Obituraries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, June 22, 2006
Elizabeth Short
GUILDERLAND — Elizabeth Short, a long-time restaurant worker, died on Thursday, June 15, 2006, at the Guilderland Center Nursing Home, following a lengthy illness. She was 85.
Born at her home in Altamont, Mrs. Short was the daughter of the late Charles and Julia Vinehout.
"She only weighed two pounds when she was born," said Mrs. Short’s daughter, Gladys M. Short. "The story goes that my grandmother could put her in a shoebox and use a handkerchief as a blanket.
"She was very content to live a very quiet lifestyle," Short said. "She did a lot of waitress work while she was here." She added that her mother was the housekeeping manager at a hotel in Daytona Beach after she moved to Florida, saying, "She always kept very, very busy."
Mrs. Short’s husband, James H. Short, died before her.
She is survived by her daughter, Gladys, of Altamont; one brother, Marshall Vinehout of Altamont; three grandchildren, Virginia Stewart of Delanson, Connie Short of Long Island, and James H. Short II of Delanson; and two great-grandchildren, Gregory and Kevin Stewart.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 15, at 1 p.m. at the Knox Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice of Schenectady, 1411 Union St. Schenectady, NY 12308, or the Guilderland Center Nursing Home, 428 Route 146, Guilderland Center, NY 12085
— Jarrett Carroll
Geraldine Truax Smith
Geraldine Truax Smith, a homemaker with a sense of humor, died on Saturday, May 6, 2006 in Marietta, Ga., where she had lived. Her family was by her side. She was 84.
She had suffered from emphysema for several years.
Mrs. Smith was born in Knox, the daughter of Florence and Frank Truax. She lived with her parents, brother, and sister on the family’s farm.
"She was a pretty happy person," recalled her brother, Harold F. Truax of Guilderland.
She enjoyed school, her brother said, and her favorite subject was home economics.
After she graduated from Berne-Knox High School, she married Alvin Smith. She moved to Ohio, her husband’s home state.
"He worked for the post office and got a transfer to Atlanta," recalled Mr. Truax. "They had three sons and a daughter. She was a good parent."
"She made yearly visits home while her mother was living," said JoAnn Truax, Harold’s wife and Mrs. Smith’s sister-in-law. "She missed the mountains so much."
Hers was a happy marriage, said Mrs. Truax. "She and her husband complemented each other’s sense of humor...They would pick on each other in fun....
"If someone brought up the Civil War, Alvin would say, ‘Ask Gerry about that. She was there so she would know.’
"When you were with them," concluded Mrs. Truax, "you were laughing all the time."
Mrs. Smith is survived by three sons, R. Bruce Smith, Alvin D. Smith, and Robert W. Smith; one daughter, Ramona Harrison; 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and one brother, Harold F. Truax.
Her husband, Alvin Smith, died before her as did her parents, Florence and Frank Truax, and a sister, Kathryn Otten.
Burial was at Kennesaw Memorial Park Cemetery in Georgia.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer