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Roger H. Decker
WEST WINFIELD — Roger H. Decker, 70, of West Winfield died Friday, March 19, 2004, at M.I. Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
He was born on June 5, 1933, in Edmeston, the son of Irving and Edna (Matteson) Decker.
He married Helen M. Davis on Aug. 11, 1956, in Leonardsville. She predeceased him on March 10, 2002. Roger then married Lois Davis on March 16, 2003, at Faith Chapel in Bridgewater.
Roger retired from Remington Arms in Ilion. However, he did not retire from life. He loved to travel near and far. Being entertained by going out to dinner, or attending various senior meal sites was a daily event. Roger was also an avid shopper; his prime target was the Dollar Store.
Roger is survived by his wife, Lois; his children and their spouses, Theresa and Dennis Mayne, David Decker and Darryl and Mitzi Decker; six grandchildren, Paula, Alan and Greg Mayne; Kenneth, Donald and Bradley Decker; 14 stepgrandchildren; two stepgreat-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and his extended church family.
His brother, Ernest Decker, and his sister, Bernice Brimmer, predeceased Roger.
Funeral services will be at noon Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at Faith Chapel in Bridgewater with Pastor Jerry Race officiating.
Calling hours are from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today, March 22, 2004, at the Houk-Johnston-Terry Funeral Home, Edmeston.
Interment will be in the spring at Edmeston Union Cemetery.
Contributions may be made in Roger's name to Faith Christian School, Bridgewater or the West Winfield Emergency Squad.
Arrangements by Houk-Johnston-Terry Funeral Home, Edmeston.
Goldie Jesionowski
FLY CREEK — Goldie Mae Jesionowski, 83, of Fly Creek passed away on Tuesday, March 16, 2004, at The Meadows, Cooperstown, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
She was born on May 1, 1920, in Cooperstown, the daughter of John and Jennie (Peebles) Sauer.
She was married to the late Edmund Jesionowski on March 3, 1962.
Goldie graduated from Cooperstown High School, and was employed by Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital as a secretary for many years.
Goldie enjoyed bowling with Edd in many local leagues and bowled in many Pro Am tournaments around the country.
Goldie was predeceased by her brothers and sisters, Dora, Spencer, Ira, Joe and Mary.
Survivors include two stepsons and daughter-in-law, Walter and Ingrid Jesionowski of Jacobstown, N.J., and Robert Jesionowski Sr. of Snyder; stepgrandchildren, Russ and Yvette Comisky, Eric and Karen Jesionowski, Amy Jesionowski, and Robert Jr. and Liz Jesionowski; stepgreat-grandchildren, Brandon and Madison Comisky, and Erin and Ashley Jesionowski; her brother-in-law, Cola Young; sisters-in-law, Anna Gunther and Frances Sheldon; nieces, Nancy Jane Laymon, Colaine Johnson, Ellen Eavener, Juanita Bartl and Margaret Shaul; and other relatives.
Funeral services will be at noon Saturday, May 8, 2004, at the Ottman Funeral Home, Cherry Valley. Burial will follow the service in the Lakeview Cemetery, Richfield Springs.
Calling hours will be from 10 a.m. until service time Saturday at the funeral home.
Contributions in Goldie's memory may be made to The Meadows, 140 County Highway 33 W, Cooperstown, NY 13326.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Ottman Funeral Home, Cherry Valley.
Leonard G. Eckert
WALTON — Lenny "Scrub" Eckert, a lifelong Walton resident, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, March 20, 2004, surrounded by family and friends. He was 64 years old.
He was born June 10, 1939, to Theodore and Elizabeth Gray Eckert.
He married Carole Green of Walton on April 12, 1975.
"Scrub," as he was known by many, was a well-respected member of the community.
Along with his wife, Carole, he owned and operated Walton Lanes bowling alley for many years. Prior employment included Perini Corp., H&H Contractors, Scotts Welding Machine and the Delaware County Fair as an electrician.
Lenny served in the National Guard for 12 years. He was a member of the Club Royal, the Vets Club and the American Legion Post No. 32.
He coached Legion baseball and was a "one-time" women's softball coach. He was an avid bowler, golfer, baseball player and softball player. Hunting and salmon fishing were also favorites.
