TITUSVILLE – Carol J. (Burrows) O’Driscoll passed away unexpectedly of natural causes Wednesday, Nov. 4 at her home in Titusville, Dutchess County.
Carol, lovingly known as “Birdie”, was born Nov. 20, 1941, to Stuart and Helen Burrows. Carol was born and raised in Oneonta.
She has lived all over the United States and even in Germany. She worked at many hospitals in California, Ohio and New York. She also tended bar at the famous Tommy’s and Pour House in Oneonta, where she made many friends and had lots of laughs.
ONEONTA – The funeral services for Maestro Charles Schneider, the longtime music director of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra, will be streamed online from the New Hartford Presbyterian Church at 1 p.m. this afternoon, according to an email sent out by the CSO.
Schneider died Friday, Oct. 9, at age 84, at his Frankfort home.
Tom Morgan, Janet Nepkie, Carlton Clay and Rayna Schneider will be among those who give words of tribute, and The Rev. Dr. Sue Wriggle will give the homily.
ONEONTA – Irma D. (Boglioli) Cortese, 75, of Oneonta, who pursued a career in insurance in Dallas, passed away Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, in Oneonta.
She was born on Jan. 25, 1945, in The Bronx, daughter of the late Constantino and Ray (Hausman) Boglioli.
Irma was raised in Pearl River. She married Frank Cortese, and they welcomed their son Francis Paul, before moving to Dallas in the mid 1970s. There, she was an insurance agent with John Hancock, before opening her own agency, Irma Cortese Farmer’s Insurance agency.
CHERRY VALLEY – Barbara Jean (Baker) Duesler, 83, of Cherry Valley, a retired 27-year medical secretary at Bassett Hospital and charter member of the Cherry Valley Emergency Squad, passed away on Nov. 6, 2020, following a brief illness.
Barbara was born on June 20, 1937, the daughter of Merrill and Dorothy (Wilms) Baker, in Gloversville. She graduated from Johnstown High School in 1955. Barbara married Theodore Duesler on Aug. 25, 1956, in Johnstown. They enjoyed 60 years together before his death in 2016.
After retiring from Bassett, she provided child care to many young ones who knew her as “Grandma Barb.”
An avid skier, Dirck Harrison volunteered on the Mount Otsego ski patrol.
QUEENSBURY – Dirck Dey Harrison, 93, a retired business executive who was raised in Cooperstown and, an avid skier all his life, volunteered on the Mount Otsego Ski Patrol, passed away on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, in Granville, Washington County. He lived in Queensbury.
He was born March 10, 1927, in New York City, the son of the late Dr. Francis F. and Carlotta (Creevey) Harrison; his family moved to Cooperstown the following year. He graduated from Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass., in 1944 and attended Yale through his sophomore year, when he joined the Navy and served from 1945 to 1946 before returning and graduating from Yale in 1948.
ONEONTA – Joseph Taylor Hollist, 84, a SUNY Oneonta math professor who in 13 years as Oneonta branch president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began construction of the West Oneonta meetinghouse, died Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, at the Albany Medical Center of multiple complications following surgery.
Taylor was born on Nov. 14, 1936, in Phoenix, Ariz., the oldest of 10 children to Jennie Brown and Orson LeRoy Hollist. He was raised in Utah., receiving a bachelor’s degree from Utah State University and a master’s degree plus at the University of Utah. In addition to his degree from Utah State, he also broke conference records in pole vaulting.
CHERRY VALLEY – Edward “Bud” Fitz Randolph Garretson of Cherry Valley, a former dairyman, pilot and father of four sons, passed before the dawn broke on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. He was 92.
He was born in Westfield, N.J., on July 22, 1928. His life changed when he took a job on a neighbor’s farm in 1945 and discovered a strong love for farming. In Stillwater, N.J., these farmers became cherished mentors to Bud and the skills they taught him became the foundation of his life.
BURLINGTON FLATS – Albert F. Riedel, 88, of Burlington Flats, a retired electrical engineer at General Electric in Utica, passed away Wednesday November 4, 2020 in Cooperstown.
Albert was born on Dec. 10, 1931, in Croton-on-Hudson, son of the late Donald and Nina (Porter) Riedel.
COOPERSTOWN – Annemarie L. Danielski, passed away at home on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. She was 86.
The daughter of Jean and Yvonne Philippot des Miniѐres, she was born on Aug. 11, 1934, in Bavillier, France.
Annemarie graduated from the Université de Nancy, France, in 1953, and later obtained a Master of Arts Degree in French from Middlebury College. She taught French to hundreds of American officers under the auspices of the University of Maryland.
Paul Robinson and wife Martha were grand marshals of the 2016 Oneonta Fourth of July Parade, a memory he treasured. (AllOTSEGO.com file photo)Paul R. Robinson
ONEONTA – Paul Raymond Robinson, 79, a Marine, retired teacher and two-term Oneonta alderman, died peacefully on Oct. 22, 2020, at Bassett Hospital, after years of struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.
An engaged community leader, driven by a sense of fairness and a steadfast commitment to helping those in need, Paul was a lifelong Yankees fan, an adventurous pilot, a curious hobbyist and a collector of coins with a soft spot for dogs and children.
Many people will remember him walking his Boston terriers, Beacon and Sugar Bear, through downtown Oneonta.
HARTWICK – Kenneth Myron Dibble, Jr., 71, a retired union carpenter, local sports fan and family man, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, at his home in Hartwick.
He was born Jan. 22, 1949, in Cooperstown, one of seven children of Kenneth Myron Dibble, Sr. and Marietta Tabor Dibble.
After graduating from Cooperstown High School, Ken was employed in the construction/carpentry business for nearly 50 years, including as a Union Carpenter with Carpenters Local 277, all while passing on his carpentry skills to a younger generation.
COOPERSTOWN – Douglas M. Sternberg, 64, of Oceanside, Long Island, died Oct. 11, 2020, at home after a very long illness, with his wife Michelle by his side.
He was born on July 17, 1956, the son of Nadine and Donald Sternberg, formerly of Cooperstown, and brother of Richard Sternberg of Cooperstown. Besides Michell, he leaves three children, Daniel Sternberg of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Miriam Sternberg of Denver, and Jessica Crawford of Stamford, Conn.
Doug loved Cooperstown. Before his illness he visited often. It was at his urging that his brother looked at Bassett Hospital to practice surgery and moved here in 2009.
COOPERSTOWN – Gebrail Nayef Abou Zeidan, a native of Lebanon currently residing in Cooperstown with his daughter and family, passed into eternal life Saturday evening, Oct. 24, 2020, at Bassett Hospital following a brief illness. He was 85.
Born July 5, 1935, in Ablah, Lebanon, he was a son of Nayef and Rosa Abou Zeidan. For many years he was employed in Lebanon selling, delivering and repairing major appliances.
Jerry Jeff Walker hoists his OHS Wall of Distinction plaque, awarded to him during his last local performance, Aug. 14, 2010, at the Oneonta Theatre. (AllOTSEGO.com file photo)A publicity shot of Jerry Jeff in his heyday.
ONEONTA – Jerry Jeff Walker, the Oneonta native who found country music stardom with his 1968 hit “Mr. Bojangles,” has died after a three-year battle with throat cancer, according to reports.
Born Ronald Clyde Crosby on March 16, 1942, in Oneonta, was a member of OHS Coach Tony Drago’s unbeaten, untied 1959-60 varsity basketball team. He also formed his first band locally, The Tones. He graduated in 1960 and moved to New York City, then to Austin.
