Wanda M. Dunajski - Peekskill resident
Wanda M. Dunajski, a longtime Peekskill-area resident, died March 13.
She was 90.
She was born May 20, 1912 in Blissville, Long Island City, Queens to Walenty and Mary Ostrowski Zalewski.
On May 1, 1938, she married Stanley A. Dunajski. He predeceased her in 1984. Together, they moved to Peekskill in 1939.
She was a wonderful homemaker throughout her life, enjoying her time with her children and grandchildren. She was well known for her delicious homemade baked goods, such as butter cookies and pound cake, as well as her willingness to try new recipes.
She was employed part time on the production line at Standard Brands in Peekskill for 10 years and was a communicant at Assumption Church.
Daughters Joan Celestine (Anthony) Beldotti of Ossining, and Margaret Mary Dunajski (Henry) Harde of Cortlandt Manor survive along with three grandchildren, Karl Stanley (Debbie) Outman of Peekskill, Anthony Edward (Doreen) Beldotti of Ossining, and Stephanie Ann Beldotti (Adam Felgar) of Lafayette, Colorado. Four great grandchildren Hannah and Peyton Beldotti, and twins Kayla and Zachary Outman also survive. Along with her husband, she is predeceased by her granddaughter, Dawn Marie Beldotti, and four brothers, Stephen, Adam, Woclaf, and Theodore Zalewski.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey-Carlone Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Virginia C. Dunnings - Yorktown resident
Virginia C. Dunnings, a longtime resident of Yorktown, died of pneumonia March 22 at Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt.
She was 87.
Dunnings worked as a Librarian for Lakeland Central Schools in Yorktown for 21 years before retiring in 1980.
Dunnings was born July 21, 1915 in Tarrytown to F. Roy and Marietta Odell Connell.
She was educated in Tarrytown and graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1933.
She married Thomas J. Dunnings, Sr. at Transfiguration in Tarrytown, New York on July 17, 1938.
Dunnings lived in Yorktown for the past 46 years. Before that she lived in Tarrytown from 1915 to 1957.
She will be remembered for her love of family, keen wit, love of children and mastery of sewing.
Dunnings is survived by her daughter, Patricia Kern of Pleasant Valley, New York, daughter-in-law Joan S. Dunnings of Tarrytown, Grandson Thomas III and wife Rita of Yorktown, grandson Jeffrey of Tarrytown, and five great-grandchildren - Kenneth, Caitlin, Michael, Ryan and Spencer.
Family members who died earlier include husband, Thomas J. Dunnings, Sr., in 1989; son, Thomas J. Dunnings, Jr. in 1993 and brother Frank D. “Buck” Connell in 1971.
Michael A. Sabini, Jr. - Peekskill resident
Michael A. Sabini, Jr., a Peekskill resident, died March 23 at his home.
He was 63.
Sabini was born April 14, 1939 in the Bronx to Michael A. and Ida Varachi Sabini.
Sabini was a math teacher at the Peekskill High School. He started with the school district in 1961 and retired in 1996. He was also an Adjunct Professor at the Westchester Community College for the past 26 years.
He was a member of the Church of Assumption and a member and past president and currently the financial secretary of the Cortlandt Hook and Ladder Co. #1.
Sabini received his Life Master status in duplicate bridge.
He is survived by his wife, Ellen Sabini of Peekskill; two sons, Michael A. Sabini III of Peekskill and Robert A. Sabini of Nassau; one daughter, Denise A. Dixon of Hopewell Jct.; one sister, Barbara Sabini of East Greenbush; and one grandson, Stephen J. Dixon Jr.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
John J. Manwaring - former Ossining resident
John J. Manwaring, a former resident of Ossining, died March 22 at Vassar Brothers Hospital.
He was 69.
He was born in Ossining on November 11, 1933 and was the son of Terrence and Helen (O’Neil) Manwaring.
He was a retired Machinist with the Metro North Railroad in Croton-on-Hudson. He was also an avid golfer.
