travis, Jena, George, Sierra and Brooke; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by six brothers, Henry, Conrad, John, George, Jacob and Sam, and a sister, Bertha Morse.
Services were held Monday at St. John's Lutheran Church in Middletown.
Burial was made in the Wallkill Cemetery in Phillipsburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's Lutheran Church, 72 West Main St., Middletown, N.Y. 10940.

Mae M. Somers
Ret. Secretary

Mae Mazur Somers of Haledon, N.J., a former Cochecton resident and a retired 20-year secretary of Ocean Guaranty & Insurance Co., in New York City, died Saturday, July 6, 2002, at her home.
The daughter of the late William and Mary Jurecho Mazur, she was born in Bayonne, N.J. She was the widow of Gerard Somers whom she met and married in Cochecton 66 years ago and where they lived during the early years of their marriage. He died in March of 2001.
Mrs. Somers enjoyed returning to Sullivan County to visit longtime friends including the Vollmer and Just families of Cochecton.
Mrs. Somers was a parishioner of St. Paul's R .C. Church in Prospect Park, N.J.
She is survived by three daughters, Mary Jane Somers and Geraldine Somers, both of Haledon, N.J., and Karen Somers of Asbury, N.J.; a sister, Eileen Evanitsky of Oakland, N.J.; and four generations of nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at Moore's Home for Funerals, 1591 Alps Rd., Wayne, N.J., on Tuesday from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m.
Services will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. on Wednesday at St. Paul's R.C. Church in Prospect Park, N.J., with Fr. Marc Manicini officiating.
Entombment will be made in Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, N.J.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Dominic Academy, 2572 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City, N.J. 07304; Holy Family Academy, 239 Avenue A, Bayonne, N.J. 07002 or to The Paget Foundation for Paget's Disease of Bone and Related Disorders, 120 Wall St., Suite 1602, New York, N.Y. 10005.

George Fielder Jr.,
Ret. Purchasing Mgr., 80

George B. "Bud" Fielder Jr. of Beaverkill, a retired purchasing manager with Cooper/Weiss Industries of Newark, N.J., died Friday, July 5, 2002, at the Roscoe Community Nursing Home in Roscoe. He was 80 years of age.
The son of the late George B. Sr. and Helen C. Foss Fielder, he was born December 28, 1921, in Jersey City, N.J.
Mr. Fielder was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in Panama, and was a longtime member and treasurer since 1991 of the Beaverkill United Methodist Church in Beaverkill.
In a family statement, it was said, "He will be forever in our hearts. Rest in peace, Pop."
He is survived by two sons, George D. Fielder of Prescott Valley, Ariz., and Douglas J. Fielder of Waldwick, N.J.; a daughter and son-in-law, Bonnie B. and John J. Klein of White Sulphur Springs. He was a nephew of the former Governor of New Jersey, James F. Fielder.
Friends may call at the Harris Funeral Home, Railroad Ave., Roscoe, on Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Services will be held at the Beaverkill United Methodist Church on Thursday at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Kathryn "Bebe" Loizeaux officiating.
Burial will be made in the Beaverkill Cemetery in Beaverkill.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Beaverkill United Methodist Church, c/o Harris Funeral Home, P.O. Box 8, Roscoe, N.Y. 12776, or to the Roscoe Community Nursing Home, Patients' Activity Fund, Roscoe, N.Y. 12776.

Robert C. Wheeler
Ret. AT&T Emply., 80

Robert C. Wheeler, a 20-year resident of Roscoe in the Town of Colchester and a former resident of Staten Island, died Friday, July 5, 2002, at The Kingston Hospital in Kingston. He was 80 years of age.
The son of the late Raymond C. and Molly Dillon Wheeler, he was born November 14, 1921, in Maben, W. Va.
In a family statement, it was said, "Bob was a prime member of the greatest generation." Captain of the McKee High School Basketball team which won the NYC championship, he served in Europe during World War II from Normandy to Berlin and received five battle stars and the Bronze Star. He returned to work at AT&T and pursued a career in communications including the supervising of the laying of the Trans-Atlantic Cable and cables to Bermuda and Paradise Island.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Gloria J. Madison Wheeler, at home; a son and daughter-in-law, Robert C. Jr. and Sandra Wheeler of Shrub Oak; a daughter Barbara Wheeler of Lantana, Fla.; two brothers and a sister-in-law, James and Grace Wheeler, and Douglass Wheeler, all of Roscoe; a sister, Shirley Jean Chiapperini of Staten Island; a granddaughter, Amy; two grandsons, Matthew and Michael; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Harris Funeral Home, Railroad Ave., Roscoe, on Tuesday, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Services will be held Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the funeral home with Mr. John Wall, chaplain of the American Legion, officiating.
Burial will be made in Paige Cemetery in Downsville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the James S. Moore American Legion Post # 167, Downsville, N.Y. 13755.

