Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, July 19, 2007
Jean L. Jackson
GUILDERLAND CENTER — Jean Worth LaGrange Jackson, a natural caregiver who loved her family and fought to stay with them until the end, died on July 16, 2007, at the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Gallupville.
She was 86.
Born on Dec. 12, 1920, to the late Mary Elizabeth Worth and Lloyd Spawn LaGrange, an engineer, Mrs. Jackson lived in Colonie and attended Milne School. After marrying Leland H. Jackson, the couple moved to the LaGrange family farm on Ostrander Road in Altamont, where she lived until Oct. 31, 2001, when she was suddenly taken ill.
Once she recovered, Mrs. Jackson moved in with her daughter, Karen Simmons, in Gallupville, and "enjoyed every minute of time with her family and friends," according to Mrs. Simmons.
"Surgeons told us to say our final good-byes on Oct. 31 in 2001. But she had a miraculous recovery and was able to come with us," said her daughter, Mrs. Simmons. "Family was everything to her. She had to stay with us until the end; it was everything to her.
"She left us with a lot of great memories," Mrs. Simmons said.
As a descendant of the La Grange family, which has lived in the Guilderland Center and Altamont area for many generations, Mrs. Jackson was actively involved in a number of organizations that fostered a love of history.
She was a member of the Guilderland Historical Society, the Huguenot Society, the Peter Gansevoort chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Dutch Settlers Society, and the National Historical Railroad Society.
Mrs. Jackson was a 57-year member of the Helderberg Reformed Church.
"She loved the Helderberg Reformed Church; it was a very important part of her life," Mrs. Jackson’s daughter said. "She loved the area, too, and was proud to be from here."
Mrs. Jackson met her husband, Leland, at the A&P store on the corner of Maple Avenue and Main Street in Altamont.
Working at the GFL in Altamont as a bookkeeper in the 1950s, Mrs. Jackson also worked as a school bus driver for the Guilderland School District from 1965 until 1985, driving the Schoolhouse Road route.
"Anyone who was a child on Schoolhouse Road during those years will remember her as the loving lady who made it alright to leave home to go to school," Mrs. Jackson’s family wrote in a tribute. "It is said that the date one is born and the date one dies are really not important, but rather what is in the — (dash). Our mom packed as much as she could into her dash and left everyone who knew her better for the experience."
Mrs. Simmons said her mother enjoyed working for the school district and driving children to summer programs like Wildwood.
"She loved that, too," added Mrs. Simmons. "She was a caregiver and it was natural for her to help others."
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Her sister, Marian LaGrange Massad; brother-in-law, A. James Massad; her husband, Leland; and her companion, Jerry Furbeck, all died before her.
Mrs. Jackson is survived by her children, Bill Jackson, and his wife, Martha, Ken Jackson, and his wif,e Gale, Karen Simmons, and her husband, Bill, and Jeff Jackson; and her daughters-in-law, Vala and Deborah Jackson.
She is also survived by her grandchildren, Kim Cook, and her husband, Bryon, Greg Jackson, and his wife, Lorene, MaryBeth Flagler, and her husband, Joe, Pam O’Neill, and her husband, Rich, Ken Jackson and Bruce Hilliker, Kevin Jackson, and his wife, Christine, W. Shawn Simmons, and his wife, Kristen, Timothy Simmons and Chantelle Schember, Justine Simmons, Brian and Jeanette Jackson, and Ian Jackson and Mio DelGado; and her great-grandchildren, Matthew, Lauren and Nathan Cook, Jared, Zachary and Samantha Flagler, Nathaniel Simmons and Brian and Bennett Jackson.
A funeral service will be held today (Thursday), at 1 p.m. at the Helderberg Reformed Church in Guilderland Center, and friends may call between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the church. Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont is providing arrangements and a burial service will take place at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Catskill Area Hospice, 1 Birchwood Dr., Oneonta, NY 13820, or to the Helderberg Reformed Church, Post Office Box 196, Guilderland Center, NY 12085.
— Jarrett Carroll
Herbert Schoenowitz
DELMAR — Herbert " Pepa" Schoenowitz, a Korean War veteran who worked as a health and addiction counselor, died on Sunday July 8, 2007, at the Albany Medical Center. He was 74.
Mr. Schoenowitz was born in Brooklyn, and resided in New York City for many years, where he was a health and addiction counselor for the city’s Department of Health. Upon his retirement, he moved to the Capital District to be closer to his loving grandchildren.
"Mr. Schoenowitz proudly served his country in the Army during the Korean War," his family wrote in a tribute. "He was an excellent athlete and played football during high school and college as well as the United States Army.
"He was well read, and enjoyed visits to the library. Herbert was an avid animal lover and had a special fondness for dogs. His greatest passion was to see his grandchildren play sports.
"He also enjoyed teaching, playing and listening to his grandchildren in any capacity. He will be remembered for his uncanny sense of humor and zany character."
He is survived by two daughters, Tav Daly and her husband, J. Kevin Daly, of Voorheesville; and Adrianne Lugo of St. Louis, Mo.; his sister, Marion Hagen and her husband, Manny, of Southwest Ranches, Fla.; and his grandchildren, Jacqueline, Russell and Ryan Daly and Alexandra, Samantha and Francesca Lugo.
He also leaves a niece Tamara ( Brian), and a nephew, Ian, as well five great-nephews. He is also survived by Jamie, the wife of his nephew, Gustav, who died before him.
Services were held at the Levine Memorial Chapel in Albany on July 10, with interment in the Beth Emeth Cemetery in Loudonville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 260 Osborne Road, Albany, NY 12211 or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10128.