He is survived by his wife Candace; four sons, John, James, Brian and Brendan; three brothers, Billy, Terrence and Dennis; one sister, Gail Sweeney; and one grandson Brian Patrick.
His brother James predeceased him.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey Funeral Home in Ossining.
John “Vinnie” Donohue - former Peekskill resident
John Vincent “Vinnie” Donohue, a former Peekskill resident, died March 20 at the Cedar Manor Nursing Home.
He was 88.
He was born October 12, 1914 in Peekskill to John Frances and Bertha Miller Donohue.
He was a graduate of Peekskill High School where he was the first person to letter in four sports and he is in the Peekskill High School Hall of Fame. He received six football scholarships and he chose the scholarship to Notre Dame.
On April 30, 1938, he married Anita M. Lavin at the Church of the North American Martyrs in Lake Oscawana.
During World War II he was an engineer and worked on the development of the Atomic Bomb in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. After the war he joined his father in the John F. Donohue & Son Plumbing & Heating business in Peekskill.
In the 1960’s he ran for Mayor of Peekskill. He was a past president of the Northern Westchester Plumbing & Heating Association, past president of the Kiwanis Club and a 51-year member of the Knights of Columbus Peekskill Council #462.
In later life, Vinnie became a member of the Screen Actors Guild and was featured in several TV commercials.
He is survived by his wife, Anita Donohue; three daughters, Linda Horn, Mary Donohue Rossi and Alayne Baxter; one son, Vincent Donohue; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Frances Rigg Page - Yorktown resident
Frances Rigg Page, a longtime resident of Yorktown, died March 21.
She was 85.
She was a retired New York State employee having worked for the New York Chamber of Commerce. She was active in the Shrub Oak Methodist Church, Yorktown Senior Citizens, and served on the Board of Jefferson Village.
She will be remembered for her love of life, love of the New York Yankees, singing and dancing in local productions.
She is survived by her son, Charles Rigg of Mount Vernon; one daughter, Jane Nugent of St. Louis, MO; two granddaughters, Kelly O’Hanlon and Tara Blaine; grandson, Charles Rigg Jr.; and great-grandchildren, Erin and Ian O’Hanlon.
Family members who died earlier include her beloved husband, John Page, who died in May 2002.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown Heights.
Charles E. Spencer - Peekskill resident
Charles E. Spencer, a Peekskill resident since 1950, died March 20 at the Westchester Medical Center.
He was 58.
He was born May 20, 1944 in Bath, North Carolina to William and Irene Carter Waters.
He worked for Geis Buick as a prep man for 20 years before retiring in 1988 due to illness.
On October 3, 1973, he married Michelle D. Shelton in Peekskill.
Mr. Spencer was a member of Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Peekskill.
He is survived by his wife, Michelle D. Spencer of Peekskill; one son, Cori D. Spencer of Stony Brook University; one step-daughter and her husband, Danielle and Mark Collins of Charlotte, North Carolina; three brothers, Robert and Larry Waters of Washington, North Carolina, and Kenneth Waters of Kentucky; five sisters, Addie Thompson of Washington, North Carolina, Mary Warren, Sarah Clevion and Linda Colon, all of Peekskill and Rosamae Reese of Chesapeake, Virginia; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Ann Carpenter - Ossining native
Ann Carpenter, an Ossining native, died March 22 at the Jupiter Medical Center in Florida.
She was 72.
She was born in Ossining and had been a resident of Jupiter for six years coming from Yorktown Heights.
She was a member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Palm Beach Gardens and Yorktown Heights.
Survivors include her husband, Guy Carpenter of Jupiter; two sons, Robert Carpenter of Baltimore, Maryland and Dr. John Carpenter of Cornwall on the Hudson; and three grandchildren, Samantha, Stephen and Matthew Carpenter.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Aycock Funeral Home in Jupiter, Florida.
David C. Yellott - Cortlandt resident
David C. Yellott, a resident of Cortlandt, died March 29.
He was 73.
