CHERRY VALLEY – Albert R. Killmeier, 63, of Cherry Valley passed away on Monday April 20, 2020, at home with his family at his side after a long battle with Parkinson’s.
He was born May 28, 1956, the son of Roman and Rosemary ( Wilday ) Killmeier.
Albert worked as a farmer on the family farm for years, and loved being on the farm.
PORTLANDVILLE – Paul J. Levine, 93, a former dairy farmer who worked at JC Penney for 27 years, passed away Friday, March 6, 2020.
He was born June 9, 1926, in Watertown, a son of Florence (Cough) and Arthur Edward LaVine. Paul married Bernice M. Pierce on May 10, 1952.
FLY CREEK – Peter L. “Pete” Martin, an integral and beloved part of the Fly Creek community and life-long farmer, passed away early Saturday afternoon, Jan.18, 2020, at Cooperstown Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing. He was 96.
Born July 22, 1923, in Gloversville, Pete was a son of Charles Edward Martin and Grace Vida née Odell Martin. From an early age he helped on his family’s Cloudlands Farm on Tansey Hill at Edson Corners in Milford.
ROSEBOOM – Dennis Carl Hoke, Sr., 79, a farmer and longtime member of the Roseboom Town Board, passed away peacefully Saturday, Oct. 27, 2019, at Bassett Hospital with his loving wife Joan Edna Hoke at his side.
Dennis was born May 18, 1940, in South Valley, to Donald and Mary “Eliza” Barnes. He began school in a two-room schoolhouse in South Valley and, as he grew older, attended the Cherry Valley and later Sharon Springs school systems.
RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Within a month of his wife Ida, Martin Warner Miller, 97, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, Sept. 27, 2019, in Albany Medical Center, Albany. He had the peace and comfort of his loving family by his side.
He was born on July 28, 1922, in the Town of Warren, son of the late Jacob and Adina Worner Miller. Warner, as he was known to all his friends, was raised and educated in Warren and Richfield Springs High School.
On Sept. 4, 1949, he was united in marriage to the former Ida Marie Bisconti in Saint Joseph’s Church, Little Falls. They made their home at his farm in Warren until the mid 1950s, moving to the hamlet of Warren and later Herkimer.
WORCESTER – Born in the old country, Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy, Gaspare Stabile led a life full of adventure.
His parents Giuseppe and Maria Cristina taught him a lot about the ways of the land, along with several uncles and cousins.
At the age of 19, he emigrated to the United States without any knowledge of what he would do. He seized the opportunity to forge a life with many difficulties as he didn’t speak any English. His strength and determination led him to the opportunity of becoming a mason. Competition was fierce, but Gaspare was able to rise above that as his attention to detail along with his friendliness led to many successes.
HARTWICK SEMINARY – Paul L. Ingalls, a farmer, decorated Vietnam veteran and Christian minister, died unexpectedly Sunday night, May 19, 2019, at Bassett Hospital. He was 71.
Paul was a descendant of the first Ingalls who came to the new world in 1628 and settled in Lynn, Mass. A seventh-generation farmer, he was born July 6, 1947, at Bassett Hospital, a son of Rodney Howard Ingalls and Virginia Mary McGraw Ingalls.
Paul graduated from Cooperstown High School, Class of 1966.
LAURENS – Everett L. Brooker, 88, a Remington Arms retiree, passed away Monday, June 3, 2019, at home.
He was born on April 3, 1931, in East Worcester, the son of Elray and Dorothy (Patrick) Brooker.
Before joining Remington Arms in Ilion, Everett was a farmer. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed farming, cutting wood and driving through the countryside.
FLY CREEK – Sarah (Sally) Van Horne Rezen, 95, a Marine, farmer with her husband Paul and antiques restorer whose family has lived in the Fly Creek Valley for 200 years, passed away on April 2, 2019, at Walden Place in Cortland.
Sally was born on Dec. 13, 1923, the daughter of Dorr and Emma Van Horne. She was the sixth of seven girls and grew up on the family farm in Fly Creek Valley.
Sally went to a one-room schoolhouse at the Sprague School through 8th grade. She attended Cooperstown High School, graduating in 1941. After graduation, and with WWII underway, Sally worked at several jobs throughout the region, including an airplane parts factory in Sidney.
WESTFORD – Henry M. “Hank” Burton, 80, who for 40 years operated the excavating company that bears his name, passed away suddenly on April 3, 2019, at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester.
He was born Oct. 3, 1938, in Westford, the son of Charles and Minnie (Peeters) Burton. Hank graduated from Andrew S. Draper Central School in Schenevus, Class of 1957. He worked the Burton Family Dairy Farm for many years, and was also the owner/operator of Walts Restaurant in Worcester.
ONEONTA – Edward Vines Spencer passed away on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2019, at Fox Nursing Home, surrounded by loved ones. He was 93.
Ed was born May 4, 1925 in Pittsfield, to George and Ida Spencer. He fondly remembered growing up on a farm with his parents and two brothers Don and Bob. He enjoyed reminiscing about the farm animals, particularly two work horses named Dolly and June and the family dog Pal, who “knew how to fetch a cow.” He graduated from Morris Central High School in 1943.
NORWICH – William “Bill” Van Wieren, 88, a former truck driver who farmed in West Winfield for a time, died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018.
Bill was born in Kommerzijl, the Netherlands on March 27, 1930, to the late John and Anna (Snip) Van Wieren. He immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1947 at the age of 17 after the end of WWII. He married Alice DeVries in 1952 and together had 12 children.
CHERRY VALLEY – Dean Grover Utter, 78, a lifelong farmer, school board member and former ONC BOCES board president, passed away Nov. 15, 2018, at Bassett Hospital after a sudden illness.
He was born on April 12, 1940, to Almond Grover Utter and Evelyn Prime Utter of Cherry Valley. He graduated from Cherry Valley Central School, and attended Syracuse University and Cornell University.
He was the loving husband of the late Karen Louise (Parsons) Utter, whom he married on May 5, 1962.
EDMESTON – Lauren D. Dye, 84, a retired farmer and past president of Eastern Milk Producers, passed away Thursday Nov. 7, 2018, in Cooperstown, with his loving family at his side.
Lauren was born on Oct. 17, 1934, in the Town of Brookfield, the son of the late Donald A. and Pauline Aikins Dye.
After graduating from Edmeston Central School, Lauren remained in the Edmeston area, operating his dairy farm until the late ’90s when he retired.
COOPERSTOWN – Lois J. Gengenbach, a long-time resident of Cooperstown who had run a farm with her extension agent husband, passed away Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 30, 2018, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica. She was 84.
Born Nov. 29, 1933, in Hudson, she was a daughter of Michael and Helen (Hover) Bessman. She married William H. Gengenbach, also from the Hudson area, on Sept. 4, 1954, at The Church of St. Mary in Hudson.