Mr. Eckert is survived by his wife, Carole, at home; two children, Tonya and Ted Eckert, both of Walton; two children from a previous marriage, Mark Eckert and Tina Stanton and husband, Randy, also of Walton; nine grandchildren, Chad and wife Anna, Christopher and Cody Conway, Garret and wife Beth, Kyle, Brett, Chasity and Tanner Eckert and Kalei Olsen; two great-grandchildren, Anthony Conway and Kyla Schriver; a brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Trudy Eckert of Oneonta; two sisters, Arlene Utter of Hamden, and Sandra Johnson of Delhi; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He was predeceased by his parents; and two sisters, Jane Utter and Thelma Hammond.
He will be missed by all who knew him.
Funeral services will be Tuesday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at the Riverside Alliance Church, Walton, followed by burial in Walton Cemetery.
Calling hours were from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 22, at the Lyon Bros.-Way Funeral Home in Walton.
Paul D. McWherter
CHESTERFIELD, Mass. — Paul D. McWherter, 54, of Chesterfield died suddenly on March 18, 2004.
Born April 3, 1949, in Sidney, he was the son of Millard and Lillian (Mudge) McWherter. Paul grew up in Franklin, attending local schools and graduating from NYS University at Delhi.
He served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam stationed in Guam as a radio operator. He moved to Chesterfield in 1981. Paul was a self-employed computer consultant for D&P Computer Solutions, Inc.
He loved his family, his home, baseball, basketball and animals.
He leaves his wife, Meg McWherter; two daughters, Erin Doucas (and her husband Chris) of Cooperstown, and Amy McWherter at home; one son, Kyle McWherter at home; one brother, David McWherter of Sidney; one grandson, Logan Doucas; and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at the Chesterfield Congregational Church at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the McWherter Children's Education Fund, care of Florence Savings Bank, 85 Main St., Florence, MA 01062.
Pease and Gay Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.
Charles E. Walton
BEDFORD, Texas — Charles Edward "Chuck" Walton Jr., 72, passed away Friday, March 12, 2004, in Bedford, Texas.
Chuck was born Dec. 16, 1931, in Morris, son of Charles E. Walton and Annabel (Freeman) Walton.
He was retired from the US Air Force and AT&T. In later years he was devoted to his volunteer work at the Harris Fitness Center in Bedford. These loving friends were with him until the end of his life.
Chuck was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Ann Walton; his father and mother, Charles and Annabel Walton; two sisters, Gertrude Holdredge and Violet Young; three brothers-in-law, William A Daniels, John Holdredge and James Musson.
Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Armstrong Walton, Hurst, Texas; son, Jay Walton and wife Gina, Terrell, Texas; daughter, Kim Walton of Colleyville, Texas; stepsons, Don and Toy Armstrong, Hurst; five grandchildren; brother, Richard and wife Betty Walton, Gilbertsville; sisters, Mary Musson, Wisconsin, Imogene and husband Kenneth Hover, Bainbridge; brother-in-law, Ernest Young, California; many nieces and nephews; and friends numbered by everyone who knew this sweet man.
Funeral services were held at 3 p.m. Monday, March 15, at Bluebonet Hills Memorial Chapel, Colleyville, Texas. Burial was held in Bluebonet Hills Memorial Park, Texas.
Helen E. Bowen
ORISKANY — A memorial service to celebrate the life of Helen E. Bowen, 96, formerly of Walnut Street in Cooperstown, who died on March 4, 2004, at the Eastern Star Home in Oriskany, will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, 2004, at the Cooperstown United Methodist Church.
A luncheon will follow in Fellowship Hall at the church.
Burial will take place at a later date in Westville Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Delphine S. Hitt
WALTON — Delphine S. Hitt of Walton died on Sunday, March 21, 2004, at Robinson Terrace in Stamford. She was 93.
Mrs. Hitt was born in Franklin on March 17, 1911, to Claude L. and Pearl Benedict Stoutenberg. Her father was a harness maker and carpenter.
She attended the Treadwell School. On March 30, 1929, she married William H. Hitt in New Milford, Pa. He predeceased her in June of 1968.
