U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Charles Demarest
Charles Demarest of Riverhead, who retired as a master sergeant in the Air National Guard in Westhampton, died on March 30, 2003 at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital. He was 68.
Born on Dec. 14, 1934, in Athol, Mass., he was the son of David and Phyllis (Barilone) Demarest.
He is survived by his wife, the former Jeanette Zak; two sons, John, of Tuscon, Ariz., and David, of Riverhead; a daughter, Katherine, also of Tuscon; a brother, Phillip of Templeton, Mass.; two sisters, Joan Kaczmarczyk and Pamela Jobst, both of Athol; and two grandchildren.
Visitation was at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home, Riverhead, on April 2. A funeral mass for Mr. Demarest was celebrated on April 3 at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church, Riverhead, with the Rev. Thomas W. Coby officiating. Burial followed at Calverton National Cemetery.
Nina H. Leonard
Nina H. Leonard of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Jamesport died at her North Fork home on April 6, 2003 at the age of 63.
Ms. Leonard was born in England on Aug. 14, 1939, to George and Ethel (Longhurst) Holmes. Formerly of Southold, Ms. Leonard is remembered as a devoted homemaker and a lady who loved to entertain family and friends, said her family.
Predeceased in 1991 by her husband, Dr. Claude Leonard, she leaves her children, Philipe, of Port Washington, Nicola Haase of Southold, Robert, of Jamesport, and Jason, of Southold; two sisters, Barbara Manzone of Punta Gorda and Dianne Felstein of England and Jamesport; and 10 grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were handled by DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. Cremation was private. Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978.
Robert D. Nethercott
Longtime Riverhead resident Robert D. Nethercott, who retired in 1999 as Cutchogue's postmaster, died unexpectedly Aug. 2, 2003 at Southampton Hospital at age 58.
Born in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 1945, he was the son of Robert G. and Mary (Poore) Nethercott. An Army veteran, he served in 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam as an infantry corporal. At the time of his death, he was employed by Teachers Federal Credit Union in Yaphank.
In addition to his mother, who lives in Riverhead, Mr. Nethercott is survived by a son, Robert, who is serving in the Air Force in Germany; a daughter, Michelle, of New York City; a brother, Kevin, of Riverhead, and five sisters: Margaret Henschel of Michigan, Mary Kathleen Simmons of Tennessee, Gail Toscano of Southold, Ann Sendlewski of Calverton and Patricia Kwasna of Riverhead.
His former wife, Joanne Bouchard of Riverhead, also survives him, as does his companion, Dorothy Shore. One grandchild and one great-grandchild also survive. A son, Wayne, predeceased Mr. Nethercott.
Visitation was Monday, Aug. 4, at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home, Riverhead. The Rev. Thomas Coby celebrated a funeral mass for Mr. Nethercott on Tuesday morning at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church. Interment followed at Calverton National Cemetery.
Elizabeth C. Damm
Elizabeth C. Damm of Riverhead died July 26, 2003 at Riverhead Nursing Home at the age of 83.
Born in Brooklyn on Feb. 17, 1920, she was the daughter of William and Mabel (Elliott) Damm. She is survived by her brother, Herbert, of Riverhead, and three nieces: Barbara Damm of Riverhead and Lind Sims and Lola Evans, both of Oregon.
She was raised in Floral Park and had for many years worked as a secretary for Doubleday Books in Garden City. She moved to Riverhead 20 years ago. Her niece Barbara said her aunt was "a quiet person, very active in her church, Calvary Baptist of Riverhead."
A service for Ms. Damm was conducted on July 28 by the Rev. David Johnson at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. Interment followed at Oakwood Cemetery in Bay Shore.
Leonard R. Keller
Leonard R. Keller of Riverhead, a retired ornamental iron worker who worked on such major New York City construction projects as the International Arrivals Building at John F. Kennedy International Airport, died after a long illness on Friday, Aug. 1, 2003, at Central Suffolk Hospital's Skilled Nursing Facility in Riverhead. He was 90 years old.
He was born in Maspeth, Queens, on July 15, 1913. Mr. Keller served in the U.S. Army during World War II and spent his professional years as a member of Local 580 of the Architectural and Ornamental Iron Workers Union. In that capacity, he worked on many major New York City projects. And therein is a compelling footnote to history:
On a foggy morning in 1945, a U.S. Army B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building, killing 14. During later repair work, Mr. Keller and his father, Conrad, also an iron worker, were chosen to cover the spire atop the buidling with reflective material to prevent future crashes. Then, years later, at the end of his career, Mr. Keller did the ornamental iron work on the World Trade Center. His wife, Marilyn, who survives, said Sept. 11, 2001, was particularly upsetting for him because of his long-held belief that the Twin Towers always had been a "death trap" due to the configuration of their elevator banks. "He always thought the evacuation of those buildings would be a big, big problem," she said.
Other notable works by Mr. Keller include the grillwork on bridges above the Northern and Southern State parkways.
He was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue.
In addition to his wife of 23 years, Mr. Keller is survived by a daughter, Carol Horstmann of Lake Ronkonkoma; a son, Kenneth, of Vero Beach, Fla.; six grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
The funeral was held Tuesday at F.J. McLaughlin Funeral Home in Riverhead. Pastor Beyer of Our Redeemer officiated.
Burial followed at Cypress Hill Cemetery, Queens.
Frances H. Grabowski
Mattituck resident Frances H. Grabowski, a former supervisor for the Hazeltine Corporation in Riverhead, died at her home on Aug. 3, 2003. She was 78 years old.
Ms. Grabowski was born in New Suffolk on April 15, 1925. Her parents were Peter and Wanda (Januick) Grabowski.
She was a member of Our Lady of Ostrabrama R.C. Church in Cutchogue and enjoyed needlecrafts, especially knitting, according to family members. "She will be remembered as a sewing expert," said a family statement.
Ms. Grabowski was predeceased by her siblings Agnes Grabowski, Lucy Troyan and Victor Grabowski. Surviving are numerous nieces and nephews.
Parish prayer services were observed at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck on Monday night, Aug. 4, when friends also were received. Fr. Walter Rudnicki celebrated the Liturgy of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Ostrabrama on Tuesday.
Interment followed at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Cutchogue.
Michael S. Christopher
Michael S. Christopher of Riverhead died suddenly on July 18, 2003 at the age of 51.
He was born in Queens on April 5, 1952, the son of George and Mary (Devlin) Christopher. He was married to the former Hollie Tuthill and worked as an accountant, with offices in Riverhead.
In addition to his parents and wife, Mr. Christopher is survived by his two daughters, Jenny Endress and Amber Buscemi; two sons, David and Matthew; one sister, Dianne Parr; and two grandchildren.
Visitation was at Alexander-Tuthill Funeral Home in Wading River on July 22, followed by mass the next morning at St. John the Baptist R.C. Church. Interment was at Wading River Cemetery.
