Richard C. Howard (1939 – 2014)
HUDSON—Richard C. Howard, 74, of Kinderhook died Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Born October 8, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of the late Clarence and Catherine Howard.
Mr. Howard served in the U.S. Army from 1961 until 1963. He served as a military policeman and assistant to the provost marshall at Fort Eustis, VA. He attended Central College in Pella, Iowa. Mr. Howard was an insurance representative for Quincy Mutual in Massachusetts. He was a member and past commander of the Philmont American Legion Post #252 and was interested in national and local politics.
He is survived by: his wife, Gail (Card) Howard; three children, Kelly (Robert) Pearson of North Carolina, Stacy (Daniel) Casey of Kinderhook and Brian (Gina) Howard of Valatie; two brothers, Albert J. (Pat) Howard of Loudonville and Clarence Howard of Philmont and 11 grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son, Scott Howard, and his sister, Anne Howard.
Funeral services were Monday, February 24 at the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, Hudson.
Charles Henry Hamm (1938 – 2014)
HUDSON—Charles Henry Hamm, 75, of Hudson passed away Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Born July 8, 1938 in Hudson, he was the son of the late Henry and Grace (Becker) Hamm.
He was a welder at L & B Corporation in Hudson. Mr. Hamm was devoted to his family.
He is survived by: his beloved wife, Helen (Madison) Hamm; his devoted daughter, Helen Barajas of Texas; his loving grandchildren, Stephanie Malchow, Jay Malchow, and Britney Schermerhorn; his brother, Phil Hamm; his sister, Marion Bishop; and his great-grandchildren, Isabella Martinez and Hunter Schermerhorn.
He was predeceased by two sisters, Rose and Grace, and two brothers, Frank and George.
Services are private and at the convenience of the family.
Arrangements are with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, Hudson.
Robert W. Wischhusen (1933 – 2014)
HUDSON—Robert “Rob” Walter Wischhusen, 80, of Hudson died at his home, February 20, 2014.
He was predeceased by his parents, Fannie and Frederick Wischhusen; his sister, Mary Lankenau and his brothers, Frederick and George.
He is survived by a sister, Ann Sheffer of Binghamton and by many nieces and nephews.
Mr. Wischhusen graduated from Hudson High School and from St. Lawrence University. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War. After completion of military service, Mr. Wischhusen worked for many years at Equitable Insurance Company in New York City. After retiring from Equitable, Mr. Wischhusen returned to Hudson and has lived here since then. Mr. Wischhusen was a kind, thoughtful, loving and giving person. He will be very missed by all who knew him.
Services will be conducted at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 1, 2014, at the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home. Interment will be in Holy Spirit Cemetery in Chenango in the spring.
Visit www.batesanderson.com to leave condolences for the family.
Andrew Andrusky, Sr. (1928 – 2014)
HUDSON—Andrew Andrusky, Sr., 85, of Stockport passed away Thursday, February 20, 2014 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Born in Gates, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1928, he was the son of the late Charles and Christina Andrusky.
Mr. Andrusky was a self-employed carpet and flooring installer. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a life member of the Federation of Polish Sportsmen Club.
Mr. Andrusky is survived by: his beloved wife, Doris (Copeland) Andrusky; his devoted children, Karann Andrusky Durr (Wayne) of Gansevoort and Andrew Andrusky, Jr., of Stockport; three loving grandsons, Cody, Logan and Tucker Durr, all of Gansevoort; two sisters, Helen (Charles) Gaydos of Brooklyn and Mary Broughton of Richmond, Virginia; several nieces and nephews.
Committal services were held Monday, February 24 at Saratoga National Cemetery.
Arrangements were with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home.
Raymond L. Grabowski (1931 – 2014)
HUDSON—Raymond L. Grabowski, 83, of Greenport passed away Saturday, February 22, 2014 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Born January 17, 1931 in Greenport, he was the son of the late Benjamin and May Grabowski.
He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Mr. Grabowski was a design engineer at the Universal Match Factory in Greenport.
Surviving are: three sons, Michael, David and James, all of Greenport; two grandsons, Andrew of Greenport and Michael of Greenville; his sister, Constance MacGiffert of Greenport; several nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth (Eliasen) Grabowski in 2000.
No services are scheduled at this time.
Arrangements are with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home.
John G. Thorpe (1938 – 2014)
RHINEBECK—John G. Thorpe, 76, of Stanfordville passed away Monday, February 17, 2014 at Northern Dutchess Hospital.
He was born in Queens, January 20, 1938 the son of the late Walter and Grace (Saunders) Thorpe.
Mr. Thorpe served with the United States Coast Guard.
He was a six-time president and 46-year member of the Stanford Lions Club and past district governor, District 20-0 from 1987 to ‘88; director of Eye Bank, Sight chairman and secretary, regional chairman and advisor. He also received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award along with the Robert J. Uplinger Distinguished Service Award.
He was a lifetime NRA member, a member of the Hyde Park Moose Lodge and past president and member of the Stanford Forever Young Club.
