Published: 9/15/04

Peru, N.Y. — Mrs. Anne S. Dunne, 69, of Calkins Road, Peru, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, at the CVPH Medical Center with her family by her side.

She was born in Montreal, Canada, on Nov. 13, 1934, the daughter of John and Mary (Whelan) Richardson.

Anne had been a bookkeeper at the Crisis Center. She enjoyed helping people even when she herself was ill.

Anne was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Thomas Dunne; her brothers, John, Benjamin and James Richardson; and a sister, Martha.

She is survived by a daughter, Laura Keene of Fountain, Colo.; two grandchildren, Robert and Chelsea Keene of Fountain, Colo.; several nieces and nephews; and her faithful friend, Brian Beru.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Brown Funeral Home, Plattsburgh with the Rev. William G. Reamer, Chaplain at CVPH Medical Center officiating.

Friends wishing may make donations to the Adirondack Humane Society.

Plattsburgh, N.Y. — Ruth H. Nicholls, 84, of Lakeland Drive, Plattsburgh, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, at CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born in Enosburg Falls, Vt., on Sept. 17, 1919, daughter of Max and Grace (Duffy) Brown.

Ruth attended schools in Vermont. She married Kenneth Macia of East Bershire, Vt., in Tampa, Fla., in 1943. They returned to Vermont after Ken's U.S. Army service and purchased a large dairy farm in Enosburg. Ken died in 1953 and Ruth continued to run the farm until 1960. Ruth was very active with the Dairy Association, church, Grange and later volunteered at Kerbs Hospital in St. Albans, Vt.

She married Eric C. Nicholls of East Fairfield, Vt., at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in St. Albans, Vt., on June 29, 1963. They lived in East Fairfield until moving to Plattsburgh in 1989. Eric died in 1999. They were members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh.

Ruth is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Beverly (Nicholls) and Reg Robtoy of Enosburg Falls, Vt., and Sally (Macia) and Keith W. Stay of Plattsburgh; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; a sister, Lucille Hurlbert of Barre, Vt.; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Everett and Mary Nicholls of Zellwood, Fla.; many special nieces and nephews; and a very special extended family.

Ruth was predeceased by her parents; husbands; and three brothers.

Ruth will be forever remembered for her wonderful baking and special gifts she so generously shared with family and friends. Those who knew her will never forget this special little Lady.

Calling hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Brown Funeral Home in Plattsburgh. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday from the Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh. A committal service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Egypt Cemetery in Fairfield, Vt.

Donations in her memory may be made to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center at CVPH Medical Center.

West Chazy, N.Y. — Jerome Homer Taylor, 78, of Lovers Lane, West Chazy, passed away on Monday, Sept. 13, 2004, at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany.

He was born in Mooers on Feb. 17, 1926, son of the late Homer C. and Georgiana (Noel) Taylor.

Jerome was a 1944 graduate of Mount Assumption Institute. He retired in 1988 as the manager of the Farm Production Credit Service in Chazy. Jerome was also a past member of the Plattsburgh Elks Lodge and a past member of the West Chazy Fire Department. He was a member of St. Joseph's Parish in West Chazy.

Jerome married Harriet M. Martin at St. Peter's Church in Plattsburgh on Oct. 13, 1951.

He is survived by his wife, Harriet M. Taylor of West Chazy; three sons and daughters-in-law, Jerome and Donna Taylor of Dannemora, Eric and Lynn Taylor of Dayton, Ohio, and Michael and Karen Taylor of West Chazy; three grandchildren, Christopher and Curtis of Dayton, Ohio, and Heather of Dannemora; a sister-in-law, Mary Taylor of Plattsburgh; two cousins, Gloria LeDuc of Mooers Forks and Joyce Chase of Mansfield, Mass.; and several nieces and nephews.

A brother, Denis Taylor died in September of 1997.

Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday from St. Joseph's Church in West Chazy. Burial will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of the North Country.

Arrangements with Brown Funeral Home in Plattsburgh.

Saranac Lake, N.Y. — Jane Anne (Barber) (Gowan) Miller, 69, died on Friday, Sept. 10, 2004.

Most people knew her as, Mrs. Gowan, their beloved teacher, counselor and excellent friend.

On Friday evening, her husband, Franklin R. Miller and her two daughters, Teresa A. and Colleen A. Gowan were with her at the time of her death in the Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, Vt. She had been suffering from problems that she had with her diabetic heart condition.

She was born on Aug. 19, 1935, in Elizabethtown, N.Y., the daughter of Edward C. and Ruth A. (Lewis) Barber of Westport, N.Y.

She came from a very loving, humble family with a very proud heritage from Westport. She graduated from Plattsburgh State University in 1957 with a bachelor's degree in teaching, home economics. She furthered her education and received a master’s degree in 1976 from Albany State University. She was only a few credits short for her doctorate in education. She worked for the Saranac Lake school system for 36 and one-half years. She retired in 1994. She was a teacher of 3 generations of students. Her students didn't just "have her" everyone truly loved her, both her students and all her fellow teachers.

On Oct. 14, 1961, she was married to Richard T. Gowan of Saranac Lake. "Dick and Jane" were married for 32 years and had two daughters. He died in December of 1993.

