SARANAC LAKE — Peter J. Soliwoda, 85, of 27 Hope St., Saranac Lake, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003 at the Adirondack Medical Center.

Born in New York City on June 23, 1918, he was the son of Alexander and Antonia Soliwoda.

Mr. Soliwoda married Eva Mose on April 4, 1946, in Redford. He had been a resident of Saranac Lake since 1963, coming from Riverview. Mr. Soliwoda had been employed in the Maintenance Department at the Will Rogers Hospital in Saranac Lake for many years. He later worked as a camp caretake for Rockefeller Park in Corey’s, N.Y. He was a veteran of the United States Army, serving during World War II and had been stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by Japan. Mr. Soliwoda had enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening.

He is survived by his wife, Eva Soliwoda of Saranac Lake; one daughter and son-in-law, Eileen and Gary Tedford of Saranac; two granddaughters, Hope and her husband, Frank Goble, of Schuyler Falls, and Amy Tedford of Saranac; one great-granddaughter, Rebecca Goble of Schuyler Falls; two sisters, Julia Kokofinski of Bellford, N.J., and Violet Mulvey of Hudson Falls; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one brother and one sister.

Calling hours are from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Church of the Assumption in Redford. Burial will follow in Assumption Cemetery in Redford.

Friends wishing to remember Peter J. Soliwoda may make memorial contributions to the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad in care of the funeral home.

MINEVILLE — Joseph F. Tursky, 70, of Plank Road, Mineville, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003, at the Fletcher Allen Health Care, Burlington, Vt.

Joe was born on Sept. 30, 1932, at Witherbee, N.Y., the son of John and Amelia (Zabrowski) Tursky.

He retired from IBM Corp. He was a veteran of the Korean conflict and served 38 years in the Army National Guard. He was a patrolman with the Port Henry Police Department and the Town of Moriah Police Department for 25 years. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Tursky; his daughter and her husband, Ann Marie and David Bean of Bethel, Vt.; his sons and their wives, Joseph and Kelly Tursky of Westport and John and Tracey Tursky of Claremont, N.H.; four grandchildren; his sister, Mary LaVallie of Mineville; and his brother, John Michenko of Mineville.

Calling hours will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Harland Funeral Home in Port Henry.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick’s Church in Port Henry with Msgr. C. John McAvoy officiating. Burial will follow in St. Peter and Paul Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.

CHAZY — Glenice Gravelle, 72, a lifelong resident of Chazy, died Saturday evening, Sept. 13, 2003, in the CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh.

Glenice was born in Chazy Jan. 21, 1931, the daughter of Charles H. and Bessie (Ashline) Wiley. On Nov. 21, 1953, she married Donald J. Gravelle, who survives her.

Glenice had been employed by Boire’s Florist and Clark’s Florist for a total of 31 years. She is survived by her husband, Donald; two sons, Donald M. and his wife, Donna, and Kyle and his friend, Karen Bourgeois, both of Chazy; three grandchildren, Mark, Mathew and Sara; one brother, Leslie and his wife Ruth of Cobleskill; one sister, Ula, and her husband, Ian, of Syracuse; a sister-in-law, Miriam R. Wiley, and several nieces and nephews. Her parents and a brother, Claude Wiley, predeceased her.

At her request, there will be no calling hours. A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003, at the Chazy Presbyterian Church. Burial will follow in the Riverview Cemetery in Chazy. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Mrs. Gravelle’s name may be made to the Chazy Public Library or the Rouses Point Fire Department.

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

MALONE — Gregory Arthur Murtagh, 62, of 15 Homestead Park, Malone, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003, in his home in the presence of his loving wife of 35 years.

He was born in Massena on April 6, 1941, the son of Patrick Scott and Aldona (LaBrake) Murtagh. He grew up in Malone and was a 1960 graduate of Franklin Academy. In 1965 he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in education from the State University College at Plattsburgh and in 1972 he earned a master’s of science degree in College and Agency counseling from that same institution. Mr. Murtagh was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Viet Nam war and was honorably discharged.

On Aug. 24, 1968, he eloped with Kathryn Lee (Kitty Lee) Badger to Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. They were married in St. George’s Episcopal Church in Kingston and later had their marriage blessed in St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Malone. Mrs. Murtagh survives.

