Published: 09/26/02

Altona — Mr. Paul V. "Big Paul" Marre, 62, of Altona, died Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002, at the CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh.

He was born in St. Louis, Mo., on June 13, 1940, son of the late Frank and Estelle (Daniels) Marre.

He worked for Diamond International and Alcoa Meat Packing. Paul was an avid fisherman and hunter. He had many friends and was a great story teller.

He is survived by many friends.

Calling hours will be Thursday, Sept. 26, 2002, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Brown Funeral Home in Plattsburgh. A funeral service will follow at 8:30 p.m. in the Brown Funeral Home Chapel.

Burial will be private.

Donations in his memory may be made to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center.

Morrisonville — Mr. Milford W. "Gritzy" Gruetzmacher, 88, of Bushey Street, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002, at the CVPH Medical Center with his family at his side.

He was born in Great Bend, N.D., on Sept. 7, 1914, the son of William Adolphe Gruetzmacher and Rhoda Sophia Louise (Stoltnow) Gruetzmacher.

Milford was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was active in building one of the three "Secret Cities" involved in the Manhattan Project and aided in the conversion to what became Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

Milford retired from Diamond International in 1976, where he had been a machine adjuster. He was a Life Member of the American Legion Post 20. Milford enjoyed bowling, vegetable and flower gardening, working in the woods garnering his own firewood for the winter. He enjoyed socializing, especially going to the Homestead Restaurant.

Milford was predeceased by his wife, Helen; a brother, Amber; and his sisters, Carol and Jeanette.

He is survived by two sons, Bill Gruetzmacher and his wife Margaret of Plattsburgh and Scott Gruetzmacher and his wife Michelle of Chazy; a daughter, Joy Sokero and her husband Claude of Waterford, N.Y.; two sisters, Elmyra Schoenhoff of Arizona and Virginia Schaumann of Minnesota; a brother, Calvin Gruetzmacher and his wife Maxine of Texas; four grandchildren, Dejean, Zeke and Max Gruetzmacher and Lance Sokero; and several nieces and nephews.

Calling hours will be Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Brown Funeral Home, Plattsburgh. A funeral service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. in the Brown Funeral Home Chapel.

Interment will follow in St. Alexander's Cemetery, Morrisonville.

Friends wishing may make donations to North Country Association for The Visually Impaired or Chazy Volunteer Fire Department.

Plattsburgh — Alma A. Gray, 86, formerly of Johnson Avenue, died Thursday, Sept. 19, 2002, at the Meadowbrook Nursing Home.

She was born in Plattsburgh, N.Y., on Feb. 22, 1916, the daughter of John and Margaret (Baker) Boodrow.

Alma was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Chazy.

Survivors include one daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Ernest Coulombe of Plattsburgh; one son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Penny Gray of Fort Lauderdale, Fla,; one sister, Alice Moody of Montgomery, N.Y.; five grandchildren, Jacob Coulombe of Chazy, Joseph Coulombe of Plattsburgh, Jodie Coulombe of Plattsburgh, Brandy Gray of Plattsburgh and Casey Gray of Georgia: and one great-grandson, Justin Coulombe of Vermont.

She was predeceased by one sister, Marion LaPlant.

Calling hours and funeral services will be private and at the convenience of the family.

The R.W. Walker Funeral Home in Plattsburgh is in charge of arrangements.

Mooers, N.Y. — Rhoda M. Higgins of Mooers died Sept. 23, 2002, at her home.

She was born in Sherrington, Quebec, on Jan. 2, 1910, the daughter of Charles and Frances (English) Seller.

She graduated from MacDonald College in Montreal and after teaching for a number of years in Canada, she married Erwin T. Higgins of Mooers on Oct. 2, 1937. They were married for 50 years. Rhoda was a teacher aide in Mooers and retired from the Northeastern Clinton Central School District. She was also a member of the Mooers United Methodist Church.

Family members include a niece, Rhoda Scott of Plattsburgh, who was like a daughter to her and Rhoda's husband Charles and their family, Charlie and Kari Scott and their daughters Avery and Olivia, Danny Scott, Susan Scott, David Scott and his fiancée Kathleen Miller; a niece, Linda Butler of Dayton, Md., her husband Michael and daughter Lori; a nephew, John Seller of Cadyville, his wife Chris and children Jacob, Gabriella and Madeline; her sister-in-law, Helen Seller of Plattsburgh; also a niece, Frances Lavorando of Loon Lake, her husband Bennie and their sons David, Michael, Stephen and Danny and their families; a nephew, Alison Elvidge of California; a niece and wonderful helper and friend, Joyce Phair of Mooers; a niece, Ruth Colgan of Mooers and her husband Wiley and their children Mark, Jennie and Lynn.

Other nieces are Shirley Columbe and children James, Jay and Cheryl and their families of Champlain; Phyllis Martino from Ohio and her husband Frank and their family; Dorothy Mallory of Champlain and her daughter Jennie; and Carol Pinsonneaul of Rouses Point and her husband Real and their children Tammy, Elizabeth, Timothy and Kathy. Canadian relatives include Helen Seller Bachelder, Eric Seller and Ivan Seller and their families.

