John La Rosa: Yorktown resident
John La Rosa, a resident of Yorktown, died April 16 at Hudson Valley Hospital in Peekskill.
He was 89.
He worked as a textile inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, then transferred to the U.S. Dept. of Defense in New Jersey and New York. He was with the company for more than 30 years before retiring in 1972.
He umpired at Yankee Stadium from 1945 to1949 for the All-American Negro Team.
He was born January 2, 1914 in the Bronx to Achille and Theresa DiSisto LaRosa.
He was educated in Bronx and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1932.
He attended Textile school.
Mr. La Rosa served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945, attaining the rank of Sergeant.
He married Nancy Maurello on November 9, 1941 at St. Catherine in Brooklyn.
He lived in Yorktown for the past 32 years. Before that he lived in Carmel.
He will be remembered for personality and determination.
He is survived by his wife Nancy LaRosa; daughter, Teres Boniello of Katonah; and grandson Alfie Boniello of Somers.
He was predeceased by two brothers, one sister and his mother.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown Heights.
Mary Bernald: Ossining resident
Mary Bernald died April 19 at her family home in Ossining after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
She dedicated much of her adult life to her family, volunteering, supporting and leading community organizations and helping her husband launch and advance his international business.
She served as President and was active in the Ossining Women’s Club. She served as President of the Tarrytown Girl Scouts and Taconic Girl Scout Council and led local Girl Scout and Brownie Troops in Ossining and Sleepy Hollow.
She served on the board of directors for the Rock Hill Girl Scout Camp, where the Mary Bernald Health Center is named in her honor. She also taught Sunday School classes for more than 20 years at the Trinity Lutheran Evangelical Church. She was also a member of local garden clubs.
She is survived by her two daughters, Mary Ann Bernald and Barbara Lowe; two sons, Ed and Eugene; her brother, Rudy Dualsky; three grandsons; and supportive confidant Juana Cleto.
Her husband passed away a few years earlier.
Francis J. “Red” Ireland: former Peekskill resident
Francis J. “Red” Ireland, a former Peekskill resident, died April 15.
He was 87.
He worked as a sales manager for Modern Home Center in Peekskill, then worked for Daret, Inc. in Ringwood, New Jersey, before retiring in 1977.
He was born March 31, 1916 in Nelsonville, New York to Albert and Katherine Magee Ireland.
He served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army in WWII. He married Muriel Hayes at Assumption Church in Peekskill.
He was a past member of Elks Lodge 744 and the Catholic War Veterans.
Mr. Ireland is survived by his son Kevin (Susan) Ireland of Cortlandt, son James (Tami) Ireland of Great Bend, Kansas and five grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife, Muriel, on March 14, 1986 and by his brother, Albert Ireland.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Joseph F. Nardone Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Debra Ettari: former Yorktown resident
Debra Ettari, a former Yorktown resident, died April 15.
She was 41.
She was born May 29, 1961 in New Rochelle. Her family moved to Yorktown Heights in 1964.
She was a graduate of Yorktown High School and the Katherine Gibbs SecretCourier School in New York City.
She is survived by her mother, Betty M. Ettari of Florida; her father, Donald V. Ettari; sisters Diane Ettari of California and Darci L. Esposito (John); brother Donald C. Ettari; grandmother, Virginia Thompson, of Ohio; fiancé Charles L. Garitee; uncles: Robert V. Ettari (Carole) of Florida, David W. Thompson (Betty Lou) of Ohio, and Rev. Robert L. Thompson (Faye) of Tennessee; and numerous other relatives.
Her career included secretCourier and administrative duties at Technicon Corporation in Tarrytown, Candle Corporation. and AMF Corporation in White Plains.
She enjoyed traveling and gardening and was an avid sports fan, especially of the New York Jets and New York Yankees.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown Heights.
Anthony J. Crisci: Ossining resident
Anthony J. Crisci, a resident of Ossining, died April 17 after a long illness.
He was 87.
He was born September 17, 1915 in Grand Gorge, New York to Vicenza (Nuzzo) and Alphonse Crisci.
