OBITS: Post-Star 5 Apr 2005; Glen Falls, Warren 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: Post-Star http://www.post-star.com Blake, Gary Frank QUEENSBURY -- Gary Frank Blake, 67, of Hidden Hills, passed away peacefully, Sunday, April 3, 2005, at home surrounded by family and close friends. Born on Oct. 11, 1937, in Glens Falls, he was the son of the late Merrill and Elizabeth (Dewey) Blake. Mr. Blake was a graduate of Glens Falls High School. He served in the U.S. Army, being honorably discharged, Feb. 12, 1963. In August of 1965 he married Jana Fahey. In 1997, after 35 years of service, Mr. Blake retired from General Electric Co., in Fort Edward. He and his wife raised their family in Fort Edward on East Street. Mr. Blake loved antiquing, operated an antique shop in South Glens Falls for many years. He also loved shooting pool at Glens Falls Senior Citizens, playing cards, cooking, woodworking and especially his grandchildren and his dog, Rosie. His family says he had a huge heart, no enemies, was a perfect gentleman and even in sickness, didn't want anyone to worry about him. In his sickness he made many new friends, especially those in renal dialysis with him. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Allen Blake, Robert Blake and Donald Blake. Survivors include his loving wife and best friend of almost 40 years, Jana Blake of Queensbury; his children, Tracy Basher and her husband, John, of South Glens Falls, Shannon DePalo and her husband, Daniel, of Hudson Falls and Matthew Blake and his wife, Sara, of Fort Edward; five grandchildren: Nicholas and Dylan Basher, Abby and Jana DePalo and Crystal Bradway; two brothers, Charles Merrill Blake Jr., and his wife, Judy, of Vermont, and Darrell Blake and his wife, Donna, of Florida; his special friends, Richard and Kathy Gale of Queensbury, Sue Wyman of Glens Falls, Dr. Mihindu and the Renal Center staff; and Marilyn Keefe of Kingsbury; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Friends may call on Wednesday, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Carleton Funeral Home, Inc., 68 Main St. in Hudson Falls. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m., Thursday, at the funeral home. Burial, with military honors, will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday, at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in the town of Stillwater. The family would like to extend a special thanks to the Glens Falls Hospital, 3 South nursing staff. The family suggests memorial donations be sent to the Renal Dialysis Unit, Glens Falls Hospital, 100 Park St., Glens Falls, NY 12801. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Chadwick, Agnes (Wilcox) GLENS FALLS -- Agnes (Wilcox) Chadwick, 86, of Cronin High Rise, passed away Monday, April 4, 2005, at Glens Falls Hospital following a courageous battle with cancer. A complete obituary will appear in Wednesday's edition of The Post-Star. Arrangements are under the direction of Stafford Funeral Home, Inc. of Lake George. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Clark, Shirley A. SCHUYLERVILLE -- Shirley A. Clark, 70, of Chestnut Street, and formerly of Fort Edward, died Monday, April 4, 2005, at the home of her son in South Glens Falls. Born on Jan. 4, 1935, in Fort Edward, she was the daughter of Sherry R. and Emmaline (Colvin) Gifford. Shirley enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved her Friday night bingo, and was an avid CB enthusiast; her handle was "Pearl." She was a former member of the Catholic Daughters of Americas Court Stella Maris in Schuylerville, and in her younger days she was involved in the Girl Scouts. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Thomas R. Gifford, and her sister, Catherine Critello. Survivors include her husband, Harry M. Clark Jr. of East Springfield; her children, Tina M. Carden and her husband, Albert, of Fort Edward, Harry M. Clark III of Clarks Mills and his fiancee, Libby Perkins, of Greenwich, and Terry S. Clark and his wife, Michelle, of South Glens Falls; her grandchildren: Crystal Reed and her husband, Dan, of Gansevoort, Jason Carden of Fort Edward, Terri J. Maguire of Clifton Park, and Kyler Clark and Kendall Clark, both of South Glens Falls; her three great-grandsons, Danny Reed, Dylan Reed and Jarron Maguire; her two brothers, Sherry Gifford of Fort Edward and Joseph Gifford and his wife, Tammy, of Fort Edward; her three sisters, Maisie Suddard and her husband, Kenneth, of Fort Edward, Cassie Duket and her husband, Claude, of Clarks Mills and Diane Morency and her husband, Mike, of Queensbury; and several nieces, nephews, cousins; and her best friend, Robin Morris. Friends and family may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at M. B. Kilmer Funeral Home, 82 Broadway, Fort Edward. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 7, at St. Joseph Church, 164 Broadway, Fort Edward, with the Rev. Joseph Xavier, administrator, officiating. (www.kilmers. com) The Rite of Committal will follow at Union Cemetery, Fort Edward. Donations may be made in Shirley's memory to the American Diabetes Association, 7 Washington Square, Albany NY 12205-5512 or to the General Schuyler Emergency Squad, P.O. Box 111, Schuylerville, NY 12871. A special thank you to Loretta for her special meals and her excellent care she gave Shirley. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Hayes, Billy J. RIPARIUS -- Billy J. Hayes, 29, formerly of Johnstown, died unexpectedly Sunday, April 3, 2005, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Born March 14, 1976, in Gloversville, he was the son of James C. Hayes of Riparius and Josephine Riker Armstrong of Johnstown. Billy was a graduate of Johnstown High School, Class of 1994. Mr. Hayes was a construction worker for Galusha and Sons of Johnsburg. He had interned for Disney World as a chef. His hobbies included hunting, fishing and building his new log cabin. He will be remembered as a loving son and brother. Survivors besides his parents are his stepfather, Gregory Armstrong of Johnstown; two brothers, Scott Hayes of Chestertown and his twin brother and best friend, Myrton Hayes of Warrensburg; one stepbrother, Gregory Armstrong of Johnstown; two sisters, Maureen Galusha and her husband, Matt, of Johnsburg, and Kelly Hayes of Queensbury; paternal grandfather, Myrton Hayes of Riparius; paternal grandmother, Gloria Thompson of Warrensburg; maternal grandmother, Marie Riker of Johnstown; one niece, Chelsea Hayes; three nephews, James Hayes, Ryan Galusha, and Mitchell Galusha; several aunts, uncles and cousins; and his two dogs, Sam and Macy. Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, at Barton-McDermott Funeral Home, 9 Pine St., Chestertown; with the Rev. William Bowman, associate pastor of Mountainside Bible Chapel officiating. Interment will be at Federal Flats Cemetery, Olmstedville. Relatives and friends may call from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at the funeral home. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. LaBier, Arthur J. WARRENSBURG -- Arthur J. LaBier, 98, formerly of 4033 Main St., passed away Sunday evening, April 3, 2005, at Glens Falls Hospital following a long illness. Born Dec. 28, 1906, in Altona, he was the son of Arthur and Melvina (Bushey) LaBier. As a young man during the Great Depression, Art was a heavy equipment mechanic and did other odd jobs to get by. In 1942, he entered the U.S. Army and saw combat in the European Theater of Operations before his honorable discharge in 1945, and qualified as an expert marksman. Art was a member of the Operating Engineers Local 106 and worked on such projects as the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway before establishing LaBier Well Drilling Co. of Chestertown. He ran his well drilling business for 24 years before retiring in 1975 and moving to Warrensburg. His retirement years had Art working on lawn mowers and snowmobiles. He enjoyed his daily walk downtown and rides in the country exploring new roads. He was an active member of the Haskell Bros. Post VFW of Warrensburg and the Warrensburg Senior Citizens. His passion was being an active Free and Accepted Mason. He belonged to many Masonic organizations including the former Glendale Lodge 497 of Pottersville, Warrensburgh Lodge 425 Free and Accepted Masons, Royal Arch Mason 325 of Warrensburg, Joseph Warren Council 81 Royal and Select Master Masons of Glens Falls, Delta Bodies Valley of Troy, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Consistory Valley of Albany, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of Mystic Shrine Oriental Temple of Troy. Eleven brothers and sisters, and many nieces and nephews and cousins, have all predeceased him. Survivors include nieces, nephews and cousins; and his special friend, Beatrice Harpp of Chestertown. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Alexander-Baker Funeral Home, 3809 Main St., Warrensburg. A Masonic service will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. during the visitation at the funeral home. Funeral services will be conducted at 10 a.m. Thursday at the funeral home, with the Rev. Richard C. Leonard, pastor of the Warrensburg Free Methodist Church, officiating. Entombment, with full military honors, will take place at Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville. Memorial donations may be made to the Warrensburgh Masonic Lodge, P.O. Box 432, Warrensburg, NY 12885. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Lee, Eugene C. CORINTH -- Eugene C. Lee, 77, of Angel Road, died Saturday, April 2, 2005, at Saratoga Hospital following a brief illness. Born on March 21, 1928, in Lake Placid, he was the son of the late Joseph and Aileen (Buck) Lee. Mr. Lee attended high school in Lake Placid. He joined the United States Navy on May 9, 1945, serving during World War II and continued in the Navy until his discharge on April 7, 1950. He served in the Pacific Theater in the South Pacific as a coreman and received the Asiatic Pacific Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. Following his discharge, he resided in Puerto Rico for 18 years. Mr. Lee married Jeanne (Bovee) Corson on Sept. 10, 1989, in Lake Luzerne. The couple has resided in Corinth for several years. He was employed for several years as the chief electrician and chief operating engineer at the Lake Placid Club Resort until his retirement in 1990. Mr. Lee was a 59-year member of the American Legion, serving seven years as commander of Lake Placid Post 326, two years as the Essex County commander, and commander of the 4th District Department of New York. He also was a 35-year member of the Essex County Voiture No. 1493 of the 40 and 8 organization. He was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Corinth, serving as a deacon for six years, and was currently serving on the Board of Elders. Mr. Lee enjoyed fishing, watching sports on TV, reading science fiction and historical fiction, but always his greatest pleasure was finding a way to help someone else. Besides his parents, one sister, Virginia Lee, died before him. Survivors besides his wife of 16 years include four sons: Gene Lee and his wife, Jane, of Durham, N.C., Joseph Lee of Lynn, Mass., Robert Lee and his wife, Karen, of Durham, N.C. and Stephen Lee and his wife, Sharon, of Nashua, N.H.; three daughters: Yolanda Melusky and her husband, Ed, of Georgetown, Mass., Belinda Nolan and her husband, Lloyd, of Lynn, Mass., and Vivien Bryan and her husband, Richard, of Athol, Mass.; one brother, Robert Lee and his wife, Olga, of Auburn, Wash.; one sister, Barbara Lee of Lake Placid; 12 grandsons: Robert, Jonathan, Jordan, Joshua, David, Daniel, Mario, Gerald, James, Steven, Michael and Tommy; six granddaughters: Rachel, Amanda, Jessica, Vanessa, Elyssa and Jennifer; two stepsons, Kenneth Corson and his wife, Karen, of Winfield, N.J., and George Corson and his wife, Irene, of Phoenix, Ariz.; one stepdaughter, Alice Wechgelaer and her husband, Peter, of Havelock, N.C.; and stepgrandchildren: Terry, William, Jacob and Rachel. A memorial service will be conducted at 10 a.m. Friday, April 8, at the First Presbyterian Church, 203 Palmer Ave., Corinth, with the Rev. John Aldridge, pastor, officiating. Burial, with full military honors, will be held at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Duell Road, Schuylerville. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorials take the form of donations to the First Presbyterian Church of Corinth, 203 Palmer Ave., Corinth, NY 12822. Arrangements are under the direction of Densmore Funeral Home, Inc., 7 Sherman Ave., Corinth. Published in the Post-Star from 4/4/2005 - 4/5/2005. VanVranken Jr., Walter Frasier SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- Walter Frasier VanVranken Jr., 54, of Baker Avenue, died unexpectedly Monday, April 4, 2005, at Glens Falls Hospital. Born Aug. 13, 1950, in Glens Falls, he was the son of the late Walter Frasier VanVranken Sr., and Doris (Cronkhite) VanVranken of Fort Edward. Walter was a United States Army veteran, serving during the Viet Nam Conflict. He was a senior chief in the Naval Reserves, serving in the Postal