George Giftos (1945 – 2016)
CHATHAM—George “Bud” Giftos, 71, of Chatham passed away peacefully the evening of May 31 in his home surrounded by his family.
Born in Pittsfield, MA, to Arthur and Marina Giftos he lived most of his life in Chatham.
Mr. Giftos was a kind and good-natured man who enjoyed golf, fishing, hunting, camping and mowing his lawn. He worked for 22 years at Joslen’s Catalog showroom, which was the family business, before becoming a corrections officer and finally doing accounting work at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Giftos was an extremely loving and protective husband, father and grandfather.
He is survived by: his wife of 37 years, Deborah; his children, Rachel Mincher, Michele Webster, Zack Giftos and Debi Wright; grandchildren, Nicholas Mincher, Annabelle Wright and Linden Giftos; his brother, Dean Giftos; sister, Donna Meyer, as well as his many loving aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Visitation at French, Gifford, Preiter & Blasl Funeral Home, 25 Railroad Avenue, Chatham will be held Saturday, June 4 from noon to 2 p.m. with services directly following. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society at https://donate.cancer.org. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.
Deidra N. Tomlin (1968 – 2016)
TROY—Deidra N. Tomlin, 48, of Valatie died peacefully Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at St. Mary’s Hospital following a long illness.
Born February 6, 1968, she was the daughter of Daniel Lee Jennings, Sr., and the late Bettina D. Coones. She was predeceased by her beloved husband, Christopher M. Tomlin in 2009.
Mrs. Tomlin attended Taconic Hills High School and was an active member of the Hudson Fire Company Tower 32 for many years.
She will be greatly missed by her loving family including: her son, Anthony Maroney; daughters, Brittany N. Yates and Nikki M. Maroney; one brother, Daniel Lee Jennings, Jr.; her sister, Denise R. Hess and grandchildren, Damonie, Christian and Aiden.
Calling hours will be held Monday, June 6, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Sacco-McDonald-Valenti Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. Funeral services will begin at 12:30 p.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Jonathan Hodges officiating. Burial will follow in Mellenville Union Cemetery. Floral arrangements are welcome or memorial contributions may be made to the City of Hudson-Department of Fire, 520 Warren Street, Hudson 12534. To leave online condolences visit www.saccomcdonaldvalenti.com
Ida Hempel (1926 – 2016)
CLERMONT—Ida Hempel, 89, of Clermont passed away Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at her home.
Born October 28, 1926, in Friesland, Netherlands, she was the daughter of the late James and Florence (Wielenga) Terpstra. She married Herman P. Hempel September 16, 1950. Mr. Hempel predeceased his wife June 10, 2001.
Mrs. Hempel loved her savior Jesus Christ and was a long-time member of Fountain of Life Church in Lake Katrine.
A homemaker throughout her life, Mrs. Hempel is survived by her loving family, including: her children, Bruce (Muriel) Hempel of Clermont, Paul (Ruth) Hempel of Gathersburg, MD, Janis (Sheldon) Potolsky of Kingston and Brian (Wendy) Hempel of Clermont; two sons-in-law, Mark Kriss of Latham and Robert Hatch of Ulster Park; a sister, Rachel Barry of Middletown; a brother, August Terpstra of Honesdale, PA; 29 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by two daughters, Karen Hempel-Kriss and Joyce Hatch and seven siblings.
Friends may call at the Burnett & White Funeral Homes, 7461 South Broadway, Red Hook, Sunday, June 5, 2016 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Monday, June 6, 2016 from 9 to 11 a.m. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the same location. Burial will be at Red Church Cemetery, Tivoli.
Memorial donations may be made in Mrs. Hempel’s memory to Compassion International, Colorado Springs, CO 80997.
For directions or to sign the online guest book visit www.Burnett-White.com.
Edith Nardone (1960 – 2016)
PHILMONT—Edith Nardone, age 55, died peacefully May 31, 2016 in her home in Philmont.
She was born September 11, 1960 in Hudson, to Natalie and Raymond Rockefeller.
Ms. Nardone was a graduate of Red Hook High School, and attended Columbia Greene Community College in Greenport.
She was a vibrant and energetic person who loved life. She worked as a registered nurse in Columbia County, and spent her life working to make the lives of others better. Her caring and compassion impacted the lives of so many.
More than anything else Ms. Nardone loved her family, she spent every moment she could with her children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters. She was a proud and loving mother and grandmother and will be deeply missed.
Ms. Nardone was predeceased by: her sister, Patricia Graziano. She is survived by: her brothers, Jess and Ray Rockefeller; her sisters, Dawn Russell and Coreen Rockefeller; her children, Christopher Nardone and Harley Chadwick and her grandchildren, Serenity, Damon, Benjamin, Madeline, Alexis, Cierra and Emilie.
