MILFORD – Phyllis F. Mattison, 92, who was active in Milford Center Community Bible Church, died peacefully on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, at Cooperstown Center where she resided.
She was born May 28, 1928, at Parshall Hospital in Oneonta, the daughter of Stuart A. and Ena M. (Dana) Foote.
Phyllis grew up in Otego and graduated from Otego Central School in 1945. She attended Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in interior design.
ONEONTA – Born at the start of World War II in a small rural settlement in eastern Hungary, József Kiss survived the front lines of German and Russian armies sleeping in an underground bunker at night with his family and neighbors.
Perhaps it is no wonder that he eventually become a Freedom Fighter in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, bravely joining with others in their attempt to establish democracy. The little boy that pointed at planes flying overhead and told his mother he would one day fly to America somehow knew that he was destined to leave his homeland.
DAVENPORT – Kathleen Márton Kiss (née Lídia) passed away in her home on Feb. 3, 2021. Her husband of 64 years, József Kiss, survived her by only five days.
Growing up in Socialist Hungary behind the Iron Curtain, Kathleen and her fiancé fled the country as refugees of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. After marrying in Austria, they flew to the United States with help from the Hungarian Reformed Protestant Church and began their new life on a farm in New York State.
COOPERSTOWN – William Joseph Barone, 49, of Franklin Lakes, N.J., died unexpectedly at his home on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021.
Will grew up in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey and in Cooperstown. He is a graduate of Salve Regina University and a sales executive at Entercom Communications.
Will was an extraordinary soul that touched the lives of everyone he met. He was a role model for all who knew him and in the words of his closest friends, he was the most selfless human. Will went through life’s ups and downs with the warmest smile, utmost positivity, widest arms, and biggest heart. We love Will more than words can tell and may the four winds blow him safely home.
ONEONTA – Nancy Garufi, 83, who founded Tino’s Pizza with her husband, passed away Monday, March 1, 2021, at Fox Nursing Home.
She was born on July 12, 1937, in Frazzano, Sicily, the daughter of Lorenzo and Rosalia Frisenda.
At 18 years old, Nancy came to the United States and settled in Cold Spring, Putnam County. Her first job was at the dress factory there. She married Agatino “Tino” Garufi Sr. in August 1961. He predeceased her on June 27, 1998.
WORCESTER – P. Elliott DuBois, 87, whose 27-year career teaching music at Worcester Central School, starting in 1961, would touch hundreds of lives, passed away at 10:45 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at Fox Nursing Home in Oneonta.
Thankfully, the family was able to be at his side at various times during his final days before “going home,” for which he was prepared and eagerly awaiting.
Paul Elliott, known as Elliott because his father’s name was Paul, was born in Binghamton to Paul Jasper DuBois and Imogene (Ackley) DuBois on Dec. 28, 1933. Later came the birth of his only sibling, Marion (DuBois) Butler (husband, Steve Butler).
Ginny traveled many miles since she was the only student in her grade at the one-room school in Colchester, part of the Walton School District. Later, she attended Franklin Central School and graduated at age 16 from Sidney, where the business courses and bookkeeping prepared her well for the future.
Her first job was at Public & Loan in Sidney, and then a bookkeeper at Hotaling Ford Sales, where she fell in love with cars. She was very proud of her 34-year career at New York State Electric & Gas, attaining the highest Customer Service Representative A position.
OTEGO – Irma A. Ouimet of Otego, a native of Peru and Unatego Central School District teacher, passed away Feb. 23, 2021, in the ICU at Bassett Hospital from complications related to COVID-19.
Irma Alejandrina Villegas Ormachea was born in Calca (Cusco), Peru, and became a teacher serving young children in the mountains of Peru. Irma came to live in the U.S. upon her marriage to her husband Gene Ouimet in 1984.
Statistics Miss Victim’s Stories – Like Thom Parrotti’s
By MICHAEL FORSTER ROTHBART • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
Thom Parrotti’s mass card
Alicia Chase wants you to know about her best friend, a man she calls her “work husband” after the years they spent employed together at Bassett Hospital.
