Thomas Slicer hasn’t been a marathon runner all of his life. “I only started training for marathons last year,” he said. “Before that I was training for all of the shorter distance races.”
Mr. Slicer turns 28 in June, and he just finished his first Boston Marathon in April — the average age for male runners in that 26.2-mile run is 42. It’s the world’s oldest annual marathon and ranks as one of the world’s best-known road racing events.
“There are so many inspiring stories that come out of the Boston Marathon,” he said. “The one I remember the most is when Jacob Russell pushed Patrick Dewey on a stroller. It was incredible.”
Mr. Slicer is from Oneonta and went to Oneonta High School, then on to SUNY Delhi. He trained for the Boston race in Oneonta.
ONEONTA – Carl Lusins, longtime Oneonta resident, died in Albany, New York on Monday April 25th. He was 53. He is survived by his children, Alex Lusins, 25, and Catherine Lusins, 20, his mother, Anna Marie Lusins and his siblings, Gillian Lusins, Dr. John Lusins III, and Matthew Lusins. Carl’s beloved father, Dr. John O. Lusins, and sister, Noelle Lusins, predeceased him in 2001.
Carl was born in New York City on September 6th, 1968. His family lived in Bronxville until he was 15. Carl attended Bronxville Elementary School and Middle School, and he meet his lifelong best friend, Chris Long, and formed many other close bonds.
Carl moved to Oneonta with his family and soon became a vibrant part of the community. He graduated from Oneonta High School in 1987. He was an avid hockey goalie and played in Binghamton throughout high school. He loved throwing parties and driving around Oneonta in his Mazda RX-7 – a love of cars stayed a constant in his life – and was always willing to help his friends and family. He was a graduate of New England College. A highlight of his college years was a semester spent abroad in England. During that year, he traveled throughout Europe and he was in Berlin, in 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, a memory he treasured.
ONEONTA – Catherine J. Tisenchek passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at home surrounded by her loving family.
She was born on July 8, 1957 to Louis G. Tisenchek Sr. and Jane Elizabeth “Betty” Post.
After graduating from Oneonta High School, Cathy attended SUNY Cobleskill where she received her Associates degree. Upon commencement, she was employed by various lawyers in the Oneonta area as a legal secretary before moving on to work for the Cooperstown Family Court System.
In 1997, Cathy started with the Oneonta City Court, becoming Chief Clerk in 2008. She received the Judith Kaye Award in 2017 which she was very proud of. Cathy remained in this position until her retirement in the Fall of 2021.
ONEONTA – Thomas M. Hughson, 88, died peacefully in his sleep at the Cooperstown Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing on February 26, 2022. He is survived by his beloved spouse of almost 30 years, Susan M. Hughson.
Tom was born in Oneonta, New York on November 17, 1933. The son of Thomas P. and Doris M. Hughson, Tom went to Bugbee School – across the street from his childhood home – and Oneonta High School. He then attended Dartmouth College, where he majored in psychology. Following his graduation in 1955, Tom worked at the Glens Falls Insurance Company and was soon drafted to serve in the army. Before leaving for Germany, he married Susan Rosenheim, also of Oneonta.
Tom was honorably discharged in 1958 and returned to Oneonta to join his father’s insurance business, renaming their joint venture T.P & T.M. Hughson, Inc. During the 1970s, Tom was quick to recognize and embrace the potential of computer technology to revolutionize the insurance business. At the same time, he remained steadfast in his commitment to providing honest, personalized advice to all his customers, be they individuals, businesses, or school districts. As a result, T.P. & T.M. Hughson (now Hughson & Benson Associates) grew to become one of the area’s leading independent insurance agencies.
WESTVILLE – Jeffrey Paul Osterhoudt, a long-time area resident, passed away Friday evening, December 31, 2021, at Albany Medical Center. He was 74.
Born October 10, 1947, in Albany, Jeff spent the first few weeks of his life in an orphanage, then was adopted by Napoleon W. and Shirley (MacPherson) Osterhoudt and came to live with them in Oneonta. He went on to graduate from Oneonta High School.
On August 16, 1969, Jeff was united in marriage to Sybil Jean Robinson in a ceremony at the Westville United Methodist Church. They settled on her family’s property in Westville and raised a family.
He first worked for Lutz Feed driving feed trucks, and then for thirty years was employed as a welder for the Otsego County Highway Department in Cooperstown. Throughout the years, he always held many part time jobs, including working at the Agway in Cooperstown, and most recently as a security guard at the Fenimore Art Museum.
