Published: 12/26/02

AUSABLE FORKS — Richard (Dick) E. Perkins, 76, of West Forge Street passed away on Dec. 23, 2002, at his home.

Dick was born in Clintonville, N.Y., on Jan. 31, 1926, the son of Rev. Manulis M. and Lula (Havens) Perkins.

Dick grew up in Clintonville and attended school in Keeseville. He served two years in the U.S. Army, stationed in Alaska.

Dick began his career in paper making at J. and J. Rogers Company where he was foreman until its closing in 1971. He then worked at Imperial Paper Mill in Plattsburgh starting as a foreman then promoted to superintendent and finally to plant manager until his retirement in 1988. Following his retirement he worked as an assistant to Charles Zaumetzer at the Zaumetzer-Sprague Funeral Home.

Dick was a member of the Elks, a member of the AuSable Forks Fire Department where he served as fire chief, fire commissioner and later became an inactive member. He served on the Town of Jay town board for several years.

Dick was a devoted husband, father and grandfather who loved spending time with his loving family. He was loved very much and will be truly missed by his family and many friends.

He is survived by his loving wife, Leota (French) Perkins; two daughters and sons-in-law, Deanna and John Santor of AuSable Forks and Linda and Jim Spear of Keeseville; two sons and daughters-in law, Randy and Judy Perkins and Jody and Michelle Perkins, all of AuSable Forks; eight grandchildren, Sherry Snow and her husband Marty of Keeseville, John R. Santor and his wife Susan of Phoenix Ariz., Kristi Provost and her husband Keith of Plattsburgh, Monica Thomas and her husband Mike of Plattsburgh, Gene Santor and his companion Carrie Collins of Plattsburgh, Marla Garcia and her husband Chad of Plattsburgh, Heather Perkins of the U.S. Marine Corps stationed in San Diego Calif., and Sean Perkins of AuSable Forks; eight great-grandchildren, Jaimee and Nicholas Provost, Logan and Sydney Snow, Sierra, Gabrielle and Isabelle Santor and Ryan Thomas; two sisters, Marion Jock of Plattsburgh and Millie Bombard of AuSable Forks; one brother and sister-in-law, Raymond (Pete) Perkins of Clintonville; several nieces and nephews; and his faithful companion, his dog Brady.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his father-in-law and his mother-in-law, Frank Joe and Aura Nelson; and two brothers-in-law, Harry Bombard and Benjamin Jock.

Calling hours will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, at the Zaumetzer-Sprague Funeral Home in AuSable Forks. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at 11 a.m. Burial will be in the spring.

Donations in his memory may be made to the AuSable Forks Volunteer Ambulance Service. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.

PLATTSBURGH — Dr. Charles Brooks Anderson passed away Dec. 24, 2002, at CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

He was born June 11, 1911, in Chicago, Ill., the son of Henry Martin Anderson and Olive L. Anderson, and raised in Wies Point, N.Y., just south of Albany. He was the sixth of seven children; Tish, Lindsey, Ruth, Henry Martin Jr., Ellis and Robert Elliott (Robin), all of which have predeceased him. His wife, Sara, passed away Dec. 21, 1999.

Brooks graduated from Albany Academy in Albany, N.Y., and went on to Saint John's College in Annapolis, Md., for his undergraduate degree, graduating in 1935. He went on to New York University for his doctorate in Sociology and graduated in 1938. Brooks moved west to teach at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. His thesis on the social and economic development of Salt Lake City, Utah, was published in 1945. Brooks accepted a professorship at Ashville Teachers College in Ashville, N.C., where he met his wife, Sara Collins, a primary education student. They were married Sept. 8, 1940, at the Esmeralda Inn in Ashville. During WW II, Brooks and Sara worked in Ogden, Utah, at the airbase depot, building aircraft for the war effort. They moved to Winthrop College in Rockhill, N.C., and then to Davidson College, known as the "Princeton of the South". He accepted a department chairmanship and moved to Marietta College in Ohio in 1949 and then Washington College in Chestertown, Md., where he headed the Sociology and Economics Department.

Brooks joined the sociology faculty at State University of New York in Plattsburgh in 1962. He became very involved in the community and the Trinity Episcopal Church. He spent many years working with the Scouts of Clinton County and teaching at Dannemora Prison and at Plattsburgh Air Force Base. Brooks began to study and write about urban sociology and urban redevelopment before it became the trend. His research on the planned cities of Helsinki and Toronto contributed to his work on the reconstruction of the Boston slums into a planned community environment in collaboration with President Kennedy and Johnson's Urban Renewal Programs. Many communities have been built or redeveloped with these concepts. He retired from SUNY in 1976 but continued to teach through the Empire State Independent Study Program. Brooks was widely known for his intellect, his service to his fellow man and his avid wit and sense of humor.

