Victoria F. Kinzie (1928 – 2019)
GREENPORT—Victoria F. Kinzie, 90, of Greenport died peacefully Thursday, April 4, 2019 at her home.
Born December 23, 1928 in Buffalo, she was the daughter of the late Andrew and Genevieve (Pigut) Fronckowiak.
She was a former Greenport deputy town clerk and legal secretary for Rapport and Rapport law firm in Hudson. She was a devoted member and Eucharistic minister at the Church of St. Joseph Stottville; a member of the St. Joseph Rosary Society, the Greenport Historical Society, Greenport Senior Citizens and the Mental Support Group.
Mrs. Kinzie will be missed by her loving family, including: her son, Robert A. (Patricia) Kinzie of High Point, NC; daughters, Susan (Javier) Martinez of West Chester, OH; Patricia Pierro of Hudson; one sister, Marie and (Ronald) Kazmierczak of Circleville, OH; grandchildren, Jeffrey (Erin) Kinzie, Andrew Kinzie, Lara and Elena Martinez; great-grandchildren, Aiden, Joseph and Emilynn Kinzie.
She was predeceased by her loving husband of 54 years, Robert J. Kinzie; her brother, Daniel Fronckowiak and her sister, Alice Fronkowiak. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Monday, April 8 at the Church of St. Joseph Stottville with Fr. George Fleming officiating. Burial was in Mellenville Union Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children Research Hospital.
Arrangements were with the Sacco-McDonald-Valenti Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. To leave online condolences visit www.saccomcdonaldvalenti.com
Janette L. Garner (1949 – 2019)
WATERVLIET—Janette Lee Sherman Garner, “Aunt Nettie,” died peacefully Thursday, April 4, 2019 at her home in Watervliet with her family at her side. She was born in Watervliet January 18, 1949, the daughter of the late Edwin and Bessie Korth Sherman.
Raised and educated in Troy, she lived in the Capital Region all of her life. She was employed by Samaritan Hospital in Troy for many years in the laundry department and also was a homemaker.
“Aunt Nettie” was the family matriarch. She loved music, playing the lottery, scratch-offs and devoted her life to her family.
She was the beloved wife of Alfred P. Garner, Sr.; loving mother of June Misnik (John) of Cohoes and Chris “Jake” Sherman (Dawn Brown) of Watervliet; stepmother of Gina Garner of Niverville and Alfred P. Garner, Jr., of Troy; adored grandmother of Emily Misnik, Kristin Bomba, June and Chloe Sherman, Sean, Shannon and Anthony Garner; great grandmother of Liam Pratt. She is also survived by dear sisters, Jeanne Upton (Ed) and Joanne Sherman and beloved brother, Donald Sherman (Marie). She was predeceased by dear sisters, Diane Gordon and June Luce and beloved brothers, Robert Livolse, Edwin Sherman, John Sherman and William Sherman. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends called at the Parker Bros. Memorial Funeral Home, Inc., 2013 Broadway, Watervliet, April 9.
Interment followed in Elmwood Hill Cemetery, Troy. Sign the condolence book at ParkerBrosMemorial.com.
Marie A. Mossman (1929 – 2019)
PHILMONT—Marie Ann Mossman, 89, of Philmont passed away April 3, 2019 at Pine Haven Nursing Home.
She was born July 28, 1929 in Yonkers to Nicholas and Anna (Fedorchak) Guzy. After high school she obtained her LPN license and started working in health care before she met and married her late husband, Philip “Po” Mossman. He predeceased her in 2005.
Mrs. Mossman was a loving caring mother who enjoyed family, socializing, and her friends. She always went above and beyond to make sure that everyone’s needs were constantly met. She will be remembered by her family as the one to call on someone’s birthday and sing happy birthday to them. She was a long-time parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Philmont and St. James Church in Chatham. Also, she enjoyed camping for more than 45 years. She and her late husband were the longtime proprietors of Nick’s Restaurant “Polack’s” on lower Main Street in Philmont.
Mrs. Mossman is survived by: her children, Lillian (Ed) Cutler, Philip (Malia) Mossman, Nicholas Mossman, Paul (Christine) Mossman and Ann Marie (Corey) Mann; her seven grandchildren, Jennifer (Paul) Morra, Matthew (Kim) Cutler, Beth (James) Dematteo, Mark Mossman, Jonathan (Jacob Mazza) Mossman, Kari (Justin Bogardus) Mann, and Corey Mann, Jr.; four great-grandchildren, Jacob Morra, Jourdan Cutler, Evan and Allyson Dematteo; her brother-in-law, Lyle (Pearl) Mossman; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Besides her husband, she was also predeceased by her grandson, Christopher Cutler, and great-granddaughter, Marissa Morra.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Saturday, April 6, from St. James Church in Chatham. Interment followed in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
Donations in Mrs. Mossman’s memory may be made to the Mellenville-Philmont Food Pantry, P.O. Box V, Mellenville 12544.
