Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, September 6, 2007
Ethel Lucile Mangano
WEST BERNE – Ethel Lucile Mangano, a teacher who loved to travel, garden and collect antiques, died in her sleep in her West Berne home on Sept. 4, 2007. She was 85.
Born on Dec. 23, 1921 in Horace, Kansas, she was the daughter of Bert and Ethel Kline. She grew up and received her formal education in Kansas.
She met her future husband, Joe Mangano, at Fort Hayes State University in Kansas where she obtained a teaching certificate. After college, Mrs. Mangano taught in one-room schools in Kansas. She married Mr. Mangano in 1944.
Shortly after their marriage, her husband went into the Navy and served in the Pacific aboard the USS Wasp.
After the war, they moved to Mahopac, N.Y. where they lived from 1946 until 1962. Mrs. Mangano taught fifth grade for 13 years in Mahopac and for three years she taught at the Haldane Public School in Cold Springs, N.Y.
In 1963, they moved to West Berne where she became a kindergarten teacher at the Berne-Knox School until 1973. She received her master’s degree at Oneonta over several years as a part-time student.
She enjoyed traveling, and she combined the two in 1977 when she studied Shakespeare in England. In 1991, she also traveled to Moscow, Russia.
Mrs. Mangano and her sister, Berta Adele Kline, also went on several cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean.
Mrs. Mangano was an avid antiques collector. She especially loved to collect antique toothpick holders. She was an active member of the National Toothpick Holder Collector Society.
She also was an accomplished gardener who not only grew plants but all sorts of fruits and vegetables. She was an excellent cook, too, and could cook just about anything, including fresh game.
She is survived by her loving husband, Joseph Mangano; her sons, Philip Mangano of Eagle, Idaho, and his wife, Cindy, and her grandson, Joe; Robert Mangano of Petaluma, Calif., and his wife, Patsy; her daughter, Lucile (Tish) Karpoy, of Johnstown, and her husband, Kurt; and her grandchildren Klaire, Karson, and Kaye; her brother-in-law John Muschio, and his sons, John and Glenn, and his daughter Arlene O’Dell.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007 at 4 p.m. at the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. Calling hours will be held at the funeral home prior to the service from 2 to 4 p.m.
Andrew F. Mihok
GUILDERLAND — Andy Mihok was a good guy who spent countless hours working to put away bad guys.
He died on Friday, Aug. 17, 2007, in his Guilderland home. He was 58.
Mr. Mihok worked for the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services for 31 years. He retired in 2003 as an identification specialist III, a managerial post. His wife, Marie Wierzbicki Mihok, works for the same department, in the large office building at Stuyvesant Plaza. They met on the job.
"Our agency gets all the civil and criminal fingerprints from across the state," said Mrs. Mihok. "Andy worked the off shifts for 30 years"When bad guys get arrested, the nature of the beast of crime means you have to have somebody there."
If the records aren’t to court by the time of arraignment "some bum with a criminal rap can go loose," she said.
Accuracy counts in identifying fingerprints. "You don’t want to give someone a criminal record that’s sweet and innocent"There’s pressure to get it right," said Mrs. Mihok, explaining how stressful her husband’s job could be.
She said of the late-night shifts that her husband worked for years, "Anybody that works those hours, their family life goes kaput."
She worked days; he worked nights. "We’d swap the kids in the parking lot," said Mrs. Mihok.
But Mr. Mihok always made time for his children. "Although Andy himself did not participate in clubs or organizations, his greatest joy was watching his children participate in many activities, especially sports," said his wife.
He watched his son, Michael, who is handicapped, play in the Challenger Baseball League. And he watched his son, John, and daughter, Jennifer, play soccer, starting in Guilderland recreational leagues before they graduated to school teams. Jennifer also played lacrosse and participated in five editions of the Empire State Games.
The Mihoks traveled all across the state, watching their kids in every game.
"Andy loved to drive," said his wife. "He used to say — this was before gas prices went up — that a tank of gas was a cheap way to have a day’s fun."
In addition to traveling to his kids’ sporting events, he liked to drive to see relatives, like his two favorite cousins who lived downstate. His son from a previous marriage, Andrew, lived with his mother in New York City.
Mr. Mihok was born in New York City and grew up in Vestal, N.Y., where he graduated from Vestal High School; he then graduated from Broome Community College.