Mrs. Hitt worked for John MacNaughton for a short while. She was a housewife most of her life.
She was a very loving mother and grandmother, never complained and was always supportive. She loved to cook, bake and travel. She made many trips to Alaska to visit her daughter, Delphine Jaynes, and family. She also made many trips to Jamestown to visit family.
Mrs. Hitt is survived by her children, Victor and Doris Hitt of Bainbridge, Stacia and Louis Wood of Walton, Mary Lou Tomao of Walton, Delphine and Robert Jaynes of Valdez, Alaska; daughter-in-law, Vivian Miller of Walton; sister-in-law, Vivian Colteryahn of Ohio; brothers-in-law, Lester Stewart and wife Janet, and Raymond Stewart and wife Rosemary, both of Bovina Center. She is also survived by a special niece, Emiline Pavolonis of Binghamton; 33 grandchildren; 75 great-grandchildren; and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Family members who died earlier include her husband; her brother, Charles Stoutenberg of Hancock; her sons, Theodore, Donald and Meltheor; her granddaughter, Barbara Hitt; and grandson, John A. Tomao.
A graveside service will be at the Andes Cemetery later in the spring.
Donations in her name to Catskill Area Hospice Hope Foundation, 542 Main St., Oneonta, NY 13820-2084 would be appreciated.
Arrangements by Lyon Bros.-Way, Inc. Funeral Home, Walton.
Gladys G. Ward
FRANKLIN — Gladys G. Ward, 85, most recently of Johnson City and formerly of Franklin, passed away on Tuesday, March 23, 2004, at the James G. Johnston Memorial Nursing Home.
She was born April 12, 1918, in Jersey City, N.J., the daughter of George and Maude (Byrnes) Stockhammer.
She married Edward A. Ward on April 5, 1941, in Rutherford, N.J. He passed away on Jan. 27, 2003.
Gladys was a member of the Franklin Community Bible Church and a former member of the Order of the Eastern Star.
She is survived by her children and their spouses, Judy Cronk of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Walton, Barbara and Raymond Weed of Schuylerville, and Gail and Arch Welter of Johnson City; 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by a son-in-law, Howard D. Cronk; and a sister, Doris Pringle.
Friends may call from noon until service time. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2004, at 2 p.m. in the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, 425 Main St., Franklin, with the Rev. Walter Schlundt, pastor of her church, officiating.
Burial will be at a later date in the Ouleout Valley Cemetery, Franklin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the James G. Johnston Campus, 286 Deyo Hill Road, Johnson City, NY 13790.
Arrangements are by the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, Franklin.
Dean P. Robertson
RICHFIELD SPRINGS — Dean P. Robertson, 40, of County Highway 25A, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday morning, March 23, 2004, as a result of an accident at the Hanson Aggregate in Jordanville.
He was born on May 18, 1963, in Cooperstown, son of Mortimer and Rowena Smith Robertson.
Dean was a lifelong resident of Richfield Springs and graduated from Richfield Springs High School with the "Class of 1982."
An honorably discharged United States Army veteran, he served from 1982 until 1986.
On Dec. 17, 1983, he married the former Monica Bobnik in Saint Joseph's Church, Richfield Springs.
After leaving military service, he worked for a year and a half for Ron Douglas. He then went to work for Hanson Aggregates New York Inc., where he has been employed for the last 18 years and held the position of superintendent.
He was a member of the Church of Christ Uniting, Richfield Springs, the Richfield Springs Lions Club, the Canadrago Snow Toppers and the Sons of the American Legion, Richfield Springs.
He had a strong love for the outdoors and nature. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating and snowmobiling.
To all that knew Dean they will remember his warm smile and friendly manner. He was a friend to many and will never be forgotten.
He is survived by his loving wife of 20 years, Monica; two sons, Jacob and Jeremy Robertson; his parents, Mortimer and Rowena Robertson; and maternal grandmother, Hazel Smith, all of Richfield Springs; three brothers, David and his wife, Lorraine Robertson, of Richfield Springs, Dale Robertson of Jordanville, and Daniel Robertson of Cooperstown; one sister, Carol and her husband, Chet Ainslie, of Richfield Springs; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and one grandniece; his mother- and father-in-law, Richard and Janet Bobnik of Richfield Springs; two brothers- and sisters-in-law, Mike and Wendy Bobnik of Schaumburg, Ill., and Kevin and Lisa Bobnik of Richfield Springs.
