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Marcus C. Fancher
HOWES CAVE — Marcus C. Fancher, 66, formerly of Howes Cave, died Sunday, April 27, 2003, at the Palatine Nursing Home in Palatine Bridge, where he had been a resident the past few years.
Mr. Fancher was born Dec. 8, 1936, in Summit, the son of the late Albro and Genevieve (Myers) Fancher.
He was a lifelong area resident, and had been a dairy farmer at the Fancher Brothers' Farm in Howes Cave.
He graduated from the former Richmondville Central School.
Mr. Fancher was a member of the United Methodist Church in Richmondville.
Along with his parents, he was predeceased by a sister, Mabel Fancher Hyde; and two brothers, Glenn and Walter Fancher.
Survivors include two sisters, Florence Warner of Oneonta and Allegra Butler of Tribes Hill; one brother, Arnold Fancher of Howes Cave: and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 30, at the Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, 171 Elm St., Cobleskill, with the Rev. Marvin Batcher of the Richmondville United Methodist Church officiating. Friends may call at the funeral home from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. prior to the service on Wednesday.
Burial will be in Summit Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Central Bridge Volunteer Rescue Squad, Central Bridge, N.Y. 12035.
Ruth L. Abrams
CHERRY VALLEY — Mrs. Ruth L. Abrams, 75, passed away Thursday, April 24, 2003, in Trenton, N.J.
She was born Jan. 19, 1928 in Lambertville, N.J., the daughter of Thomas and Ella (Thorne) Larison.
On Sept. 3, 1949, she married H. Vincent Abrams in Lambertville, N.J. He survives.
Ruth was co-owner, with her husband, of Fact and Fiction Book Store in Cherry Valley, from 1985 until 1996.
Survivors besides her husband, H. Vincent Abrams, of Cherry Valley, include two daughters, Patricia Wingate and Bonnie DeVictoria; and four grandchildren, Tara, Austin, Travis and Vincent; a brother, Robert Larison; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Public calling hours will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2003, at the Ottman Funeral Home in Cherry Valley.
Funeral services will be private at the convenience of the family.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Ottman Funeral Home in Cherry Valley.
Yolande F. Rathbun
COOPERSTOWN — Mrs. Yolande F. Rathbun, 82, of Cooperstown passed away on April 24, 2003, at her home.
She was born on June 27, 1920, in New Haven, Conn., the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Flowers. Yolande had a brother, Roy, and a sister, Ruth, both having predeceased her.
Yolande's family moved to Larchmont, when she was 3 years old. She graduated from the Mamaroneck High School in 1937, and from Mansfield State Teachers College (Mansfield University) in 1941, with a B.S. degree in Home Economics.
In the fall of 1941, she began teaching Home Economics in Union Springs where she met her husband, Leon Rathbun, who was teaching Industrial Arts. They were married on Oct. 14, 1943, during World War II. Yolande taught elementary school for many years in Cornwall and Newburgh after their children entered school.
She is survived by her husband; a daughter and two sons, Shirley R. Waterfield and her husband, Paul, of Saratoga Springs, and James W. Rathbun and his wife, Nancy, of Montgomery, and Mark F. Rathbun and his wife, Dianne, of Cooperstown; six grandchildren, Holly Waterfield Dalton of New York City, Matt Waterfield of Saratoga Springs, Kristen Rathbun, MD, of Sacramento, Calif., Adam Rathbun of Baltimore, and Liza and John Rathbun of Cooperstown.
Mrs. Rathbun was very active in the D.A.R. most of her life, serving as Regent of the Cooperstown chapter on two occasions. For many years she enjoyed volunteering at the MIB Hospital.
A memorial service will held at the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, at 11 a.m. on May 24, 2003.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either Catskill Area Hospice Inc., 542 Main St., Oneonta or First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, 5446 U.S. Highway 20, East Springfield.
Funeral arrangements are by Tillapaugh Funeral Services of Cooperstown.
Ruth D. Yale
UNADILLA — Committal services for Ruth D. Yale, who passed away Feb. 5, 2003, will be held 1 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2003, in Evergreen Hill Cemetery, Unadilla.