His family lived "on top of a mountain," near the Pennsylvania border, said Mrs. Mihok. Mr. Mihok liked to drive to the southern tier to visit relatives.
She concluded of her husband, "He was devoted to his work. He considered work his second family. There is nothing he wouldn’t do for people."
She recalled one time, when a friend came to their door in the middle of the night, needing help. "With three hours of sleep, he went out to help"," she said, her emotion-filled voice trailing off to silence. "He was always there when you needed him."
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Mr. Mihok is survived by his wife, Marie Wierzbicki Mihok; his children, Andrew F., Michael A., John J., and Jennifer M. Mihok; his sisters, Mildred Finklestein and Nancy McGraw; and beloved cousins Kris and Fran as well as by several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A mass of Christian burial was held at St. Madeleine Sophie Church in Guilderland with interment at Prospect Hill Cemetery, also in Guilderland.
Arrangements were by the New Comer-Cannon Family Funeral Home in Colonie and messages for the family may be made on-line at NewComerFamily.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Rotterdam Challenger League, 3868 Western Turnpike, Duanesburg, NY 12056.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
John J. Zaremski, Sr.
GUILDERLAND — John J. Zaremski, a principled man who took good care of people, died on Sept. 2, 2007.
Growing up on a farm taught Mr. Zaremski the value of hard work, said his son, John Zaremski Jr. His parents, the late James and Statia Zaremski, bought the old Griffith apple farm on Meadowdale Road and turned it into a poultry farm, Mr. Zaremski Jr. said; they sold the birds to local distributors and grocery stores.
"My father and his two brothers, Gene and Ed, worked really hard on the farm," he said. "It taught him the meaning of hard work."
That was a lesson that he passed down to his three sons, Mr. Zaremski Jr. said.
As a young father, Mr. Zaremski would work as many as three jobs at a time to support his family, said his son. He settled on selling cars, which he did for 35 years, working at some of the biggest dealerships in the region, where he often won the salesman-of-the-year award.
"He mentored the younger salesmen," said Mr. Zaremski Jr. "He would always tell them to be honest with the customers."
Over the years, Mr. Zaremski developed such a loyal following that his customers would follow him when he changed dealerships, said his son.
He and his wife made their home on 21 acres at the corner of Meadowdale Road and Frederick Road for 45 years, said Mr. Zaremski Jr. The couple met at a square dance at Pat’s Ranch on Gun Club Road, said their son. A few months earlier, Mr. Zaremski had joined the Navy and he soon shipped out to Korea, during the war.
For four years, Mr. Zaremski served on the carrier, the USS Hornet, where he learned the importance of teamwork, which he passed on to his sons, Mr. Zaremski Jr. said. His bunk was just below the flight deck, and his son remembered him saying, "You’d look out into the black of night, the black of the ocean, and see the planes coming in."
If one person were off the mark, a plane would have landed in Mr. Zaremski’s bed.
When he came back from the service, Mr. Zaremski settled down with his family, coaching his sons’ baseball team to several big victories. A graduate of Voorheesville’s high school, Mr. Zaremski played sports in his youth as well.
"My father and Smitty played on the Voorheesville football team together," said Mr. Zaremski Jr., referring to the late Frank Smith who owned Smitty’s Pizza for years.
Mr. Zaremski was also active in the Knights of Columbus at his Catholic church, said his son.
"He was very devoted to God," Mr. Zaremski Jr. said of his father. "He had a strong faith."
That was yet another value that he instilled in his children, said Mr. Zaremski Jr.
"His trademark was to serve other people," he said of his father. "He would always put other people first."
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Mr. Zaremski is survived by his wife, Patricia M. Kross Zaremski, and his three sons, John Zaremski Jr. and his wife, Colleen; Michael Zaremski and his wife, Mary; and James Zaremski. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Justin, Eric, James Jr., Brandon, and Sarah, and by his great-grandchild, Anthony.
A memorial service will be held on Friday at 10 a.m. at Cornerstone Christian Church at 182 Schoolhouse Rd., and calling hours will be held on Thursday (today) from 5 to 8 p.m. at New Comer-Cannon Family Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Rd. in Colonie.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cornerstone Christian Church Youth Group, 182 Schoolhouse Rd., Albany NY 12203.
—Saranac Hale Spencer