Survivors include his daughter, Suzanne A. Duffelmeyer and her husband Edward of Aunt Hack Ridge Estates, Danbury, Conn.; his son, Robert E. Anderson of Plattsburgh; and many nieces and nephews.

There will be no public calling hours.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, at 2 p.m. at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh. Burial will take place on Saturday in the Albany Rural Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his name may be made to SUNY at Plattsburgh, College Foundation Scholarship Fund, Kehoe Tower, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

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

Ridge Manor, Fla. — James Norman Willis, 67, of Ridge Manor, Fla., died Sunday, Dec. 22, 2002.

He was born in Rome, Ga., and moved to Charlotte, N.C. He moved to Florida in 2000, after being a seasonal resident since 1996, from North Carolina.

He was a retired Air Force veteran and last worked as a plant engineer for Cooper Industries. Jim was an avid golfer and his memberships included the Whispering Oaks Golf and Country Club, as well as, the VFW in Ridge Manor and he was also a member of Elks Lodge 621 in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Survivors include, his wife of 16 years, Judy of Ridge Manor; son, Donald Willis of Orlando, Fa.; daughter, Hollis Ann O'Daniel of Bossier City, La.; step son, Paul Cayea of Sanford, Fla.; two brothers, Wesley Willis of Rome, Ga., and Dan Willis of Cartersville, Ga.; sister, Carolyn Southard of Rome, Ga.; and four grandchildren.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society. The funeral will be in Florida, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, with burial at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Fla.

Coleman & Ferguson Funeral Home, Dade City, Fla.

SOUTHWICK, MASS. — James Francis Miles, 57, of 304 North Loomis St., Southwick, Mass., died Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002, at his home.

He was born March 19, 1945, in Springfield, Mass., the son of Francis and Marguerite Miles of Southwick.

He was owner and operator of Salmon Brook restaurant and coffee shop in

Southwick. He also taught industrial technology at Westfield Junior High School and North Middle School in Westfield, and was certified as a home inspector in 1999.

He is survived by his wife of nine years, Ellen M. Cook Miles, daughter of Lawrence and Adrienne Gonyo of Beekmantown, N.Y.; children, Paul, Amy and Sara of Southwick and Loriann of Westfield; step children, Daniel Cook and his wife Linda of Westfield and Todd Cook of Southwick; grandchildren Joseph, Nathan, Christopher and Toby Miles of Southwick; step granddaughter, Kayleigh Paradise of Westfield; sister, Patricia Clapp and her husband Arthur of Tolland, Conn.; nephew and godchild, Kevin Clapp and his wife Stacey of Hagerstown, Md.; nephew, Edward Clapp of Ellington, Conn.; several uncles and cousins of Western Massachusetts; and first wife, Judy Vannelli of Southwick.

Raised and educated in West Springfield, he attended St. Thomas Elementary School and was a 1962 graduate of West Springfield High School. He earned an associate's degree in aircraft maintenance from Wentworth Institute in Boston in 1964 and a bachelor of arts degree in education at Keene State University in Keene, N.H., in 1968.

He was a member of the Rotary Club of Southwick since 1990, serving as secretary, vice president and president (1997-98). He chaired the Rotary Foundation committee for the club for the last several years, ran the monthly raffle for academic and vocational scholarships for students' graduation from Southwick Tolland Regional High School. He also chaired Rotary's popular annual steak roast for the last 12 years. From a Rotary district level, he served a two-year term as a delegate and alternate to the nominating committee, which is designed to receive proposals from clubs and study the qualifications of candidates and nominate a district governor annually for District 7890 (Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut).

He was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary's highest recognition for Service above Self, on April 1, 2000.

He has served on the Town of Southwick Conservation Committee for five years. He was vice chair the first year and has been chairman since. He was appointed to the ad hoc committee to research and implement the Community Preservation Act for Southwick. Since the vote of the act in November, he was appointed to serve on the new committee representing the Southwick Conservation Commission.

He was also a member of the Southwick Association of Businesses and served as a director and vice president.

Calling hours for friends and family were held at the Southwick Forastiere Funeral Home, 624 College Highway, Southwick, Mass., on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2002, from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. The funeral was held at Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church on Monday, Dec. 9, 2002, at 10 a.m.

