Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, March 15, 2007
Harry G. Duncan
Harry G. Duncan, an avid Boston Red Sox fan with a loving heart, who enjoyed vacationing with his companion, and spending time with friends, died on Sunday, March 11, 2007, at the Community Hospice Inn at St. Peter’s Hospital following a short illness. He was 68.
Mr. Duncan was a "sweet man," who almost always wore a smile on his face, said Barbara White, his companion of 15 years. "He was a happy-go-lucky person."
Mr. Duncan was the son of the late Grover and Alida Duncan.
He worked for Three Farms Dairy in Bethlehem, and later spent 10 years as the steward for the Voorheesville American Legion Post. He went on to become the director of Parks and Recreation for the town of New Scotland, where he was a longtime resident, retiring from his job after 16 years.
Mr. Duncan was a member of the Guilderland Elks Lodge #2480 and a lifetime member of the Polish-American Citizens Club in Albany.
He enjoyed traveling with Ms. White. They spent part of the winter in Engelwood, Fla.
Booth Bay Harbor, Maine, was Mr. Duncan’s "very favorite place," Ms. White said.
They traveled to Booth Bay Harbor for a week every summer for the past seven or eight years, she said. "Everyone knew us," she remembered. It was a joke that Mr. Duncan was going to run for mayor of the town, she laughed.
Mr. Duncan had "a gift of gab," said his companion. "Every place we went, Harry made new friends," she said.
He loved the Red Sox, Ms. White said. "Anybody that knew him knew he was a Red Sox fan," she said. He was also a New York Giants fan.
His "friendly nature and his loving heart" were a big part of who he was, Ms. White said. "He would give anything to anybody, because he had such a big heart."
"We were together all the time," she said. "He was an awfully big part of me."
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Mr. Duncan is survived by his companion, Barbara White; one brother, Donald Duncan, and his wife, Mae, of Voorheesville; and one half-brother, Herbert Moak, and his wife, Colleen, of Guilderland. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Several half-brothers and half-sisters died before him.
A funeral service will be held today (Thursday) at 10 a.m. at Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. Calling hours were held on Wednesday. Entombment will be in Memory’s Garden in Colonie.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice of Albany, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, N.Y. 12205.
— Rachel Dutil
Blanche Gerard
EAST BERNE — Blanche Gerard, a mother and teacher’s aide, died on March 11, 2007 at St. Peter’s Hospice Inn with her family by her side. She was 81.
"Blanche loved cooking for her family, and playing Acey Ducey with her husband and grandchildren," said her family in a tribute. "She also enjoyed visiting and talking with her sisters."
She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Sept. 25, 1925, the daughter of the late Demetri and Sara Albano (nee Inzalaco), one of 14 children. She lived in Medusa and later in East Berne. She worked at Greenville Central School as a teacher’s aide from 1972 to 1981.
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Mrs. Gerard is survived by three sons, Gary Gerard of Albany; Dennis Gerard, and his wife, Sandra, of Franklin, Mass.; and Timothy Gerard, and his wife, Ellen, of East Berne; and her granddaughter "daughter" Kim Marano, and her husband, Vincent.
She is also survived by grandchildren, Greg, Dominic, Heather, Bryan, Stephen, and Victoria; great-grandchildren, Marcus and Laura Holloway; three sisters, Yolanda Crudo, Lilly Watkins, and Gloria Allen; and several nieces and nephews.
Her husband, William Gerard Jr, died before her as did her son, William Gerard; daughter, Laura Ackerman; and brothers-in-law, Vince Crudo and George Allen.
Arrangements are by the Cunningham Funeral Home in Greenville. There will be no calling hours. Services will be at the convenience of the family. Interment will be in the Saratoga National Cemetery.
Katherine E. Gifford
Katherine E. Gifford was a determined woman who took her work seriously.
She was a waitress at the Bumblebee Diner in Guilderland for more than 36 years, retiring at the age of 85.
She died on Wednesday morning, March 7, 2007, at Saratoga Hospital. She was 95. She had moved to Hadley, N.Y. a year and a half ago to be near her daughter, said her niece, Nancy Tortorello. Before that, she had lived her whole life in Guilderland where she was a member of the Hamilton Union Presbyterian Church.
"She walked to work every day, right on Route 20, no matter what the weather was. Snow banks never deterred her," said her niece. "I grew up with her."
Mrs. Gifford lived off of Willow Street and would navigate the busy stretch of Western Avenue to the intersection with Route 146 on foot without complaint, she said.
"The only reason she stopped was she broke her hip," said Tony Tortorello, Nancy’s husband.
