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Death Notices for the week of
April 8, 2002 ALBION •Ducharme, Genevieve "Jean," March 26, 2002 at the age of 73. Mrs. Ducharme was born in Albion on December 12, 1928. She resided in the Albion area her entire life working as a ward clerk at the Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital. Upon their closing she worked at Lakeside Memorial Hospital and retired in 1997 from Medina Memorial Hospital. She was a member of Saint Joseph's Church and was an active member of the St. Mary's Rosary Society and the St. Mary's Auxiliary. She was a member of the Arnold Gregory Memorial Hospital Twig Association. She is survived by her son, Michael (Tracy) Ducharme of Pebble Beach, California; mother, Lottie Ciesielski of Albion; brother, Francis (Connie) Ciesielski of Maryland. A Funeral Service was held April 2 at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home, Albion. Interment at Mount Albion Cemetery. Those wishing can make memorial remembrances to Hospice of Orleans County. •Longrod, Everett James, 85, on April 2, 2002 at the Orchard Manor Nursing Home. Mr. Longrod was born in Sodus, NY and lived in the Albion area for over 50 years. He was a retiree of the Eddy Printing Company in the mid 1970s. He was a past member of the Albion Free Methodist Church and an avid railroad enthusiast belonging to several different clubs and organizations. He is survived by his sons, Dana (Patty) Longrod of Kendall and Scott (Pat) Longrod of Lancing, NY; daughter, Loretta (Herman) Weber of Pasadena, Texas; four grandchildren, Anne O'Donnell of Lowell, Mississippi, Arlene (Paul) Hart of New Mexico and Elizabeth and James Longrod of Kendall; sister, Evelyn Mossgraber of Sodus, NY; special friend Jeanie Kidd of Ontario, Canada. A Funeral Mass was held April 5 at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home, Albion. Interment will be at the convenience of the family. •Smith, Rodney, 80, on March 28, 2002 at the Medina Memorial Hospital following a brief illness. Born in Albion on February 13, 1922 to the late Alonzo Smith and Rose Lorraine Case, he lived in the Albion area his entire lifetime and worked as a farmer and later as a salvage dealer. He was an avid listener of music and played the guitar at family get togethers. He is survived by his children, Clark Smith, Alex (Ruth) Smith of Holley, Mark (Colleen) Smith of Maine, Keith (Robin) Smith of LeRoy, Lorraine (Todd) Mathes of Barre, Grace (Sam) Hough of Rochester, Arlene (Michael) Adams of North Carolina and Eleanor May Smith of Mount Morris: three brothers, Clark (Clara) Smith of Albion, Howard Smith of Pennsylvania, Alonzo (Ina) Smith of Arizona; three sisters, Frances Peglow of Albion, Dorothy Boos of Phelps, and Norma Albone of Medina and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service was held March 30 at the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home, Albion. Interment will be at the convenience of the family in the West Barre Cemetery. Those wishing can make memorial remembrances to the ARC of Orleans. BROCKPORT •Herzog, Stephen R. "Steve," On April 1, 2002 at the age of 49. He is survived by his mother, Patricia; sister, Nancy (Robert) Hendrikx; brother, Richard (Deborah) Herzog and sister, Roberta Herzog; nephew Philip Herzog; nieces, Lisa Hendrikx and Tonya Herzog; aunt, Doris Gartley; uncles, Harry (Kate) McAllister and Ernie Blossom; and several cousins. Steve was employed at SUNY Brockport. A Funeral Mass was said April 5 at the Church of the Nativity BVM. Interment, Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Brockport Volunteer Ambulance Corps or Lakeside Memorial Hospital. •Kruchten, William C., At the age of 67. He was born in Merrill, Wisconsin. Died peacefully with his family on Sunday, March 31, 2002. He is survived by his beloved wife, Linda; father of Fritz (Judy), Patrick (Susan), Melissa (Matthew) Fuino and Holly (Colin) North; grandfather of Joshua, Joanne, Rachel, Tyler, Trevor and William; brother of Neal Kruchten; many nieces, nephews and dear friends. Bill was employed at the Eastman Kodak Company for 27 years and a Veteran of the United States Army. Funeral Services were held April 3 at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Brockport. Interment, White Haven Memorial Park. Donations can be made to the Tomahawk Wisconsin Public Library, 300 West Lincoln Avenue, Tomahawk, Wisconsin 54487, the Brockport Seymour Library, 161 East Avenue, Brockport 14420 or the charity of one's choice. CHILI •Tomino, Jan, Age 59. Sunday, March 31, 2002. He fought a courageous battle against lung cancer. He will be sadly missed by family and friends. He is survived by his wife, Carol; two children, Brian and Melissa; three sisters, Elsa (Giulio) Musciano, Tecla (Tony) Cieri, Lilly (Ron) Lent; and nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass was said April 4 at St. Pius the Tenth. Interment Riverside Cemetery. Contributions can be made in his memory to the Stephen Ministry Memorial Fund at Peace Memorial Church, 4322 Buffalo Road, North Chili 14514 or the American Institute Cancer