Memorial donations may be made to the Southwick Ambulance Fund, P.0. Box 532, Southwick, MA 01077, Noble Visiting Nurse and Hospice Services, Inc. of 77 Mill St., Westfield, MA 01085, or the Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 710, Southwick, MA 01077.

Schenectady — Patrick K. Latour, 60, of Schenectady, N.Y., died on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2002, at Ellis Hospital.

He was born in Saranac Lake, the son of the late Tuffield A. And Elizabeth (Kennedy) Latour.

He attended St. Bernard's School and was a graduate of the class of 1960 from Saranac Lake High School. He attended St. Anselm's College, Manchester, N.H., and Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, N.Y., before entering the U.S. Army in 1965. Mr. Latour served in the Viet Nam War and was in the U. S. Army Reserves for 16 years.

Pat worked for the New York State Department of Labor, retiring in 1996. He was an active member of the American Legion Post 1092 in Niskayuna, N.Y. He was a Schenectady Little League coach for many years, he coached Schenectady Youth Hockey and was past president of the Central - State Street Neighborhood Association. He was an avid fan of the Winter Olympics, especially of bobsledding. This interest was instilled in him by his father, Tuffy, a member of the 1948 Olympic Bobsled Two Man Team. His oldest son is the present coach of the Men's U.S. Bobsled Team.

Pat is survived by his wife of 34 years, Nancy (Strack) Latour of Schenectady. He is the father of Tuffield P. Latour and his wife Katherine of Saranac Lake, Shawn P. Latour of Schenectady, Todd M. Latour of Charlotte, N.C., James A. Latour and his wife Candice of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, Patrick K. Latour Jr. and his wife Cynthia of Pittsburg, Calf., Troy R. Latour of Charlotte, N.C., and Ryan E. Latour of Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. He is the beloved grandfather of Hannah and Jameson Latour. He was the brother of Sr. Brian Marie Latour of Plattsburgh, Mrs. Donald (Ann) Fina, and A. Elizabeth Latour of Saranac Lake; his aunt, Mrs. Edward (Marie) Kennedy of Saranac Lake; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Calling hours will be at the Comer-Cannon Family Funeral Home, in Colonie, N.Y. on Thursday 4 to 8 p.m. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Luke's Church, Schenectady on Friday at 10 a.m. with interment in St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Friends wishing to remember Mr. Latour are asked to donate to Hospice.

St. Albans, VT — Sylvia Ruth Frenyea, 80, of St. Albans, Vt., passed away Monday, Dec. 23, 2002, at the Northwest Medical Center in St. Albans, Vt.

She was born June 18,1922, in Dannemora, N.Y., the daughter of Lewis and Geneva (Garren) Prenyea.

She was predeceased by her first husband, Morton Emery who passed away in 1962; her second husband, Arthur Cheeseman who passed away in May of this year; and one sister, Audrey Myatt.

Sylvia is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, John and Carol Favreau of Champlain, N.Y.; two ladies that she brought up as daughters, Lillian Cookman and her husband Ralph of Champlain and Lucy Hebert; one brother, Austin Carlton Frenyea of Beekmantown, N.Y.; one sister and brother-in-law, Robert and Janis Gardener of West Chazy; several grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

There will be no public calling hours. Burial will take place later in the year in St. Mary's Cemetery in Champlain, N.Y.

Arrangements are with the Clark Funeral Home in Champlain, N.Y.

Tucson, Ariz. — Estelle Gordon Gross, 76, passed away Dec. 23, 2002, in her home surrounded by family.

She is survived by her adoring husband, Alvin; her son, Stephen Gordon; her daughter, Susan Herzog and son-in-law Stephen; her daughter-in-law, Christine; her sister, Regina and her husband Ben and their children Joan and Paul, as well as Stephen's children, Estelle’s grandchildren, Megan, Rachael and Zoe. She also is survived by Alvin's children Louise and Debby, their husbands and four children (who she always regarded as her grandchildren). Estelle also survives her former in-laws Phil, Shirley and May and her nieces and nephews from the Gordon family.

She leaves a host of close and loving friends and a wealth of memories of her caring, generosity and wit towards virtually all she encountered. She loved family and friends, was an avid reader and thoroughly enjoyed intellectual pursuits, entertaining, travel, as well as being a passionate gardener.

Estelle was born in Philadelphia, to the late Max and Jean Pollock.

