U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
HILDA HOPE BURDICK
BOLIVAR - Hilda Hope Burdick, 77, of 83 First St., died Monday (March 31, 2008) at Erie County Medical Center following a brief illness.
She was born Aug. 17, 1930, in the town of Alma, and is the daughter of William and Alfretta Stoneham Mann. On May 27, 1950, in Richburg, she married Wilford Burdick, who passed away July 18, 2000.
Hilda resided in Bolivar for the past 37 years and was a graduate of Allentown Central School, Class of 1948. For a short period of time she was employed at Acme Electric Corp. in Cuba.
She enjoyed gardening, reading, quilt making, and doing puzzles. She was a past member of the Allentown Baptist Church.
Surviving are two sons, W. James (Marlene) Burdick of Wellsville and Ronald W. (Marian) Burdick of Richburg; three daughters, Barbara A. (David) Treusdell of Belfast, Diane E. (Tim) Talbert of Frankfort, Ind. and Tami L. Darrin of Bolivar; 21 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Sandra (Ron) Campbell of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by a brother, Paul Mann.
Friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Treusdell Funeral Home, 50 E. Main St., Friendship, where funeral and committal services will be at 1 p.m. Friday with the Rev. Lewis Mericle of Wellsville officiating. Burial will be in the Knights Creek Cemetery in Scio.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association or Home Care and Hospice, 118 N. Main St., Wellsville, NY, 14895.
GERALDINE ‘POOKIE’ M. GARDNER
WELLSVILLE - Geraldine “Pookie” M. Gardner, of 3346 Riverside Drive, passed away at home with her family at her side Saturday (March 22, 2008). She was born on April 4, 1921, in Bradford, Pa., to Gerald and Genevieve (Green) Daley. On July 8, 1941, in Potter County she married Howard “Ted” Gardner, who predeceased her on March 31, 1988.
Pookie was a life member of the VFW Post No. 2530 Auxiliary, life member of the American Legion Post No. 702 Auxiliary and a Lady Elk of the BPOE 1495, all of Wellsville. She was kind and gentle soul whose special smile will be remembered. Pookie loved her family and was always there for them. She had special affection for her daughter, Linda; her son, Charles, and his wife, Alysia; and her grandson, Craig Brown, for many years of their loving care. She had great pride in her granddaughter, Tracy, and her wonderful husband, George. Her greatest happiness during the last 10 years was her great-grandson, Craig Brown II.
Survivors include a son, Charles (Alysia) Gardner of Wellsville; three daughters, Linda (Tom) Brown of Belmont, Sheron Gardner and her fiancée, Bill, and Patricia (Steve) Schultz, both of Rochester; five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; two nieces and two nephews.
She was predeceased by a brother, Robert “Bud” Daley and sister, Virginia Arnold.
Friends are invited to call from 7-9 p.m. Monday at the J.W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Wellsville. A prayer service will take place at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 10 a.m. in the Immaculate Conception Church in Wellsville. Monsignor Vincent Becker will be the celebrant and burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Belmont.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Father Brown Misson Club or to Home Care and Hospice in Wellsville.
Florence Rumsey Vossler
WELLSVILLE - Florence Rumsey Vossler died Monday (May 26, 2008) at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Arrangements, under the direction of the J.W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Inc.,
Clifton J. Morris Jr.
BOLIVAR - Clifton J. Morris Jr., 73, of 91 First St., passed away Saturday (June 7, 2008) at his home following a lengthy illness.
Mr. Morris was born July 16, 1934, in Brooklyn, to Clifton J. and Frances Brown Morris Sr. He was a graduate of Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn and attended St. John’s University in Brooklyn before graduating from Fredonia State Teacher’s College in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. On Aug. 3, 1957, in Bolivar, he married Barbara A. Dunn. Mrs. Morris survives.
Mr. Morris received his master of science degree in education from Hofstra University. During his graduate studies, he also studied administrative supervision in computer education and mathematics.
