U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Michael George "Mikey" Pasquale
BELMONT - Michael George “Mikey” Pasquale, 55, formerly of 31 Willard St., died Tuesday (Aug. 12, 2008) at the Wellsville Manor Care Center. He was born Jan. 27, 1953, in Wellsville, the son of Frank and Mary (Salis) Pasquale.
Mikey grew up in his father’s restaurante, known as “Frank’s Sugar Bowl.” This was where he learned to love all forms of music and dance and dance he could. He was one of the first special children to become a participant of the ARC in its inception here within Allegany County.
He was avid sportsman and participated in the New York State Special Olympics. As a Special Olympian he played baseball, basketball, bowling, softball, track and field and all the swimming events. Over his lifetime he won 57 medals and was chosen as Special Olympian of the Year for Allegany County in 2000. He was honored at a special sports banquet and received a crystal trophy from Mr. Tom Golisano, now the present owner of the Buffalo Sabres. He was also presented an official No. 32 NHL-autographed jersey by Rob Ray.
Mikey was loved by all and was known for his ability to become friends with everyone he met. Mikey had a great love of music and would wow everyone when he would serenade them and then begin to dance. His song and dance will always be remembered by those who truly knew and loved him.
He is survived by his mother, Mary Pasquale of Wellsville; two brothers, Frank W. (Kitty) Pasquale of Belmont and Gary R. (Jill) Pasquale of Corvallis, Mont.; a sister, Patricia P. (Glen) Cline of Scio; two aunts, two uncles, five nieces, two nephews, seven great-nieces and one great-nephew. He was predeceased by his father, Frank, in 1973; and a nephew, David M. Pasquale, in 1993.
Friends are invited to call from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Friday at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Inc. 17 Schuyler St. in Belmont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday in Holy Family Parish in Belmont with Rev. Jerome Dissek as celebrant and his brother Frank Pasquale deaconating. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Wellsville.
Memorial suggestions include Allegany County ARC, 240 O’Conner St., Wellsville, NY 14895 or the Activities Department of the Wellsville Manor Care Center, 4192A Bolivar Road, Wellsville, NY 14895.
Douglas D. Dickerson
WELLSVILLE - Douglas D. Dickerson, 47, of 1914 N C 470, died Sunday (June 15, 2008) at the Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, Fla. following a brief illness. He was born Feb. 26, 1961, in Wellsville, N.Y., the son of Duane and Barbara (Burrows) Dickerson.
Douglas was a former longtime resident of Wellsville and was a 1979 graduate of Wellsville High School. He was formerly employed as a milk deliveryman for Elmhurst Dairy in Wellsville and was an employee of Sunnydale Fencing in Wellsville for many years. He enjoyed repairing and refinishing cars and loved working outdoors. In Florida, he worked construction and was a handyman.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Barbara and Francis “Ed” Roeske of Wellsville; his father, Duane Dickerson of Lake Panasoffkee; a brother, Terry (Tina) Dickerson of Bolivar; two sisters, Tracy (Mike) Gerken of Esparto, Calif. and Pam (Charlie Cooper) Cook of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., four stepsisters, Cassie (Bill) Stodart of Gettysburg, Pa., Jenifer (Stanley) Grant of Florida, Amy (Lance) Nelson of Colorado and Rosie (Ken) Kellner of Ischua, N.Y., two stepbrothers, Lance Roeske of Montana and Matt Burkett of Connecticut; as well as several nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Friends are invited to call from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Inc. in Wellsville. The funeral will follow visitation at 3 p.m. Saturday in the funeral home with Rev. Michael Brady presiding. Burial will be in Hallsport Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to any charity of the donor’s choice.
Wesley P. Rhodes
CUBA - Wesley P. Rhodes, of 8995 Spring Valley Road, Cuba, passed away Wednesday (June 18, 2008) at Buffalo General Hospital after a brief illness.
Born Aug. 14, 1930, in Randolph, he was the son of William F. and Louisa Reynolds Rhodes. On Nov. 15, 1965, in Olean, he married Evelyn Barnes, who predeceased him Aug. 7, 2000.
Mr. Rhodes was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He started his employment and retired from Gollaher Oil and Drilling Co. in Allegany. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He enjoyed the outdoors and loved camping, expecially at Kinzua Dam.
He is survived by two daughters, Dee Dee Lotter of Lakeland, Fla. and Cathy (Donald) Adams of Cuba; 14 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; nine great-great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; a special grandson, Wesley Snyder of Olean; and dear and close friends, LeRoy Blake of Cuba, Bonnie Terwilliger of Cuba and Tom Hinchey of Cuba.
Besides his wife, he was predeceased by two children, Gracie Snyder and Barnes Van Curen; four brothers, Keith Rhodes, Chestley Rhodes, Cleone Rhodes and Forrest Rhodes; and a sister, Loretta Hilton.
Friends will be received from 10-11 a.m. Saturday at the Casey, Halwig and Hartle Funeral Home, 3128 W. State Road, Olean, at which time funeral services will begin. The Rev. Frank Hayman, pastor of Allegany Baptist Church, will officiate. Burial will be in Mount View Cemetery in Olean with military rites being accorded by the Allegany American Legion.
Memorials, if desired, may be made to the Cuba Ambulance Squad or to the West Clarksville Ambulance Squad.
PAUL M. SHARRETT
ALMOND - Paul M. Sharrett, 16, of 18 Angelica St., Almond, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening (April 1, 2008) as a result of injuries in an automobile accident.