She briefly attended the University or Pennsylvania, later raising a family and residing in Plattsburgh, N.Y. She moved to Chicago in 1975, commencing a career as director of the national women's division of Israel Bonds.

In Chicago, she married Dr. Alvin Gross, her loving husband and companion for the last 25 years. Alvin and Estelle resided in Tucson and Chicago during the last 10 years and lived permanently in Tucson during the last five years.

Estelle had a lifelong devotion to the cause of Reformed Judaism. While residing in Plattsburgh, Estelle and her family were members of Temple Beth Israel. Estelle was a major influence in Women of Reform Judaism (formerly National Federation Temple Sisterhoods) in Plattsburgh and Chicago and is a life member of that organization. In Tucson, Estelle and Alvin were members of Temple EmanuEl and she was active in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations Religious Action Center, the Great Decisions Program and Melton Mini-School.

Funeral services were Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2002, at 3 p.m. at Temple EmanuEl, 225 N. Country Club Road, conducted by Rabbi Samuel M. Cohon, with a memorial service an interment to follow at Memorial Park in Skokie, Ill., on Dec. 26, 2002.

For details, call Weinstein Family Services, (847) 676-2111.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona - JCRC and to Union of American Hebrew Congregations Religious Action Center.

Arrangements by Evergreen Mortuary & Cemetery, Tucson, Ariz.

PERU — Margaret Kennedy Hebert, 101, formerly of Peru, died Sunday, Dec. 22, 2002, at the Meadowbrook Nursing Home, Plattsburgh, where she had been a resident since Feb. 2, 1996.

She was born June 22, 1901, in Plattsburgh, the daughter of Leonard and Karen (Pray) Howard.

She enjoyed cooking, sewing and crocheting. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

She is survived by three sons and three daughters-in-law, John and Maude Kennedy of Peru, Eugene and Caroline Kennedy of AuSable Forks, Richard and Janice Kennedy of Peru; three daughters and a son-in-law, Mary Ellen and Lloyd Burke of Virginia, Kay Coolidge of AuSable Forks and Nancy Kepner of Vermont; two step daughters, Muriel Grady of Lake Placid, Colleen and Thomas Nagowski of Plattsburgh; 23 grandchildren; 30 great-grandchildren; and several great-great-grand-children.

Those that predeceased her were her first husband, Edgar Kennedy, her second husband, Henry Hebert and a daughter, Doris Lauke.

Calling hours will be Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002, 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the Zaumetzer-Sprague Funeral Home, AuSable Forks. Funeral service will follow the calling hours at 12 noon at the funeral home with Rev. Virginia Pierce, officiating. Burial will be at a later date in the family plot at Peru Cemetery Inc.

Family request no flowers, memorials may be to a charity of ones choice.

WILLSBORO — Julia S. Hoskins, 94, died Monday, Dec. 23, 2002 at CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh.

She was born in Willsboro on April 14, 1908, the daughter of Seth and Ethelwyn (Dickerson) Stafford.

She was a lifelong member of the Willsboro Congregational Church of Christ where she belonged to the Women’s Fellowship.

In her younger years she was very active in church affairs and spent many hours working on church suppers. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and was loved by all who knew her.

She is survived by three children and their spouses, Vernon and Florence Hoskins and Patricia and Gordon (Gay) Young, all of Willsboro, and Bruce and Nona Hoskins of Westport; 13 grandchildren; 16 great-grand-children; and a sister-in-law, Majorie Stafford.

She was predeceased by her husband, Wesley, in 1977; sisters Hazel Blanchard and Calla Calkins; brothers Vaughan and Harold Stafford; granddaughter Kandy Pope; grandson Glen Young; and a great-grandson, Nathan Schreiber.

Calling hours will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 26 at the Huestis Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at Congregational United Church of Christ at 11 a.m. on Friday. Burial will be in the spring in the Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Willsboro Rescue Squad c/o Dickerson, 404 No. Reber Road, Willsboro, NY 12996 or the UCC Memorial Fund.

Katherine Irene Tyler, died at her home in Greece, N.Y., on Dec. 23, 2002.

She was born May 19,1926, in Vermontville, Franklin Co., daughter of the late Clarence and Ella (Tucker) Tyler.

Family and friends are invited to call Friday, Dec. 27, 2002, from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 12 noon at New Comer Family Funeral Home, 2636 Ridgeway Ave., Rochester. Funeral service will be following on Saturdady. Burial will be in Falls Cemetery.

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