Mathilda Konderwich (1925 – 2012)
HUDSON—Mathilda V. Konderwich, 86, of Hudson, passed away Sunday, May 6, 2012 at Community Hospice at Columbia Memorial Hospital surrounded by her family.
Born May 18, 1925 in Hudson she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Sophie (Kuchazyck) Skrocki.
She graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in 1942. On May 25, 1946, she married Joseph Konderwich. They were married for 55 years before his passing in 2002. She was a member of Sacred Heart Church and the Ladies Sodality. Later she became a member of St. Mary’s Church in Hudson. Mrs. Konderwich worked for New York State in Albany in the payroll department until her retirement in 1981.
Surviving are: her daughter, Wanda (William) Walsh of Hudson; two granddaughters, Lisa (David) Makas of Hartford, CT, and Susan (Rick) Petersen of Hudson; her grandson, William J. Walsh of Hudson; her great-grandson, Jacob Petersen of Hudson; two sisters, Sophie Holodook and Wanda (Ed) Nitsky; a brother, Frank Skrocki; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by two brothers, Raymond and Joseph Skrocki and her sister, Helen Finn.
Calling hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8 at the Bates & Anderson-Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, Hudson.
Prayers will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 9 at the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Hudson.
Burial will be in Cedar Park Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Community Hospice of Columbia Greene, 47 Liberty Street, Catskill 12414. To leave a message for the family go to www.batesanderson.com.
Georgette MacLean (1937 – 2012)
CLAVERACK—Georgette L. MacLean of Claverack died April 27, 2012 at the age of 75.
She was preceded in death by her father, James MacLean, her mother, Anne Fair MacLean and her brother, Donald W. MacLean.
She is survived by her six whippets, Panda, Colleen, Delilah, Lily, Surfer and Jelly Bean and her two horses, Cosyna and Fatiwa’s Sweety, as well as her cousins, Gail Allan and Sutherland MacLean, relatives in California and France and friend of 50 years Bonny Mayer.
Ms. MacLean was born in New York City, January 16, 1937. She attended school in Eastchester. In 1953, her family bought a 100-acre parcel in Claverack, where her father built a home on the hill overlooking their Jersey cow dairy farm. It was here that she got her first horse, Silver. She had been taught horseback riding in Central Park by her maternal uncle, Sonny.
Ms. MacLean continued her education at Ockawamick Central School, Green Mountain Junior College in Vermont and Syracuse University. Upon graduation, she worked as a graphic artist for several book publishers in New York City, but her love of the country life was strong and so she returned to the family home in Claverack to do graphic work in nearby Albany while enjoying skiing, riding and golfing.
She moved to Rochester in 1964, where she worked with several prominent photographers and later was the director of graphics for the local NPR station. In 1971, Ms. MacLean pursued her master’s degree in teaching fine arts at Rochester Institute of Technology. She was then able to teach graphic arts and photography at Monroe #1 BOCES in the winter and in summer played golf at Columbia County Golf Club, where she was the club champion five times.
She returned to the farm full-time in 1989 to develop a new venture—Polish Arabian horses. She and her brother, Donald started Geordon Farms on the five acres the family retained after selling the cattle farm to Northrup.
Her love of the Whippet dog breed started while she lived in Rochester, after she rescued a “Whippet plus” dog from the local humane society. Soon after she returned to Claverack, she and her mother had a house full of Whippets at Geordon Whippets. Almost all of her dogs acquired championship status in the ring and on the course. She became a well-respected breeder, with her dogs only going to carefully selected homes and families.
She began her long battle with cancer in 1985 after finding a melanoma on her leg, followed in 2000 by breast cancer and later breast cancer in her bones, thyroid cancer and finally leukemia in March 2012.
Ms. MacLean leaves the Whippet world feeling a great loss; she and her late mother were well-known and respected at Whippet shows and national events. She was an artist, potter, photographer, skier, golfer, animal lover and breeder of Whippets and Polish Arabian horses. Most of all, she was her own person who loved the peacefulness of nature, the river and her four-legged family.
Remembrance donations can be made to the animal fund of one’s choice or Whippet Rescue and Placement in her honor.
Ann Wemitt (1921 – 2012)
VALATIE—Ann Elizabeth Wemitt passed away peacefully May 6, 2012 at Barnwell Nursing Home. She was born November 2, 1921 to Elizabeth Kelley and Claude Greene of Philmont.
In May 1943, she married Jerome Louis Wemitt and together they raised their family of nine in the bucolic village of Chatham. They celebrated more than 50 years of marriage together until his death in 1990.
Mrs. Wemitt was a member of St. James Catholic Church in Chatham and served on the altar guild, Catholic Daughters of the Americas and was the soloist at Sunday Mass, accompanied by Doris Gorman on the organ. She sang at many weddings and funerals, as well. Her devotion to Christianity was unquestioned as she and her husband could quote chapter and verse with the best of them.
She was a den mother, teacher’s aide at Faith Christian Academy, a member of the box office staff at Mac-Haydn Theatre, waitress at Stanley’s Restaurant (now Destino’s), check-out clerk at the First National, and lastly, she was a loving and nurturing mother of nine children which was truly a labor of love.
She was a devoted friend, sage counsel and confidant to many. She was the beloved mother of Ann Overly, Mary Gilheany, Michael Wemitt, Patrick Wemitt (Joan), Katherine Borowski (Robert Borowski), Jerome Wemitt (Cyndi) and Monica Wemitt; grandmother to 20 and a great grandmother to 10. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
Besides her husband parents and brothers, she was predeceased by her daughters, Celeste and Krista, her two brothers, Robert and Lawrence, and her granddaughter, Celeste.
Calling hours will be Thursday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to noon at Wenk Funeral Home, Chatham, followed by services held at the same location. Interment will be in the St James Cemetery.
The family thanks the staff at Barnwell Nursing Home, especially the fourth floor, for their tender care during her last few months.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Mac-Haydn Theatre, P.O. Box 204, Chatham 12037.
