VOORHEESVILLE — Marie D. Hallenbeck, a woman whose smile lit up a room, died at her home on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015, with her family around her. She was 61.

Mrs. Hallenbeck was a “loving and exceptional mother,” her daughter, Lynn Hallenbeck, wrote in a tribute, where she described herself as her mother's best friend. “She had an infectious laugh that could warm any heart, and a beautiful smile that could brighten any room.”

“She was very warm, and her laugh was one of the best sounds,” Ms. Hallenbeck said.

Mrs. Hallenbeck fought a courageous 10-year battle with cancer, her daughter said.

“She had the most courageous fighting spirit I've ever seen,” Ms. Hallenbeck said. Those who did not know of her mother's illness would not have known she was sick, Ms. Hallenbeck said.

Mrs. Hallenbeck was born on Sept. 11, 1953, in Rochester. She was the daughter of Joseph and Antonetta Fallone DiBiase. Mrs. Hallenbeck attended Arcadia High School in Greece (Monroe Co.), earned a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York College at Geneseo, and a master’s degree from The College of Saint Rose in Albany. Her career included teaching, public relations at the state Department of Transportation, and work as a billing specialist for Greenman-Pedersen Inc. in Albany.

Her daughter wrote that Mrs. Hallenbeck “loved life, appreciated each day, and cherished any time she got to spend with her family and her dog, Bailey.”

Mrs. Hallenbeck “loved being outside,” her daughter said. “We have several gardens around the house that we created.” When Mrs. Hallenbeck was no longer able to move as well, she “filled the patio with potted plants and hanging plants,” her daughter said. The two visited nurseries, driving as far as Vermont.

“We used to take four-mile walks around the village,” Ms. Hallenbeck said. “It was very relaxing. We talked the whole time.”

Mrs. Hallenbeck loved to travel, her daughter said.

“We went to San Diego and Las Vegas probably the most,” Ms. Hallenbeck said. “We tried to go to a different place each year,” including Cape Cod, Florida, and Colorado, she said.

Mrs. Hallenbeck also enjoyed reading, baking, fishing, and spending time at the family cottage on Lake Ontario, her family wrote in a tribute.
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Mrs. Hallenbeck is survived by her loving husband of 30 years, Richard H. Hallenbeck, of Voorheesville; her devoted daughter and best friend, Lynn Hallenbeck, and her husband, Kenneth, of Voorheesville; and her stepson, Richard Hallenbeck Jr., and his wife, Rachel, of Queens.

She is also survived by her mother, Antonetta DiBiase, of Rochester; two sisters, JoAnn DiBiase, and her husband, Mark, of Canandaigua, and Deborah McGrath, and her husband, James, of Pittsford; two brothers, Joseph DiBiase, and his wife, Barbara, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, and Richard DiBiase, and his wife, Lynn, of Rochester; sister-in-law Joanne Lounsbury, and her husband, Steve, of Voorheesville; brother-in-law Amos Hallenbeck Jr., and his wife, Deborah, of Virginia Beach, Virginia; and several nieces and nephews.

Her father, Joseph J. DiBiase; her mother-in-law, Viola S. Hallenbeck; and her father-in-law, Amos E. Hallenbeck, died before her.

Calling hours will be on Friday, Jan. 30, from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Matthew’s Church, 25 Mountainview Street, Voorheesville. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, at l0 a.m. at St. Matthew’s Church. Burial will follow at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Albany.

— Jo E. Prout