Arrangements are by the Westcott Funeral Home Inc., 123 Main St., Unadilla, under the direction of James S. Westcott and James C. Magee.
Shawn C. Oles-Furgason
CHELTENHAM, Md. — Shawn C. Oles-Furgason, 33, of Cheltenham, Md., and formerly of Bainbridge, N.Y., died unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 22, 2003, at his home.
He was born Aug. 9, 1969, son of James Oles and Gail Jenkins in Walton, N.Y. Shawn graduated from Bainbridge-Guilford High School in New York. After graduation he moved to Maryland, where he lived for the last 13 years.
Shawn was employed as a consultant for Exxon-Mobil, and he enjoyed movies, board games and bike riding.
He is survived by his father, James and Diane Oles, Walton; his mother, Gail Furgason and Sam Amatuccio, Unadilla, N.Y.; paternal grandfather, Robert Oles, Delhi, N.Y.; stepfather, Bucky and Linda Furgason, Bainbridge; stepbrother, Chad Furgason and Val Barnard, Guilford, N.Y., stepbrother, Sean Kiefer, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; half-brother, Todd Oles, Walton; stepsister, Kim Furgason and her fiance, Ken Clinton, Unadilla; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Friends may call from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, 21 Main St., Sidney, N.Y. 13838.
Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2003, at the funeral chapel. Burial will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Sidney.
Mary Rose Murdock
COOPERSTOWN — Mrs. Mary Rose Murdock, 56, of Cooperstown, died Monday afternoon, April 28, 2003, at her home.
She was born on March 1, 1947, in Cooperstown, a daughter of Angelo and Paulette (Bonnet) Pugliese.
She married William H. Murdock on Oct. 26, 1968, at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown.
Mary was raised in Cooperstown and graduated from Cooperstown Central School in the Class of 1965. She then attended St. Peter's School of Nursing in Albany, graduating in 1968.
For the next 20 years Mary was employed as a registered nurse at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. For the past 15 years, until the time of her death, Mary has worked in the Special Education Department at Cooperstown Central School, where she has touched the lives of many children.
She was a member and communicant of St. Mary's Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Cooperstown. Mary especially enjoyed her home and her family, collecting porcelain dolls, quilting and her flower gardens.
Mary is survived by her husband of 34 years, William H. Murdock, of Cooperstown; her mother, Paula Pugliese of Cooperstown; three sons and two daughters-in-law, Todd and Melinda Murdock and Scott and Mary Beth Murdock, all of Hartwick, and Brent J. Murdock of Cooperstown; two granddaughters, Sumer and Mya Murdock; a sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Bill Dorsman of Guilderland; a brother and sister-in-law, Ralph A. and Susan Pugliese of Detroit, Mich.; her mother and father-in-law, Henry C. and Eva Murdock of Hartwick; one sister-in-law and her husband, Nadine and Leon Randall of Brooksville, Fla.; one brother-in-law and his wife, Robert and Eileen Murdock of Hartwick; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by her father, Angelo Pugliese, on Feb. 10, 2001.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2003 at St. Mary's Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Cooperstown, with Fr. John R. Roos, Pastor Emeritus, officiating.
Burial will take place at a later date, at the convenience of the family.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2003, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown, when Mary's family will be in attendance.
Expressions of sympathy, in the form of memorial gifts, may be made to the American Cancer Society, 31 Adams Ave., Endicott, NY 13760 or the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 2680, North Canton, Ohio 44720.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Elizabeth Kelley Cosman
RIDGELEY, W. Va. — Elizabeth Kelley Cosman, 91, passed away on Monday, March 3, 2003, in Dawn View Nursing Center, Fort Ashby, W. Va.
She was born on Nov. 9, 1911, in Hambleton, W. Va., a daughter of the late J.B. and Mabel Brown Ambrose.
In 1932 she married Willard Kelley in Hendricks, W. Va. He passed away in 1970. She married Edward W. Cosman in Comberline, Md., in 1980. He predeceased her in 1990. Elizabeth and her first husband moved to Schuyler Lake in the 1950s.