He volunteered as a conductor in Arkville and was a member of the New York Central Historical Society and an avid model train railroader.
Mr. Thorpe was a former Stanford town councilman and former Stanford Grange member.
He was active in the Boy Scouts, an avid golfer and was a member of United Church of Christ.
He worked for IBM in Poughkeepsie, as a systems analyst for more than 36 years.
On December 11, 2005 in Stanfordville, he married Helen (Strassner) Thorpe. She survives him at home.
In addition to his wife, survivors include: his children, Jim Thorpe and his wife, Lisa of Cary, NC, June Kaufman of Brick, NJ, Joe Thorpe and his wife, Michelle of Mountain Top, PA; Jean Picard and her husband, Pete of Valatie; a stepson, Jim Hall of Ronkonkoma; seven grandchildren, Logan, Jesse, Michael, Stephanie, Samantha, Jessica and Pete; two great grandchildren, Madison and Jason, Jr.
He was predeceased by his first wife, Jaunita Thorpe, August 1, 2001.
A funeral service was held Saturday, February, 22, at the United Church of Christ, 5928 Route 82, Stanfordville, with Pastor Rhoda Starzyk officiating. The Stanford Lions Club conducted services Friday, February 21, 2014 at the Peck & Peck Funeral Home, 7749 South Main Street, Pine Plains.
Interment will be at the Stanford Cemetery in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the United Church of Christ, 5928 Route 82, or Stanford Fire Company, Stanfordville 12581.
Monica McDonald
DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX—Monica Sandra McDonald, 68, of Germantown died unexpectedly February 4 in Dripping Springs, TX.
She was predeceased by her father, William; mother, Mona; brothers, William, George, Joseph, James and Philip; sisters, Sharon, Kimley and Elizabeth.
She is survived by: her brothers, Don and Shane; sisters, Janet and Mary; her beloved children, Rebecca (and Jo) of Latham, Sarah (and Stefan) of Germantown and Thomas; her precious grandchildren, Ava, Audrey, Zoe and Thomas; her numerous nieces and nephews, cousins and countless friends.
A nurse for more than 40 years, Ms. McDonald was a vibrant, enthusiastic, caring woman who always put other’s needs before her own. She reached into people’s souls and touched them in a manner so few ever can. An avid astrologer and student of life, Ms. McDonald never stopped searching for the true meaning of how and why people relate to each other, the very essence of humanity. She lived life to the fullest and literally died of a big heart, leaving a void that will never be filled.
A memorial service will be held at the Yadack-Fox Funeral Home, March 2 at 11 a.m., followed directly by a celebration of life at Central House, both in Germantown.
Frank Gaetano
GERMANTOWN—Frank Michael Gaetano, 37, of Germantown passed away February 11, 2014.
Life celebration services for beloved “Frankie” will be held Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Yadack -Fox Funeral Home, 209 Main Street, Germantown.
A reception will follow at the Albany Post Road House, 7100 Albany Post Road, Rhinebeck, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Ronald L. Van Benschoten (1950 – 2014)
CHATHAM—Ronald “Skoten” L. Van Benschoten, Sr., 63, of Chatham, formerly of Columbiaville, passed away Friday, February 21, 2014 at home.
He was born August 11, 1950 to the late Carroll and Pearl (Brackett) Van Benschoten.
He is survived by: his wife, Betty (Rivenburg) Van Benschoten of Chatham; his sons, Ron, Jr., (Teena) of Niverville and Paul of Stuyvesant Falls; his stepsons, David Rivenburg of Austin, TX and Steven Rivenburg of Valatie; his grandchildren, Keian Rivenburg of Valatie, Alex Van Benschoten of Niverville and Cameron and Torri Cutler of Stuyvesant Falls; his sister, Carol (Bob) Briggs of Columbiaville; his nephews, Bobby (Joanne), Alan and Glenn Briggs, all of Columbiaville; his nieces, Emily Briggs (Dan) of Stockport, Trisha Briggs and her mother Beth of Valatie, and Sally and Shelly Van Benschoten of Catskill; and his sisters-in-law, Violet Reyes, Marian McGee and Beverly Rivenburg, all of Hudson, and Paula Van Benschoten of Catskill.
He is also survived by aunts, uncles, cousins and many, many good friends. He was predeceased by his brother, Floyd Van Benschoten and his grandson, Nick Van Benschoten.
Mr. Van Benschoten was a meat cutter for Price Chopper in Hudson for many years, and then a caulker with the Bricklayers and Allied Craftsman Local 6 of Albany. He was a member of the Glencadia Rod and Gun Club and the Stottville Rod and Gun Club. He enjoyed boating on the Hudson River, hunting and fishing, and for 27 years he and Betty lived in a home on the water in Columbiaville, where he could enjoy his favorite past-times, until his illness forced them to move.
The family thanks Eddy Visiting Nurse Sue Silvernale, who was not only Mr. Van Benschoten’s nurse, but she became a friend.
According to his wishes, he will be cremated and there will be no calling hours.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Simple Choices, Inc. of Albany.
