Published 1/27/02

Ballston Spa — Hubert Karcher, of Juniper Drive in Ballston Spa, died on Jan. 22, 2002, after a brief illness.

"Fred," as he was known to many of his friends, was born on Oct. 27, 1910, the only child of Gretchen and Frederick Karcher.

After attending grade and high school in the New York City area, he traveled in his 1926 Dodge Coupe to the University of Alabama. Never would a team be better than the Crimson Tide!!!! After graduating from the university, he applied his engineering skills to many construction jobs in the New York, New Jersey and Long Island area.

In 1954, his childhood dream became a reality when he purchased the farm where he had spent many summers as a young boy. He retired from construction in 1964 and set his sights on a new career on the farm. After several years, he again retired and traveled with his wife Phyllis. Phyllis and Hubert wintered in Florida for 23 years then moved to Ballston Spa, where they shared a home with their daughter Phyllis.

In addition to his wife and daughter, Hubert is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, John and Gloria of Huntington, N.Y., and Robert and Carolyn of Elizabethtown, N.Y. His legacy of love and character will be shared by his grandchildren, John, Samantha and Francyne Karcher, Dawn Karcher Giordano and her husband Chris, Lisa Karcher Whalen and Meredith Karcher King and her husband John.

Hubert was predeceased by his grandson, David, in April 2001. David's wife Cheryl resides in Palo Alto, Calif. Three great-grandchildren survive, John Daniel Karcher of Brooklyn and Lily and Wesley Whalen of Elizabethtown.

A celebration of Hubert's life will be held on Feb. 2, 2002, at the home of Robert and Carolyn Karcher.

In memory of Hubert, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, or the charity of choice.

ROUSES POINT — Florence B. Gravelle, 99, formerly of Lake Shore Road, Chazy, died Friday, Jan. 25, 2002, at the Cedar Hedge Nursing Home.

She was born in Beekmantown on July 1, 1902, the daughter of Robert and Annette (Stilwell) Barber.

She married Donald M. Gravelle in Titusville, Fla. Donald died in 1956.

Florence was a member of the Three Steeples Church and also a member of the Chazy Friends of the Library and WSCS.

Mrs. Gravelle was a registered nurse at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital for over 50 years.

Survivors include two sons, Robert Gravelle and Donald Gravelle, both of Chazy; one sister, Mrs. Ruby (Percy) LaVigne of Vermontville; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and one nephew and his wife.

She was predeceased by one sister, Doris Nelson.

A memorial service will be held in the spring at Three Steeples Church. Burial will be at a later date in the Riverview Cemetery in Chazy in the spring.

Memorial donations may be made to the Chazy Library or the Chazy Rescue Fund.

Arrangements are with the R.W. Walker Funeral Home.

Rouses Point — Marcia De Lano Ross died Saturday, Jan. 26, 2002, at 8:15 a.m. in her family home at 5 White Avenue in Rouses Point, where she had lived for over 60 years.

She is the third of seven children of LeRoy Clark De Lano, from Ticonderoga originally and Elizabeth Harriet Weeks De Lano and was born April 2, 1907, in an upstairs bedroom of the Weeks homestead, built by the original family of Joseph Weeks, starting around 1806 and continuing in that family until very recently.

Graduating from Rouses Point High School, where her father was the chairman of the Board of Education, she continued at Albany Business College, after which she worked several years in Albany before returning to be her father's secretary while he was in charge of U.S. Customs at Rouses Point.

On Feb. 21, 1930, she married John Putnam Ross, originally from Clayton, in her parent's home with her family all present.

After her mother died in 1950, the next year she decided to go to college in Plattsburgh at the then Champlain College, situated on what later became the Air Base. She majored in Spanish with a minor in French and took many other liberal arts courses including landscape painting and was on the Dean’s List with a 4.0 grade average. Unfortunately, this wonderful experience came to an end after two years with the closing of the college. She then became a special student for her junior year at the then Plattsburgh State Teacher’s College. St. Lawrence University in Canton was the nearest college awarding bachelor of art degrees, so she went to Canton for her senior year, where she graduated with a French major in 1955.