The family will be present to receive relatives and friends in J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home, 40 West James St., Richfield Springs on Friday from 5 until 9 p.m.
Funeral service will be on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in the Church of Christ Uniting, Richfield Springs, with the Rev. William Harkins, pastor officiating.
Dean will be laid to rest in Lakeview Cemetery later this spring.
Expressions of sympathy may be made with donations to the Jacob and Jeremy Robertson Scholarship Fund. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
Richard A. Goss
EDGEWATER, Fla. — Richard A. "Dick" Goss, 71, of Travelers Drive, Edgewater, a truck driver who retired from Chemical Tank Lines in the Albany area, died Sunday, March 21, 2004, at Halifax Center, Daytona Beach.
An Army veteran of the Korean War, he was born Sept. 23, 1932, in Stamford and moved to Florida in 1993 from Howes Cave.
He attended Edgewater United Methodist Church and was a member of the Dolphin Club, American Legion Post 285, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3282, Port Orange, and Elks Lodge 2040, Cobleskill.
Most of his days were spent fishing on the river with his buddies, sipping a cold beer and telling jokes, or watching his "cowboy" movies. He had an infectious laugh and a lust for life.
Survivors include his loving wife of 38 years, Gloria; a son, Charles and daughter-in-law, Linda, of Stamford; daughter, Deborah and son-in-law, Jeff, and grandson, Jesse Baumann of Boynton Beach, Fla., and daughter, Bonnie and son-in-law, Fran Colone, of Oneonta; a brother, Bill of Rome; a sister, Beverly Cooper; and many loving nieces and nephews.
A veterans memorial service will be held at Veterans Park, Edgewater, at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to American Legion Post 285, 2102 S. Ridgewood Ave., Suite A, Edgewater, FL 32141, or the American Heart Association, 555 W. Granada Blvd., Suite A1, Ormond Beach FL 32174.
Celeste Fowler
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Celeste lived life to the fullest. "Awesome!" is how her current advisor at MIT/Woods Hole describes her. He's not the first to use that word about her. She was talented, brilliant, modest, kind, generous, courageous, a great friend who had great friends.
During her final illness, she averaged half a dozen visitors a day (some days there were too many to count) from as far away as California, Canada and England. People would hear of her cancer, drop everything and hop on the next plane to spend even a few minutes with her.
An international conference call gathered participants from as far apart as Silicon Valley and Israel, and included people from rival computer companies ATI and NVidea in the same room, "something only Celeste could accomplish," noted one of her friends fondly.
She was deluged with cards, flowers and gifts, which touched her immensely, though it also embarrassed her slightly.
Celeste was born at 6:44 p.m. on Dec. 4, 1971, at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. She went through St. Mary's School, Oneonta, where she took part in a variety of activities. While there she was a member of several Odyssey of the Mind teams, one of which went to the state championships. She was an enthusiastic participant in the Healthy Hero program, which raised money for health education in Oneonta schools. She swam at the Oneonta YMCA and went to the Y's summer camp program as well.
In 1983, she and her partner, Amy Hawkins, took part in the girls' youth canoe race of the General Clinton Canoe Regatta and won. In 1984 and 1985, when the girls' races were eliminated, they raced against the boys and beat them.
She spent six summers on Squam Lake at Singing Eagle Lodge, the same camp her mother attended for 12 years, forming lifelong friendships of her own, and continuing and enhancing her mother's.
From St. Mary's, Celeste went on to Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., graduating in 1990. The summer following her freshman year she spent five weeks in France, living with a farm family in Brittany, for a month, and then savoring the treasures of Paris. It was probably here that her love of travel was kindled. She also was active in the theater program and sports at Berkshire, including cross country skiing, field hockey, lacrosse and track and field events. She received many honors upon graduation.