Mr. Yellott worked as a salesperson for Dains Lumber in Peekskill. He was with the company for more than 40 years before retiring in the early 1990’s. He became President of Dains.
He was born July 26, 1929 in Ossining to Charles Yellot, Jr. and Helen B. Smith Yellott. He attended Toddville schools.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1952.
On July 4, 1959 he married Anne Warfield in Poughkeepsie.
Locally, he was a member of Elks Lodge #744, American Legion, N.R.A., Spruce Hill Rod & Gun Club and Twin Rivers Rifle & Pistol Club, Moose Lodge.
Mr. Yellott will be remembered as an “avid gardener,” known for the best tomatoes in the county.
He is survived by his daughter, Melissa and son-in-law P. Scott Carroll of Fredericksburg, Virginia; two grandchildren, Paul and Virginia; and several nieces and nephews.
Family members who died earlier include son Robert in 1971 and brother George Yellott.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Joseph F. Nardone Funeral Home in Peekskill.
John A. Reynolds - Yorktown resident
John A. Reynolds of Mohill Co., Leitrim, Ireland, a longtime resident of Yorktown, died March 26 at home.
He was 73.
He was retired from the Montrose VA Hospital in Montrose.
He was born January 31, 1930 in Ireland to Edward and Catherine Reynolds.
He served in the Army from 1951 to 1953 attaining the rank of Sergeant. He belonged to the VFW in Yorktown Heights.
On October 5, 1963, he married Ellen (Helen) Conheeney at St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City.
He is survived by his wife, Helen; son John and wife Cheryl of Yorktown; son Peter and wife Laura of Fairfax, Virginia; daughter Margaret (Maggie) of Yorktown; daughter Kathy and husband Peter O’Reilly; beloved grandchildren, Kelsey and Malachy Reynolds and Claire O’Reilly; sister Margaret (Maude) Canning of Pembroke Pines, Florida; and sister-in-law Noreen Reynolds of Boston, Massachusetts.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown Heights.
Alfred F. Schaum - Yorktown resident
Alfred F. Schaum, a resident of Yorktown, died March 29.
He was 81.
He was born May 11, 1921 in the Bronx to Gladys Essig Schaum and Alfred F. Schaum.
Mr. Schaum cherished his education and service at Holy Family School.
On November 14, 1942, he married his sweetheart Augusta Kasten.
Besides his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Janet Heller and Frances Curry; two sons-in-law Harold Heller and Earl Curry; nine grandchildren, Bruce, Dolores, Wayne, John, Christopher, Robert, Jeannette, Elaine and Noelle; six great-grandchildren, Brett, Kevin, Cameron, Paige, Kimberly and Jillian; and two brothers, William and Edward.
Mr. Schaum served in the U.S. Air Force in WWII from 1941 to 1945, stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas. He was a loyal employee of the American Can Company for 43 years. Later, he enjoyed working part-time for the Hart Library in Shrub Oak, where he was a favorite of many children.
He was an avid stamp collector and gardener and enjoyed woodworking and writing. He was a parishioner and usher at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church for 33 years.
He was a true gentleman, of good nature, good humor and fine example. His memory will be cherished.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Clark Funeral Home in Yorktown.
William J. Schoenfeld - Putnam Valley resident
William J. Schoenfeld died March 26 at his residence in Putnam Valley where he resided for the past 29 years.
He was a member of Horn and Hardart in New York City for over 40 years, retiring in the 1960’s.
He was a member of the Franklin Lodge #216 F&AM in New York City since 1946, and was a member of St. Lukes Lutheran Church in Putnam Valley for many years.
He and his wife, Rose, were married July 10, 1931 in New York City. She predeceased him on March 9, 1994.
He is survived by three sons; William G. and John of Putnam Valley and Rev. Frederick H. Schoenfeld of New Milford, New Jersey; two daughters, MaryAnn (Lynn) Mooney of New Milford, New Jersey, and Patricia H. Fyfe of Decatur, Texas; 14 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Emily Hannagan - former Verplanck resident
Emily Hannagan, a former resident of Verplanck, died March 25, 2003 at Field Home-Holy Comforter Nursing Home in Yorktown.
