EDITORIAL: What’s next?

AS FAR AS THE HEADLINES are concerned, Covid–19 gets old news treatment these days. Russia’s war on Ukraine deserves the attention it receives. And the rates have gone down in most of the U.S. Maybe what we need is news of a vaccine to slow the spread of Vladimir Putin.

Short of that unlikely occurrence, we’ll settle for the facts that the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be waning here. Masks are coming off. The state requirements were recently lifted and this week’s sudden return of warm air was a powerful temptation to unmask and relax even among those of us at higher risk.

Jack Mabb, the director of the Columbia County Department of Health, whose department is coordinating the local Covid-19 public health response, says the lower infection rate could mark a transition from a raging pandemic to an endemic illness—one that’s among us but does not dominate our lives—a treatable malady.

So how does that fit with what’s happening in China, where the NY Times reports this week that 24 million people are locked down to prevent the spread of Covid-19? The answer may be that 24 million is not a lot of people in terms of China’s population and the government may be able to stop it. In the meantime, we still have our own lingering problems right here in Columbia County.

Columbia County has 61,570 residents, according to the 2020 census and more than 80% of them have been vaccinated, Director Mabb said. As of Tuesday, March 15, there are seven people in Columbia Memorial Hospital for Covid-19; two Covid patients are in the intensive care unit.

Compare that to the ability of Columbia Memorial Hospital, which says it can manage 30 to 40 cases a day if a new more infectious variant of the virus appears or if the current vaccines do not maintain their ability to protect people from severe illness and death.

The health department is also offering vaccine booster shots to seniors from 65 years old and up for free at Columbia Greene Community College on state Route 23 in Greenport every Thursday from 3 – 5 p.m. You do not need an appointment. Together these steps indicate that the county has taken positive steps to prepare for the next “spike” in cases if there is one. And yet that leaves Mr. Mabb “disappointed.” The reason lies in the statistics.

It’s true that over 80% of eligible residents have been vaccinated, but the number drops to 67% when you count those people who are 65 and older and include the booster. Yet seniors are the people who will benefit the most from a booster.

Getting a booster means less chance you will pass the virus to others around you. With a booster, if you do get Covid-19 your symptoms will probably be less intense symptoms or you might avoid a hospital stay or survive an illness that still can kill people, a total of 141 of them county residents,at this point in the pandemic.

Mr. Mabb would know about this firsthand. He had Covid-19. He slept for days and still was unable to work for five weeks. He’s blunt about it: the virus, he said, “kicked my butt.” For the doubters, he added, “This is not the flu.”

Enjoy this spring weather. While you’re at it, if you haven’t had a Covid-19 booster and you’re over 65, go get one now. The life you save might be your own.

The web address for the county Department of Health is: https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com/

OBITUARIES: James, Goetz, Colligan, Giglio

In Obituaries, Obituaries - Columbia, The Columbia Paper

July 9, 2023

By STAFF

Evelyn H. James (1924 – 2023)

ALBANY—Evelyn H. James, 98, of Rensselaer, formerly of Copake, passed away peacefully June 28, 2023 at St. Peter’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

She was born in Copake, July 11, 1924 to Everett and Catherine (Krick) Pectal. She was a graduate of the Roe Jan School where some years later, she worked in the cafeteria.

She was a devoted mother, phenomenal cook and homemaker. Her chocolate cake was almost famous and certainly requested by many friends and family over the years. She enjoyed camping with her late husband, Herbert. They wintered in Florida and enjoyed taking trips to Vermont. She loved gardening and her flowers. She also crocheted blankets for veterans at the VA hospital. In her later years she kept her mind active with word search books.

Mrs. James is survived by: her sons, Kim Decker and his companion, Marcella, and Kraig Decker and his wife, Linda; her stepdaughter, Barbara Williams; three grandchildren, Matthew (Denise) Decker, Joshua (Mary Beth) Decker, Lindsey (Chris) Mortimer; her great-grandchildren, Madilyn, Emily, Taylor, Ryan and Michaela; four step-great-grandchildren; her sister, Lucene Harrington; nieces and nephews, Carol Gansowski, Jackie Dextraze, Rhea Buchan, Risa Harrington, Michael Harrington and Jimi Harrington.

She was predeceased by her first husband, Wilbur Decker; her husband, Herbert James; her brother, George Pectal and her beloved dog, Lani.

A time for offering condolences and sharing of memories will take place Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Peck & Peck Funeral Homes, 8063 Route 22, Copake. At 1 p.m. a memorial service will be held with Pastor Squires officiating. Inurnment will follow in Niver Cemetery, Craryville.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory are requested to the Copake United Methodist Church, Copake 12516.

Rosemary A. Goetz (1945 – 2023)

KINGSTON—Rosemary A. Goetz, 77, of Hudson and Englewood, FL, died Monday, July 3, 2023 at Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston.