Arrangements were with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, 110, Green Street, Hudson.
Peter W. Woodward (1948 – 2019)
WEST GHENT—Peter W. Woodward, 71, of West Ghent passed into the Lord’s house in the company of his children.
Born March 23, 1948 to William and Phyllis (Andriance), he was a graduate of the Ichabod Crane High School class of 1966 and SUNY Cobeskill in 1972. He served in the United States Army for three years doing tours in Europe at SHAPE headquarters and in South Vietnam with the famous First Signal Tower team. His team built and retrieved signal towers throughout South Vietnam.
In 1972, he married his beloved soulmate, Corrine (Orbon), who recently passed away February 19, 2019. Together they had three wonderful children, Linda (Tom) Bloss, Steven, Elizabeth and her fiancée JoAnne Ward.
Also surviving are: his sister, Pam (Tom) Mate; brother, Timothy (Karen) Woodward; niece, Caitlin Woodward and nephews, Shane and Colin Woodward.
He enjoyed life to the fullest, raising his children while being part of their youth sports and independent 4H. He played various roles in contributing to his community as president of the West Ghent Fire Company and as the past commander of the Stuyvesant Falls VFW Post #9593. His favorite job for 31 years was as a U.S. Postal Service rural letter carrier in the North Claverack and Philmont areas. He was proud to be a West Ghenter.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
Visiting hours will be held Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sacco-McDonald-Valenti Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. A memorial service will begin at noon at the funeral home with Fr. George Fleming officiating. Mr. and Mrs. Woodward’s ashes will be buried together in the West Ghent Cemetery immediately following.
Oscar H. Snowden, Jr. (1970 – 2019)
ALBANY—Oscar H. Snowden, Jr., 48, of Chatham died suddenly Thursday, April 4, 2019 at Albany Medical Center Hospital.
All services are private. Arrangements are with the W.J. Lyons, Jr., Funeral Home, Inc., 1700 Washington Avenue, Rensselaer.
Nancy J. Groat (1940 – 2019)
ALBANY—Nancy J. Groat, 78, of Stuyvesant died Sunday, April 7, 2019 at Albany Medical Center.
Born July 11, 1940 in Albany, she was the daughter of the late Anthony and Rosa (Pizzmenti) Indilicato.
Mrs. Groat was an executive secretary for the NYS Department of Consumer Protection in Albany and was employed by Brookview Correctional Facility in Hudson for a time. She attended the Church of St. Joseph in Stuyvesant Falls and was an active member. She was a board member, sang in the choir, and always helped with the decorations in the church. She enjoyed bus trips with the Tri-Village Senior Citizens, was a member of the Stuyvesant Garden Club and was an avid gardener. She was devoted to her family.
She is survived by: five children, Kathleen Williams of Niverville, Warren Groat of Hudson, Teresa Doyle, David Groat and Marguerite Groat, all of Stuyvesant; a sister, Phyllis Groat of Guilderland; a brother, Carmen Indilicato of Gilbert, AZ; 11 grandchildren, Jared, Braden, Seth, Nicholas, Anthony, Joseph, Kyle, Evan, Cameron, Kathryn and Rochelle; five great-grandchildren, Sawyer, Elliot, Rio, Victor, Calvin; several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her husband, Warren T. Groat and her brother, Salvatore Indilicato.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday, April 11, 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Joseph, Stuyvesant Falls, with the Rev. George Fleming officiating. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Calling hours will be Wednesday, April 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Raymond E. Bond Funeral Home, 1015 Kinderhook Street, Valatie. For those wish, memorials may be made to the Church of St. Joseph to enhance prayer and worship ministries.
David C. Soka (1967 – 2019)
STOCKPORT—David Carson Soka passed away suddenly March 26, 2019 in Stockport.
Born September 14, 1967 in Yonkers, he was the son of the late Arthur and Caroline Mink Soka. He was most recently a resident of Ghent.
A talented architect, artist and naturalist with a deep-rooted connection to his craft and the Hudson Valley, Mr. Soka found his true expression through the medium of design. This led to an immensely creative and often thought-provoking international body of work in the arts and architecture.
