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Anthony Serafine
UNADILLA — Anthony D. Serafine, 63, of 754 State Highway 7, Unadilla, passed away unexpectedly Sunday, Dec. 8, 2002, in Wilson Memorial Hospital, Johnson City.
He was born May 2, 1939, in Rochester, the son of the late Domenick and Antoinette DiNardo Serafine.
On Jan. 8, 1991, he married Lorene Cole Babcock in Unadilla.
He is survived by his wife, Lorene Babcock-Serafine, Unadilla; four daughters, Jane Elizabeth Sonderlick, Sidney, Kathryn Taggart, Rochester, Carian Brady, Kirkwood, and Joycylon Serafine, Lake George; two sons, William Serafine, Rochester, and Joseph Serafine, Lake George; two brothers, Domenick Serafine, Suffolk, Va., and James Serafine, Phoenix, Ariz.; sister, Debra Serafine, Newark; and several grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral and committal services will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, from the C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, 21 Main St., Sidney. Friends are invited to call from 10 a.m. until services Wednesday at the funeral chapel.
Burial will be later in the Prospect Hill Cemetery, Sidney.
Ray I. Miller
DELHI — Ray I. Miller, 83, of Delhi passed away Sunday, Dec. 8, 2002, at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta.
He was born May 10, 1919, in Hamden, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Miller.
Ray was a retired truck driver for the village of Delhi and proudly served his country during World War II.
Contributions in his memory may be made to: Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 20 Elm St., Delhi, N.Y. 13753.
Graveside services will take place in the spring at Hamden Cemetery, Hamden, at the convenience of the family.
Arrangements are by the MacArthur Funeral Home of Delhi.
Joseph Lancia
ONEONTA — Joseph Lancia, 66, of Oneonta passed away Sunday, Dec. 8, 2002, at the A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta.
He was born March 10, 1936, in New York City.
Joseph was a member of the Otego United Methodist Church, as well as attending the Upstate Home Day Habilitation Program.
He is survived by his many friends at the Upstate Home; and in the Oneonta and Otego communities.
A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2002, in the Otego United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Fred Albrecht, pastor officiating. Friends may call at the Otego United Methodist Church, one hour prior to service.
Burial will be in the spring in the Evergreen Cemetery, Otego.
Arrangements are by the Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home, Oneonta.
Laura Sargent
ONEONTA — Laura Sargent, 53, of Oneonta passed away Sunday, Dec. 8, 2002, at her residence after a lengthy illness.
She was born Nov. 10, 1949, to Everett and Doris (Marx) Sargent, in Oneonta.
She was never married.
Until ill health forced her retirement, Miss Sargent was a teacher's aid at the Oneonta Middle School.
She was a life long area resident and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Oneonta.
Laura loved animals and owned several cats and dogs.
She is survived by a brother, Frances (Bo) Sargent of Holly Springs, N.C.; two nephews, Travis and Phillip Sargent; and one aunt, Carrie Marx of Endicott.
Memorial services will be held at a time to be announced next week at the First Presbyterian Church in Oneonta, with the Rev. Edward Carlson, pastor officiating.
There will be no calling hours.
Burial will be later in Brookside Cemetery, Gilbertsville.
Arrangements are by the Lewis-Hurley Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St. in Oneonta.
Francis A. Perretta
ONEONTA — Francis A. "Frank" Perretta, 72, of Stroudsburg, Pa., passed away at home on Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, following a long illness.
He was the beloved husband of Nancy (Vrooman) Perretta. On Nov. 17, he and Nancy celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have one daughter, Helenarose "Heidi" of East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Born on Dec. 1, 1930, in Utica, N.Y., he was the son of the late Joseph A. and Isabella (DeKime) Perretta.
Perretta retired from the Pocono Record in December 1995, capping a 38 year career with Ottaway Newspapers, the newspaper's parent company.
He continued to write his popular column "Frankly Speaking" every other Sunday for the Pocono Record. One of the most widely read columns Frank wrote was his annual Christmas letter to his daughter, Heidi, outlining the year's top news events.
Pocono Record Publisher Carolyn Allen-Evans said Perretta will be missed. She praised him for "his love for this newspaper, this industry and this community."
Former Pocono Record Editor Ron Bouchard, who knew Perretta since 1971, said he admired his former boss for his "ability as a newsman, his honor and his integrity." "He was more than my boss," said Bouchard, who retired in 1998. He was my friend. I thought he and I made a very good team."
Perretta graduated from Proctor High School in Utica, and the University of Notre Dame where he received the Miller Award for writing.
He began his journalistic career writing sports publicity for Notre Dame.
Following graduation in 1957, he began his newspaper career at The Daily Star in Oneonta, N.Y., first as a news reporter and later as news editor.
He joined the Pocono Record in 1964, as a news editor and returned to The Daily Star one year later. At the Oneonta paper he later became editor, assistant to the publisher and assistant general manager.
Recognition for his new writing ability included an award for Feature Writing presented by the New York State Associated Press Association in 1971. In 1973, he won an award of honor for Distinguished Community Service for editorial writing given by the New York State Publishers Association. In 1974, he received the Associated Press Managing Editors Association Citation for Outstanding Participation in the Associated Press News and News Photo Reports.