On Aug. 30, 1997, she happily married Franklin F. Miller. She and Frank had a "new beginning." With their new beginning Frank and Jane traveled to many places and did lots of things that they loved to do. This humble women from the tiny town of Westport, N.Y., was a world traveler. She was a member of the Baha’i faith. She and Dick traveled to Haifa, Israel in 1980 to visit all the Baha’i Shrines. In 1997, onward she and Frank visited, Mexico, the Bahamas and all the states on the east and southeast coasts of North America. They also took a couple cruises. She was a very multi-faceted women. Her greatest love was for other people and she was always attentive to their needs and wants. She always wanted to just make everyone feel at ease. She was a dynamic force of example for how people should love and respect each other despite our human differences. She really loved life. She love learning new things everyday of her exemplary life. She loved cooking all kinds of recipes for people she loved and serves so may people so much. She loved her pets, hummingbirds and all her flower gardens and beautiful landscaped for flowers and for golf.

She is survived by her loyal, loving husband, Franklin R. Miller of 10 Ridge Way, Saranac Lake; Theresa A. Gowan of 9 Ridgeway in Saranac Lake; Colleen A. Gowen of the United Arab Emirates, a country located in the Middle East; four stepsons and their families, Michael and Robin, Krissa, and Karlie Miller of Lake Placid, N.Y., Edward "Chip" and Kim, Justin and Josh Miller of Depew, N.Y.; Tom Miller of Lake Placid, N.Y., and James and Kim, Colin, Haley and Stephen Miller of Alden, N.Y. She is survived by Erwin and Joyce Barber of Westport, N.Y., Jessie B. Sayres of Willsboro, N.Y., Edie B. Hamilton of Little Falls, N.J., Earl and Donna Barber of Westport, N.Y., Ruth Robare of Westport, N.Y. She had one beloved brother-in-law, Chuck Miller from Magnolia, Ken. She had several sisters-in-law from her previous marriage, Norma E. Gowen of Saranac Lake, Joyce G. Lawson of Wisconsin, Joan G. Ryan of Saranac Lake, Ginger G. Hughs of Lake Placid and Myrtle H. Gowen of Wilmington, N.Y. She also leaves behind her dozens nieces and nephews; and two previous stepgrandchildren, Kezia Pine Giddings and Toni Pine Pelno.

Jane will absolutely be missed by everyone she knew and loved.

Calling hours were held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Fortune Keough Funeral Home. The funeral will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Presbyterian Church in Saranac Lake. After the funeral we will be having a "pot luck" get together in the banquet area of the church. Burial will be in the Pine Ridge Cemetery at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Friends wishing to make a memorial contribution can make it to Adirondack Magnitudes, Inc., (A.M.I.) in care of the Fortune Keough Funeral Home. The A.M.I. foundation for Jane will be established from the family business for researches and development of diabetes.

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Mary Jane Watts, 80, of Lynde Street, Plattsburgh, died Sunday, Sept. 12, 2004, at the Fletcher Allen Medical Center in Burlington, Vt.

She was born on July 1, 1924, in Dannemora, N.Y., the daughter of John and Maude (Darrah) Ayotte.

She married Robert C. "Bob" Watts on June 25, 1949, at St. Peter's Church in Plattsburgh.

Bob died on Aug. 1, 1992. Mary Jane was a graduate of Champlain Valley School of Nursing, class of 1944 and worked for over 30 years as a private duty nurse in the two city hospitals. She was a member of St. Peter's Church and the Champlain Valley School of Nursing Alumni Association. Mary Jane enjoyed luncheons with friends and relatives, doing needlepoint, walking, reading and traveling.

She especially enjoyed spending time with her two grandsons.

Survivors include her son, Michael "Mike" Watts and his wife Jane of Plattsburgh; one brother, Clarence "Dick" Ayotte and his wife Joyce of Plattsburgh; one sister, Nancy Donley and her husband Richard of Kissimmee, Fla.; three sisters-in-law, Dorothy Ayotte of Nunda, N.Y., Sue Ayotte of Spring Hill, Fla., and Edna Watts of Morrisonville, N.Y.; two grandsons, Michael Watts and Andrew Watts, both of Plattsburgh; and several nieces; nephews; and cousins.

She was predeceased by her husband; and two brothers, John Ayotte and Earl Ayotte.

Calling hours will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the R.W. Walker Funeral Home in Plattsburgh. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on at 11 a.m. Thursday in St. Peter's Church. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.

Donations in her memory may be made to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center at the CVPH Medical Center.

Irene R. DeCarr, 73, of Conger Road, St. Regis Falls, N.Y., died Monday, Sept. 13, 2004, at the Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, N.Y., where she had been a patient since Aug. 30, 2004.

She was born in Malone, N.Y., May 4, 1931, the daughter of the late Wellington and Florence Morin Besaw.

Calling hours will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Anderson Funeral Home in St. Regis Falls. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Ann's Church in St. Regis Falls, with the Rev. John Demo officiating. Burial will be in St. Ann's Cemetery.

Carol E. LaPierre, 59, of Route 374, Cadyville, died Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2004, at CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh.

She was born in Schenectady on March 2, 1945, the daughter of Alfred and May (Cartier) Palumbo.

Arrangements are incomplete at the R.W. Walker Funeral Home in Plattsburgh.

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