Mr. Crisci was a retired employee from the General Motors Assembly Plant in North Tarrytown, New York for more than 25 years.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Rose Cafarelli Crisci; his brother, Mark Crisci of Florida; five grandchildren; five great- grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
His son Alphonse and his sister Victoria Cafarelli predeceased him.
He was loved by his family and was very devoted to them.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey Funeral Home in Ossining.
Susan Moran: Peekskill resident
Susan Moran, a resident of Peekskill, died April 16.
She was 73.
She was born in New York City on May 7, 1929 to George and Betty (Sutter) Mitchell.
She graduated from Mahopac High School in 1947.
She worked for NYNEX in Mount Kisco as a business office representative for 28 years, retiring in 1984.
On December 18, 1956, she married Charles Moran in New York City. He died in 1986.
She has resided in Peekskill since 1961, coming from Lake Secor, Mahopac.
She is survived by one cousin, Marlene Morris of Hudson, Florida, and dear friends Dorothy Quinn of Peekskill, and Maureen LaFountain of Cortlandt.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Valerie A. Orsini: Cortlandt resident
Valerie A. Orsini, a resident of Cortlandt, died April 27 at her home.
She was 54.
She worked as a Lunch Aide at Carrie Tomkins Elementary School in the Croton School District for 10 years. She was affectionately known as “Mrs. O” by her students.
She was born December 28, 1948 in Bronxville to Louis and Frances Circo Scrofani. She was educated in White Plains and graduated from White Plains High School in 1966.
She married Kenneth Orsini in Croton, where she lived until three years ago, when she moved to Cortlandt. She was a parishioner of Holy Name of Mary Church in Croton.
She will be remembered as a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend and caregiver.
She is survived by her husband, Kenneth; one daughter, Rennee Pellegrino, DDS; one son, Ryan Orsini; twin granddaughters, Taylor and Kayley; two sisters, Diane Bischel and Sharon Ciavolella; her mother Frances Giammarino; and several nieces and nephew.
Family members who died earlier include one sister, Linda Vaccaro, and her father, Louis Scrofani.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Waterbury & Kelly Funeral Home in Ossining.
Memorial donations can be made to the American Heart Association or American Cancer Society for breast cancer.
Charlotte Umland: Cortlandt resident
Charlotte Umland, a longtime resident of Cortlandt, died April 21.
She was 74.
She was born in White City, Kansas to Otto and Zelda Kappelmann.
She taught high school English before moving to New York to pursue a career in publishing.
She married James Umland in 1954. The couple and their six children moved to Westchester in 1972.
Mrs. Umland survived the loss of an infant daughter, Rachael, and, 12 years later, of her grown son, Eric, with the help of friends in the community.
She was an active member of the Presbyterian Church and a dedicated mental health volunteer.
She worked at a home for autistic adults, retiring in 1996 to help care for her first grand daughter.
She was a warm, intelligent, fun-loving and empathetic soul, an avid gardener and tennis player, deeply appreciative of nature and humanity.
She is survived by her husband, James; her children Jeremy, Beth, Amy, and Ian and their spouses Karen, Joe, Dean, and Jennifer; five grandchildren, Aaron, Willa, Emma, Eric and Rachel; her sister, Zelda Margaret; her brother, Keith and his wife Carol; her sister, Meredith and her husband George; and many beloved nieces
and nephews.
Regina C. Johnson: Verplanck resident
Regina C. Johnson, a long time resident of Verplanck, died April 26 at Hudson Valley Hospital Center.
She was born August 30, 1924 in Verplanck to Stephan and Celia Neuwirth Kruckowsky.
She was a parishioner of St. Patrick’s Church and was a Charter member of the Ladies Auxiliary for the Verplanck Fire Deparment.
She is survived by one son, Richard; twp daughters, Catherine Johnson and Regina Sands; two sisters, Catherine Conklin and Veronica Mika; four grandchildren; and one great-grandson, survives Regina.
