U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-CurrentGeraldine M. Eskridge
Lifelong Niagara County Resident
Geraldine (nee Schul) Eskridge, age 76, of North Tonawanda, died unexpectedly, Wednesday, March 12, 2003, at DeGraff Memorial Hospital. Born in Niagara Falls, she was the daughter of the late Henry and Emma (nee Fischer) Schul and was a lifelong resident of Niagara Falls and then North Tonawanda. She was the wife of the late Benjamin L. Eskridge, Jr., who died in 1974.
She is survived by two daughters, Kathleen (Robert) Hefferon and Marilyn (James) Green; two sons, William (Connie) Eskridge and Benjamin Lee Eskridge, III; 11 grandchildren, Kory, Klint, Robert, Joseph, Daniel, Jesse, Sean, Deanna, Thomas, Allie, and Melanie. Also surviving are two great-grandchildren, Alex and Kody.
Friends may call from 7-9 PM Thursday and 12-2 PM Friday at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets, Tonawanda, where funeral services will be held at 2 PM Friday. Friends invited. Interment at White Chapel Cemetery, Town of Amherst. If desired, memorials to the Women's and Children's Hospital of Buffalo are preferred by the family.
Rev. Albert M. Hansen
Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Parish
Rev. Albert M. Hansen, Colonel, US Army Retired, age 69, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Tonawanda, died unexpectedly Sunday, March 23, 2003. Born in Alden, NY, he was the son of the late Albert and Esther Hansen. He was ordained by Bishop James McNulty on May 22, 1965, and was a chaplain in the United States Army until retiring after 27 years of active duty. He then served at St. Mary Canaseraga Parish, Assumption Parish in Portageville, Sacred Heart Parish in Niagara Falls, St. George Parish in West Falls, and had been pastor at St. Francis in Tonawanda since November 2000.
While serving as a chaplain in the army, he rose from the rank of Lieutenant to full Colonel. During his career, he received many awards, including several bronze stars, distinguished service awards, and had been the Chief of the Chaplains’ Corps for the NATO forces in Europe.
He is survived by his twin brother, Robert (Eileen) Hansen of Angola, and a sister, Louise (Charles) Goldbach of Port St. Lucie, FL. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.
Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass which will be celebrated at 11 AM Wednesday at St. Francis of Assisi Church on Broad Street in Tonawanda. The Most Reverend Henry J. Mansell, Bishop of Buffalo, will be the principal celebrant. Burial services will be cared for in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Arrangements by the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Tonawanda.
Violanda Budzinski
Member of St. Timothy R.C. Church
Violanda (nee Carloni) Budzinski, age 83, of Tonawanda, died Sunday, March 23, 2003, at Kenmore Mercy Hospital after a long illness. Born in Buffalo, she was the daughter of the late Pio and Mary (nee Gregorini) Carloni, and had been a resident of Tonawanda for more than 45 years. Mrs. Budzinski was a Gold Star Mother, a member of the American Legion, Tonawandas Post No. 264 Ladies Auxilary, the Salvation Army Golden Agers, and the Tonawanda Senior Citizens. She was also a member of St. Timothy R.C. Church where she also belonged to the Rosary Society. She was the wife of the late John Budzinski, who died in 1983, and mother of the late Michael P. Budzinski.
She is survived by a daughter, Marie (Kevin) McDonald; a son, John Z. Budzinski; and a sister, Teresa Grimaldi. Also surviving are 5 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 2-4 and 7-9 PM Wednesday at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets, Tonawanda. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 AM Thursday at St. Timothy R.C. Church on East Park Drive in the Town of Tonawanda, Msgr. John Ducette officiating. Friends invited. Interment at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Cheektowaga.
Julianna Murphy
Member of St. Francis Parish
Julianna (nee Valasky) Murphy, age 88, of Harrisburg, PA, formerly of Tonawanda, died Monday, March 24, 2003 at the Homeland Center in Harrisburg. Born in DuBois, PA, she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Rose (nee Stienkavich) Valasky and had been a resident of Tonawanda for the greater part of her life. She was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, and was a founding member of the Forever Young Group at the Church. She was also a member of the Tonawanda Senior Citizens, Salvation Army Golden Agers, and the Buffalo Council on the Aging. She was the wife of the late James B. Murphy, who died in 1993.