At the time of his death, Mr. Soka was building Solstice Space, a 1,150 square-foot home in Spencertown. Set into the rocks and forest, his work is heavily influenced by the surrounding landscape, both artistic and natural, as well as passive house and net zero design principles. The house and its surroundings had been a driving force in Mr. Soka’s life for more than a decade. His work was also an ode to his memories of growing up surrounded by giant boulders, stacking stone walls with his father and working in their family’s vegetable garden.
Mr. Soka regarded the opportunity to bring his vision to fruition as “cosmologically aligned,” a subtle clue to Solstice Space’s deliberate alignment with the passage of the
sun and moon. Similarly his design draws on site-specific ideas such as moving from rock “cave to crystal” as well as inspiration hewn from visits to nature-inspired world heritage sites in Japan, England and elsewhere.
Mr. Soka studied at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation under Dean Bernard Tschumi and at the University of Kentucky under Dean
José Oubrerie, who recently cited Mr. Soka’s work on his Miller House in a book on the project. As an adjunct assistant professor at Ohio State University, Mr. Soka also embraced the undulating landscape and farms of the lower Ohio Valley.
After completing his masters of architecture, he then spent a year in Kyoto, Japan, on a Keimeisha Fellowship. Here he studied traditional Japanese carpentry, painted each of
the city’s beautiful gardens and collected grass to be woven into the roofs of Kayabuki Minka. During this time he also developed a love of Wabi-Sabi and bathhouses, especially those in Japan and later Peter Zumthor’s stone thermal baths in Vals, Switzerland.
Following his time in Japan Mr. Soka lived and worked in New York City at Edward Larrabee Barnes / Lee Timchula Architects. There he met artist Maureen Connor and collaborated on an installation for Barcelona’s Antoni Tapies Foundation. This was set to be the first of many artistic collaborations including visionary work for Wisconsin’s Rabbit Island.
Mr. Soka moved to Madison, WI, in 2005 where he designed university research buildings as a licensed, LEED-accredited architect for Flad Architects. There he was greatly inspired by the state’s rolling farmland, architecture, gastronomy, thriving music scene and freshwater lakes, where he loved to canoe under the stars.
He was also deeply inspired by the environmental legacies of John Muir, Aldo Leopold and Gaylord Nelson as well as poets from farther afield including Wendell Berry. Their ideas made a profound impact on his approach to architecture and led him to become an expert in sustainable design, a focal point for his future work including Solstice Space.
He moved back to New York City in 2013 with Flad Architects and remained there until his departure in mid-2018 to build Solstice Space.
Mr. Soka leaves behind a loving community, including his brother, Troy Soka and his girlfriend, Ruth Temianka, as well as a strong creative legacy.
Those who would like to honor Mr. Soka’s life by making a donation in his memory are asked to give to: Hawthorne Valley Association, 327 County Route 21C, Ghent 12075 hawthornevalley.org/donate .
A celebration of life will be held at Hawthorne Valley Farm, Ghent, Friday, June 21, 2019 at 6 p.m. All are welcome.
Arrangements are with the French, Gifford, Preiter & Blasl Funeral Home, 25 Railroad Avenue, Chatham. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.
Thomas C. Stoner, Sr. (1941 -2019)
HUDSON—Thomas C. Stoner, Sr., 77, of Taghkanic passed away April 6, 2019 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
He was born May 25, 1941 to Carl and Rita (Robinson) Stoner. He worked as a salesman for Kraft foods for 25 years prior to his retirement. For many years he owned Tom’s Bait & Tackle on Route 82, and then he operated Tom’s Scan-Tronix.
He was a life-member of the West Taghkanic Fire Company, and a long-time weather spotter for News Channel 10. Above all else he was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Mr. Stoner is survived by: his wife, Mary; his two sons, Thomas C. Stoner, Jr., and his wife Tammy of Forest, VA, and Brian Stoner and his wife Wendy of Stanfordville; eight grandchildren, Jordan Neal Stoner, Brandon Duke Stoner, Camden George Stoner, Preston Montana Stoner, Jeremy Thomas Stoner, McKenna Marie Stoner, Catarina Alice Stoner, Scarlett Rita Stoner;one great-granddaughter, Silver Lily Stoner and his brother, Neal Stoner of Chatham.