Mr. Murtagh began his career with the New York State Department of Labor in 1969 as a job placement counselor for the North Country region. During his long career with the Labor Department, he served as a senior supervising employment counselor for several offices in the Northern Tier. He served as a selective rehabilitation counselor, finding jobs for severely handicapped applicants, for which he was awarded the NYS Association of Personnel in Employment Security’s first place award for excellence in placing handicapped job applicants. Nationwide radio and television promotional messages were made the United States President’s Committee for Employing the Handicapped based upon "success stories" of handicapped applicants for whom Mr. Murtagh found jobs. He was manager of the Malone Labor Department office from 1991 to 1993. In 1993 he was appointed site coordinator for the Worker’s Assistance Center at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base where he developed and implemented a program of placement services and retraining programs for 800 civilian workers dislocated from their jobs by the closing of Plattsburgh Air Force Base. He retired from state service in 1996.

Mr. Murtagh received many awards and citations for his community service in Malone. He served as president of the Notre Dame Home School Association; chairman of the board of directors for the Adirondack Crisis Center; member of the board of directors of the Malone Youth Center; member of the Franklin County Legislator’s Youth Advisory Board; co-chairman of fund-raising for North Country Habitat for Humanity; president of the Lake Titus Protective Association; president of the Franklin County Network of Shoreline Associations; chairman of the board of directors of Literacy Volunteers of Franklin County; and chairman of the board of directors of the Franklin County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Mr. Murtagh enjoyed collecting antiques and was an expert on the subject of antique toys. He was a devoted husband and father and he spent as much time as possible with his wife and son. He particularly enjoyed spending the summers at Lake Titus, and traveling to Ireland with his family.

Mr. Murtagh is survived by his wife, Kathryn (Kitty) Murtagh of Malone; one son, Patrick Scott Murtagh III of Malone and his fiancée, Louise LeBlanc; two sisters, Rose Mary Achey of North Carolina and Aldona Mae Pazin of New Jersey; a foster daughter, Linda Steward Mandizha of Ormond Beach, Fla.; a sister-in-law, Wanda Murtagh of Malone; three nieces and one nephew; several aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was predeceased by his parents and a brother, Patrick Scott Murtagh Jr.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph’s Church in Malone.

Memorial donations may be made to the Lake Titus Protective Association Restricted Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 213, Malone, NY 12953.

BURKE — Stephen J. VanCour, 52, of 890 County Route 23, Burke, died Saturday evening, Sept. 13, 2003, at Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, while under the care of the hospital, Hospice of the North Country, Inc., and his family.

Born in Saranac Lake on July 12, 1951, he is the son of Edmund J. and Erma E. (Catchman) VanCour. He attended Saranac Lake Schools.

He served in the United States Marine Corp., 1st Marine’s 1st Engineering Division in Viet Nam from 1969 until his honorable discharge in 1972. He received the Purple Heart and combat medals.

On Aug. 15, 1970, he was united in marriage to the former Patricia Law at St. Bernard’s Church in Saranac Lake. The marriage ended in divorce. On June 12, 2000, he was united in marriage to the former Darcia A. Harder in West Palm Beach, Fla. She survives.

Stephen was employed by the U.S. Postal Service in West Palm Beach as a welder from 1988 until he was injured in 1997.

He was a member of the D.A.V. and the American Postal Workers Union Local in West Palm Beach. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and building models of clipper sailing ships.

Along with his wife, Darcia, he is survived by his parents, Edmund and Erma VanCour of Saranac Lake; two sons, Stephen J. VanCour Jr. of Florida and Scott E. VanCour of Alabama; one daughter, Ann Marie Kent of West Palm Beach, Fla.; two stepsons and their wives, Daniel and Susan Beddoe of Montrose, Pa., and John and Nancy Beddoe of West Palm Beach; four sisters and three brothers-in-law, Sylvia and Al Tucker of Saranac, Sandy Pickreign of Ludlow, Mass., Dinah and John O’Sullivan of Birmingham, Ala., and Marsha and Glenn Beckwith of Ludlow, Mass.; five grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was predeceased by two grandsons.

Calling hours will be private and at the convenience of the family. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:15 a.m. Tuesday at St. Bernard’s Church in Saranac Lake with the Rev. Thomas Kornmeyer officiating. Burial will be in St. Bernard’s Cemetery.

Donations may be made in h is memory to Hospice of the North Country, Inc.

Arrangements are through the Bruso-Desnoyers Funeral Service, Inc. of Malone.

LOIS L. LONSBURY, 77, of Elm Avenue, Willsboro, died Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003.

She was born in Albany on July 23, 1926, the daughter of Clinton and Madeline (Tripp) Burt.

A funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Huestis Funeral Home, Maple Street, Willsboro.

Burial will follow in Memorial Cemetery, Lakeshore Road, Willsboro.