Mr. Morris began his teaching career in the Olean Public School District. He was later employed by the Sayville (Long Island) School District, where he taught in the junior high school. He became the director of math and computer education for grades K through 12 and also the director of federal funds for Copiague School District before retiring in 1989.
In 1990, Mr. Morris moved to Bolivar and became the administrator-principal for the Immaculate Conception School in Wellsville, where he served until his retirement in 1994. Mr. Morris was the first lay principal in the school’s 117-year history. He was an active member of St. Mary’s Church in Bolivar and also served as a lector and Eucharistic minister. He was a trustee of the Bolivar Free Library and served as a member of the Bolivar-Richburg Central School Board of Education from 1996 to 2006.
Mr. Morris was a member of the Allegany County chapter of the American Red Cross, Allegany-Cattaraugus County BOCES Board of Education and New York State Retired Teacher’s Association, and was a representative in many state-level school associations.
Surviving in addition to his wife are one daughter, Ellen (Paul) Lowry of Bolivar; three sons, James (Sharon) Morris of Douglasville, Ga., Kevin F. (Barbara) Morris of Coral Springs, Fla. and Robert (Yvonne) Morris of Bolivar; one brother, retired Brig. Gen. James M. (Janet) Morris of Northport; and 13 grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Mr. Morris was preceded in death by both of his parents and one daughter, Annemarie Morris, in 1984.
Friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. today at the Schaffner Funeral Home, Inc. in Bolivar. A vigil wake service will be held at 8:30 p.m. today in the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in St. Mary’s Church in Bolivar. Burial will take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bolivar. Memorials made to St. Mary’s Church, 111 Wellsville St., Bolivar, NY 14715 or to the charity of the donor’s choice would be greatly appreciated by the family.
Ethel Wilhelmina Bellamy Schrader
WELLSVILLE - Ethel Wilhelmina Bellamy Schrader, age 96, passed away peacefully at The Manor Care Center in Wellsville on Saturday, April 5, 2008. She was born in Wellsville in 1911, the daughter of Charles and Edith Siedentop Bellamy. Her family lived on Niles Hill, and Ethel attended Petrolia Union School, graduating from Wellsville High School in 1929.
Ethel worked at Elmhurst Dairy from 1930 to 1940. On June 20, 1936 , she married her beloved husband of 63 years, Ervin J. Schrader, and they resided on Riverside Drive, in the house Ervin built, from 1938 to nearly the present time. She was a lifetime member of Trinity Lutheran Church, and a past member of the Trinity Senior Citizens and Ladies Aid groups. She was a wonderful homemaker, known for her love of birds and kitties, her enjoyment of word puzzles and pinochle, and her wit and wisdom. As the family baker, she delighted all with her pies, cookies, and special rolls.
Ethel Schrader was related to many of the first settlers in Allegany County. Her great, great grandfather, Silas Bellamy, was an early settler of Scio, where he bought nearly 100 acres of land, much of the present village of Scio. Silas married Betsy, the daughter of Joseph Knight, Scio’s first settler.
Ethel’s great grandfather, William Bellamy, cut a sledge road up Niles Hill, where he bought 200 acres and became a successful farmer. The original house still exists near the Bellamy Cemetery on Bellamy Road.
Her grandfather, Irwin Bellamy, served as clerk to the Doorkeeper in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. While exploring for oil in the Little Genesee area, Irwin met his wife, Clara A. Burdick, whom he married in 1885. Ethel’s Great Uncle William Handy Bellamy was the very popular Sheriff of Allegany County elected in 1903.
Ethel’s great grandparents in Little Genesee were Jabez B. Burdick and Mary Ann Jaques. Jabez arrived in Little Genesee in 1827, traveling from Rhode Island with his wife and five children in a wagon with all their possessions. The first year he had to work for other settlers to provide food for his family. Perhaps Ethel inherited her longevity and strength of character from her Great Grandmother Mary Ann, who lived to be 100 years old, and smoked a pipe and hived a swarm of bees on her hundredth birthday.
