OBITS: Times Herald-Record 4 Feb 2005; Middletown, Orange co., New York text-formatted by W. David Samuelsen for USGenWeb Archives *********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm *********************************************************************** Source: Times Herald-Record http://www.recordonline.com Amedeo, Pasquale J. "Pat" Pasquale J. "Pat" Amedeo, a retired machinist for IBM in Poughkeepsie, retiring Feb. 2, 1983, and longtime area resident, died Tuesday, February 1, 2005 at home after a long illness. He was 84. The son of the late John P. and Mary Paskal Amedeo, he was born November 10, 1920 in Rochester. Pasquale attended Nativity School in Poughkeepsie. He served in the Philippines during WW II, U.S. Army Private 1st Class 106th Engineers Combat Battalion, from September 16, 1942 to January 12, 1946. He was a member of Quarter Century Club of IBM and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Poughkeepsie. Pasquale married Rose V. Vecchio on May 5, 1946 in Mt. Carmel Church, Poughkeepsie. Survivors include his wife at home; two daughters, Theresa M. Kennedy of Wappingers Falls and Catherine A. Drennan of Newburgh; three sons, John P. Amedeo of Poughkeepsie, Michael J. Amedeo and his wife Cheryl of Chandler, Ariz. and Patrick Amedeo and his wife Olga of Poughkeepsie; grandchildren, Bobby, Donny, Jennifer and Michael Kennedy, Christopher Drennan, Hope, Nicole, Anthony and Pasquale Amedeo; and nine great-grandchildren. Calling hours will be held from 5 to 9 p.m., Thursday, February 3 at Michael Torsone Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 218 Mill St., Poughkeepsie. Handicapped entrance in the rear of the funeral home on Vassar Street. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m., Friday, February 4 at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Poughkeepsie. Father Peter Kihm will officiate. Burial will be in St. Peter's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. For directions, Torsonememorial.com Published in the Times Herald-Record from 2/3/2005 - 2/4/2005. Arrington, Gerald H. Gerald "Jerry" H. Arrington, a New York City Firefighter and the operator of Primerica Financial Services, died unexpectedly on Wednesday February 2, 2005 in Middletown. He was 47 years old. The son of the late James Earl and Harriett Hall Arrington, he was born September 16, 1957 in Brooklyn. Jerry was an elder and usher for Christian Faith Fellowship Church, Middletown, and one of the director's of Academy of Finance for Middletown High School. A family statement reads: "Jerry was very proud of his family, career and church. He was jovial and always smiling. He loved his job and was a decorated hero fireman and was an avid fisherman. He loved talking to people. To know him was to love him." He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years, Elizabeth McPhaul Arrington, at home; two beloved daughters, Lauren Arrington, of Irving, Texas, and Jenelle Arrington of Middletown; his mom, Harriet, of Queens; two brothers, James "Jimmy" Arrington of Queens and Dana Arrington and his wife, Crystal, of Bay Shore; one sister, Melissa Hubbard of Queens; one sister-in-law, Penny, and her husband, Andre McPhaul, of Pennsylvania; one nephew and three nieces, as well as lots of cousins. Family and friends are invited to call from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Saturday, February 5, at Christian Faith Fellowship Church, 10 East Main St., Middletown. A Funeral Service of Remembrance will be celebrated at 3:00 PM with Pastor Joseph McKelvey officiating. Cremation will be private and at the convenience of the family. Memorial donations in Jerry's name may be made to: Christian Faith Fellowship Building Fund, 10 East Main St., Middletown, NY 10940. Arrangements are under the direction of Applebee-McPhillips Funeral Home, Inc. www.applebee-mcphillips.com Published in the Times Herald-Record on 2/4/2005. Babcock, Roger William Roger William Babcock, a retired employee of North Rockland Central School District, died Thursday, February 3, 2005 at Horton Hospital in Middletown. He was 51. The son of Roland Babcock and the late Mildred Cooper Babcock, he was born May 11, 1953 in Suffern. Survivors include his wife of 30 1/2 years, Kathleen Babcock; father, Roland Babcock; children, Richard Babcock Sr. and his wife Dena and Shauna Batewell and her husband Bruce; sisters and brothers, Barbara Costello, Sue Babcock, Daniel Babcock Sr. and his wife Loretta, Steven Babcock and his wife Star, Joel Babcock and his wife Sharon, Darrin Babcock and his wife Stacy; sister-in-law, Siobhan Giunta and her husband Salvatore; grandchildren, Richard Babcock Jr. and Hayley Batewell; six nieces; two nephews; three great-nieces; and many other family and friends. Roger was a devoted family man and he loved to hunt and fish. Visitation will be held from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 4 at Dutcher's Funeral Home, 18 Lincoln St., Haverstraw, N.Y. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 at the funeral home. Arrangmements by Dutcher's Funeral Home. Published in the Times Herald-Record on 2/4/2005. Berkery, James Formerly of Newburgh, N.Y. James Berkery died Saturday, January l5, 2005, at home. He was 61. The son of the late Leo and Theresa (Cassidy) Berkery, he was born April 2, 1943, in Newburgh. Survivors include his wife, Deanna (Lewis) Berkery, at home; one daughter, Tina Nason, of Bunnell, Fla.; one brother, Leo, of Georgia; one sister, Mary, and her husband, Richard Irons, of Newburgh; and one brother-in-law, Howard Cox, of Woodstock. He is also survived by three grandaughters Shannon, Becky and Crystal; two great-grandchildren, Seven and Zahara; and several nieces, nephews and their family, and many cousins. He was predeceased by his sister, Sheila Cox. Arrangements were made by Hospice of Volusia/Flagler Chapel. Donations may be made to: Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 3800 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129. Published in the Times Herald-Record on 2/4/2005. Gesner, Christine A. Christine A. Gesner, of Nanuet, N.Y., died Tuesday, February 2, 2005 at Good Samaritan Hospital, Suffern, N.Y. She was 52. Ms. Gesner worked as a payroll manager for Scalamandre Construction in Freeport, L.I. Ms. Gesner was born October 14, 1952 in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Thomas and Therese Corcoran Crusie. She was educated in Orangeburg, N.Y. and graduated from Rosary Academy in 1970. Ms. Gesner lived in Nanuet for the past 7 years and before that she lived in Washingtonville, N.Y. from 1978-1998. She is survived by her daughters, Samantha Leigh and Michelle Ann and future grandchild; sister, Kathleen Shafer and husband Thomas; niece, Lisa Pizzarelli; aunt, Sr. Nancy Goult; grandnieces, Sarah and Hannah and nieces and nephews, Thomas, Martin, Cherie and Thomas and children. She was predeceased by her mother and father. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m., Saturday, February 5 at St. Anthony's R.C. Church, Nanuet. Cremation is private. Visiting is Friday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Wyman-Fisher Funeral Home Inc., 100 Franklin Ave., Pearl River, N.Y. Friends may send donations in her memory to Good Samaritan Hospital, Bobbi Lewis Foundation, Rt 59, Suffern, NY 10901. Published in the Times Herald-Record from 2/3/2005 - 2/4/2005. Roby, Mary "Jean" Mary "Jean" Roby, a retired registered nurse and longtime resident of the area, died Wednesday, February 2, 2005 at the Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. She was 70. The daughter of the late Joseph Moncey & Mary Alice O'Leary Moncey, she was born May 27, 1934 in Brockton, Mass. Jean trained at the Faulkner Hospital School of Nursing; was a member of St. Peter's Church, Monticello where she was active in the Altar Rosary Society and also worked on the church bulletin and cleaning committee; she was also a member of the Calico Geese Quilting Club. A family statement reads: "Mom cherished family with her warm smile and kind personality and had a way to make everyone feel like part of her family. She beamed with great pride and love when spending quality time with her husband, children and grandchildren. Her gift for quilting and sewing enabled her to gladly give back with many handmade baby blankets and quilts for friends, family and coworkers. Mom adored her loyal friends at the Church, Quilting Club and Mahogany Ridge. She enjoyed her great love of nature with campfires, fishing, sunsets, foliage, the ocean and eagle watching. She is survived by her husband: Elmer W. Roby, at home; two daughters: Bonnie DeGraw & her husband Fred of Harris, and Brenda Cohn & her husband Mike of Monticello; a son: Kevin G. Roby of Liberty; a brother: John Moncey of Mass.; 3 sisters: Luice Moncevitch & Brenda LaBrie, both of Mass. and Nance Leslie of Maryland; 3 Grandchildren: Jennifer Degraw, Ricky DeGraw & Samantha Cohn; several nieces & nephews; She was predeceased by a brother, Paul Moncey. Visitation will be held on Monday, February 7 from 2-4 & 7-9pm at the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home, 401 Broadway in Monticello. Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 8 at 10 a.m. at St. Peter's Church, Broadway & Liberty Street in Monticello Burial will be held in St. Peter's Cemetery, Monticello. Memorial contributions may be made to the WSUL Heart-A-Thon to be held in February. Arrangements are by the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home of Monticello. For additional service information please go to www.kennyfuneralhome.com. Published in the Times Herald-Record on 2/4/2005. Woltz, John R. John R. Woltz, a Systems Quality Engineer for IBM, Kingston until his retirement, died Tuesday, February 1, 2005 at Cornwall Hospital in Cornwall. He was 72. The son of the late George and Violet Woltz, he was born January 3, 1933 in Buffalo. He married Katherine E. (Ervin) Woltz, who died Jan. 5, 2002. He was a graduate of Louisiana State University with a Bachelor's Degree and graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Master's Degree. He was a veteran of the US Air Force, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served during the Korean War. John was a very active member of the Fair Street Reformed Church; a member of the Great Consistory and was Chief Deacon and had also been Superintendent of the Sunday School. He was the senior advisor of the Youth Group at church and was music chairman. Survivors include one daughter, Margie L. Staley of Newburgh; grandson, Timothy Staley; granddaughter, Amy Beth Staley. Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Fair Street Reformed Church, Kingston with the Rev. Louis LaFazia officiating. Interment will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery, with full military honors. Friends may call at Keyser and Hamilton Funeral Service, 326 Albany and Manor Ave., Kingston on Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Orange County Cancer Society Relay for Life, 407 East Main St., Middletown, NY 10940 or the Fair Street Reformed Church Memorial Fund, 209 Fair St., Kingston, NY 12401 in his memory. Arrangments by Keyser and Hamilton Funeral Service. Published in the Times Herald-Record from 2/3/2005 - 2/4/2005.