She is survived by a son, Timothy (Regina) Murphy, and two daughters, Patricia (Les) Buckley and Rose Mary Jensen. Also surviving are 8 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 6-8 PM Friday only at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets, Tonawanda. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 AM Saturday at St. Francis Chapel on Adam Street in Tonawanda. Friends invited. Interment will be cared for privately at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. If desired, memorials to St. Francis Church, 73 Adam Street, Tonawanda, NY 14150, or Homeland Center, 1901 North 5th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102, are preferred by the family.
Mary T. Miller
Co-owner of Dick Miller Florist
Mary (nee Tony) Miller, age 88, of Tonawanda, died Thursday, March 27, 2003, at her residence after a long illness. Born October 15, 1914, in North Tonawanda, she was the daughter of the late George and Fahoom Tony and was a lifelong resident of Tonawanda. Mrs. Miller was the co-owner of Dick Miller Florist and Greenhouses in Tonawanda, and was a member of the Lioness Club of Tonawanda, the Niagara International Association of Florists, and FTD District 3J. She was the wife of the late Richard F. Miller, Sr., who died in 1990.
She is survived by a son, Richard (Barbara) Miller, II; three daughters, Diana (William) Staehle, Mari Louise (Robert) Schweitzer, and Bonnie (Charles) Ferguson; three grandchildren, Michael John and David James Schweitzer and Charles Ferguson, Jr.; two sisters, Anna Tony and Bonnie Tony; and two brothers, James Tony and John (Catherine) Tony. Also surviving are many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 7-9 PM Saturday and 2-4 and 7-9 PM Sunday at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets, Tonawanda. Friends are invited to attend services at 11 AM Monday at Knox Presbyterian Church, Elmwood and Kinsey Avenues in Kenmore. Her nephew, the Rev. James R. Tony, will officiate. Interment will be cared for privately at Elmlawn Cemetery.
Stephen Masich, II
Lifelong resident of Gastown
Stephen Masich, II, age 87, of Tonawanda, died Thursday, March 27, 2003 at his daughter's home in Perry, Michigan. Born in Seneca Falls, NY, he was the son of the late Stephen Masich, Sr. and Martha Masich Pesuet and was a lifelong resident of Gastown. Mr. Masich served in the Army during WWII and was a life member of the American Legion, Tonawandas Post No. 264, where he was an active member of the Euchre Team. He was a member of St. Stephen's Serbian Orthodox Church in Lackawanna, the American-Serbian Club in Riverside, and had been active in the PTA at Niagara School for his children and later at Fletcher School for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Fluent in the Serbian Language, Mr. Masich served as a translator for the fifty families that his mother and father sponsored for citizenship after World War II. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, he delivered coal in the Tonawandas, then worked at Buffalo Steel until it closed in the 1960s, and retired from International Filler Corporation. He was the beloved husband of the late Katherine (nee Walega) Masich, who died in 2001; father of the late James Granville and Shelia Kay Masich; and brother of the late Nicholas, Bessy, and Eli Masich, and Mary Emerson
He was the loving father of Martha Olka, Stephania (James) Stanley, Mary Jane (Ronald) Dubuke, and Stephen (Penny) Masich, III; stepfather of Joseph Cross, Joan (Bill) Coleman, and John Kryzyanowski; and brother of Peter Masich, Sr. and Joseph Masich, Sr. Also surviving are 48 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren, 6 great, great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM on Friday, April 11, at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets, Tonawanda, where the American Legion will conduct a memorial service at 8 PM Friday. Friends invited. Interment will be cared for privately at St. Stanislaus Koska Cemetery in Perry, NY at a later time.
Nancy L. Rosselli
Resident of North Tonawanda
Nancy (Berg) Rosselli, age 58, of North Tonawanda, died Thursday, April 3, 2003 at Buffalo General Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Binghamton, NY, she was the daughter of the late Marco Mastrogiacomo. Before returning, she had been employed as a clerical administrator for Penn Electric in Clearfield, PA.
She is survived by her husband, Robert R. Rosselli; a son, Mark (Dana) Berg; a daughter, Renee O. Calandra; a grandson, Thomas R. Calandra; her mother, Lillian Kintner; and two sisters, Gale (Jim) Allen and Maureen (Harford) Overton. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
There will be no visitation. Friends are invited to attend a memorial service at 12:30 PM Sunday at the Hamp Funeral Home, Inc., Adam and Seymour Streets in Tonawanda; the Rev. Earle C. King, Jr. officiating. If desired, memorials to the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation are preferred by the family.
