OBITS: Staten Island Advance 21 Oct 2005; Staten Island, Richmond co., New York text-formatted by W. David Samuelsen for The USGenWeb Archives Project *********************************************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/ny/nyfiles.htm *********************************************************************** Source: Staten Island Advance Death Notices http://www.statenislandadvance.com/ Battaglia, Theresa Theresa Battaglia of Rossville on October 20, 2005 Beloved wife of the late Accursio Battaglia. Loving mother of Anna Daggett and Frank Battaglia. Dear sister of Peter Landano. Also survived by four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral from Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Ave, West Brighton Monday 8:45 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial St. Peter's Church 9:30 A.M. Interment Ocean County Memorial Park, Toms River, NJ. Friends will be received Sunday 2-4, 7-9 P.M. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/21/2005 - 10/23/2005. Birmeister, Philip BURMEISTER Members of Sgt Michael Labetti Post # 2159 VFW will meet at the Virginia Funeral Home, tonite at 7:15 P.M. to conduct services for our departed comrade Philip Birmeister. Sal Immitti, Commander Published in the Staten Island Advance on 10/21/2005. Burmeister, Philip Philip Burmeister of Dongan Hills on October 17, 2005. Beloved husband of Rose (nee Santanello). Loving father of Phyllis Ward and William Burmeister and father-in-law of Nina Burmeister. Adored grandfather of Joseph Jr., Steven, Lisa, Kelly and Alison. Funeral from Dongan Hills Virginia Funeral Chapel, 1707 Hylan Blvd., Saturday 9:30 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial St. Ann's Church 10 A.M. Interment Moravian Cemetery. Visiting hours Thursday and Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. Buttacavoli, Gaetano "Tom" Gaetano (Tom) Buttacavoli on October 20, 2005. Beloved husband of Nancy. Devoted father of Angela Turnier and Joseph. Cherished grandfather of Justin and Alexandra. Reposing at Colonial Funeral Home, 2819 Hylan Blvd., corner of Tysens Lane. Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Funeral Mass St. Ann's Church Saturday 11 A.M. Interment St. Peter's Cemetery. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance on 10/21/2005. Cali, Grace M. (Assenza) Grace M. Cali (nee Assenza) of Dongan Hills on October 18, 2005. Beloved wife of Dewey. Loving mother of JoAnn. Dear sister of Rose Uberti, Stella DiMartino, Michelena Dezio and Salvatore Assenza. Funeral from Dongan Hills Virginia Funeral Chapel, 1707 Hylan Blvd., on Saturday 9 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial Holy Rosary Church 9:30 A.M. Interment Moravian Cemetery. Visiting hours Thursday and Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Nutritional and Educational Foundation, Inc. 36 East 36th St. Suite 204, New York, New York 10016. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. Geelan, Linda Kay Linda Kay Geelan (Pettersen) of Beach Lake, Pa., formerly of Great Kills, on October 18, 2005. Beloved wife of Gil Geelan. Loving mother of Danielle A. Magnus and Nichole E. Frustaci. Dear sister of Carolyn Tillstrand, Richard and Harold Pettersen. Devoted daughter-in-law of Rose Geelan. Fond mother-in-law of Kenneth Magnus and Nicholas Frustaci. Also survived by three grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral from Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Ave., West Brighton Saturday 8:45 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial St. Teresa's Church 9:30 A.M. Committal private. Friends will be received Thursday 7-9 P.M., Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/19/2005 - 10/21/2005. Kelly, Hughie Hughie Kelly of Huguenot on October 17, 2005. Beloved companion of Dawn Lubonski. Cherished father of Ryan and Dominique. Devoted son of Rosemarie and the late John Naclerio. Dear brother of Lisa, Elizabeth, Kimberly, and Danielle. Funeral Services will be held at THE JOHN VINCENT SCALIA HOME FOR FUNERALS, 28 ELTINGVILLE BLVD. (AT ELTINGVILLE STATION), Saturday at 8 P.M. Cremation private. A gathering of family and friends will take place on Saturday from 2-5 and 7-10 P.M. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to his children, would be appreciated. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance on 10/21/2005. Leigh, Deirdre A. (Zeitler) Deirdre A. Leigh (nee Zeitler) of West Brighton on October 20, 2005. Beloved wife of David J. Leigh. Loving mother of Christopher D. Leigh. Dear sister of Jeanne Marie Dugan, Christine DeAngelis and Robert Zeitler. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral from Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Avenue, West Brighton, Monday 10:15 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial Sacred Heart Church 11 A.M. Committal private. Friends will be received Saturday and Sunday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. In lieu of flowers contributions to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, 386 Park Avenue South, 17th Floor, NY, NY 10016, would be appreciated. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/21/2005 - 10/23/2005. Maffia Sr., Anthony J. Anthony J. Maffia Sr. of Howell, NJ formerly of Staten Island on October 19, 2005. Beloved husband of Camille (nee Maniscalco). Loving father of Anthony, Frank, Crystal and Shannon. Dear brother of Ann Parisi and Josephine Carlson. Adored grandfather of Alex, Nina and Bailey. Funeral from Castleton Corners Casey Funeral Home 350 Slosson Ave on Saturday 9 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial St. Joseph's Church 9:30 A.M. Private Cremation. Visiting hours Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance on 10/21/2005. Mattei, John John Mattei of Westerleigh on October 18, 2005. Beloved husband of Mary (nee Darcy). Loving father of Lorraine Ihnken and Edmund J. Mattei. Dear brother of Edina Pillarella, Alba Chironna, Anita Macaro, William and Servio Mattei. Cherished grandfather of Linda Tully and Lawrence Prehn. Also survived by three great-grandchildren. Friends may call at the Olivet Presbyterian Church 97 Myrtle Ave, West Brighton on Friday, October 21st from 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Funeral Service October 22nd at 10 A.M. Interment Moravian Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations to Olivet Presbyterian Church, 97 Myrtle Ave., S.I., N.Y. 10310 would be appreciated www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. McKinney, Mildred J. (O'Brien) Mildred J. McKinney (nee O'Brien) of West Brighton on October 19, 2005. Beloved wife of the late John J. McKinney. Loving mother of Jeanne Palladino and Sr. Kathleen McKinney, C.S.J and John J. McKinney Jr. Also survived by seven grandchildren and six great-grand-children. Funeral from Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Ave, West Brighton Saturday 9 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial Blessed Sacrament Church 9:45 A.M. Interment Holy Cross Cemetery, Brooklyn N.Y. Friends will be received Thursday 7-9 P.M., Friday 2-5, 7-9 P.M. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. Pedernales, Benita Benita Pedernales of Mariners Harbor on October 18, 2005. Beloved wife of Joseph Pedernales Sr. Loving mother of Joseph Pedernales Jr., Emili DiMauro, Benita Dini and Elvira Simon. Dear sister of Emilia Rivera, Maria Alahandro and Michael Cortazar. Also survived by ten grandchildren. Funeral from Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Ave, West Brighton Saturday 9:15 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial St. Clement's Church 10 A.M. Interment Moravian Cemetery. Friends will be received Friday 2-4, 7-9 P.M. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/19/2005 - 10/21/2005. Roberts Jr., Jackson C. Jackson C. Roberts Jr. PhD of New Springville on October 19, 2005. Beloved husband of the late Ermine Roberts. Loving father of Jacqueline A. Roberts. Dear brother of Oretha Roberts Edwards, Monzella Roberts Bryant and Georgia Roberts Coleman. Cherished grandfather of Carolina Estevez. Funeral Service Harmon Home for Funerals, 571 Forest Avenue, West Brighton, Monday 11 A.M. Entombment Moravian Cemetery. Friends will be received Monday morning 10-11 A.M. K. Terrance McGinley, Director, Harmon Home for Funerals Locally Family Owned and Operated Staten Island's only member of the International Order of the www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/21/2005 - 10/22/2005. Vetter, Charles L. Charles L. Vetter of Tottenville on October 19, 2005. Beloved husband of the late Catherine. Loving father of Alice Emperor and Josephine Winters and the late Charles. Also survived by five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Funeral from Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home, 7447 Amboy Rd. on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 9:30 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial Our Lady Help of Christians