Helen Bradford
Homemaker, 95

Helen G. Bradford, a 71-year resident of Middletown and a homemaker, died Friday, July 5, 2002, at the Horton Medical Center in Middletown. She was 95 years of age.
The daughter of the late Benjamin and Angeline Wheeler Gerow, she was born April 8, 1907, in Liberty. She was the widow of Ellington T. Bradford who died July 7, 1990.
A graduate of Liberty High School and an alumni of Pratt Institute, Mrs. Bradford was a member of the First Congregational Church in Middletown. She had taught Sunday School at the First Congregational Church and belonged to the Women's Mayflower Guild. She was a former member of the Puritan Guild, member of the Harriet Manning Club and the Family Relation Group. She was a former member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board and was a Mercy Worker. Mrs. Bradford was also a former member of Revonah Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, in Liberty and was a former member and leader in the Orange County Home Extension Service.
She is survived by two sons, Ellington G. Bradford of Middletown and Richard A. Bradford of Payson, Ariz.; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; three brothers, William J. Gerow of Nashville, Tenn., Robert E. Gerow of Liberty and Henry L. Gerow of Winter Park, Fla.; two sisters, Marion L. Managan of Leesburg, Va., and Elsie C. Norris of Brooksville, Fla.; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Funeral services were held Monday at the Cornelius, Dodd & Connell Funeral Home in Middletown with the Rev. Charles Mangione officiating.
Interment was made in the Bloomingburg Rural Cemetery in Bloomingburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First Congregational Church, 35 East Main St., Middletown, N.Y. 10940 or to the charity of one's choice.

James Barber
Mechanic, 69

James Barber, a 13-year resident of Citra, Fla., formerly of the Keys in Florida and a mechanic for County Line R.V., died Wednesday, July 3, 2002. He was 69 years of age.
The son of the late Albert and Hazel Barber, he was born in Monticello in 1933.
He operated a gas station and machine shop for a long time in White Lake before moving to Florida.
Mr. Barber was a member of the Moose Lodge in the Keys. He enjoyed woodworking and fishing and was of the Presbyterian Faith.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Inez Barber of Citra, Fla.; a son, Randy Barber of West Palm Beach, Fla.; a daughter, Sandra Kinne of White Lake; two brothers, Harold Barber of White Lake and Edward Barber of Westover, Vt.; a sister, Irene Filosa of Miami, Fla., and White Lake; and four grandchildren. He was predeceased by a brother, Russell Barber.
Arrangements were made in Florida.

Charles ‘Toots’ Dauch
Ret. Plumber, 75

Charles "Toots the plumber" Dauch of Bethel, a retired plumber for Greisberg Plumbing and Heating in White Lake, died Sunday, July 7, 2002, at the Seelig Division of the Catskill Regional Medical Center at Harris. He was 75 years of age.
The son of the late Louis and Edna Sullivan Dauch, he was born January 8, 1927, in Eldred.
A World War II veteran of the U.S . Army, he was a member of the American Legion in Middletown and the Disabled American Veterans.
He was a member of the Monticello Elks Lodge #1544, the Bethel Lions Club, Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge #325 in Suwannee, Fla., and the Bethel Sportsman Club.
Mr. Dauch is survived by his wife of 48 years, Carol Hector Dauch, at home; a son and daughter-in-law, Randolph and Rhandye Dauch of Tampa, Fla.; a brother and sister-in-law, Kenneth and Patricia Dauch of Old Town, Fla.; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Elaine "Cookie" and Hank Bell of Mongaup Valley and Shirley and Cecil Hendrickson of Cochecton; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jerry and Katherine Hector of Bethel; a sister-in-law, Catherine Dauch of Smallwood; several aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; and many friends. He was predeceased by two brothers, Douglas Dauch and Wendell Dauch.
Friends may call at the Ramsay's Funeral Home, 3435 Route 55, Kauneonga Lake, on Wednesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday at the funeral home with the Rev. Ron Leigh officiating.
Burial will be made with full military honors at the Evergreen Cemetery, Route 17B, Bethel.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Bethel Presbyterian Church or the Bethel Volunteer Ambulance Corps, both at Bethel, N.Y. 12720.

top of page  |  home  |  archives