Obituaries: 1/4/06

George Emerson Brewer

St. Augustine, Fla. -- George Emerson Brewer died at his home in St. Augustine, Fla., on Dec. 21, 2005.

He was born in Keeseville, N.Y., July 8, 1920, son of George Brewer and Catherine Willard Brewer.

He was an active independent insurance agent beginning with T. Heffernan & Sons. He then merged with Traynor Marcus and later retired from Rose & Kiernan Insurance in 1985.

He served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. He was a member of Knights of Columbus, B.P.O.E. and past president of Plattsburgh Rotary.

Mr. Brewer married Eileen Whalen in 1946 who survives him, along with a son, Robert; and a daughter, Suzanne Gerlach; as well as two grandchildren.

Friends wishing to do so may contribute in his name to Hospice of Jacksonville, Fla., 1414 Sunbeam Road, Suite 101, Jacksonville, FL 32257 or Corpus Christi Catholic Church, St. Augustine, FL 32056.

Memorial services will be held at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Plattsburgh in late spring.

Bob Arthur Maloney

PIERSON, Fla. -- Bob Arthur Maloney, 71, died at his residence in Pierson, Fla., Dec. 20, 2005.

Born in Malone, N.Y., he had been a winter resident of Pierson for the past 17 years, coming from New Russia, N.Y.

Mr. Maloney was a lineman for the telephone company for many years.

He was predeceased in death by his wife of 49 years, Beverly Maloney. He was also predeceased by two sons, Michael and Robert Maloney.

He is survived by three daughters, Cathy Beaton, New Russia, N.Y., Darcy Hume, Pierson, Fla., and Amy Maloney, Forest Hills, Fla.; four sisters, Carol Holmes, Bangor, N.Y., Adele Shonyo, Chateaugay, N.Y., Ola Bruso, Malone, N.Y., and Frieda Burke, Little Falls, N.Y.; two grandsons; and two granddaughters.

No services are planned at this time.

Arrangements are under the direction of Clayton Frank & Biggs Funeral Home, Crescent City, Fla.

Avery Thomas Gregoire

PLATTSBURGH -- Avery Thomas Gregoire, infant son of Andrew and Sarah (Nickerson) Gregoire, of Prospect Avenue, Plattsburgh, died Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005, at the CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh.

Avery is survived by his parents of Plattsburgh; his maternal grandparents, Gary and Charlene Nickerson of Plattsburgh; paternal grandparents, Ronald and Judy Gregoire of Champlain, N.Y.; maternal great-grandmother, Geraldine Goff of Morrisonville, N.Y.; paternal great-grandmother, Audrey Gregoire of Champlain, N.Y.; maternal great-grandfather, Theron Nickerson of Kingston, N.Y.; his uncles, Jeremy and his wife Kara Goff of Saranac, N.Y., and Michael Gregoire of Champlain, N.Y.; his cousins, Matthew Goff, Camden Goff and Ashleigh Gregoire; he also has several great-aunts, uncles and cousins.

Avery was predeceased by his maternal grandfather, Clifford Goff; paternal grandfather, Leo Gregoire; and maternal grandmother, Johanna Nickerson.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006, at 11 a.m. in St. Peter's Church. Burial will be in the parish cemetery in the spring.

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

Jeanne Filion

CHAMPLAIN -- Jeanne Filion, 84, formerly of Champlain passed away Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at the CVPH Medical Center.

She was born April 26, 1921, in Rouses Point, the daughter of the late Aine and Elise Pinsonneault.

She owned the Cupboard Restaurant in Champlain for 29 years. She was a member of the American Legion Post 767 Auxiliary, the Salon 8/40 395 Clinton County, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1418 Auxiliary, the Northeastern Senior Citizens Club and St. Anne's Society of St. Mary's.

Her parents; her husband, Romeo; one son, Robert; one brother, Charles Pinsonneault; and one sister, Claire Filion, predeceased Jeanne.

Survivors include one son, Thomas Filion of Jacksonville, Fla.; two daughters, Theresa Davis of Cotopaxi, Colo., and Beverly Duffina of Mooers, N.Y.; one sister Emma Favreau of Rouses Point; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

There will be no public calling hours. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2006, at St. Mary's Church in Champlain.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the CVPH Skilled Nursing Facility.

Arrangements are with the Clark Funeral Home in Champlain.