R.C. Church 10 A.M. Interment Cemetery of the Resurrection. Friends may visit Thursday and Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Bedell-Pizzo Funeral Home Family Owned & Operated since 1841 www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. Vigliotti, Louise Louise Vigliotti of Port Richmond Center on October 19, 2005. Beloved wife of the late Michael A. Loving mother of Marianne Casella, John and Anthony Vigliotti and Joan Carroll. Also survived by thirteen grandchildren and one great-granddaughter Anaya. Funeral from MATTHEW FUNERAL HOME INC., 2508 VICTORY BLVD. AT WILLOWBROOK ROAD, on Saturday 9:45 A.M. Mass of Christian Burial Blessed Sacrament Church 10:30 A.M. Interment St. Peter's Cemetery. Friends may call Friday 2-4, 7-9 P.M. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/20/2005 - 10/21/2005. Zeena, William William Zeena of Latourette on October 18, 2005. Beloved husband of Carolyn. Cherished father of Jane and Matthew Casella, William Zeena Jr., Ann Marie and Louis Biondo and Carolyn Crapanzano. Cherished grandfather of Robert, Michael and Nikki Ann. Reposing at Colonial Funeral Home, 2819 Hylan Blvd., corner of Tysens Lane. Friends may call Thursday and Friday 2-4 and 7-9 P.M. Mass of Christian Burial Saturday 9:15 A.M. St. Charles Church. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. www.SiLive.com/obits Published in the Staten Island Advance from 10/19/2005 - 10/21/2005. THERESA BATTAGLIA, 88 Stenographer enjoyed attending community theater Friday, October 21, 2005 Native Staten Islander Theresa Battaglia of Rossville, a homemaker and retired stenographer, died yesterday in Staten Island University Hospital, Prince's Bay, after a short illness. She was 88. Born Theresa Landano in West Brighton, she attended Port Richmond High School, but left during the Depression to begin working. She and Accursio Battaglia were married in 1940, and she worked as a secretary for a U.S. Army colonel at the former Halloran Hospital, Willowbrook, during World War II. Shortly thereafter, she left the workforce to dedicate her time to caring for her home and family. The Battaglias moved to Livingston in 1956. Mrs. Battaglia emphasized the value of education by motivating and supporting her children's academic efforts, said her son, Frank. During the 1970s, she took a civil service exam and returned to work to help her daughter finish nursing school. For 10 years, Mrs. Battaglia was a stenographer for caseworkers at the former city Department of Social Services in St. George. Upon her retirement in the mid-1980s, she and her husband relocated to Toms River, N.J. She returned to Staten Island, settling in Rossville, after her husband died in 1996. For decades, Mrs. Battaglia enjoyed hosting meals on Sundays and family occasions. She was tireless when it came to holidays, said her son. Mrs. Battaglia often prepared Italian feasts along with her husband, and the family never settled on which of them made the better sauce. She made a heavy, thick ragu with a lot of garlic, he said. I can almost taste it. Fond of attending plays and musicals both on and off Broadway, Mrs. Battaglia frequented community theater and college productions on Staten Island. She also enjoyed going to performances at Ocean County College in Toms River and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J. She was vivacious and friendly, said her son. She loved people and children, she was kind to others and was always ready to help others. Mrs. Battaglia was a former parishioner of St. Paul's R.C. Church, New Brighton. In addition to her son, Frank, surviving are her daughter, Anna Daggett; a brother, Peter Landano; four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. The funeral will be Monday from the Harmon Home for Funerals, West Brighton, with a mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter's R.C. Church, New Brighton. Burial will follow in Ocean County Memorial Park, Toms River. LOUISE VIGLIOTTI, 85 Homemade Italian dinners drew her family together Friday, October 21, 2005 Louise Vigliotti, a lifelong Port Richmond resident who devoted her life to her tight-knit family, died Wednesday in St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton. She was 85. Born Louise De Angelo in 1920, she graduated from Port Richmond High School. She and Michael Vigliotti were married in 1938 and the couple reared four children. Mrs. Vigliotti's son, John, fondly recalled her homemade Italian dinners that drew the family together each