Florence Edith Olsmit Wagoner

EAST BERNE — Florence E. Wagoner, whose family opened a floral shop in Voorheesville, had a strong work ethic and was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, said her family in a tribute.   

Mrs. Wagoner died on Friday, March 28, 2008, at her home in East Berne.  She was 84.

Born on Feb. 21, 1924 in Albany to the late John Olsmit and Amelia Friebel Olsmit, Mrs. Wagoner moved with her family to Voorheesville, where they established a floral shop and greenhouse on the Altamont-Voorheesville Road. 

Mrs. Wagoner attended Voorheesville’s high school and was a member of the school’s first four-year graduating class in 1941.  After graduation, she worked as a secretary in an Albany recruiting station and later with her father and mother in the family’s floral business. 

In 1946, she married Earl Wagoner.  The couple bought a homestead in East Berne, where they lived, farmed, and raised their four children.  To those close to her, she was known as “Hon.”

She loved camping trips, family gatherings, quilting, gardening, sewing, and started recycling and saving the planet long before it was politically correct, said her family. 

Mrs. Wagoner attended the Thompson’s Lake Reformed Church and was a member of the Adirondack Fiddler Club. 

“She will be missed by many, but her spirit lives on through each and every one of us whose lives she has touched so deeply,” said her family. 

****

Florence E. Wagoner is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Earl Wagoner; her four children, David E. Wagoner, and his wife, Patricia, of East Berne; Viola J. Durocher, and her husband, Robert Jr., of Jacksonville, Fla.; Leila W. Gardineer, and her husband, Raymond, of Greenwich; and Donald J. Wagoner Sr. of Knox.  She is also survived by 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, several brothers- and sisters-in-law, and cousins. 

Her sisters — Evelyn Berger, Helen Duncan, and Ruth Briggs, all of Voorheesville — died before her as did her brother, Raymond Olsmit, of Schenectady. 

A funeral service was held yesterday with burial in the South Berne Cemetery.  The Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont made the arrangements. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the Thompson’s Lake Reformed Church, Post Office Box 94, East Berne, NY 12059.

— Tyler Schuling

---

Hugo Jamnback

Hugo Jamnback, a scientist who served for many years on a local school board, died at home on Thursday, March 27, 2008, following a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.  He was 81. 

Mr. Jamnback loved the outdoors and was a longtime hunter and a gardener.  His daughter, Tina Jamnback Walch, said her father was quiet and extremely bright; he was a wonderful father and a brilliant scientist, she said.

Mr. Jamnback grew up in Fitchburg, Mass. 

He earned his undergraduate degree from Boston University and obtained his PhD in medical entomology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

On July 5, 1953, he married Lois Taavela.  The couple was married until she died in January of 1995. 

A World War II combat veteran, Mr. Jamnback was educated on the GI Bill.

For over 20 years, he worked as a research scientist for the New York State Education Department and served as the Director of Science Services for the New York State Museum. 

He was also a consultant to the World Health Organization and the Blue Nile Group in Africa, the Middle East, and Central America. 

For many years, he was a member of the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School Board.  He was also a big fan of Bulldog basketball.

Mrs. Jamnback Walch was the valedictorian of her graduating class, and recalled her father, who was then BKW’s school board president, handing her her diploma at her graduation in 1976. 

****

Hugo Jamnback is survived by his children and their families — Lisa Jamnback of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Tina Jamnback Walch and Mitchell Shuwall of Great Neck, N.Y.; and John Jamnback of Seattle, Wash.  His five grandchildren are Laura, Sarah, and Benjamin Galos of Pittsburgh, Pa. and Emily and Jason Shuwall of Great Neck. 

Mr. Jamnback’s family will hold a graveside service at 2 p.m. on May 3, 2008 at Thompson’s Lake Cemetery in East Berne.  The Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont made the arrangements. 

Memorial contributions may be made to The Autism Spectrum Support Network, 65 Fulton Rd., Canonsburg, PA 15317.  

— Tyler Schuling