ONEONTA – Dorothy Anne Ray, 86, of Rochester passed away on Monday, December 20, 2021 at Crest Manor in Fairport, New York.
She was born on November 10, 1935 in Washington, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Rev. Mark Scott McGee Ray and Anna Elizabeth (Morgan) Ray.
Dorothy Anne’s father, Mark S. M. Ray, was a minister at the United Presbyterian Church (now called the Red Door Church) in Oneonta, New York, and the family lived in the parsonage next to the church. The Ray family, including Dorothy Anne’s brother Mark and her sister Ruth, all played music; Dorothy Anne played flute.
The family spent summer vacations in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and at their cottage in Northfield, Massachusetts, where their father had a summer faculty position at the Northfield School for Girls.
A 1952 graduate of Oneonta High School, Dorothy Anne received her bachelor’s degree from Muskingum College in Ohio in 1957, and her Master of Arts from Rochester University, Rochester, New York in 1968. She spent her career as an elementary teacher for the Penfield Central Schools, retiring in 1991.
ONEONTA – Victoria Weaver, 69, passed away at home on December 16, 2021 after a long battle with diabetes.
She was born September 21, 1952 in Hackensack, NJ, the daughter of Victor and Laura (Hungerford) Minutolo.
Victoria graduated from Oneonta High School in 1970. She married Charles Joseph Weaver on March 16, 1973 in West Oneonta.
Victoria had a daycare in her home for many years. She enjoyed gardening and loved spending time in her kitchen, cooking and baking. She was known for her beautiful wedding and anniversary cakes. She and her family enjoyed their trips to Topsail, NC, where Victoria loved visiting the beach.
Doris Ferris Smith Truman, 99, formerly of West Oneonta, passed away on November 10, 2021, in Oxford, NY. She was born in Oneonta, NY on July 3, 1922, the daughter of A. B. and Hazel (Jackson) Smith. Her family moved from West End to a dairy farm outside of West Oneonta when she was a teenager. She attended Oneonta High School, graduated from Laurens Central High School, and graduated from NYS Agricultural and Technical Institute in Delhi. She married John C. Truman, who lived on a neighboring farm, on November 27, 1943.
Oneonta – V. Lorraine Patten, 86, passed to be the Lord on September 6, 2021 at home surrounded by her family.
She was born July 5, 1935 in Oneonta, the daughter of Charles and Catherine (Pendergast) Easley.
After graduating from Oneonta High School, Lorraine never had the need to venture out of her hometown and it was there that she met and married Frank Patten on August 16, 1953, the love of her life.
The Patten house was a hub, a gathering place for family, friends and neighbors. Their door was always open and all were welcome. Lorraine loved being mom and grandma. She provided for more than just her family; a fond memory of all the neighborhood children was the Patten’s bucket of quarters, ready for the ice cream truck for all to get a summer’s treat. Lorraine enjoyed taking pottery classes at SUCO, a hobby she was quite gifted at. One of her favorite past-times were out gallivanting with her best friends finding treasures at antique shops. In more recent years, meeting the Golden Guernsey Girls for a daily cup of coffee and all their special celebrations. Fun fact, as a child Lorraine was a proud member of the Civil Air Patrol, her post was at the Oneonta Armory.
ONEONTA – Fred G. Hickein passed away on August 25, 2021 at A. O. Fox Memorial Hospital, Oneonta.
Born on July 27, 1927 in Owego, NY, Fred Hickein was the son of Beulah Barnett Hickein and Fred Walter Hickein. When he was about 2, moved to Oneonta, residing with mother, sisters, uncle, great grandfather and grandparents. He graduated from Oneonta High School in June 1944. Joined the United States Navy in April 1945, released as a reservist in June 1946. Recalled to active United States Navy Reserve in November 1950 and released to inactive duty in May 1952. After graduating from Hartwick College in 1953, he joined the Howard E. Brown Insurance Agency, purchasing the agency and operating it until 1983. Fred also worked with AAA. Over 37 years he coordinated and accompanied over 25,000 6th grade safety-patrol students to Washington, DC and Gettysburg, PA. He served as Executive Vice President and Manager of the Tri County Motor Club (AAA) from October 1981 until his retirement in 1992.
Fred married Eleanor (Ellie) Brown on June 4, 1954 and they recently celebrated 67 years of happy life together as proud parents of four children.
William Moody and Ellie Hotaling accepted their Rotary awards Tuesday, July 6, during a ceremony at The Otesaga Resort Hotel.