night. "Her biggest enjoyment was cooking for the family," said her son, singling out her lasagna for particular praise. "Her whole life was her family, her kids and her grandkids. ... She was very fond of her two daughters-in-law, Laura and Darlene." Mrs. Vigliotti worked as a crossing guard in Port Richmond from 1970 to 1978. She was a lifelong parishioner of Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church, West Brighton. Mrs. Vigliotti was an avid New York Yankees fan -- an enthusiasm she passed on to her children, her son said. After her husband, Michael, died in 1980, she became involved in the senior center at St. Mary of the Assumption R.C. Church, Port Richmond. She enjoyed playing the slot machines during the group's trips to Atlantic City. "She also was proud of the fact that she still drove her car," her son added. "She was proud that she was still able to drive at her age." In addition to her son, John, surviving are her son, Anthony; her two daughters, Marianne Casella and Joan Carroll; a sister, Anna Vigliotti; 13 grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter. The funeral will be tomorrow from the Matthew Funeral Home, Willowbrook, with a mass at 10:30 a.m. in Blessed Sacrament Church. Burial will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery, West Brighton. FRANCIS CONSIDINE, 83 Worked in Sea View Hospital mailroom for 50 years Friday, October 21, 2005 Francis Considine, a longtime Castleton Corners resident, died Wednesday in Rosary Hill Home, Hawthorne, N.Y., of cancer. He was 83. Born in Bogota, N.J., Mr. Considine was brought to Castleton Corners when he was a year old and lived there until eight months ago, when he entered Rosary Hill. After attending Curtis High School, he went to work for the former Sperry Gyroscope Co. in Brooklyn -- making bullets there during World War II. He was then employed for a few years as a laborer at the former Nassau Smelting and Refinery Co., Tottenville. Mr. Considine then worked in the mailroom at Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home for 50 years. He retired in 2002. A member of the Staten Island Right to Life Committee, Mr. Considine was very active in the pro-life movement and attended many of its events, said his longtime friend Robert Landvogt. Landvogt and Mr. Considine met when they lived next door to each other as children and remained friends for almost 75 years. "He was the very quiet type," he said. "He was very devoted to his Catholic faith." Mr. Considine liked to travel. "His greatest travel experience was a trip to Israel on a pilgrimage in 1978," said Landvogt, adding that his friend also enjoyed watching old television shows. The funeral will be Monday from the Casey Funeral Home, with a mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Teresa's R.C. Church, both Castleton Corners. Burial will follow in St. Peter's Cemetery, West Brighton. ANTHONY MAFFIA, 60 City bus mechanic Friday, October 21, 2005 Anthony Joseph Maffia, 60, of Howell, N.J., a retired bus mechanic and driver, died Wednesday in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. Mr. Maffia was born on Staten Island, and lived in both New Dorp and Rosebank, spending most of his time in the latter neighborhood. He attended McKee High School and earned his diploma through the U.S. Navy, where he served in the Seabees as a mechanic. He was stationed in Vietnam for two and a half years during the late 1960s and achieved the rank of chief petty officer. Mr. Maffia worked as a bus mechanic for the city Transit Authority in Brooklyn and Staten Island for 20 years, and then as a school bus driver for Colts Neck Township Schools in New Jersey. He retired in 1999. He relocated to Howell in 1985. According to his family, who described him as "fun-loving" and "always happy," he liked model trains, cars and computers. "He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, Alex and Nina Maffia and Bailey Byers," said his son, Frank. "He will be deeply missed." While living on Staten Island, Mr. Maffia was a parishioner of St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Rosebank. In addition to his son, Frank, and three grandchildren, surviving are his wife, the former Camille Maniscalco; his son, Anthony; his two daughters, Crystal Maffia and Shannon Byers, and two sisters, Ann Parisi and Josephine Carlson. The funeral will be tomorrow from the Casey Funeral Home, Castleton Corners, with a service at 9:30 a.m. in St. Joseph's Church. The arrangements include cremation.