"Once in a while, a school bus driver would pick her up and give her a lift," said Mrs. Tortorello.
"Waitressing was her life; she lived alone," said her niece.
The Bumblebee was a community center that felt more like a family room than a diner for the regulars.
"She would see the old timers pull up and get what they wanted ready for them before they even walked through the door," said Mrs. Tortorello who had worked at the Bumblee herself when she was a kid. "A lot of them are gone now," she said of the patrons of the now-closed diner.
Mrs. Gifford worked the noon-to-eight shift in her yellow uniform and crisp white apron. "Larry Adams, the short-order cook," said Mrs. Tortorello, "would make sure she got a ride home with one of the customers."
Mrs. Tortorello recalled her son asking his great-aunt, "Aunt Katherine, what’s the biggest tip you ever got""
Her reply: One dollar.
"She said, ‘If they tip more than a dollar, they want something extra," recalled Mr. Tortorello with a chuckle.
"She was very independent," said Mrs. Tortorello.
"She was headstrong and stubborn," added Mr. Tortorello.
Mrs. Tortorello gave an example of her aunt’s persistence: "One time, she broke her wrist, so she practiced walking up and down Hamilton Street," so she would be ready for her walk to work. "She never gave up."
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Mrs. Gifford is survived by her daughter, Marcia Gifford-Sorrell and her husband, Dwight "Skeet" Sorrell, of Hadley, three grandchildren, Jeffrey Gifford, Matthew Gifford, and Jesse Gifford, all of Hadley; one niece, Nancy Tortorello; one nephew, Dennis Holmes; several grandnieces and grandnephews; and a special friend, Nancy Case of Hadley.
Her parents, Frank and Louise (Schultz) Holmes, died before her as did her sister, Hazel Connelly, and her brother, Frank "Edward" Holmes.
Funeral services were held in Lake Luzerne with burial at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland on Monday, March 12.
Memorial contributions may be made to Voice for International Development, which places children with families throughout the world, at 354 Allen St., Hudson, NY 12534.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
Elizabeth Louise Moore
VOORHEESVILLE — Elizabeth Louise Moore, a devoted mother and teacher, died at her Beaver Dam Road home on Feb. 12, 2007.
First a full-time mother, Mrs. Moore then worked at Sacred Heart School for Girls, and the Extension Department. "She practiced what she preached about equality of opportunity, and worked to make a better world possible," her family wrote in a tribute. "She encouraged her children to have pride in themselves and their work, and to appreciate the finer things in life. She contributed to her community and her church, where she sang in the choir and served in consistory."
Mrs. Moore was born in Waco, Texas, the only child of George Simeon Moore and Jessie (nee Human) Moore. During her youth in Dallas, she danced to the live big bands, and worked at Neiman-Marcus; the high-end department store offered to train her in interior design.
She attended Mary-Hardin Baylor College, graduating with honors in speech and drama. She met John Moore there, and taught with him in Port Arthur, Texas. They married in 1942.
During her husband’s Air Force service, the couple moved several times. Later they settled in Sayville, on Long Island, and then in Voorheesville, in a beautiful home on Beaver Dam Road overlooking the valley where she lived until her death, just as she wanted.
She is survived by daughters Kate Wheatley, and her husband, Michael, Joan Mount, and her husband, Michael, Meredith Chamberlin, and her husband, Bruce, Martha Awad, and her husband, Ed, and Laura Sullivan, and her husband James; her sons, Lance Moore, and his wife, April Richardson, and Hugh Moore, and his wife, Bunny Rossi; and her daughter-in-law, Jackie Moore.
She is also survived by her grandchildren Elizabeth, and her husband, Steve; Thomas, and his wife, Kalpana; Jesscent, and his wife, Bonnie; Melissa, and her husband, Kevin; Matthew, and his wife, Trinity; Josiah, and his wife, Sarah; Tao, and her husband, Brian; Rachel; Bruce; Alexis; Tyler; Elias; Emily; Karina; Danielle; Justin; and Jacob.
Also, her great-grandchildren Justin Leonard; Cole, Ethan, Eleana Spencer; Carver and Rowan Davis; Cade Spencer; Kaylee and Ethan Moore; and Liam Chamberlin.
Her husband, John, died before her, as did her son, George Douglas Moore, married to Jackie.
A memorial service will be held on March 24, at 1 p.m. at the Knox Reformed Church in Knox; with a reception afterwards.
In lieu of flowers, the family urges mourners to "practice random acts of kindness, or donate to Habitat for Humanity, The Nature Conservancy, or any of Elizabeth’s many charities."