Rhoda's husband Erwin died Sept. 1, 1987; their infant son, John Timothy, died in December 1940; her brother, Maurice Seller, died in September 1984; and her sister, Hazel Elvidge, died in August 1999.

Rhoda lived on Higgins Street in Mooers for 54 years. She loved her family, her home, her many beautiful flowers and her cats and she loved to eat out. Aunt Rhoda especially valued her independence, her good heath, her long life and her many wonderful memories. We will all miss her.

There will be no calling hours. Her funeral service is on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2002, at 2 p.m. at the Mooers United Methodist Church. Following a graveside service at the Mooers Riverside Cemetery, there will be a gathering for family and friends at the Mooers Firehouse.

Donations in her memory can be sent to the Mooers Rescue Squad or the Mooers United Methodist Church.

Ticonderoga — James "Smokey" Burroughs, 66, of Treadway Street in Ticonderoga, died Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2002, at the Kingston Hospital following a brief Illness.

Jim was born on Feb. 11, 1936, the son of Horace and Florence (Trieb) Burroughs.

He was retired from supply at International Paper’s Ticonderoga Mill and he was a member of the IP Quarter Century Club.

But Smokey was most prominent as a Ticonderoga Volunteer fireman. At the time of his death, he was just a few months shy of being a 50-year member of the Ticonderoga Fire Department.

As for firematics, at one point in his life a hobby turned into a job as he served the upstate New York State community as a certified fire instructor. He was also an Essex County Deputy Fire Coordinator.

Besides his wife of 42 years, the former Elescla Bigalow, he is survived by five sons and daughters-in-law, John and Rita, Ray and Wendy, Tom and friend Terry and Steve Buroughs of Ticonderoga and Leon and Amy Burroughs of Tennessee; seven grandchildren, Kelly Miller, Katherine Burroughs, Amber Burroughs, CJ Burroughs, Kyle Burroughs, Kristen Burroughs and Eric Forand; and cousins Katherine Wilkes of Connecticut and Elnor Merle from Jerico, Vt.

Besides his parents, he is predeceased by one granddaughter, Amanda Burroughs.

Calling hours will be held Friday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the Connery & Gunning Funeral Home in Ticonderoga.

Smokey will be buried will full volunteer fireman honors. A Mass of Christen burial will be celebrated at St Mary's Church in Ticonderoga on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. William Muench officiating.

Prior to burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Ticonderoga, the tolling of the bell will take place in front of the Ticonderoga Firehouse.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials to either the Ticonderoga Fire Department or the Ticonderoga Emergency Squad.

The family invites all relatives and friends to the Ticonderoga Firehouse for a reception following the services.

LONGVILLE, LA. — Howard 0. Titus, 78, of Longville, La., passed away on Friday, Sept. 20, 2002, at Beauregard Memorial Hospital in DeRidder, La.

He was born on July 3, 1924, in Whallonsburg, N.Y., the son of Benjamin and Martha (Metcalf) Titus.

Howard was a retired employee of International Paper Company in Ticonderoga, N.Y.

He was a veteran of World War II, having been a part of the D-Day Normandy Invasion at Omaha Beach in the Army's 9th Armored Division.

Besides his parents, he is predeceased by two brothers and three sisters.

He is survived by his wife, Geraldine (McDermott) Titus of Longville, La; a brother, Collins Titus of Eugene, Ore.; and four daughters, Barbara Titus - Koopmann of Greenwich, N.Y., Julie Mazurowski of Wilton, N.Y., Karen Ross of Crown Point, N.Y., and Theresa Titus-Seaman of Longville, La.; nine grandchildren; and six great - grandchildren; a cousin, Donald Titus of Crown Point, N.Y.; and other cousins, nieces and nephews.

Howard was an active member of the Council on Aging, enjoyed activities at the Senior Citizen Center and was a communicant of the First Baptist Church in Longville, La., where he leaves many, many, very special and dear friends.

During his life he enjoyed his blue grass music, visiting the forts at Crown Point and fishing Lake Champlain, especially Sheepshead.

A memorial service will be held at the First Baptist Church in Longville on Sept. 23, 2002, and a local service will be held in the spring.

Christine Slater Munn, 93, of Alexandria, Va., and Potomac, Md., died Aug. 9, 2002, in Atlanta, Ga.

Burial services will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2002, in St. Bernard's Cemetery, Saranac Lake, N.Y., with Rev. F. H. Dennis of St. Luke's Episcopal Church officiating.

Arrangements are in the care of the Fortune - Keough Funeral Home.

ElfRiedA E. Martin, 85, formerly of Crown Point and more recently the Moses-Ludington Nursing Home, died Tuseday, Sept. 24, 2002, at the Moses-Ludington Hospital in Ticonderoga.

Calling hours will be held on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Connery & Gunning Funeral Home in Ticonderoga. A funeral service will follow at the funeral home with Deacon Elliot Shaw officiating. Burial will be in the Ironville Cemetery in Crown Point. 

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