Thomas Parrotti worked as an interpreter and manager at the hospital for nearly 20 years. One month ago, he was enjoying semi-retirement, raising goats with his husband Brett Miller on their small farm in Hamden – 38 acres of hilltop woods and pasture.
Parrotti ran his own interpreting business and judged dog competitions until COVID put a hold on both. Lately he’d been employed part-time as a coronavirus contact tracer for the state of New York.
This month he returned to Bassett – as a patient critically ill from COVID-19.
Thom Parrotti spent January as many of us did, working from home, watching the news, commenting about it on Facebook. “Stop being Democratic or Republican. Be honest, have
morals, show empathy, value, integrity. Be a GOOD HUMAN,” he posted on Jan. 21.
ONEONTA – On Presidents’ Day the 15 of February 2021, at the age of 91, Thomas Eddy Hickey passed on at Cooperstown Rehabilitation and Nursing. By his side were his $1.99 pair of reading glasses, Ron Chernow’s 1,100-page history of President Ulysses S. Grant, and a photograph of his wife of 67 years, Jean O. Hickey.
A lifelong resident of Oneonta, Tom was born on 05 August 1929 and grew up at 18 Ford Ave. At the age of 12, part of Tom’s skull was removed to treat a brain abscess. He wore a protective helmet during the following year until a plastic plate was inserted to cover the opening. Tom was the youngest person on record to have survived this operation. Unfortunately, this remarkable outcome was when Tom’s father, mayor of Oneonta Dorr Sweet Hickey, died at the age of 44.
COOPERSTOWN – Edward F. Danielski, Jr., a radiologist at Bassett Hospital and later director of Fox Hospital’s radiology department, passed away at home on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021.
The son of Edward Danielski Sr. and Jennie Danielski, Edward was born on July 12, 1930, in Greenfield, Mass.
He attended Deerfield Academy and graduated from Harvard College, cum laude, in 1953. He went to Columbia Medical School and served his internship and residency at the Columbia division of Bellevue Hospital under the service of Drs. Andre Cournand and Dickinson Richards, who had recently received Nobel prizes in medicine.
GILBERTSVILLE – Eugene and Linda Keenan of Gilbertsville, both passed away peacefully at Chase Memorial Nursing Home in New Berlin during the coronavirus pandemic.
Eugene was born on Feb. 15, 1942, in Queens, a son of the late Michael and Marie (Marron) Keenan. Linda was born on Nov. 12, 1948, in Brooklyn; a daughter of the late John and Viola (Gloster) Blair.
Together, they lived most of their lives in New York City until the beautiful country mountains of Otsego County convinced them to move Upstate where they could raise their son, Patrick, in the Butternut Valley.
ONEONTA – Harry Lampman, 71, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday morning, Feb. 10, 2021.
Harry was born in Albany, the son of the late Harry and Jeanette Lampman Hansen. He was also predeceased by his stepfather, Wilbur Hansen.
Harry attended Bugbee School in Oneonta, graduated from Oneonta High School in 1967, attended Clarkson University and SUNY Oneonta, and got his masters in Theoretical Mathematics from SUNY Albany.
SCHENECTADY – Patrick “Pat” Anthony Foti, 85, a career-long teacher in the Capitol District and SUNY Albany administrator, passed away on Feb. 15, 2021, following a long battle with cancer.
Pat was born on Aug. 29, 1935, in Oneonta, the twin son of Italian immigrants, Giovanni and Gabrelena (Cologero) Foti. Survivors include his brother, Vincent F. Foti, Sr., of Oneonta, the retired SUNY Oneonta dean.
Faith, family and friends were at the center of Pat’s life. Pat worked in the family business, Foti’s Italian Bakery, on River Street, through elementary, high school and college. Throughout the rest of his life he found the aroma of fresh bread baking intoxicating and nostalgic.
