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William H. Phelps
LAKE WORTH, Fla. — William H. Phelps died on Jan. 28, 2001, in Lake Worth, Fla.
Born in Sidney, N.Y., on Oct. 8, 1901, the son of Charles H. and Florence Hastings Phelps, he graduated from Sidney High School in 1919.
In September he entered Albany Law School and graduated in June 1922. After serving his clerkship and passing the New York State Bar he was admitted to practice law in September 1923. He first practiced law in Sullivan County and opened his own office in Sidney in 1927.
He married Elizabeth A. Clayton, who survives, daughter of William and Hattie Thomas Clayton, on June 1, 1929, at All Saint's Cathedral in Albany, N.Y.
In his early days of practicing law he served as a special attorney for Delaware County, representing the New York State Attorney General's Office. For several years he was Delaware County Probation Officer. For 44 years he was attorney for the Sidney Central School District. He was a member of the Delaware County, New York State and American Bar associations.
Bill was also active in his community in other ways. A charter member of the Sidney Rotary Club, he served as president, vice president, secretary and director. He was District Governor of Rotary International in 1946-47, representing District 172, and organized 12 new Rotary Clubs during his administration. The following year he served as a member of the International Extension Committee of Rotary. He had 48 years of perfect attendance in Rotary.
Bill served 10 years as President of the Sidney Board of Education, during which time the school district was centralized. He also served as president, secretary and director of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce and was honored by the Chamber in 1974 for more than 50 years of service to his profession and his community. He was elected an honorary member of the Chamber in 1980.
Other activities included Life Member and 4th Degree member of the Norwich Assembly of Knights of Columbus. He was a charter member of Sidney Lodge No. 2175 B.P.O.E. Elks and Past Exalted Ruler. He was a member of the Guild of Catholic Lawyers of Palm Beach County, Inc.
After practicing law for 65 years, at the age of 86 he retired and he and Betty moved to Florida. At the time of his retirement he practiced law in association with Carl Griffith and Paul Eaton Jr.
The thing that Bill was the proudest of was that he had given life to so many others through the 8 1/2 gallons of blood that he donated. He celebrated his 91st birthday by donating blood for the 70th time. At that time he was the oldest blood donor in the State of Florida.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001, at St. Luke's Catholic Church in Lake Worth, with burial in Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery, West Palm Beach.
Mary G. Roberts
COOPERSTOWN — Mrs. Mary G. Roberts, 88, of Cooperstown, died Tuesday night, Jan. 30, 2001, at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
She was born on Jan. 31, 1912, in Ralphton, Pa., a daughter of Frank C. and Sophie (Yuran) Gorence.
She married Roy F. ("Hooch") Roberts on Aug. 23, 1933, in Albany. "Hooch" died on April 3, 1986.
Mary was raised and educated in Pennsylvania, and moved to Cooperstown at the age of 20.
She was first employed at Root's Hardware Store on Main Street, then at Ray Kniskern's Appliance Store and later by Dr. and Mrs. McKeever. She then came under the employ of Mrs. F. Ambrose Clark, serving as the head housekeeper for 26 years, retiring in August 1982.
An avid bingo player, Mary was also a die-hard New York Mets fan.
Mary is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Betty A. Bell of Cooperstown; one son, Roy F. ("Hooch") Roberts Jr. and his wife, Charlotte, of Red Hook; four grandchildren, Geoffrey M. Bell of Cooperstown, Wendy L. Clark of Stamford, Conn., R. Frank Roberts III of Pine Plains and Kirk Roberts of Red Hook; eight great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; seven sisters, Mrs. Sophie Gus, Mrs. Agnes Van Dyke, Mrs. Gladys Davidson and Mrs. Carolyn Schemm, all of Cooperstown, Mrs. Ann M. Sugarick and Mrs. Louise Kubis, both of Schenevus, and Mrs. Jenny Calhoun of Nampa, Ind.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by one daughter, Pauline Alt; one grandson, Steven Roberts; one sister, Mrs. Alice Ann Gurley; and two brothers, Charles and Frank Gorence.