A memorial will be held for family and close friends at a date to be determined.
Donations can be made in Ms. Nardone’s memory to Autism Speaks by visiting http://events.autismspeaks.org/tributes/edith_nardone
Arrangements are with the Yadack-Fox Funeral Home, 209 Main Street, Germantown.
Elmer P. Allen, Jr. (1940 – 2016)
HUDSON—Elmer P. Allen, Jr., 76, of Valatie died Friday, June 3, 2016 at Columbia Memorial Hospital with his loving family by his side.
Born March 5, 1940 in Hudson, he was the son of the late Elmer and Marinda (DeLuke) Allen.
Mr. Allen was a U.S. Navy veteran serving aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk and was a switchman for New York Telephone. He was a member and past president of the Tri-Village Rod and Gun Club, a member and former commander of the John W. McConnell American Legion Post #9596, and a former first lieutenant and fire police member of the Niverville Fire Company. He was also a communicant of St. John the Baptist Church and former member of the John J. Curran Council Knights of Columbus. He was a lifetime member of the NRA, an avid gardener, sportsman and outdoorsman.
He is survived by: his wife, Mary Ann (Love) Allen; three children, Kathleen Putnam (John) of Niverville, Colleen Allen of Ghent and Patricia Huyck (Duke) of Kinderhook; seven grandchildren, Dean Todriff, Jr., Duke Huyck, Jr.. Rebecca Putnam, Christian Lanphear, Rachel Huyck, Mitchell Lanphear and Jacob Huyck and two great-grandchildren, Kaiden and Aurora.
He joins in Heaven his brother, Anthony Allen and his grandson, John Putnam Jr., as well as his brother-in- law and hunting buddy, David Love, Jr.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, June 7, 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, Route 9, Valatie, with the Reverend George Fleming officiating.
Burial will follow in St. John the Baptist Cemetery. Calling hours will be Monday, June 6 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, 1015 Kinderhook Street, Valatie. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Community Hospice of Columbia / Greene, 47 Liberty Street, Catskill 12414 or the Tri-Village Rod and Gun Club, Valatie.
Debra Lynn Mathurin (1964 – 2016)
HUDSON—Debra Lynn Mathurin 51, of Hudson died suddenly on Monday May 30, 2016 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
Born November 17, 1964 in Plant City, FL, she was the daughter of Malachi Hargrove of FL, and the late Retha Mae (Jones) Hargrove.
Ms. Mathurin will be greatly missed by: her daughters, Sharika Lee and LaToya Brice; as well as grandchildren, Londyn Winfield and Lily. She was predeceased by her son, Jarvis Brice.
Graveside funeral services will be Monday June 6, 2016, 2:30 p.m. at Linlithgo Cemetery in Linlithgo. There are no calling hours.
Arrangements are with the Sacco-McDonald-Valenti Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. To leave online condolences visit www.saccomcdonaldvalenti.com
Susan M. Arre (1931 – 2016)
HILLSDALE—Susan M. Arre, 85, of Hillsdale died Thursday May 26 at her daughter’s home surrounded by her loving family.
She was born in New York City, April 8, 1931, daughter of Charles and Naomi (Eldridge) Meyn.
She graduated from Washington Irving High School, NYC. In the late 1950s, Mrs. Arre worked as a stewardess for Pan American Airlines and traveled worldwide. She had a passion for working with people and loved the Columbia County countryside so she became an accomplished real estate broker and owner of Hillsdale Edge Realty for more than 40 years. She displayed a commitment to finding her clients the perfect home and many of them became her lifelong friends. Mrs. Arre was a dedicated volunteer at Fairview Hospital, a past member of the Hillsdale Planning Board and a member of the Columbia Board of Realtors.
Mrs. Arre’s husband, James, whom she married March 3, 1958, predeceased her April 17, 2001.
She is survived by: one son, James Arre and his wife Melanie of Hillsdale; two daughters, Suzanne Arre and her companion Tom Candee of Great Barrington, MA, and Kim Gerber and husband Ron of Pittsfield, MA; and four grandchildren, Samantha Gerber, Nicholas Arre, Noah Arre and Jacqueline Arre.
In keeping with Mrs. Arre’s wishes all services were private. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy in her memory may be made to Fairview Hospital, Hospice Care in the Berkshires or the Columbia-Greene Humane Society, c/o the Birches-Roy Funeral Home, 33 South Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Condolences may be made through birchesroyfuneralservices.com.
