Bruce L. Gardiner (1947 – 2023)
COPAKE FALLS—Bruce Lion Gardiner of Copake Falls passed away peacefully at home March 10. He was born in Ithaca, while his father was attending Cornell University, and grew up in Madison, NJ.
He spent all of his summers with his family at the beloved Camp K20 in Harriman State Park in Tuxedo. He attended Wesleyan University, and married Melinda Ceva in 1967.
He developed many skills. In his early adult life, he was the publisher at Tao Books and editor of the magazine, The Order of the Universe, both of Boston, MA. He was a silversmith and jewelry maker. His primary vocation became management consulting, first working with his father, Robert Lion Gardiner, as a member of Gardiner Associates, then with The Task Group, which he founded with his partner, Jamie Weiss. He also worked for Kepner-Tregoe for quite a few years. He took great pride and delight in his work during his last decade at Guido’s Market Place and always had a story to share about the store.
Mr. Gardiner was a life-long student of spiritual practices from Zen Buddhism to Christianity and was always surrounded by a pile of books on these topics. He was a teacher of Centering Prayer and the coordinator of Contemplative Outreach in the Capital District.
He loved his church community with all his heart; in his four decades of involvement there he served and led in many ways. He was very proud of his work bringing contemplatives and social activists together in 2000s in events he called “Encampments,” and he threw himself into every fundraising opportunity and community building event with great enthusiasm. Throughout his life he found great joy in mentoring younger people in their projects and passions.
He was well-known for his unique sense of humor, and he never could pass up an opportunity to make a pun. He was also an avid gardener and cook.
He is survived by: his wife, Melinda (Ceva) Gardiner; their four children and their spouses, David Gardiner (Brittany), Anna Gardiner Siepmann (Michael), Christian Gardiner (Kari) and Benjamin Gardiner (Jennifer); his sister, Louise Dietz (James); brother, Steven Gardiner (Nancy), as well as his nine grandchildren, whom he dearly loved.
Friends and family joined the family for his funeral March 18 followed by a reception to celebrate his life at Our Lady of Hope, 8074 Route 22, Copake Falls 12517. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady of Hope, “Bruce Gardiner Summer Supper Fund” (address above) and Community Hospice.
Alice H. Bradley (1935 – 2023)
KINDERHOOK—It is with heavy hearts, her family announces the death of Alice Holmes Bradley, 87, March 15, 2023 after a long illness.
Born in Stottville to the late Albert and Minnie Holmes (nee Groll), she was predeceased by her husband, Powers “Brad” Bradley as well as her siblings, Betty, Elsie, Irene and Albert, Jr. Even as a child, she knew she wanted to be a teacher, so after graduating from Hudson High School in 1953, she completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at SUNY Oneonta in education. She was the first person in her family to attend college. While teaching at Ichabod Crane Elementary School, she met and married her husband, Brad. They remained married for 56 years until his passing in 2017. They lived in Kinderhook, Millerton and since 1963 kept a residence on Kinderhook Lake. Mrs. Bradley taught at Kingston, Ichabod Crane, Immaculate Conception and Taconic Hills elementary schools. She was the director of the Millerton Day Care Center in the early 1970s. She was the mother of six children, Lisa (Christopher) McCormack, Theresa (Kevin) Anderson, Maureen (David Shoop) Bradley, Coleen (Richard) Byrnes, Eileen (Mark) Souliotis and Matthew (Marlyn) Bradley; grandmother of 20, Allison, Brian, Liam and Paul McCormack, Heather (Lizzy) Newman, Jennifer (Kevin) Burns, Samuel Anderson, Sarah and Zachary Shoop, Meghan (Nicholas) Eldridge, Katherine (Andrew) Sharrock, Daniel and Shannon Byrnes, Michael (Laura), Mallory and Alicia Souliotis and Darren, Danielle, Daphne and Davin Bradley; great-grandmother of two, Charlotte and Benjamin Newman.
She avidly participated in and supported her family in their sports and career endeavors. She enlarged her already sizable “family” many times over with the friends and neighbors she “adopted.” She loved living on Kinderhook Lake, traveling and spending time with family, friends and the pets (great quantities and many species) that she adopted or adopted her. She was an active member of the Kinderhook Elks Club, serving many years as treasurer and was named the “Mother of the Year” in 1984. She was lucky enough to have wonderful nieces and nephews who called and visited her often. She will be missed by so many. Instead of flowers, consider donating to the Valatie Rescue Squad, St. Joseph Center, Columbia-Greene Humane Society or Community Hospice at St. Peter’s Hospital. A Mass of Christian Burial was held March 18, 2023 at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Valatie. Arrangements were with the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie.