Friends may call at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown on Friday afternoon, Feb. 2, 2001, from 1 to 3, when Mary's family will be in attendance.
A funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 2, 2001, at the funeral home, with Fr. John Rosson, pastor of St. Mary's Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Cooperstown, officiating. Burial will take place in the spring of 2001 at Fly Creek Valley Cemetery.
Immediately following the funeral service on Friday afternoon, all attending are invited to join Mary's family for a time of food and fellowship at the Cooperstown Vet's Club.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy in the form of memorial gifts may be made to Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc., 542 Main St., Oneonta, N.Y. 13820, or the Cooperstown Emergency Squad, P.O. Box 322, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Kendall Durfey
PERKINS, Okla. — Kendall Carlton Durfey of Perkins, Okla., died Saturday, Jan. 27, 2001, at the age of 38.
Kendall was born on Aug. 1, 1962, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to Thomas Durfey and Ellen (Nelson) Durfey. His family moved from New York to Oklahoma when he was 15.
Kendall attended and graduated from Coweta High School in Coweta, Okla. Upon graduation he attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, where he was conferred a Bachelor of Communication Arts degree in 1984. Mr. Durfey later received a Master's degree in Mass Communications from Oklahoma State University.
He spent his life with a love and dedication to his career as a TV and radio engineer.
On June 13, 1998, he married Patricia Durfey in Perkins, Okla. They have one daughter, Ashlee Durfey (11).
Kendall and his family enjoyed camping, the outdoors, the mountains and four-wheeling in Colorado.
Kendall is preceded in death by his father, who passed away in 1988.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter, Ashlee, both of the home; and his mother, Ellen (Durfey) Warren and her husband Fulton Warren. He is also survived by one brother, Nelson Durfey of Stillwater, and two sisters, Amy Guernsey and her husband, Richard, of Cherry Valley, N.Y., and Karlene Dowd of Coweta; and two stepsisters, Elizabeth Warren of Florida, and Deborah Mooney of Coweta, Okla.
A memorial fund for the care and education of the minor child has been established. Contributions may be made to the Kendall Durfey Fund, care of Banc First, P.O. Box 680, Tulsa, OK 74101-0680. The family wishes to express a special thanks to Winner Communications for their assistance in setting up this fund.
Services for Mr. Durfey will be today at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, with Rev. Carol Fincher, pastor, officiating.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Colonial Chapel Funeral Home.
Elizabeth Robinson
BAINBRIDGE — Mrs. Elizabeth H. Robinson, age 65, of Bainbridge, died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2001, at her home.
Mrs. Robinson was born in Sidney on April 22, 1935, to Frank and Alta (Thomas) Dunshee.
She grew up in Sidney Center, attended Sidney High School and, after raising four daughters, returned to school and received her high school diploma.
Elizabeth was always a very hard worker. She worked at the Amphenol Company in Sidney from 1959 until her retirement in 1997. Her priorities were always with family and her home was the center of the many family gatherings she loved.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Joel D. Hall, in 1963.
In 1968, she married her loving husband, Brian E. Robinson, on June 27.
Elizabeth is survived by her husband, Brian Robinson; her daughters, Carolyn (Al) Fisher of Masonville, Jeannie (Dave) Brockway of Unadilla, Cindy Hall of Winter Haven, Fla., and Amy (Reggie) Cole of Unadilla; her mother, Alta Dunshee of Fox Nursing Home in Oneonta; mother and father-in-law, Irv and Laura Biedekapp of Walton; her sisters, Joyce Gohl and Blanche (Jim) Powers; her brother and sister-in-law, Jan and Barb Robinson; sister-in-law, Madge Dunshee of Messina; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her very special and dear friend of 50 years, Carolyn Greer of Adams, Tenn., and Koreen and Bev.
Elizabeth was predeceased by her brother, William, and father, Franklyn Dunshee.
Service will be held Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001, at 2 p.m. at the Lyon Bros.-Way Inc. Funeral Chapel, corner of North and Delaware streets, Walton, where her family will receive friends from 1 to 2 p.m. Interment will be in Walton Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Hospice of Chenango County, 21 Hayes St., Norwich, N.Y. 13815, in her name would be appreciated.