Known as the "Store Lady," she owned the Kelley's Corner Grocery Store in Schuyler Lake from 1955 until 1975.
She was a member of the Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church.
Surviving are two daughters, Loretta Lantz of Woodstock, Va., and Kay Gardner of Liverpool, N.Y.; one brother, William Ambrose of Parson, W. Va.; two sisters, Mildred Allender and Marjorie Pownall, both of Ridgeley, W. Va.; five grandchildren; one stepgrandchild; and five great-grandchildren.
Besides her parents and two husbands, she was preceded in death by a daughter, Sue Simonson on Feb. 26, 1974; a brother, James Ambrose; and a sister, Hazel Mater.
The family will be present in J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home, 40 West James St., Richfield Springs, on Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church, with the Reverends Tom Blank and Leonard Owens officiating.
Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family.
Memorial donations may be made to Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
Herman D. Woodbeck
CHERRY VALLEY — Mr. Herman Donald Woodbeck, 60, of Cherry Valley, passed away at his home on April 26, 2003, after a short illness.
He was born March 25, 1943, in Worcester, the son of Howard and Lillian (Thompkins) Woodbeck.
On March 21, 1965, he married Diane Trauax in Ilion. She survives.
He attended Cooperstown High School and was a U.S. Army veteran serving in Germany. He was an auto mechanic with Shipway and Son Garage, Cherry Valley, Odberts in Cooperstown, and started Woodbeck's Garage after leaving Odberts until the present.
Survivors besides his wife, Diane Woodbeck, of Cherry Valley; include two sons and their wives, Herman and Debra Woodbeck of Owego, and Travis and Kathy Woodbeck of Fort Plain; a granddaughter, Kassandra; five brothers, Carlton and his wife, Cathy Woodbeck of Hartwick, Leland Woodbeck of Hartwick, Raymond Woodbeck and his wife, Lenora of Hartwick, Alton Woodbeck and his wife, Pam of Herkimer, and Herbert Woodbeck and his wife, Jo of Catskill; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was predeceased by a brother, Howard, and a grandson, Josuha.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2003, at the Assembly of God Church, Cherry Valley at 11 a.m., with the Rev. Rick Yerdon officiating. Burial will follow in the Springfield Center Cemetery, Springfield Center.
Contributions in Mr. Woodbeck's memory may be made to the Albany VA Hospital memorial program, Albany, N.Y. or the Catskill Area Hospice, Oneonta, N.Y.
Arrangements were entrusted to the Ottman Funeral Home, Cherry Valley.
Gilbert E. McCarthy
OTEGO — Gilbert E. McCarthy, 71, of Otego, died March 18, 2003, at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta.
He was born June 27, 1931, in Brooklyn, to George and Margaret Pfiffer McCarthy. He grew up in Baldwin, living also in Queens Village, and Hicksville.
He worked for the E. Tostman & Co. of New York for three years. In 1953 he entered the U.S. Army and served overseas for one and a half years during the Korean Conflict. Gilbert worked as an agent for the Long Island Railroad for over 20 years before retiring in 1978.
He moved to the Otego area in 1985. Gilbert had a great passion for the railroad and transportation systems in the United States and could tell you where each railroad ran and the best highways to travel to any major location in the U.S. He was an avid reader and loved gardening, the outdoors and animals. He kept a dog, Dart, for a loyal companion; his last dog, Sam, had been adopted from a shelter.
Gilbert is survived by many loving cousins and true friends.
Although he was a very private person, his kind and gentle personality will be missed by those who were fortunate to know him.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 1, 2003, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Oneonta, with calling hours from 9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. at Bookhout Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oneonta.
Interment will follow in Evergreen Hills Cemetery, Unadilla.
Memorial donations may be made in Gilbert's honor to Fox Care Cancer Center, 1 Fox Care Dr., Oneonta, NY 13820 or to St. Mary's Church, 39 Walnut St., Oneonta, NY 13820 or to Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society, P.O. Box 681, Oneonta, NY 13820.
Arrangements are by Bookhout Funeral Home, Oneonta.
Katherine K. Striesse
HARTWICK — Mrs. Katherine K. "Oma" Striesse, 95, of Hartwick, died early Sunday morning, April 27, 2003, at her home.