Janet S. Mesick (1962 – 2023)
PITTSFIELD, MA—Janet S. (Bevens) Mesick, 60, passed away Friday, February 24, 2023, at Berkshire Medical Center surrounded by her three children.
She was born in Hudson. She is survived by: her two brothers; her partner of 20 years, Wesley “Duke” Shufelt; her children, James (Margaret) Hatch, Edward (Nicole) Hatch and Jessica Van Deuson; nine grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.
Ms. Mesick enjoyed baking, bird watching, being outdoors, taking pictures and spending time with her family and close friends. She especially enjoyed the company of her chihuahua, Rocky. Her grandchildren were the highlight of her life and she often enjoyed baking with her granddaughter, Ari.
Her memorial service will be held Wednesday, March 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the French, Gifford, Preiter & Blasl Funeral Home, Chatham. Friends and relatives are invited to attend. A memorial service at the Spencertown Cemetery will take place later in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society may be made in her name. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.
Vito P. Lucenti (1932 – 2023)
KINDERHOOK—Vito Paul Lucenti of Kinderhook passed away March 15, 2023 at his home surrounded by his loved ones.
He was born to Paulo Lucenti and Anna Menelao, May 16, 1932.
He went to Woodrow Wilson Vocational School and graduated in 1950. He served in the Army during the Korean War from 1953 to 1954. Upon his return, he became a firefighter for the NYC Fire Department and worked there for 25 years. He started cooking in the firehouse and it quickly became one of his passions, along with tennis, travel and renovating homes. He received a Community Service Award in 1976 for rescuing two babies from a burning building.
He was actively involved in the Knights of Columbus at St. John’s as a cook and volunteered as the groundskeeper for the Twin Lakes Association of Elizaville for many years.
He is survived by: his wife, Justine; his brother, Nick; his five children, Paul, Lisa, Joelle, Gabrielle and Vittoria; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Memorial donations may be made to: The UFA Widows’ and Childrens’ Fund (ufanyc.org).
A funeral service will be held at Saint John the Baptist Church in Valatie, March 22, 9:30 a.m. with the Reverend Gary Gelfenbien officiating. Burial will follow at the Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville at 1 p.m. Visitation will be held at Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home in Valatie, March 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Alice R.I. Koletty (1922 – 2023)
PHILMONT—Alice R. (Irmisch) Koletty, 100 years of age, passed peacefully Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation.
She was born May 3, 1922 in Manhattan, to Arthur and Frieda (Engelmann) Irmisch. She and her late husband, Fred, lived and raised their family in Queens and upon retirement moved to Ancram.
She was an elementary school teacher at PS 66 in Richmond Hill and later became the school librarian until her retirement in 1978.
For decades, she was a well-loved member of the West Copake Reformed Church, and over the years served in many capacities within the church and in her community. After her husband passed, she helped to create the “Lunch Bunch” for widowed women to get together for fellowship in her home and later they dined out in area restaurants. She is best remembered as a “greeter” in the church. She introduced herself to every new visitor and showed her delight in meeting them with follow-up letter and phone calls.
She was predeceased by her husband, Fred C. Koletty and son, Fred Charles Koletty.
Mrs. Koletty leaves: her daughter, Nancy Koletty (Strodl) Geisler; her grandchildren, Jonathan Strodl and Jennifer (Strodl) Potrzeba and husband Luke along with four great-grandchildren, Mary and Benjamin Strodl and Evelyn and Carly Potrzeba.
A Service of Remembrance will be held Saturday, March 25, 2023, 1 p.m. at the West Copake Reformed Church with Pastor Warren Seibert officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the West Copake Reformed Church, P.O. Box 640, Copake 12516.
Arrangements are with the Peck and Peck Funeral Home, Copake. To send an online condolence visit www.peckandpeck.net.
Eugene F. Meenagh, Jr. (1922 – 2023)
COPAKE—Eugene Francis Meenagh, Jr., age 100, of Copake passed away March 18, 2023 of natural causes at his home.
He was born October 4, 1922 in Queens to Eugene and Catherine Meenagh.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary (King) Meenagh, and his daughter, Kathryn Walton.
He grew up in the Bronx and graduated from Mount Saint Michael’s High School. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942 at Mitchel Field Hempstead, LI, and became an aircraft mechanic working a majority of the time on C-47s cargo planes. He spent most of the war in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. After the war he entered Fordham University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemistry. In 1948, he was accepted into the New York Police Department (NYPD) and for the next 38 years served his beloved city as one of their Finest. During his career in the NYPD, he rose to the rank of detective lieutenant. Over his many years of service to the city, he held several different positions in various precincts. Upon retirement from the NYPD in 1985 he became a permanent resident of Copake. Mr. Meenagh was elected Copake Town Justice and served two terms in the 1990s.