Minnie Lawrence
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Minnie Thomas Lawrence, 86, died Sunday afternoon at The Summit in Asheville, N.C. There she had received loving care for more than seven years.
She was a charter member of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Mobile, Ala.
Following graduation from high school in Hallstead, Pa., Mrs. Lawrence had attended the Philadelphia College of the Bible. Her life was dedicated to teaching the Bible to children of all ages while raising her own children in Bainbridge, N.Y.
She moved to Georgia in 1971 to participate in the daily nurturing of two of her grandchildren until their college years and then realized her lifelong goal of completing her own college education when she received a Bachelor of Science from Mobile College in Mobile, Ala., at the age of 74.
She is survived by a daughter, Dr. Micki L. Cabaniss; a son, Dr. Duane A. Lawrence; two sisters, Dewave Briggs and Lottie Thomas; and four grandchildren, Lt. John Souma, Michele Souma, Catherine Papenfuse and Duane M. Lawrence.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Duane E. Lawrence; and her son, Bergen Thomas Lawrence, a missionary to China.
Funeral services will be at her former church, the First Baptist Church of Sidney, N.Y., 11 a.m. Feb. 3, 2001, followed by a gathering of family and friends at the church fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the China missionary ministry of her son's widow: Pioneers, 12343 Narcoossee Rd., Orlando, FL 32827 (specify: for the ministry of Diane Lawrence).
Margaret J. Gordon
DELHI — Margaret Janet Gordon, 93, died Jan. 31, 2001, in Hobart.
She was born June 3, 1907, in Bovina Center, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Scott) Gordon.
Miss Gordon graduated from Delaware Academy in 1925 and earned her A.B. degree at Albany State Teacher's College in 1929. She taught social studies and English in the Lake Delaware School and at Delaware Academy, retiring in 1970 after 40 years of teaching.
She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Delhi, where she taught Sunday school and served as a deacon. She had also been a member of the Bovina Presbyterian Church.
Other memberships included the National Teachers Association, the New York State Retired Teachers Association, the Delaware County Historical Association, the Village Improvement Society and the Delhi Bird Club, and she volunteered at Countryside Care from 1991 until 1994.
Cousins Jeanette Brown of Hobart and Nancy Halterman of Hobart survive.
Funeral services will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001, at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Delhi, with the Rev. Arvid Whitmore officiating.
There will be no calling hours.
Burial will be in the spring at Bovina Cemetery, Bovina Center.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, Delhi; Delaware Academy General Fund; or Catskill Area Hospice.
Arrangements are with the MacArthur Funeral Home, Delhi.
Virginia A. Gregory
SIDNEY — Virginia Alta Gregory, 80, passed away Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001, at The Hospital, Sidney.
She was born July 27, 1920, the daughter of Gordon E. and Mabel (Sutton) Fuller, in Schenectady.
Virginia graduated from Downsville High School and then attended and graduated from Hartwick College, where she sang in the a cappella choir.
She married Lester E. Gregory on June 28, 1942, in Westville.
Mrs. Gregory was employed at Hales Stationery and Cummings clothing stores in Sidney.
She was a past member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Mother's Club and the Sidney Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.
Mrs. Gregory was a member of the First Congregational Church, Sidney.
She is survived by her husband, Lester E. Gregory; two daughters, Dianne Gregory of South Orleans, Mass., and Cheryl Gregory Bryan and her husband, David, of Orleans, Mass.; a brother, Robert C. Fuller of Scotia; two grandchildren, Galen M. Gregory-Pindell and Liam T. Gregory-Pindell; and nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be hold Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001, at C.H. Landers Chapel, 21 Main St., Sidney, at 2 p.m. The Rev. Robert Pope, interim pastor of the First Congregational Church, Sidney, will officiate.
Friends may call today from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral chapel.
Burial will be in Prospect Hill Cemetery in the spring.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sidney Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary or the Sidney Emergency Squad.
Arrangements are by C.H. Landers Inc., Sidney.