She was born on Jan. 16, 1908, in Langenstein, Germany, a daughter of Conrad and Elizabeth Klein.
She married August Striesse on Oct. 21, 1933, in Huntington Station on Long Island. Mr. Striesse died on Sept. 18, 1964.
Raised and educated in Germany, Katherine immigrated to the United States in 1927.
Following her marriage, she was very involved, with her husband, in the operation of their dairy farm. She had been employed for many years as a nurse's aide at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, and was very well known for her expertise in making slipcovers and draperies. Most recently she had enjoyed helping her granddaughter-in-law with her floral business, Changing Seasons Nursery, in Hartwick.
She was of the Lutheran faith.
Oma is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Frederick A. and Beverly Striesse of Jupiter, Fla.; four grandchildren, Frederick R. (Rusty) Striesse and his wife, Marian of Hartwick, Ted DiCludio of Jupiter, Fla., Susie Hershbergur of Estill Springs, Tenn., and Robert Striesse of Charlotte, N.C.; five great-grandchildren, Shandyn and Devon DiCludio, Abra Striesse and Cory and Tommy Hershbergur; one sister and one brother, both of Germany; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A graveside memorial and burial service will be held later this summer at the Hartwick Cemetery. A notice of the date and time will placed in The Daily Star.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Edith M. Welsh
ONEONTA — Edith M. Welsh, 86, formerly of Bloomville, and most recently of Delhi, passed away on Sunday, April 27, 2003, at the Countryside Care Center in Delhi.
She was born June 22, 1916, in Sidney, the daughter of Jay W. and Florence (Myers) Cole.
She married Michael Griffin Welsh Jr. on March 25, 1947, in Otego. He predeceased her on March 21, 1956.
Edith was a member of the Senior Citizens of Bloomville and a past member of the Otego Baptist Church.
She is survived by her daughter, Shirley Boughton of Oneonta; and several nieces and nephews.
Her brother, George Cole; and three sisters, Serena Wilber, Miss Marion Cole, and Mrs. Leonard (Doris) LaMartina predeceased her; a longtime friend and companion, Harold H. Hitt of Bloomville, also predeceased Edith.
At Edith's request there will be no public calling hours.
A graveside memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2003, at 11 a.m. in the Oneonta Plains Cemetery, with the Rev. Joseph Bokel, chaplain of the Countryside Care Center, officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Edith's memory to the American Cancer Society, 101 John J. Audubon Parkway, Amherst, NY 14228-1198.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Bookhout Funeral Home of Oneonta.
Robert D. Sutphen
COBLESKILL — Robert D. Sutphen, 73, of Elm Street, died Friday, April 18, 2003, at Bayonett Point Regional Medical Center in Hudson, Fla.
He was born March 1, 1930, in Tuckerton, N.J., and was the son of Frank and Louise (Rollins) Sutphen.
Robert was raised on Long Island and was a graduate of Malverne High School. He moved to Schoharie County in 1956. He was a former Little League coach in Schoharie, a member of the Schoharie County Pistol League, the Cobleskill Golf and Country Club, the Lawyersville Reformed Church where he served as Deacon of Consistory.
Robert loved boating, fishing and woodcarving.
He was employed by New York Telephone and retired in 1984, as a technician and previously was a Union Shop Steward.
Robert is survived by his wife, Barbara, whom he married on July 8, 1966; two daughters, Susan Vogt of Schenectady and Jennifer Sutphen of Cobleskill; three sons, Robert Paul Sutphen of Glens Falls, Timothy Sutphen of Averill Park and Matthew Sutphen of Malta; 11 grandsons; and one granddaughter.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 3, 2003, at 1 p.m. at the Lawyersville Reformed Church, State Route 145, Lawyersville, with the Rev. Gretel Van Wieren officiating. Burial will follow at Cobleskill Rural Cemetery.
There will be no calling hours.
At the families request, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 440 New Karner Road, Albany, NY 12205-3890 or the Lawyersville Reformed Church, State Route 145, Cobleskill, NY 12043.