She was 89.
She was born January 28, 1914 in Bradford, England to James and Annie Barker Tweedale.
She formerly worked for Con-Edison in White Plains as a customer service representative.
She was a member of the Verplanck Senior Citizens and the Church of the Assumption.
She is survived by two sons, George of Yorktown and James of West Winfield; one daughter, Elouise Hannagan-Koski of Crugers; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Edward F. Carter Funeral Home in Montrose.
William McGowan - Peekskill resident
William Martin McGowan, a resident of Peekskill for more than 50 years, died March 25.
He was born September 2, 1913 in Bristol, New Hampshire to William Martin and Johanna Olson McGowan.
He grew up in Briarcliff, graduated from Briarcliff High School, and then graduated in 1938 from Springfield College in Massachusetts.
During his school years he excelled in baseball and swimming. After college, he taught at Ruston Academy in Havana, Cuba, where he met his wife Muriel Russell.
She predeceased him on August 12, 2001.
Between 1941 and 1945 he served in the U.S. Navy as a swim instructor at Norfolk, Virginia.
He then worked for the Red Cross in Georgia from 1945 to 1948.
In 1950 he moved to Peekskill, and worked as an occupational therapist at the Montrose VA Hospital for 30 years, and at Reader’s Digest for 25 years.
He is survived by three daughters, Johanna (Joy) Koerner, Judith Grace, and Elizabeth Schneider; eight grandchildren; three great- grandchildren; two sisters, Johanna and Margaret, both of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Madeline Spock - Peekskill resident
Madeline Spock, a longtime resident of Peekskill, died March 27.
She was 88.
She was born March 9, 1915 in Peekskill to Samuel and Bella Cafferty Spock.
She attended Assumption Grammer School and Peekskill High School. A production line worker in the yeast department at Fleischmann’s, Ms. Spock retired in the early 1980’s after many years of faithful service.
She was a communicant at Assumption Church.
She is survived by her loving goddaughter, Eileen Falina, and Eileen’s son Mark, both of Poughkeepsie.
She was predeceased by her sister, Marie Spock.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by Dorsey-Carlone Funeral Home in Peekskill.
Nathan Schwartz - former Mohegan Lake resident
Nathan Schwartz, a resident of Somers Manor Nursing Home, formerly of Mohegan Lake, died March 20 of congestive heart failure.
He was 94.
He was born December 25, 1908 on the Lower East Side of New York. He graduated from Seward Park High School.
In 1940, he married Gertrude Stern. She died in 2001.
He was employed as a buyer for Progressive Drug Company in New York for many years. He was a member of the Masonic Fortitude Lodge. He took up writing poetry during his retirement years and spent a lot of time at the John C. Hart Library in Shrub Oak. He became somewhat of a “fixture” there.
He is survived by two sons, David and Stanley; two daughters-in-law; five grandchildren; and one great- grandchild.
Maude T. West - Peekskill resident
Maude T. West, a lifelong Peekskill resident, died March 26 at the Cortlandt Health Care Center, where she has resided since 1998.
She was 104.
She was born November 17, 1898 in Peekskill to Sidney and Justina Travis Townsend.
On July 18, 1926, she married Robert West in Peekskill. They were married 70 years. He died July 19, 1996.
He had operated Offenbacher’s Market until 1965.
She enjoyed flower arranging, was proud of her excellent cooking, was very devoted to her family, was a very good neighbor, and was like a surrogate grandmother to the neighborhood children.
She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, James T. and Barbara of Clermont, Florida, and Robert L. and Nettie R. of LaGrangeville, New York; former daughter-in-law, Suzanne West of Charlottesville, Virginia; four grandchildren; and five great- grandchildren.
She was predeceased by one brother, Frank Townsend, and two sisters, Ella May Townsend and Mildred Wickel.
Funeral arrangements and services were handled by E.O. Curry Funeral Home in Peekskill.