The Cooperstown Rotary Foundation announced the winners of two scholarships for 2021 graduates during a ceremony Tuesday, July 6, at The Otesaga Resort Hotel.
Cooperstown Central graduate Ellie Hotaling is the recipient of the Catherine Davis Black Scholarship.
William Moody, an Oneonta High School and BOCES graduate, is the recipient of the Michael Mayne scholarship.
Moody and Hotaling were acknowledged at their high schools’ commencement ceremonies and received the $1,200 scholarships at the Rotary Club’s luncheon.
The Catherine Davis Black Scholarship award was created in 2015 in memory of Catherine Black, who was a charter member and a founder of the local Rotary Club’s tax-deductible charity.
Black was the first female president of the Cooperstown Rotary Club and went on to be one of the first female district governors. Since Black had a special interest in early childhood education and music, the scholarship criteria stipulates the recipient should be planning to pursue a career in one of those areas, as well as having demonstrated the Rotary tenet of “Service Above Self” by volunteering and contributing to their community.
ONEONTA – Stanley G. Smith, 61, lost his courageous battle with lung cancer on Sunday, May 23, 2021.
He was born on April 27, 1960 in Delhi, to Francis “Smitty” and Elizabeth (Slater) Smith.
Stan was a 1979 graduate of Oneonta High School, where he played football and baseball. He worked for several years at Brook’s BBQ. Stan worked also for Otsego County Senior Meals on Wheels.
In between he worked as a bar bouncer, helped his dad “Smitty” with the family paving business, and at the Holiday Lanes doing several different jobs. Stan worked in the maintenance at SUNY Oneonta for several years until the devastating diagnosis of Stage IV lung cancer, forced his retirement last August.
Stan married Dolores Hugues on December 21, 2002. He became step-dad or as they liked to call him, “their extra dad”, to Peter Hugues-Simmons of Manchester, CT and Joseph Simmons of Laurens. Stan jumped into fatherhood with both feet, coaching the Sunday morning kids bowling. Taking teams all over the state to tournaments and taking a team all the way to the States in Syracuse. He also coached city of Oneonta pony league baseball, going from last place the first year to being undefeated the next. Stan, in his own rite, was an excellent bowler; 14 career 300 games, numerous 299’s. At one point, Stan was on the
Oneonta senor pitcher Tanner Russin pitched a four-hit game for Oneonta, but Chenango Forks capitalized on three Yellowjacket errors to win a Southern Tier Athletic Conference baseball game Friday, May 21, at Joe Hughes Field in Oneonta.
Zack Young led the Blue Devils with two hits.
Forks pitcher Grady Stark got the win, giving up five hits.
Aidan Breakey had two of Oneonta’s hits, including an RBI single in the first.
A school based COVID-19 vaccination program for students is being established by the Oneonta city School District in partnership with the Otsego County Department of Health.
Students ages 12 and older will be able to receive the Pfizer vaccination at no cost.
According to a survey organized by the Oneonta school district, at least 200 parents had expressed an interest in participating with the vaccination clinic.
Oneonta gets two STAC wins; Hawkeyes top Norwich at Doubleday Field
By GREG KLEIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
The ball gets away from Oneonta shortstop Aidan Breakey as Cooperstown’s Brady Hascup slides into second during the Hawkeyes’ 11-9 win Saturday, May 1, at Joe Hughes Field at Oneonta High School. The Yellowjackets led Cooperstown, 8-4, going into the final inning. Oneonta opened the season and the field, which was named in honor of the team’s longtime coach, with a win over Norwich on Saturday.
Cooperstown scored seven runs in the seventh inning to stage a comeback against the host Yellowjackets at Joe Hughes Field, 11-9, on Saturday, May 1.
The rally marked the best action for the two teams opening weekend as the two powerhouse programs in the region both beat Norwich, and Oneonta also topped rival Seton Catholic, 9-3, to start the season 2-0 and 2-1, respectively.
The opening of Joe Hughes Field was scheduled for 2019, but with three games in three days this weekend, it was a nice weekend for Oneonta’s baseball coach of more than three decades, he said.
“It was good to get out there and play, finally,” Hughes said following the Jackets’ second game Saturday.
Still, the Class B Jackets losing to the Class C Hawkeyes stung, he said.
“We had an 8-3 lead in the late innings,” Hughes said “They had a good comeback, but when you score nine runs, you are supposed to win.”
Thomas Slicer hasn’t been a marathon runner all of his life. “I only started training for marathons last year,” he said. “Before that I was training for all of the shorter distance races.”