Edward Wenck
ONEONTA — Edward Wenck Jr., 68, of Oneonta, died Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2001, at the Albany V.A. Hospital, following a brief illness.
He was born Nov. 20, 1932, in Oneonta, a son of Edward and Allien (Barlow) Wenck.
He married Audrey Jubar on Oct. 15, 1979, in Oneonta.
Mr. Wenck was a United States Army veteran, having served in Korea during the Korean conflict.
He was most recently employed as a service clerk at Hannaford in Oneonta and was formerly employed as a driver with Oneonta Oil and Fuel and with the Oneonta school system.
He was a former member of the New York State National Guard.
He is survived by his wife, Audrey, at home; his mother, Allien, of Oneonta; four children, Lenna Hultman, Cathy Chase, Herbert Wenck and Sandra Engelhard, all of Oneonta; four stepchildren, Carlene and her husband Walter Rimes of Florida, Donna Bond of Mount Upton, Amy Shaver of Oneonta and John and his wife, Lee Shaver, of Thomsons Ridge; three brothers, Alfred and his wife, Jane Wenck, of Maine, Roger and his wife, Bonnie Welch, of Florida and Richard Wenck of Texas; a sister, Barbara and her husband, Barry Green, of North Carolina; and several sisters and brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins. Several grandchildren and great-grandchildren also survive.
Memorial services will be held at the convenience of the family.
There will be no calling hours.
Arrangements are by the Lewis-Hurley Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta.
Anthony Sivos
JEFFERSON — Anthony "Pop-Pop" Sivos Sr., 77, of Jefferson, died Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001, at his home.
Anthony was born in Budapest, Hungary, April 15, 1923. He served in the Merchant Marines and traveled the world before settling in Jefferson in 1948, where he and his wife, Irene, owned and operated a dairy farm. He then retired to a beef farm.
Surviving are his wife, Irene, of 55 years; four children, Toni Lynn and her husband, Ken Cole, Anthony Sivos Jr. and his friend Laura Hodd, Nina Sivos and her friend Mike Terk and Alesia and her husband, Joe Eppich, all of Jefferson; eight grandchildren, Anthony Sivos III of Boston, Tracy (Cole) Staroba of Jefferson, Nathan Cole of Clifton Park, Bobbi and Duffy Schmit, both of Jefferson, Jessica Sivos of Melrose, Michaela Eppich of Jefferson and Heather Elsis of Jefferson; and one great-grandchild, Alleza Sivos of Peeksville.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Jefferson Rescue Squad, Louis Hager Busch Cancer Center in Cooperstown or the Dialysis Center in Cooperstown.
Friends may call at the William A. Tari Funeral Home, 40 Main St. (corner of Liberty Street), Stamford, from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2001.
Services will be at the funeral home on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2001, at 2 p.m., with the Rev. Charles Gockel officiating.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the William A. Tari Funeral Home, Stamford.
Margaret Belmont
ALBANY — Margaret B. Belmont (Maggie) died Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2001, at St. Peter's Hospital after a brief illness.
She was born in Queens to the late Maximillian and Maria Schumm Steinbacher.
Maggie was a longtime resident of Delaware and Otsego counties before coming to the Albany area. She worked as a cook for Lerner's Delicatessen of Albany, most recently working with Stepping Stone Two, North Greenbush.
She is predeceased by her husband, John, and one grandson, Johnny.
She is survived by two sons, Martin and his wife, Cindy, of Colorado and Randal and his wife, Connie, of Andover; one daughter, MaryAnn Belmont of East Greenbush; two brothers, Daniel (Diane) Steinbacher of Sidney Center and Eugene (Diana) Steinbacher of Kentucky; her adopted family at Toad Cottage; beloved friend Joyce Murphy of Loudonville; and four grandchildren, one great-grandchild and many nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend funeral services today at 7 p.m. from the W.J. Lyons Funeral Home, 1700 Washington Ave., Rensselaer.
Calling hours at the funeral home will be from 4 to 7 p.m. before the service.
Contributions in Maggie's memory may be made to Community Hospice or St. Peter's Hospital, Albany.