Mr. Stoner was predeceased by his parents, and his former wife, Kathy Stoner.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 2 p.m. from the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, 110 Green Street, Hudson. Visitation will begin at noon. Interment will take place in West Taghkanic Cemetery. Donations in Mr. Stoner’s memory may be made to the West Taghkanic Fire Company.
Elizabeth A. Laudig (1941 – 2019)
HUDSON—Elizabeth Ann (Garvansites) Laudig passed away unexpectedly Monday, April 8, 2019 at Columbia Memorial Hospital. She was 78 years old.
She was the daughter of the late Joseph Garvansites and Eveline Garvansites (Puckett). Fondly known as “Betty,” she was born August 29, 1941 in Hudson and was a lifelong resident of Stottville.
She graduated from Saint Mary’s Academy, Hudson class of 1959. She married William Ray Laudig, Sr., February 14, 1960. In the early years Mrs. Laudig was a homemaker raising her family of three, Bonnie, Linda and Billy Ray.
She worked as a bus driver for more than 40 years for the Hudson and Red Hook school districts and most recently as driver for Coarc in Columbia County. She retired from Coarc in 2017. Mrs. Laudig was a volunteer and auxiliary firefighter back in the 1970s in Stottville.
One of her favorite events was her annual Mother’s Day trip to Connecticut with her daughters. They would spend the day at Norwich Inn and Spa, followed by an evening of food, drink, gaming and fun at Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino.
She is survived by: her three children, Bonnie Laudig of Waterford, CT, Linda Laudig of Chatham and William Ray Laudig of Greenport; granddaughter, Allison Laudig; brother, Joseph Garvansites and life-time companion, John Burke.
She was predeceased by her husband, William Ray Laudig. Sr.
Calling hours will be held Thursday, April 11 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, 110 Green Street, Hudson. A memorial service will be held Friday, April 12, 10 a.m. at the funeral home with the burial immediately following at Cedar Park Cemetery, 20 Columbia Turnpike, Hudson. In lieu of flowers, consider donating to Columbia-Greene Humane Society, 111 Humane Society Road, Hudson 12534 in Mrs. Laudig’s name.
G. Joseph Gaschel (1950 – 2019)
HUDSON—G. Joseph Gaschel, 68, of Claverack passed away April 8, 2019 at Columbia Memorial Hospital.
In keeping with his wishes, there will be no visitation hours. A celebration of Mr. Gaschel’s life will be held this summer at the convenience of his family. Arrangements are with the Bates & Anderson – Redmond & Keeler Funeral Home, 110 Green Street, Hudson.
Paul T. Veillette (1926 – 2019)
SCHENECTADY–Paul Thomas Veillette, age 92, of New Concord, East Chatham, N.Y., passed on
April 5, 2019, at Kingsway Arms Nursing Center in Schenectady, N.Y. Born in Waterbury, Conn., on October 29, 1926, he was the son of the late Leopold and Florida (Gagnon) Veillette of Waterbury.
Paul earned his bachelor’s degree, with honors, from the University of Connecticut (1952) and his master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University (1954), where he was a Maxwell Fellow. He was admitted to three national academic honor societies, two local leadership honor societies, and to Who’s Who Among College & University Students. He had a diverse career in government, often controversial, serving at every level over a period of four decades. His last assignment, before retiring in 1995, involved acting as N.Y. State Governor Mario Cuomo’s lead/chief negotiator on Indian casino gambling with the Oneida Indian Nation and the Mohawk-Iroquois of Akwesasne. Negotiations were successfully concluded in early 1993, when the
governor and Native American leaders signed the Compacts.
At age 17, after graduating near the top of his class from Leavenworth High School in Waterbury, he and his twin brother, during World War II, volunteered for service in the Coast Guard/Maritime Service on ships carrying troops to the European theatre. His ships came under enemy fire by German “buzz bombs” in Antwerp, Belgium, during the battle of the Bulge, and on the high seas via
submarines. His ship, attacked by German submarines while near the English coast, was forced to dry-dock in Weymouth, England, for repairs. Later, while a cadet in Communication Officers’ School at Hoffman Island, N.Y., the school was closed by the government midway through the program, and the two brothers joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving in its Air Transport Command.
Upon discharge, Paul began his university studies and, upon completion, joined the Connecticut Division of the Budget as a management intern, advancing rapidly through six positions to Chief Management Analyst, the state’s highest civil service competitive position. During two years of this ten-year period, he served, on leave, as the Director of Operator Control of the Connecticut Motor Vehicle Department, where he oversaw implementation of a computerized staggered registration system and of Governor Ribicoff’s controversial anti-speeding campaign.