In 1977, Perretta joined another Ottaway paper, The Traverse City Record Eagle in Traverse City, Mich., as general manager. Three years later he was named General Manager of The News-Times, another Ottaway newspaper in Danbury, Conn. He came to Stroudsburg in 1982, as Publisher of The Pocono Record.
Perretta immediately became involved with the greater Stroudsburg community. He was an active member of St. Luke's Church, the Kiwanis Club, a former member of the board of directors of the Pocono Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors of the United Way, the Notre Dame High School Advisory Board, a member of the Monroe County Hospital Authority, former member of the Torch Club and Jack Kemp Post 346 American Legion.
He was one of the founders of the University of Notre Dame Alumni Club of the Pocono Mountains. He was also an active member of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association and the American Newspaper Publishers Association.
He was recognized by the Notre Dame Alumni Club in 1986, as the Notre Dame Man of the Year. In 1987, the Monroe County NAACP presented him the NAACP Human Rights Equality Award in recognition of his leadership and advocacy of Human Rights and Equality.
In 1988, Pocono Medical Center recognized him for Community Service for efforts in support of the Cholesterol Screening Program for Citizens of Monroe County. Pocono International Raceway honored him with the Pocono Media Award in 1989.
In addition to his wife and daughter; he is survived by sister, Grace (Perretta) Hartnett and her husband, William of Rome, N.Y.; nephew, Michael Hartnett and his wife, Janet of Holland Patent, N.Y.; niece, Stephanie Bloch and her husband, Steven of Rush, N.Y.; mother-in-law, Beatrice Vrooman of Cornelius, N.C.; brother-in-law, David Vrooman and his wife, Linda of Amelia Island, Fla.; sister-in-law, Joan Mitchell and her husband, Charles of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; nephew, Charles Mitchell Jr., and his wife, Kathy of Morrisonville, N.Y.; niece, Nancy Mitchell Rogers and her husband, James of Charlotte, N.C.; and two great-nephews, Patrick Hartnett of Holland Patent, N.Y., and Colden Mitchell of Morrisonville, N.Y.
In his own farewell article, published Dec. 31, 1995, Perretta recalled his years as a newspaperman with fondness, honor and poignancy. Why was this career so satisfying?" he wrote. "Because it became a personal involvement with many people, and my colleagues and I were in a position to influence many people — hopefully for the better.
"I remember being awakened by an explosion in Marshalls Creek," in 1964, when a truck carrying explosives blew up, killing six firefighters and leveling a reptile farm. "We covered the catastrophe with dignity — and didn't sensationalize the snakes that got loose."
While working for the Oneonta paper he covered a tractor trailer crash in which he came across the driver pinned under the rig. A fire chief at the scene told Perretta to get under the truck and hold the victim's hand. "He wants to pray," the fire chief yelled to Perretta.
"I wiggled under the truck and got next to the driver. He was breathing hard," Perretta said. "I made the sign of the cross and he shook his head. "I'm Jewish," he mumbled. I didn't know any Jewish prayers, so I started with the old Catholic standby, 'Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended thee...'
"The truck driver closed his eyes." He survived, and three weeks later the trucker's wife asked Perretta for a copy of the prayer. "Somewhere there's a Jewish truck driver with an Act of Contrition in his wallet."
Perretta closed by writing, "Yes, this has been a great career. It's been anything but impersonal and I will always be grateful that I got the opportunity to live in one of God's garden spots — the Poconos.
A visitation for family and friends will be held from 3 to 5 and 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2002, at St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church, Main Street, Stroudsburg.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, at the church.
A private burial for immediate family only, will follow at Laurelwood Cemetery in Stroudsburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Luke's Church, the University of Notre Dame or the East Stroudsburg University Bio-Tech Science Center Building Fund.
Funeral arrangements are by the Lanterman & Allen Funeral Home Inc., 27 Washington St., East Stroudsburg, PA.
Juanita E. Norton
MIDDLEFIELD — Juanita Ellen Norton, 69, of The Meadows and formerly of Cliffside, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002, at her residence after a lengthy illness.
She was born July 15, 1933, to Chester and Beatrice (O Dell) Beams, in Oneonta.
She married George W. Norton in 1953. He survives her.
Mrs. Norton was a waitress in several Oneonta restaurants including Jacks Restaurant, West End Diner and Nicks Diner for many years and most recently was employed at Astrocom and KMS plastics.
She was a longtime resident of Shady Acres Trailer Park.
She enjoyed crocheting, sewing, arts and crafts, yard sales and bazaars. Juanita enjoyed doing things for others particularly during the holidays.
She will be greatly missed by her many friends and family.