Born in Dansville on June 17, 1991, he was the son of Thomas and Linda (Brunswick) Sharrett.
Paul was a lifelong resident of Almond, he was currently an honor student in the sophomore class of Alfred-Almond Central School.
He was an avid sports enthusiast, having played Little League Baseball, youth soccer, YMCA basketball, Gus Macker basketball, JV Soccer, JV basketball and varsity basketball. Paul was a “People to People” student ambassador and, in July 2007, traveled to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia with the program. He was a precussionist with the high school band and also worked part-time as a dishwasher at Rupert’s Restaurant.
Paul’s passion was skateboarding and snowboarding. He also enjoyed playing guitar and listening to his favorite band, the Grateful Dead. He will be remembered for his ever-present smile and his wonderful sense of humor. He was a loving and caring son, a wonderful brother, and a true and devoted friend. He will be sadly missed by everyone who was fortunate to know him.
Surviving are his parents, Tom and Linda Sharrett; two brothers, Stephen Sharrett of Olympia, Wash., and Kevin Sharrett, at home; his uncles, John Sharrett, Stewart (Cherrie) Sharrett, Cary (Susan) Brunswick and Marty (Marci) Brunswick; along with several cousins and many friends.
The family of Paul M. Sharrett will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. Friday at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Ann’s Church, with burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Paul’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to the Paul M. Sharrett Scholarship Fund, c/o Alfred-Almond Central School, Almond, N.Y. 14804.
Kenneth A. Wolfe
WELLSVILLE - Memorial services for Kenneth A. Wolfe, who died May 13, 2008, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Mulholland-Crowell Funeral Home in Wellsville. Visitation is from 1-2 p.m.
Angeline ‘Nellie’ Newark
WELLSVILLE - Angeline “Nellie” Newark, of 6 Fairview Ave., died at home today (May 27, 2008). Arrangements, under the direction of the J.W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Inc.
Jean A. MacMurray
WELLSVILLE - Jean A. MacMurray, 83, of 174 School St., died unexpectedly Saturday (May 24, 2008) at her home. She was born Sept. 1, 1924, in Buffalo, the daughter of E. K. and Ann (Elliott) Henderson. On Aug. 22, 1945, in Snyder, she married James R. MacMurray, who predeceased her July 9, 1987.
Jean was raised in Snyder and was a 1942 graduate of Amherst High School. She and Jim formerly resided in Belmont before moving to Wellsville in 1978. She was employed in the Purchasing Department of the former Worthington Corporation in Wellsville for 25 years, retiring in 1986.
She was a member of the Christian Temple, Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the Monday Club, serving as president from 2003-2005. She was a volunteer for the Allegany County Office for the Aging, Senior Citizens Advocate Council and was previously named the Office for the Aging Volunteer of the Year. Jean was also a member of a group of lifelong friends called the “Terrible Ten” who met monthly in Buffalo throughout their lives.
She is survived by two daughters, Ann MacMurray of Burbank, Calif. and Marcia (James) Minges of Canandaigua; three grandchildren, Christopher (Lisa) McNinch, Jeffery McNinch (fiancé Lindsey Tompkins) and Abigale (Samuel) Conzone; six great-grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren, Christopher (Mary) Minges and Sheila (Kevin) Murphy; and four stepgreat-grandchildren. She is also survived by two sisters, Nancy (Richard) Naylon of Williamsville and Mary Lou (Robert) Klar of Long Beach, Calif.; two stepsisters, Dorothy Anderson and Sue (Dan) Lang, both of California; several nieces and nephews; and her significant other, Glen Anderson of Wellsville and his family, Sharon (David) Wallace of Andover, Diana (Jim) LaFaro of Hornell and Richard (Laurel) Anderson of Scio and their extended family. She was predeceased by a daughter, Jamie L. MacMurray; a sister, Shirley Henderson; a stepbrother, James O’Connor; and a stepsister, Louise O’Connor.
Friends are invited to call from 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home, Inc. in Wellsville. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Christian Temple in Wellsville with Rev. Anna Shirey presiding. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. Memorials in lieu of flowers are suggested to the David A. Howe Public Library, 155 N. Main St., Wellsville, NY 14895 or the Christian Temple, Maple Avenue and Fassett Street, Wellsville, NY 14895.
RUTH DUNBAR
WELLSVILLE - Ruth Dunbar, 87, of Genesee, Pa., died Friday (Dec. 21, 2007) in Highland Healthcare, Wellsville.
Born Jan. 16, 1920, in Hickox, Pa., she was the daughter of Luman and Winifred Hart Whitaker. On June 4, 1936, in Whitesville, she married Merle V. “Mike” Dunbar, who predeceased her in 1987.
Mrs. Dunbar and her husband owned and operated Dunbar’s Grocery in Hickox for 17 years. She was employed by Cooper Slide in Genesee for 12 years and the U.S. Postal Service in Genesee for 20 years. She was a member of the Hickox Union Church.
Surviving are a son, Donald (Angela) Dunbar of Genesee; a daughter, Ada (Leonard) Palmatier of Genesee; nine grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 13 great-great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.
In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by a daughter, Betty J. Palmatier; a grandson, Cory Dunbar; a brother, Preston Whitaker; and a sister, Addie Elliott.
Friends may call from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 26, 2007) at the Olney Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Ulysses, Pa., where funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday. The Rev. Mel Ternes will officiate. Burial will be in Genesee Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the Hickox Union Church, the Genesee Volunteer Ambulance, or the Genesee Library, all in Genesee, PA 16923.
