Darryl Banks, 61, career in marketing, sports lover
SYRACUSE—Darryl Vincent Banks died after a long illness, Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse.
He was born in Columbia Memorial Hospital, Hudson to Ethel and Ralph Banks, June 21, 1950. One-half hour after he entered this world his twin, Deryk Nathaniel, was born.
Mr. Banks graduated from Hudson High School in 1968. In 1971, he received an associate’s degree in retail management from Columbia-Greene Community College, where he was on the Dean’s list and inducted into Epsilon Delta Epsilon, a national honor fraternity for distributive education.
He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the State University at Albany, and went on to earn a master’s degree in distributive education from Harvard University in 1977.
He was an active participant in events in Hudson and in the larger society. He collected hundreds of signatures for the national petition to make Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday. He expressed his views in letters to the editor of the Register-Star. He was a member of several singing groups who entertained in the local community. He loved sports and played basketball in high school and in college. In 1970, he was voted MVP by his teammates at Columbia-Greene.
Mr. Banks’ career was in marketing. He was co-owner of a gift shop and a boutique at the Howard University Inn in Washington, D.C. for almost 20 years.
He was not only passionate about the arts; he was a very creative, multi-talented artist. He crafted jewelry and made masks and other objects from found materials. He loved music and was the composer of a ballad titled, “Dream Child,” that debuted in a New York City nightclub. He was a prolific poet.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Ethel Loveless.
Mr. Banks is survived by: his father, H. Ralph Banks; his twin, Deryk; his sister, Rae Banks; his brothers, L. Arthur and Ralph; his daughter, Aida Lewis-Polite; nine nieces and nephews, Cerri, Deryk, Jr., Lamar, Kendall, Monica, Karim, Leslie, Jayln and Shem; 10 grandnieces and grandnephews, and the many friends he treasured throughout his life.
A calling hour will begin at 1 pm Monday, September 26 at the Bates & Anderson-Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home. Services will follow at 2 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Cedar Park Cemetery. To leave a message for the family go to www.batesanderson.com.
Alberta Baker, teacher, vocalist, reader
VALATIE—Alberta (nee Siever) Baker died peacefully, Saturday, June 25, 2011 at her home in Valatie.
The daughter of Albert Siever and Ida Creimeyer Siever, she was born in Carlyle, Illinois.
Her family lived there until moving to St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Washington University in 1935 and then she taught at Miss Hickey’s School.
She was a semi-professional classical vocalist and continued performing after her marriage to Thomas Baker of Manchester, Missouri, in 1945. She was an avid reader and gardener, a talented seamstress and a devoted St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.
She is survived by two daughters, Anne Marie Baker and Carol Baker Curran and three grandchildren, Isabelle, Philip and Anna Curran.
Arrangements were with the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Inc., Valatie.