Unit. Walter and Deborah Whitney were married June 12, 1971, at Hartford Baptist Church, and were able to share 34 wonderful years together. He worked at the post office for more than 30 years. Walter enjoyed spending his summers on Lake George and on the boats. He was such a friendly, loving person, had many friends, and was loved and well-liked by everyone. His grandchildren were the love of his life and he loved spending time with them. Besides his father, his brother, Peter VanVranken, also predeceases him. Survivors besides his wife, Deborah (Whitney) VanVranken of South Glens Falls include his daughter, Jill Rafferty and her husband, Christopher, of Gansevoort; his sister, Joy LaBarge and her husband, John, of Waterford; his brothers, Michael VanVranken and his wife, Michelle "Mikki," of South Salem, N.Y. and James J. VanVranken of South Glens Falls; his grandchildren, Abigail, Jesse, and Evan Rafferty, all of Gansevoort; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews. Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at M.B. Kilmer Funeral Home, 136 Main St., South Glens Falls, www.Kilmers.com Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 7, at the funeral home, with the Rev. Michael Rafferty, from the Tagaste Monastery in Suffern, N.Y., officiating. Burial will be at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at Gerald B. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville. Donations may be made in Walter's name, in lieu of flowers, to Moreau Emergency Squad, Inc., 1583 Route 9, Fort Edward, NY 12828-9433. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Villa, Bonnie June SOUTH GLENS FALLS -- Bonnie June Villa on Friday morning, April 1, 2005, died of a heart attack after a long struggle with emphysema. Bonnie was born July 14, 1943, in Logansport, Ind. In 1961, after high school graduation, she worked in the medical transcription field. She was married in October 1968. She and Richard then began a family, eventually moving to New York where she remained a dedicated stay-at-home mom and devoted housewife for the remainder of her life. She is survived and dearly missed by her two children, David Villa of South Glens Falls, and Michael Villa with his wife, Laurie, of Gibsonton, Fla. Also mourning the loss is her brother, Robert of Indiana. She was predeceased by her husband of 36 years, Richard, who passed away only a few weeks ago. Bonnie was also predeceased by her parents, Wallace and Bernadine Frettinger. At Bonnie's request, she will be cremated and no services will be held. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to the Moreau Emergency Squad, Inc., 1583 Route 9, Fort Edward, NY 12828. Arrangements are under the direction of Regan & Denny Funeral Home, 94 Saratoga Ave., South Glens Falls. Published in the Post-Star on 4/5/2005. Washburn, Susie GLENS FALLS -- Susie Washburn, formerly of Reardon Road, Glens Falls, and most recently a resident of the Stanton Nursing Home, passed away Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Glens Falls Hospital. Born on March 10, 1911, in Lake Luzerne, she was the daughter of William and Ethel Belle (Schermerhorn) Farr. On her 17th birthday in 1928, she married Orlie G. Washburn in Christ Church in Glens Falls. Susie was employed at the Clark Brother's Glove factory for 25 years. As a member of the Church of the Messiah in Glens Falls, Susie took great joy in her work with the Altar Guild and The Episcopal Church Women. She was predeceased by her husband, Orlie G. Washburn Sr., in March 1971. They had been married for 43 years. Survivors include her son, Orlie G. Washburn Jr. and his wife, Violet; her grandsons, Barry, Dana and Brett Washburn; several great grandchildren, nieces and nephews; her sister, Leona Nicholson and two half brothers, Roy and John Blackmer. Relatives and friends are invited and may call from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., prior to the funeral service, on Wednesday, April 6, at Regan & Denny Funeral Home, 53 Quaker Road, Queensbury. Burial will follow at Pine View Cemetery. A funeral service will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, at the Church of the Messiah, 290 Glen St., Glens Falls, Those who wish may send a remembrance in her name to Church of the Messiah, 290 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801. Published in the Post-Star from 4/4/2005 - 4/5/2005.