Research, P.O. Box 97167, Washington, DC 20090. CHURCHVILLE •Rovisa, Joseph O. (Joe Rose), March 29, 2002 at age 79. Predeceased by son, Nicholas. Survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Jessie (Carlisi); son, Thomas (Gina); daughter, Linda (Bob) Agresti; grandson, Nicholas; brothers, James and Thomas; sisters, Lillian Rock, Mary (Matt) Fusilli, Pat (Clifford) Mestler, Phyllis (John) Spiotti; sisters-in-law, Carmella (John) Lipani, Ann Carlisi; several nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Proud owner of Churchville Tire for 34 years. Funeral Mass was held April 5 at St. Lawrence Church. Donations can be made to the Dialysis Unit, c/o Park Ridge Hospital. Interment, Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. •Skelton, James L., March 30, 2002 at age 76. Survived by his wife, G. Kathleen Skelton; son, Forrest R. (Donna) Skelton; daughter, Susan (Rick) Huff; grandchildren, Leslie Anne Skelton and Damion Hill; sisters-in-law, S. Virginia Drews and Avis Theis. Mr. Skelton retired from Delco after 33 years. He devoted 59 years to the fire service, the past 51 years with the Churchville Fire Department. Services were held April 4 at the Walker Brothers Company Funeral Home, Inc., Churchville. Interment, Creekside Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Union Congregational Church or the Churchville Fire Department. •Smith, Lewis, March 13, 2002. Survived by his wife, Patricia Smith; his daughter, Tracy Hart; his grandchildren, Sarah and Alex Hart; his sisters, Norma Ford and Arlene Manners. He is predeceased by his daughter, Meri-Jo Smith. Mr. Smith was a teacher in the Churchville-Chili School system for 35 years and coached a number of sports and served as athletic director during his tenure at Churchville-Chili. During the 1980s he coached C-C wrestling squads to championships and also coached high school soccer teams. He and his wife of 47 years retired to Florida in 1990 where he participated in the award winning Senior Softball League. Family and friends can attend a memorial service in his honor on Saturday, April 20, at Pearce Memorial Church, Buffalo Road, North Chili at 11 a.m. HAMLIN •Kerxhalli, Helen (Peters), April 2, 2002 at age 77. Helen is survived by her husband, Christ; children, Christine Kerxhalli, Cynthia (Ron) Slater, Chris (Sharon) Kerxhalli; sisters, Connie Thomolaris, Peggy (Clayton) Nardone; two granddaughters; five grandsons; one great grandson; one great granddaughter; several nieces and nephews. Funeral Services were held April 5 at the Greek Orthodox Church of Annunciation. Interment Mt. Hope Cemetery. Contributions can be made to the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, 962 East Avenue, Rochester or the American Cancer Society. HILTON •Gehan, Rene F., April 1, 2002 at age 82. Rene is survived by his wife, Estelle; children, Paul (Arrie) Gehan, Mary (Harrison) Miller, Anne Farnand, Theresa (Terrence) Wright, Margaret (James) Brewer, Catherine (Ray) Nichols, Michele Lupo, Bernadette (Barry) Ogden, Bridget (Scott) Schmid, Frank (Susan) Gehan, Larry (Pam) Gehan; step-children, Karen (Kurt) Lawrence, Sharon (Kurt) Mueller, Debbie (Mike) Hachey, Jim (Teri) Stacy, Michelle (Chris) Robinson, Rick (Amy) Stacy, Cass (Ruth) Stacy, Glen (Ann) Stacy, Giselle (Ray) Richards; 48 grandchildren; eight great grandchildren. Funeral Services were held April 4 at Parma Free Methodist Church. Interment, Parma Union Cemetery. Contributions can be made to a charity of choice. •Gerhardt, Dolores M., On March 29, 2002 at age 87. She is predeceased by her husband, Charles W. Gerhardt (1980). She is survived by her sons, Charles L. (Barbara) Gerhardt, William (Catherine Bopp) Gerhardt, David (Linda) Gerhardt and John (Margaret) Gerhardt; her grandchildren, special grandchild, Colleen (Craig) Burritt, Matthew (Lora), William (Stacy), Belinda (Eric), Michael, Paul (Robin), Jennifer (Richard) and Heather; also 13 great grandchildren. A Funeral Mass celebrating her life was held April 5 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Hamlin. Interment, Holy Sepulchre. Memorial donations can be made to Lakeside Beikirch Care Center, 170 West Avenue, Brockport, NY 14420 in her memory. •Hemmerich, Robert J., Peacefully on March 26, 2002, at 66 years of age. He is survived by his loving wife of 13 years, Sandy; his children, Wayne (Cathy) Hemmerich of Illinois, Dale Hemmerich of Illinois, Lisa (Tom) Chase of Florida, Greg (Nancy) Hemmerich of Lowville, NY, Peggy (Jerry) Scacchetti, Jim Farrell, Patti (Joe) Aratari and Michael (Kelly) Farrell; his grandchildren, Laura and Jared Hemmerich, Dustin, Michael, Dillon, Melissa, Jake, Richard and Nicholas; his sisters, Dorothy Priestley and Ruth Poole; also many nieces, nephews and close friends. Robert was a member of Local Teamsters #118 and touched so many lives along the way. A service celebrating his life was held March 29 at the Thomas E. Burger Funeral Home, Inc., Hilton. Interment Parma Union Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made to the Hilton Ambulance, P. O. Box 186, Hilton, NY 14468 in his memory. SPENCERPORT