She then returned to Plattsburgh where she was a substitute teacher in the Beekmantown school system and also worked for the lawyer, Arnold Chapman, until her daughters finished high school at Plattsburgh High School and her son was at Northwood School in Lake Placid.

Marcia De Lano Ross is the daughter of a direct male-line descendant of Philippe De La Noye, 1602-1681, a Huguenot, who arrived at Plymouth in 1621 on the Fortune. Family and genealogy were very important to her.

She had her family's green thumb and was a superb organic vegetable gardener, having a garden in her home since 1938, when she and her husband purchased the home they lived in for the rest of their lives. She had many lovely family heirlooms from her husband's grandfather, Captain John Ross of Queen Victoria's Border Regiment, who fought in the Zulu War and was stationed in India, South Africa and China and from her mother and her husband's mother, which she used to decorate her home beautifully.

Marcia De Lano Ross is survived by her daughters and her son, Lisabeth Weeks De Lano Ross, Heather Louise Ross and her husband Edward Lynde Strohbehn Jr. and John Putnam Ross Jr. and his wife, Linda Casson Rankin Ross.

She is survived by her two younger sisters, Priscilla Alden De Lano Dodds of Kent, Wash., and Shirley Weeks De Lano Ryan of Sugarbush, Franklin County and by her brother, Arthur Addison De Lano and his wife Doris of Biloxi, Miss. Also surviving are her niece, Melinda Elizabeth Ryan Hadley of Sugarbush and many other nieces, nephews and their spouses and adult children.

She is also survived by her devoted helpers and friends, Shirley Bursey and her husband Floyd of Champlain, Veronica Labombard and her husband William of Mooers and Pauline Brindisi of Rouses Point, for whose love and support the family is very grateful.

She is predeceased by her husband, John Putnam Ross, a customs officer for 47 years, town and village historian, fireman, library board member, founder of the local Chamber of Commerce, originator of Shop and Save during the depression, who changed the Atomic Energy Act of 1948 to include the peacetime uses of atomic energy. Two older sisters and a younger brother predecease her, Glenice Elizabeth De Lano Gallagher, Lois Ada De Lano Dodds and Laurens Le Roy De Lano.

Funeral arrangements are with M.B. Clark Funeral Home in Rouses Point. Visiting hours will be Monday, Jan. 28th, from 5 to 7 p.m., with the funeral service following.

Her family particularly wish to thank hospice for facilitating her care at home and will be pleased with memorial donations to them in her name.

Lake Placid — Dorothy H. Preston, 67, of Parkside Drive in Lake Placid, passed away Saturday, Jan. 26, 2002, at her home.

She was born in Burlington, Vt., on Jan. 31, 1934, the daughter of William and Clara (McNall) Hepp.

Dot was a graduate of Lake Placid High School, Class of 1952.

She is survived by her husband, Raymond W. Preston. They were married in the Adirondack Community Church by the Rev. Clair E. Carpenter on Jan. 29, 1955.

Dorothy had been a customer service representative at the Bank of Lake Placid and then the Lake Placid NBT from 1957, retiring in 1996.

Mrs. Preston was a member of the Lake Placid Garden Club, a former member of the Placid Star Chapter Order of Eastern Stars, the United Methodist Women and had done volunteer work for ORDA. She had also done volunteer work at Uihlein Mercy Center.

In addition to her husband Raymond, she is survived by a daughter, Sue Preston Devlin and her husband Art, both of Lake Placid and a son, Richard M. Preston and his wife Patti, both of Saranac Lake. She is also survived by two grandchildren, Josh and Sara Preston of Saranac Lake. Dorothy is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

There are no calling hours. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 29th, at the Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid at 11 a.m. Rev. Mark Demers, pastor, will officiate. Burial will follow in the North Elba Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the High Peaks Hospice, the Lake Placid Garden Club, the Adirondack Medical Center Oncology Unit or the Adirondack Community Church.

The Clark Funeral Home in Lake Placid is in charge of arrangements.