Her husband, Richard, three brothers, Francis, Edward, and Stephan Kruckowsky, and two sisters, Margaret Bleakley and Anna Foster, predeceased her.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Edward F. Carter Funeral Home in Montrose.
Concetta “Dollie” Bleakley: former Yorktown resident
Concetta “Dollie” Palmisano Bleakley, a former Yorktown resident, died April 24 at home in Florida.
She was 71.
She was born October 21, 1931 in Ossining to Angelo and Raffael Cito Palmisano.
She worked for BOCES of Northern Westchester for many years.
She is survived by her husband, Harold of Palm Coast, Florida; son, Phillip and wife Aquila of Palm Coast, Florida; two
daughters, Marlene Salaum and husband John of Westerly, Rhode Island and Roxanne Willoughby and husband Robert of Gaylordsville, Connecticut; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; 10 nieces and nephews and a countless number of loving and devoted friends.
She was predeceased by two brothers, Anthony and Phillip Palmisano.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Leach & Thomas, Inc. in Ossining.
Helen Fullenweider: former Peekskill resident
Helen Louise Davis Fullenweider, a former Peekskill resident, died April 25.
She was 94.
She was born December 31, 1908 in Peekskill to William and Minnie Hicks Davis.
For the past two years she has resided with her daughter in Front Royal, Virginia. Before then, she had resided in Peekskill all her life.
She married Robert David Fullenweider on October 24, 1932. He predeceased her on April 22, 1969.
She was also predeceased by her son, Wayne, and her grandson, Calvin.
She is survived by her daughters, Roberta Mangin of Colorado, Sheila Lamonzs of Virginia, Marilyn Fullenweider Payne and Frances Green of Peekskill; one son, Will, of New York City; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Marilyn T. Farrell: Ossining resident
Marilyn T. Farrell, a resident of Ossining, died April 27 at Phelps Memorial Hospital.
She was 80.
She was born February 21, 1923 in New York City to William and Catherine (Dymes) Kelly.
She grew up in Croton and worked in area hospitals and nursing homes as a registered nurse. She then changed careers and went to work at Readers Digest for more than 30 years.
She is survived by her four sons, Martin Sr. (Linda), Michael (Linda), Jon (Susan) and Robert; her brother, Gerald (Georgette) Kelly; two sisters, Kathleen (Richard) Riker and Patricia (Dominick) Ranieri; 10 grandchildren, Martin Jr., Christine, Shane, Edward, Bradford, Jon Jr., Joseph, Jefferey, Jaime and Holly; and several grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.
Her husband, Martin C., predeceased her on December 6, 1973, two brothers, William and Donald Kelly, and one sister, Rose Marie Kelly.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey Funeral Home in Ossining.
Raymond C. Lobus: former Ossining resident
Raymond C. Lobus, a former Ossining resident, died April 22.
He was born January 1, 1932 in Ossning to Frank A. and Theresa Lobus.
He lived in Ossining for 55 years before moving to Dunedin, Florida, where he lived for nine years. He recently moved to Lebanon, NY.
He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Joan Church Lobus of New Lebanon; four daughters, Tracey (Bob) Castaldo of Arlington, Texas, Kim (Al) Diasparra of Ossining, Elaine (Jeff) Hall of Pine Plains, and Joan (John) Lajara of Cambridge, NY; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two sisters, Lois Sniffen of Jefferson Valley and Frances Davidson of Niantic, Connecticut; and many nieces and nephews.
He was employed by Con Edison for 32 years and was a member of the United States Air Force from 1950 to 1954.
Helene Murtha: Ossining resident
Helene Tessier Murtha, a longtime resident of Ossining, died April 29.
She was 87.
She was born in New York City to Arthur and Helen (Bernard) Tessier.
On April 27, 1940, she married Bernard Murtha at Annunciation Church in New York City. He predeceased her on
December 6, 1980.
She was a parishioner of St. Augustine’s Church in Ossining.
Mrs. Murtha is survived by her son, Guy, daughter-in-law Janet, two grandchildren Jennifer and Robert, and several cousins.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey Funeral Home in Ossining.