in the service of others When Judy Cole realized that doctors could do no more for her in her battle against cancer, she told her husband of nearly 40 years, "Make sure you tell our children to always remember God." Remembering God was how Judy lived her daily life, according to her husband Tom. Her faith was present in the raising of her seven children, her church and community involvement, and her relationships with all those she met. Judy was technically a stay-at-home mom during the years she reared her children. But stay-at-home was certainly a misnomer. The list of organizations that Judy belonged to, and participated in, was exhaustive - the Ogden Baptist Church where she served as treasurer, as the chair of the Christmas Tea, and in the Ladies Auxiliary; the American Baptist Women Ministries as treasurer; the Christian Women's Club West as treasurer; the Seaman's Church Institute; the Cameron Community Ministries; Cartons for Christmas; an election inspector; the Ogden Republican Committee as secretary and district leader; and the Rochester Broadway Theater League as a volunteer usher. At home, Judy's hands were never idle as she developed many talents during her lifetime. She enjoyed refinishing antique furniture and caning chairs. Her daughters and granddaughters were the recipients of handmade Barbie and American Girl doll clothes. Judy donated many quilts for raffle prizes and she gifted each of her married children with a quilt on their wedding day. Amazingly, her professional-level sewing was all done on the Singer sewing machine she purchased in 1958 after graduating from high school. Her friend of 30 years, Doreen Castano, recalls that "Judy was never still a moment. She was always doing something. She absolutely lived every minute of the day to the fullest." Castano said that Judy was never interested in receiving credit for the many services she provided, and never complained about having too much to do. "She just did it," Doreen said. One situation particularly brings Judy's selflessness to mind for Doreen. During Judy's first bout of cancer, another friend of Doreen's also was undergoing cancer treatment, a woman Judy barely knew. Doreen asked Judy to keep the other woman in her prayers. The next day, Doreen had a call from the woman saying that Judy had made her family a wonderful dinner and brought it over the night before. In early December, Judy's family sent out 80 letters to friends and extended family members asking that they write a letter of encouragement. Nearly all responded and the letters were organized in a scrapbook and given to Judy for Christmas. Daughter-in-law Janelle said that one recurring theme in the letters was that Judy always made everyone that entered her home feel like they were a member of her family. "You are living proof of God's commitment to love your neighbor," reads one comment. Janelle herself said that entering her mother-in-law's home was like "looking through a different pair of glasses and seeing all the good in people." Janelle's husband, Andy, said the letters and also the words offered since Judy's passing on March 11 have been a comfort to the family. "We've heard many, many incredible stories about mom. Her strength was to love all people, and we've discovered through this how much people loved her back." Youngest daughter Carol recalls a mother who was her best friend. The mother and daughter traveled together "antiquing" and became avid Raging Rhinos fans together. As a 17 year-old, Carol took a job at the Rhino's stadium as an usher. Judy was worried about Carol's safety coming home after the game, so Judy took a job at the stadium also. Judy turned into a dedicated fan, eventually quitting the job and buying season passes. Even when her chemotherapy treatments left her unable to drive, Tom would drive her to the games and pick her up afterwards. Near the end of her life, Judy's cancer brought tremendous physical pain, but according to her pastor, Laura Dalton, Judy never complained. "She bore it all with patience and grace." Andy remembers leaving the hospital after visiting his mother and feeling encouraged. "She didn't focus on what was happening to her, she wanted to talk about what was going on with us." Since Judy's passing, she and Tom have been blessed with another grandchild. Although this baby won't have the privilege of knowing his grandmother in person, the Cole family plans to keep Judy's presence alive in their lives. They believe the best way to do that is to maintain a strong faith in God and a commitment to service to others. Judy is survived by her husband, Thomas J. Cole; her children, Terrance (Delores) Cole, Amy Cole, Andrew (Janelle) Cole, Judith E. (Douglas) Hedges, Thomas G. (Karen) Cole, Phillip Cole and Carole Cole; six grandchildren, Juliana, Joelle and Andrew Cole; Grant, Gabriel and Isaac Hedges; her mother Helen Cornwall of North Creek, NY; sisters, Nancy (Joel) Beaudin and Kate (David) Lorah. Contributions can be made to the Memorial Fund of Ogden Baptist Church or to the American Cancer Society (designated to Breast Cancer), 1400 Winton Road North, Rochester, NY 14609 in her memory. |