He is survived by: his daughters, Susan Flynn, Linda (Christopher) Osswald and Jean (Frank) Race, all of Copake; his son, Gerard (Avis) Meenagh also of Copake and son, Sean (Bettina) Meenagh of Choctaw, OK; nine grandchildren;13 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
A time for sharing memories and offering condolences will be held Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Peck & Peck Funeral Home, 8063 Route 22, Copake Falls.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, March 23, 2023, 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, 8074 Route 22, Copake Falls.
Interment will immediately follow at St. Bridget’s Cemetery (same location).
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society, 8 Miles Road, P.O. Box 172, Copake Falls 12517. To send an online condolence visit www.peckandpeck.net.
Robert J. Allen (1934 – 2023)
MALDEN BRIDGE—Robert “Bob” Joseph Allen died March 14, 2023 at the age of 88, from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. He was born April 13, 1934 in Bronxville to Joseph and Eleanor Allen and grew up in Scarsdale.
He attended Hackley School, and later studied at Trinity College, completing his undergraduate studies at New York University. While in college, he met his wife-to-be, Anne (Margot) Cross and the two were married May 31, 1958 in Canandaigua.
The first of their three children, Elizabeth, was born while the family lived in Englewood, NJ. They soon moved to Pleasantville, where their other two children, Geoffrey and Jennifer, were born. Pleasantville was a great place to raise a family, and Mr. Allen became involved in local politics, serving on the school board for a number of years. He commuted daily to Manhattan, enjoying playing bridge and doing the NYT crossword on the train. He worked at a number of Wall Street banks, ultimately retiring from his position as a portfolio manager in the investment advisory group at Brown Brothers, Harriman & Company in 1994. He continued in the industry beyond retirement, acting as an arbitrator for the Security and Exchange Commission for a number of years.
Mr. and Mrs. Allen then purchased a historic 200+ year-old house in Malden Bridge, a small town in Columbia County. They were pleasantly surprised by the vibrant social scene, made many good friends and were active members of the Old Chatham Hunt Club, where he served as master. Throughout his life, he was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing and trapshooting. He ran in a number of marathons, from NY to London. He also was a skilled woodworker, making a number of fine pieces of furniture. These skills came in handy during the years of renovating their Malden Bridge estate.
He is survived by: his wife, Margot; older brother, John Allen; children, Elizabeth Knapik, Geoffrey Allen and Jennifer Eyring; grandsons, Matthew Knapik and Thomas Eyring; granddaughter, Riley Allen. He and his wife were also fortunate to share their Malden Bridge home with a spectacular group of dogs: George, Martha, Edward, Jack and currently Kate.
A memorial service is scheduled March 25, 11 a.m. at the Malden Bridge Community Center, with a reception to follow at the family home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Chatham Rescue Squad (who saved his hide on more than one occasion), P.O. Box 587, Ghent 12075 and the Alzheimer’s Association, Northeastern NY Chapter, 1003 Loudon Road, Cohoes 12047. The family thanks the staff at the Paramount Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Somers for their attentive care during his final days. Arrangements are with the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, Valatie.
Margery B. Goldman (1927 – 2023)
ALBANY—Margery “Peggy” Beatrice Goldman, loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully in Albany, Sunday, March 19, 2023 at the age of 95. She was born May 14, 1927 on Long Island to Ralph Constantine Hicks and Margaret Early Beebe Morrison. She grew up in East Rockaway and graduated from East Rockaway High School in 1945. After working in New York City for two years, she married Alan Hugh Goldman in 1947 and raised four children while living in East Rockaway, Deer Park and Bay Shore. She and her husband retired and moved to West Rupert, VT, in 1990, where they lived for 13 years, enjoying visits from family and friends. She enjoyed painting, cooking, and crafts as the family grew. After her husband suffered a brain aneurysm in 1993, she cared for him with devotion until he passed away in 2003. She then moved to Valatie to be close to her family. She lived at Camphill Ghent in Chatham for the past few years.
Dedicated to all in her family, she remains in the hearts of her children, Catherine (Charles) Parker, Elizabeth (Richard deceased) Sokol, Nancy (Kenneth) Barratt, John Goldman, daughter-in-law Christine Wood; nine grandchildren, who knew her as “Mono,” Amy (Joseph) Basso, David (Abbey) Sokol, Charles (Erika) Parker, Daniel (Lauren) Parker, Colin (Leslie) Barratt, James (Nicole) Barratt, Emily Goldman, Jason (Andrea) Goldman, and Jack Goldman; six great-grandchildren, Daniel Parker, George Parker, Joseph Basso, Wynn Parker, Tatum Parker and Sullivan Barratt; her niece, Margo Eitel and her nephew, Bill Hicks.