Ethel is predeceased by her husband Ervin and her sister Dorothy Bellamy Woodworth. Surviving are her two daughters, Carol (Daniel) English of Wellsville and Nancy (Dennis) Miller of Livonia, and three well-loved grandchildren, Richard (Lisa) English of Mount Pleasant, SC, David English of Buffalo, and Thomas Miller of Rochester. Also surviving are five nephews, Robert, Richard, David, Donald, and Alan Woodworth.
The family would like to extend much appreciation to the staff at the Wellsville Manor for their wonderful support and care of Ethel for the last three years.
A special service of remembrance and celebration of her 96 years was held at Trinity Lutheran Church Tuesday morning April 8. There will be an hour of visitation from 10 am to 11 am with a service at 11:00 a.m. with internment following at Woodlawn Cemetery in Wellsville. Memorials may be made to the David A. Howe Library or the Allegany County Historical Society.
RAY E. SPENCER
WELLSVILLE - Ray E. Spencer of Fords Brook Road passed away Friday (March 21, 2008) at his home, with his family at his side, following a brief, but brave, battle with cancer.
He was born July 19, 1955 in Bangor, Maine. He was the son of the late Paul and Maude (Newton) Spencer. On March 1, 2008, he married his longtime friend, love, and life partner Lynne C. Faecke.
Ray graduated from Pioneer Central School in 1973. He served in the U.S. Army from July 1975 to July 1979, and was honorably discharged after receiving medals for marksmanship and good conduct.
Ray was employed at Alstom Power, Air Preheater Company in Wellsville for the past 22 years as a senior millwright. He was an avid Buffalo Bills fan and enjoyed hunting, fishing, riding four-wheelers and playing guitar with his friends. He especially enjoyed spending quiet time at home with his wife, Lynne, their dog, Sophie, and their cat, Arthur.
Survivors include a daughter, Jennifer (Daniel) Baker of Cumming, Ga.; two sons, Aaron Spencer and Randy (Chelsea) Spencer and his grandson, Ross Spencer, all of Harrison, Tenn.; three brothers, Allan Spencer of Alta Springs, Fla., Leslie Spencer of Delevan and Glen (Judy) Spencer of Delevan; three sisters, Meryll (Michael) Kerlavage of Arcade, Zayle (Dan) Saar of Bliss and Linda (Jeffery) Weidner of Roanoke, Va.; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Ray was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Ronald Spencer.
Family and friends are invited to a gathering at 3 p.m. April 5 at the Wellsville VFW Post No. 2530 on Pearl Street to remember Ray and to celebrate his life.
Charlotte M. Alderson
ALMOND - Charlotte M. Alderson, 88, passed away unexpectedly Saturday (July 26, 2008) at Rochester General Hospital.
Mrs. Alderson was born May 9, 1920, in Andover, to Raphael J. and Addie Mae (Hall) Cook. She was a 1938 graduate of Andover Central School.
A homemaker in her earlier years, Charlotte later worked in maintenance at Alfred State College for 15 years, retiring in 1988.
Charlotte is survived by her son, William David (Evelyn) Alderson of Massena and their children, Tiffany Marie and Nathaniel Kenneth Alderson; a brother, Wisner Henry Cook of Wellsville; a niece, Jane Sincerebeaux of Aurora; and a nephew, Jon Cook of Florida.
She was predeceased by a sister, Marion Louise Guilford; and a brother, Raphael Kenneth Cook.
Charlotte enjoyed her backyard bird watching. She was a lifetime member of the Andover United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Women’s Club. But more than these, she was a loving mother and grandmother who will be greatly missed.
There will be no prior visitation. A memorial service to honor her life will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Andover United Methodist Church with Rev. Peggy Knopf officiating.
Memorial contributions in Charlotte’s name may be made to Andover United Methodist Church, PO Box P, Andover, NY 14806.
Arrangements are under the direction of Baker-Swan Funeral Home, Andover.
DANNY K. HALL
ZEPHYR HILLS, Fla. - Danny K. Hall, 59, of Wellsville, N.Y. passed away Thursday (Dec. 20, 2007) surrounded by his family at Zephyr Hills Hospital in Zephyr Hills where he had a winter home.