She completed her bachelor's degree at Princeton University in three academic years, thanks to her success in advanced placement courses at Berkshire School. However, she graduated with her original class, in 1994, by taking a year off to work at the Geometry Center at the University of Minnesota doing computer graphics programming. During that year, while still an undergraduate at Princeton, she was honored to deliver at the SIGGraph computer industry conference a paper she had co-written. Some of her work for the Geometry Center can be seen at https://www.geom.uiuc.edu/docs/forum/sos/.
Earlier, after her freshman year at Princeton, she spent a summer as an intern at Microsoft, even though it had been announced that "freshmen need not apply."
While at Princeton she received her certification in SCUBA diving, which became a lifelong passion.
After graduating from Princeton with a Cum Laude degree in computer science, ("much to the surprise of some of my professors," she said) Celeste revisited Europe, then migrated west to work for Silicon Graphics computer systems (SGI) as a senior software engineer where, her friends have told us, she became highly respected within SGI and the computer industry for her creativity and skills as a programmer. Her travels for SGI included trips within the United States as well as to Spain and South America.
While living in the Silicon Valley area she indulged her adventuresome spirit, SCUBA diving in the lush Monterey Bay area, and traveling to dive in Hawaii, Fiji and the Gulf of Mexico. She also enjoyed skiing, roller blading and playing ice hockey. She tried sky diving, and generally led an active and athletic lifestyle. She traveled to Africa, visiting Egypt, SCUBA diving in the Red Sea, and touring Tanzania.
After leaving SGI in 1999, Celeste volunteered her computer graphic skills to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she worked with Jules Jaffe researching copepod behavior, and took part in a field expedition to the Bahamas. Her graphic animations of copepods can be seen on the web at "https://jaffeweb.ucsd.edu/pages/celeste/copepods.html."
In 2000, Celeste joined AvantGo as a senior software engineer and a manager. A year or so later, after running in the 26 mile Honolulu Marathon, the grind of Silicon Valley, combined with the collapse of the computer economy, led her to leave that job and relocate to Kona, Hawaii.
In Kona she pursued her passion for SCUBA diving and photography, diving as many as four days a week or more, while also working for SeaPics.com, a stock photo company that offers some of her photographs on its website, "https://www.seapics.com," enough of which sold to make her ineligible for amateur photo contests. She had an NOAA research diving certification and worked with underwater photographer Doug Perrine.
Off the shores of Hawaii she dove regularly in the company of sharks, dolphins and whales. She had a deep and abiding respect for and love of the ocean, and the earth, campaigning tirelessly for the conservation of oceanic and terrestrial resources. She chronicled her diving adventures at "https://celestefowler.blogspot.com/" and "https://www.celestefowler.com/DiveLog/."
In 2003, she applied for and was accepted into the MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution joint program as an MIT Presidential Fellow and Ph.D. candidate, beginning in June 2003.
In her short time there she worked on a variety of projects, including CT scans of coral with Anne Cohen in the Geology and Geophysics Department (her illness prevented her from delivering a paper on the project in Hawaii) and imaging and robotics research at the Deep Submergence Laboratory in the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department. Shortly after her death it was learned Celeste had won a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for 2004.
Celeste had an irrepressible sense of humor. When her metastatic melanoma was diagnosed only eight weeks before her death, she quipped "Well, at least they won't think I'm a hypochondriac!" After Celeste had survived a particularly grueling round of chemotherapy someone cautiously sticking his head in her door was greeted with Mark Twain's line, "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated."
Finally her valiant heart did give out, a little after 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 21, in the wonderful, caring Inpatient Unit of MIT Medical Services. With her were her parents, Dennis and Peggy Fowler of Otego, and good friends from her high school years and Silicon Valley.
She is survived by her parents; various aunts and uncles; and cousins; her beloved cat, Flipper; and many, many friends all over the world who all miss her intensely.
There will be no memorial service in the Oneonta area. Memorial services will be held at Woods Hole, Mass., on April 3, at 2 p.m., and on either April 17 or April 18, in Monterey, Calif.
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made in her name to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Splash Zone, a special exhibit to introduce children to ocean life. Please send checks to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Commemorative Giving Program, care of Development Office, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940-1085, and mark them "In Memory of Celeste Fowler." To our knowledge, this was the only cause to which Celeste personally contributed heavily, so we feel certain this would meet with her approval.