Her family is grateful to the staff at Camphill Ghent for their kindness and caring for Mrs. Goldman while she lived there. Donations may be made to Camphill Ghent or a deserving organization of choice in lieu of flowers.
Funeral arrangements have been made for Thursday March 23, 2023 at Bond Funeral Home in Valatie, 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Burial will take place Friday, March 24, 2023, 11 a.m. at the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville.
Kurt E. Gruber (1930 – 2023)
PHILMONT—Kurt E. Gruber, 92, passed away March 16, 2023 at the Pine Haven Nursing Home. He was born in Stuttgart, Germany, November 5, 1930. He came to the United States as a young child, just before World War II and settled with his family in the Bronx. As a teenager in NYC, he won a city-wide contest with his essay, “Why I’m proud to be an American.” The award was presented to him by Mayor LaGuardia. After graduating from high school, he served in the United States Marines. He was employed by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp for more than 20 years. He then took over the family business as owner of the Oak Grove Chalet Restaurant, Bar and Motel in Saugerties, until his retirement in 1985. He and his wife, Mary, moved to Florida where they lived for more than 30 years. Mr. Gruber enjoyed fishing, painting, boating, traveling and spending time with his grandchildren. In 2015, Mr. and Mrs. Gruber moved to Hudson to be closer to family. He was predeceased by his parents, Julie Klinger Gruber and Ernest Gruber and a stepson, Michael Soule. He is survived by: his wife, Mary Pendergast Gruber; a daughter, Lisa Gruber of Nassau; a stepdaughter, Renee (James) Dinardi of Hudson; a stepson, David (Sally) Soule of Longmont, CO; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Robert and Janice Pendergast of Hudson; five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews. Services will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, Hudson.
Visit www.batesanderson.com to leave condolences.
Mary L. Haltermann
VALATIE—Mary L. Haltermann of Valatie passed away March 12, 2023, after a long illness.
She was born in Glens Falls to Daniel J. Haltermann, Sr. and Delores Gulickson.
She was predeceased by her parents.
She is survived by: her partner of 25 years, Terrence P. Cummings of Valatie; her older brother, Daniel J. Haltermann, Jr., of Hartford, NY, and four other siblings.
She retired in November 2021 from the Capital District Psychiatric Center, where she was a staff pharmacist. Prior to her state employment, she was a pharmacist at Honeyland Pharmacy and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady.
She was very proud of her work at Sterling Winthrop in Rensselaer and of achieving several degrees and her pharmacy license. She was most proud of her work as a PEF union representative during which she made many friends and fiercely defended her members.
She shielded her illness from her friends not wanting to trouble them. She was physically and mentally steadfast and truly had a heart of gold. She will be missed by her many friends.
No services will be held. Cremation has taken place through the care of Simple Choices, Inc.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Haltermann family at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com
Jude S. Jarvis (1950 – 2023)
OLD CHATHAM—Jude Jarvis (nee Schaudenecker), born January 29, 1950, entered eternal life, Monday, March 13, 2023.
She enjoyed the peacefulness of her home in Old Chatham. Raised in Poughkeepsie, she went to Our Lady of Lourdes High School, graduated from Marist College, and earned her nursing degree at Mount Saint Mary College.
She was a dedicated nurse, retiring from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Being a travel agent in her early career satisfied her desire to travel to countries around the world. Her favorite vacation was the summers she spent with her beloved Aunt Betty and New Jersey cousins in Ocean City, NJ.
Her love of animals was shown by fostering pit bulls through the “Out of the Pits” organization. Her “babies” brought her as much love and joy as she brought to them.
She was predeceased by: her loving parents, Adam and Peggy Schaudenecker; brother, Fred; uncle, Joe Schaudenecker; aunt, Betty Crawford (Jack) and cousin. John Crawford.
Her spirit is carried on: by her caring cousins from New Jersey, Joe Crawford (Donna), Francis Crawford (Karla), Catherine Briscoe (Michael), Mary Crawford, Judith Anderson (Victor), and many friends too numerous to list, but not forgotten.
Cremation has taken place through the care of Simple Choices, Inc. A memorial luncheon will be held April 1, 2023, in her honor at Jackson’s Old Chatham House, 646 Albany Turnpike, Old Chatham. RSVP by emailing: JudeJarvisMemorialService@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations her name may be sent to Out of the Pits, Inc., P.O. Box 2311, Albany 12220. info@outofthepits.org)
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Jarvis Family at: SimpleChoicesCremation.com