In 1962, he was recruited by O.W. Wilson, the reform superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, to be the Director of Management Analysis, helping him reorganize the department, which had a record of widespread corruption, and also to computerize its FBI crime reporting system. After two years, he was recruited by N.Y State Governor Rockefeller’s Director of the Budget to oversee creation of a new state agency, now the Office of Criminal Justice Services, and to computerize the state’s criminal records.
After three years, he transferred to the Division of the Budget, where, as Deputy Chief Budget Examiner, he was in charge of the state’s central management analysis office until, in 1970, he was promoted to Chief Budget Examiner for Education in the State Division of the Budget, overseeing for the next 12 years the Governor’s budgets for SUNY, the Higher Education Services Corporation, the State Education Department, and the Council on the Arts, totaling about 40 percent of the state budget. He oversaw the transfer of budgeting for the City University of New York from New York City to the state, receiving public praise from the university’s late Chancellor, Robert Kibbee.
He took two leaves of absence to serve as a Senior International Budgeting Consultant to Iran for the United Nations. The Iranian Revolution of 1978–1979 prevented his return for a third visit. From 1975 to 1991, he served as an adjunct faculty member at three graduate schools (Syracuse University, 16 years; SUNY-Albany, eight years; and Russell Sage College, two years), teaching courses in governmental budgeting. During that period, he was co-author of a book on automation and author of a half-dozen articles in professional journals on public administration.
Wherever he lived, Paul was always active in professional and community affairs.
In Connecticut, he had been president of the Connecticut chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, and, in Chicago, was a member of the executive board of the Chicago chapter. He was a Fellow of the N.Y. State Academy of Public Administration, and a past president of the Albany chapter of Torch Clubs International and helped facilitate the admission of women to its membership. He was a member of the University Club of Albany since 1974, and served as
founding vice-president of the University Club Foundation.
Paul served a half-dozen years on the Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Chatham, two terms on the board of directors of the Columbia County (N.Y.) Historical Society (the first treasurer), four years on the board of the Columbia County Council on the Arts (also as treasurer), and 35 years as Society Historian of the Society of New Concord, a civic and historical society, of which he was one of the three founding members. He led the successful Society campaign to purchase the two church buildings of the former New Concord Dutch Reformed Church, which now serve as the New Concord Meeting House and Community Hall. He was a long-time member of the Columbia-Greene Hospital Foundation’s board of directors.
He was the secretary-treasurer of the Veillette-Nifosi Foundation, Inc., which for the past two decades has financially supported local charitable causes, particularly volunteer fire companies, PS21, Pop Warner football, historical societies, and Catholic organizations––including significant grants to the Columbia Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, the St. Regis (Mohawk) Jesuit Catholic Mission, and the Society of New Concord.
Paul, a genealogist and historian, had a number of articles on his family’s history published, tracing its ancestry to the 16th century, which led to the creation of a Veillette family association in Quebec, of which he was a charter member. He wrote articles for the Columbia County Historical Society and a book on his community: An Early History of New Concord: c. 1760 to 1856. His weekly column in the Chatham Courier, which he wrote for 12 years, often contained vignettes on local history.
In 1993, the Albany chapter of the American Society for Public Administration honored Paul by granting him the Governor Charles Evan Hughes Award for exemplary public service. In October, 2012, the Capitol District Senior Issues Forum, an inter-faith organization, gave him its Senior Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Bishop Hubbard and Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings. Later that month, the Columbia County Historical Society presented him with its Heritage Award, calling him “the consummate local historian.”
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Frances Nifosi Veillette, and four children: James Veillette (wife Susan Franklin), William Veillette (wife Tracy Winfield), Sally Veillette, and Jeanne Veillette Bowerman (husband Maurice Bowerman), and eight grandchildren: Peter Veillette (wife Laurie Simontacchi), Simone Veillette Flynn (husband Shaun Flynn), Emily Veillette, Olivia Veillette, Paige Bowerman, Cole Bowerman, John Veillette, and Chiara Perni. He donated his remains to the Anatomical Gift Program at Albany Medical College, continuing his devotion to education. A funeral service will be held at St. James Church in Chatham, at a date to be announced after his remains are returned. Burial of the remains will be at the Mountain View Cemetery in New Concord. For on-line condolences, visit wenkfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the St. James Church Fuel Fund (117 Hudson Ave., Chatham, NY 12037) or to the Society of New Concord (P.O. Box 3, East Chatham, NY 12060).