Julius Otto Baisch

PLATTSBURGH -- The long, eventful life of Julius Otto Baisch came to a peaceful end in the early morning of New Year's Day, 2006, in the skilled nursing facility of CVPH, where he had resided for the past year. His daughter, Diana Cron and his grandson, Jonathan Cron, were with him when he died.

Julius was born Oct. 28, 1909, in Hedelfingen, Germany, the youngest of seven children of Gotthilf and Wilhelmina Baisch.

He apprenticed as a cabinet maker in Stuttgart, where he was awarded the designation of master cabinet maker on April 23, 1927.

At age 19, in 1929, Julius came on his own to the United States on a 10-day trip on the Deutschland. Carrying his tools and ready to work, Julius went first to Buffalo, where his two brothers were living. He fulfilled his promise to his wife-to-be, Lina Weinmann and came to New York City when she arrived from Germany in 1931. He and Lina were married there on Feb. 4, 1933.

Julius worked as a cabinet maker and foreman for the New York City Transit System for 39 years. He retired in 1970, after which he and Lina moved to Deltona, Fla. Lina had a severe stroke in 1982, and Julius cared for her in their home for the last 17 years of their 67 year marriage.

When Lina died in 1999, Julius moved to Plattsburgh to be near his daughter, Diana Cron.

In addition to Diana, Julius is survived by his grandsons, Alan Baisch and his wife Sharon, David Baisch and Jonathan Cron; and his great-grandchildren, Christopher, Alyssa and Eric Baisch.

He was predeceased by a son, Wilfred Baisch in 1987.

Calling hours will be at O'Neill-Redden-Drown Funeral Home in Plattsburgh on Thursday, Jan. 5, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. A memorial service will be led by Father John Sorensen of Trinity Episcopal Church at the funeral home at 8 p.m. that evening. Julius will be buried with his wife Lina in Florida on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make donations in Julius's memory may give to Skilled Nursing Facility at CVPH, where he was cared for lovingly and well, or to St. Helen's Ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church, whose people brightened the last years of his long and well-lived life.

All of those who surrounded him in his years in Plattsburgh will remember his strong determination, his quick wit, his sense of humor and his winning smile.

Ralph Daul Strack

WHITTIER, Calif. -- Ralph Daul Strack, 86, died peacefully in the presence of family at Hospice of Presbyterian in Whittier, Calif., on Nov. 24, 2005.

Ralph was born Feb. 5, 1919, the third of seven children of Dora Moore and William Strack of Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he spent his boyhood years helping out with the family dairy farm located on Cumberland Head.

After completing high school at St. John's Academy he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1937. He served continuously through World War II, seeing action in both the European and Pacific theaters. A Master Sergeant, Ralph was awarded the Bronze Star for valor during the Allied invasion of Italy.

After the war, he settled in upstate New York, where he met his future wife, Grace Elizabeth Naylor. They were married on Nov. 22, 1950, in Delmar, N.Y., and moved to Southern California in 1957, first to Long Beach, and then to Palmdale.

In the Antelope Valley, Ralph worked as an aircraft mechanic for the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed, McDonnell-Douglas and Rockwell.

He and Grace (Betsey), a teacher in the Palmdale School District, raised four children together and just recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.

Ralph is survived by his wife; children, Cynthia, Stephen and Frederick; sisters, Mary T. Kuta and Theodora Jeram of New York State; numerous nieces and nephews; and several grandchildren.

A memorial Mass was held Friday, Dec. 16, 2005, preceded by a rosary at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1600 E. Ave R-4, Palmdale, Calif., (661)947-3306. Interment will be in the family plot at Redford, N.Y., in the spring.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Hospice of Presbyterian, 15050 Imperial Hwy, LaMiracla, CA 96038, (562)947-3668.

Deaths:

ELEANOR GLADYS REID PARO, 91, of Malone died Monday, Jan. 2, 2006, at the Franklin County Nursing Home, Malone, N.Y., where she had been a patient since June 9, 2000.

Born in Huntingdon, Quebec, Canada, on March 15, 1914, she was the daughter of Albert and Louisa (Logan) Reid.

There will be no calling hours. A prayer service will be held at the Chateaugay Funeral Home at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006.

Burial will take place in the spring at Burke Center Cemetery, Burke.

WILLIAM H. ABORN, 66, of Joplin, Mo., and formerly of Chazy, N.Y., died on Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005, in Joplin, Mo.

A memorial service was held on Dec. 31 at the Derfelt Funeral Home in Galena, Kan.