Born in Hudson October 17, 1945, she was the daughter of the late Peter and Carmela (Concra) Tanzillo. She worked for the City of Hudson for more than 30 years in City Hall and later Cedar Park Cemetery until her retirement.

She is survived by: her loving husband, Richard P. Goetz at home; daughter, Kim Goetz; brother, Peter Tanzillo (Rosemary); grandchildren, Tanner and Hannah Race and her son-in-law, JR Race. She was predeceased by: her daughter, Lynn Goetz Race; brother, Patsy Tanzillo and sister, Mary Ranzoni.

Calling hours will be held Tuesday, July 11, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sacco Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. Services will begin at 1 p.m. at the funeral home with Jamison Teale officiating. Burial will follow in Cedar Park Cemetery.

Sarah E. Colligan (1994 – 2023)

ALBANY—Sarah Elizabeth Colligan, 29, of Buffalo passed away peacefully July 5, 2023 at Albany Medical Center with her loving husband and family by her side.

Born May 6, 1994 in Hudson, she was the daughter of Francis and Mary Weinman Halnon of Stuyvesant Falls.

She earned her degree from SUNY Geneseo after graduation in 2012 from Ichabod Crane High School, Valatie. She was a risk analyst for M&T Securities in Buffalo. She was a loving, kind woman who always had a smile on her face and filled the lives of those she touched with sunshine, happiness and laughter. She loved spending summers on the lake with family and friends.

She is survived by: her loving husband, Sean Colligan; her beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Jeanne; her sister, Emily Halnon (Chris Merante) of Hudson; her loving in laws, Jeanne and Craig Colligan; her brother-in-law, Michael Colligan of Huntington, LI; her grandmother, Catherine Halnon of Schenectady; many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Calling hours will be held Monday, July 10, 2023 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Sacco Funeral Home, 700 Town Hall Drive, Greenport. Services begin at noon with Pastor Ken Coddington officiating. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Stuyvesant Falls.

Mark J. Giglio (1962 – 2023)

GHENT—Mark James Giglio passed away in the early morning hours July 3, 2023, three years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He faced his illness with a courage and grace that inspired everyone who knew him. He will live forever in the hearts of his family and friends, who loved and cherished him.

He was born in 1962 in Waterbury, CT. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and soon moved to Manhattan and his beloved Elizabeth Street, where he lived for 40 years. He began his career in book design, but books were too small a canvas for his talents. He soon moved to larger scale work in architectural spaces such as Rockefeller Center.

While he continued his own personal painting projects in the studio, he founded his own company, Mark Giglio Decorative Painting, LLC, in 1989. He was soon working with well-known architects and designers in New York, including Peter Marino, Brian McCarthy, Robert M. Stern, Bunny Williams and Jeffrey Bilhuber. He and his crew of artists worked around the world on projects, including the newly-opened Tiffany Landmark store on Fifth Avenue, where his wall design for the eight-story staircase is a centerpiece of the space.

He loved to walk along coastlines, from small local creeks and the Hudson River near his home in Columbia County, to the shores of Penobscot Bay in Maine, or wherever his travels and projects took him. He was an avid collector of all things natural, and his curiosity cabinet overflowed with things he collected on his walks: stones, minerals, shells, intricate animal skulls, petrified wood and fossils. He was on constant lookout for a perfect “scholars rock” for his wife, Carleen.

He loved his guitars, especially his new Taylor, and was known to burst into song and dance when the mood struck. Those who knew him well were often treated to spontaneous performances which were pure joy. He had his moves down.

Most of all, he loved being in the studio. He believed in beauty, in art, in being attentive to the world with a true sense of wonder, and he brought these passions to all he did.

He was humble, kind, and fair, and lived his life with unparalleled energy and purpose. He never let down those close to him and rushed to lend a hand to friends and strangers alike, sometimes before they even knew they needed it.

He leaves: his wife, partner, and best friend of 28 years, Carleen Sheehan. Their meeting was fateful, including both chance and intention. He treasured their days together in their studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, long morning talks over coffee, and walks with their dogs, Luca and Fern. If they met by chance outside their Nolita apartment, a big smile would lighten his face, every time as if it was the first time.

He adored: his mother, Dorothy; his sisters, Andrea and Lenore; brother, Tom; their spouses, Richard Dvarskas, Dennis Thompson and Randi Giglio; his nieces and nephews, Evan, Patrick, Lexie, Scott, Paige and Russell; his mother-in-law, Patricia; brothers-in-law, Jerry and Daniel Sheehan and their spouses, Elizabeth and Sherry.

He was celebrated privately on his birthday, Sunday, July 9 at his home in Ghent. Donations may be made in his name to Cancer Care at www.cancercare.org. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.

EDITORIAL: What’s next?

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