She is survived by her husband; three daughters, Rosemary Baldwin of Florida, Mrs. Clifford (Bonnie) Osborne of Starr, S.C., and Mrs. Lynn (Connie) Johnson Jr. of Hartwick; three sons, George Norton Jr. of Oneonta, Randall Norton Sr. of West Oneonta, and Terrance Norton of Maryland; 10 grandchildren, Tracy, Katie, Greg Randall Jr., Kevin, Starlene, Christopher, Jennifer and Michael; one great-grandchild, Celina; two brothers, Charles Wilson Jr., of Binghamton and Ronald Wilson of Ilion; one sister, Mrs. Robert (Wyona) Stapleton of Selkirk; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Russell (Ruth) Sherman of Alabama; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Wayne and LeRoy Wilson.
Private funeral services will by held at noon on Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, at the Lewis-Hurley Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta, with the Rev. Edward Carlson, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, officiating.
The family will be receiving friends at the funeral home one hour prior to the service time and also after 1 p.m., at the Oneonta Moose Club.
Burial will be in the spring at Plains Cemetery, Oneonta.
Contributions may be made to the Dialysis Unit of Bassett Hospital, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, N.Y. 13326.
Arrangements are by the Lewis-Hurley Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta.
Alton M. Benedict
ONEONTA — Alton M. Benedict, 78, of Oneonta, and formerly of East Meredith, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002, at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany.
He was born Aug. 13, 1924, in Franklin, the son of Harry M. and Verna (Morrison) Benedict.
At an early age he moved to Warner Hill Road in the town of Meredith, and graduated from the A.L. Kellogg School, Treadwell in 1942.
Alton was raised on the family farm, and as a member of the 4-H he showed Jersey cattle at the Walton Fair, for which he won a trip to the State Fair.
For 12 years he maintained and drove school buses for the A.L. Kellogg School, and 1967, he became bus mechanic and driver for the Delaware Academy, retiring in 1991.
He continued to drive bus for Delaware Office for the Aging in his retirement.
Alton served 16 years as town councilman for the Town of Meredith, along with being a director for the Meredith Fire Insurance Company.
Recently, Alton and his wife sold their farm on Warner Hill and moved to a senior community in Laurens.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, the former Dorothy Kennedy; his children and their spouses, Kathy Decker of Oneonta, Elaine and Bruce Walcott of Saratoga Springs, James and Mary Benedict of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Bruce and Sharon Benedict of Latham; his grandchildren, Gordon and Christopher Tyler, Barbara Kenyon, Michael Walcott, Randall and Christopher Benedict, and Kurt and Kristi Benedict; his great-grandchildren, Jeff and Steven Tyler and Jesse and Taylor Benedict.
His brothers, and sisters, and their spouses, Eleanor and Tom Kallan of Hartwick, Dorothy Comer of Arlington, Va., Ralph and Sandra Benedict of Vestal, and Lynn and Elaine Benedict of Schoharie; along with several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, 2002, in the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, Franklin, with the Rev. Dr. Lyle Linder officiating.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday in the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, Franklin.
Burial will be in the spring in the Ouleout Valley Cemetery, Franklin.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Laurens Emergency Squad or the Treadwell United Methodist Church.
Arrangements are by the Kenneth L. Bennett Funeral Home, Franklin.
Douglas S. Bodie
ONEONTA — Douglas Scott Bodie, 48, of Oneonta passed away Friday, Dec. 6, 2002, at Valley View Manor in Norwich.
He was born April 20, 1954, in Oneonta to Raymond and Sally-Ann Woolheater Bodie.
He attended the Oneonta schools. He lived in Winter Garden, Fla., with his mother for a time and enjoyed playing guitar and running the spotlights for plays at Marco Polo Park.
Douglas is survived by his father, Raymond and wife, Barbara Bodie, of Otego; and his mother, Sally-Ann Fowler of Winter Garden, Fla.
He was predeceased by his brothers, Stephen Clark Bodie and David Richard Bodie.
There will be a memorial service in the spring with interment of his cremains in Oneonta Plains Cemetery.
Arrangements are by the Lewis-Hurley Funeral Home, 51 Dietz St., Oneonta.
Judy Serowik
Johnson CITY — Judy (Waring) Serowik, 58, of Johnson City passed away Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, at her home.
She grew up in Delhi, and graduated from Delhi Academy, and attended Delhi College.
She attended St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, was an employee of Overhead Door Company of Binghamton, was a member and past president of the Ladies Auxiliary of American Legion Post No. 1645, Binghamton, and a member of the 8/40 Salon No. 37.
She is survived by two brothers and sisters-in-law, Russ and Susan Waring, Bloomington, Ill., and Lynn and Jayne Waring, Mebane, N.C.; her son and daughter-in-law, Preston and Theresa Williams, and their daughter, Katheryn, of Pittsburgh; a daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and Marc Scott, Bowie, Md.; several nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.
She was predeceased by her husband, Tom, in May 2002; her parents, Rex and Alice Waring; and her in-laws, Leo and Martha Serowik.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, at the Thomas J. Shea Funeral Home, Inc., 137 Robinson St., Binghamton, followed at 10:30 a.m. with a funeral Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, with the Rev. James Serowik, officiating.
Friends are invited to call from 6 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Vestal Hills Memorial Park.
Those wishing may consider contributions in her memory to the American Legion Post No. 1645, 177 Robinson St., Binghamton, NY 13904.
