Obituraries, August 13, 2009

Robert F. Broadhead

GUILDERLAND — Robert F. Broadhead, a husband and father with a passion for science and his church, died on Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, at Our Lady of Life Mercy Center. He was 75.

Mr. Broadhead was born in Middletown, N.Y., the son of the late Ronald S. and Hazel V. Broadhead. He attended Middletown public schools, and graduated from Orange County Community College.

He worked for the New York State Office of General Services, and with the Department of Transportation as a senior drafting technician, but his wife, Joanne Broadhead, said that his real passion was science.

It all started when he was 11 years old, and found an interesting rock in his garden, said Mrs. Broadhead. He went on to collect fossils and rocks, and also took an interest in astronomy, procuring two telescopes.

Mr. Broadhead built a museum in his basement, and visited local schools to educate the children on fossils and astronomy. He shared his knowledge with his two sons, Mark and Keith, Mrs. Broadhead said.

“He was always teaching them about nature, and digging fossils with them,” she said.

The couple traveled out West with their children quite a bit. “We made a point of trying to get out and do things together, rather than just sitting at home,” said Mrs. Broadhead.

A longtime member of the Seventh Adventist Church, Mr. Broadhead held many offices within the church administration, and helped design facets of churches across the state, taking advantage of his architectural background.

“He was always wanting to do more in the church,” said his wife, explaining that they had met in church. They celebrated their 50th anniversary last year.

In addition to his main hobbies, Mr. Broadhead loved visiting Camp Cherokee in the upper Adirondacks every year, where he helped out with the campers, and he was a counselor for the Pathfinders.

He was also a life member of the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad, and a certified emergency medical technician. He was instrumental in the development and design of the Rescue Squad Station 2.

“He was a funny man, with a lot of laughs, but he was extremely dependable and never gave me cause to worry about anything,” concluded Mrs. Broadhead of her husband.

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Robert F. Broadhead is survived by his wife, Joanne Broadhead; his son, Mark Broadhead and his wife, Sandra; his mother-in-law, Iva B. Griffin; and an aunt and cousin in Florida.

His son, Keith E. Broadhead, died before him, as did his brothers-in-law Robert J. Simpkins, and Theodore W. Simpkins.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Aug. 15, at 3 p.m., at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, St. Agnes Highway, Cohoes. Interment will be at Chestnut Lawn Cemetery. Arrangements are made by Newcomer Cannon Funeral Home of Colonie.

Memorial contributions may be made to Camp Cherokee, care of Greater Albany Seventh Day Adventist Church, 298 St. Agnes Highway, Cohoes, NY, 12047, or to the Western Turnpike Rescue Squad, 200 Centre Drive, Albany, NY, 12203.

To leave a message for the family online, visit www.newcomeralbany.com.

— Anne Hayden

Ronald George Tozer

WESTERLO — A die-hard car enthusiast who loved Native American culture, Ronald Tozer was fun to be around.

On Saturday, July 25, 2009, he died at his home in Wedowee, Ala. He was 63.

Tozer was born on Aug. 18, 1945, the son of the late George Tozer and Margaretta Britton Tozer. Though he was born in Catskill, N.Y., his family had always lived in Westerlo.

“He was cool — like, Elvis Presley kind of cool,” said his brother, Roland Tozer. “He had a lot of fun in his life, and did a lot of interesting things. Just a lot of fun to be around.”

He was a very gregarious guy, with a lot of friends in Westerlo, but his dream was always to move to the South, his brother said. In 2006, that dream became a reality.

“He always dreamed of getting out of New York State, because he didn’t like the high taxes, and he didn’t like the snow,” said his brother. “He hated cold weather, and so, he made up his mind that he was going to bail out of here and get to where it was warm.”

He wished to move far enough south that he would never see another snowflake, so he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for a while, but he didn’t like that, his brother said.

“Then, he met up with a friend from Alabama, and this friend told him he should check out Alabama, and that led him to a 90-acre piece that he liked, and he built a house on it. Last year, while he was down there, they had a real freaky snowstorm, and that was kind of a bummer for him,” his brother laughed.

When Mr. Tozer migrated south, he brought with him his business, Ron Tozer Custom Blueprints.

“He would basically work with the engineers and architects in the area and draw custom blueprints for people, and they would use them to build their houses,” said his brother. “He was held in high regard, and he especially liked to do solar homes. He didn’t have a degree, and he wasn’t licensed, so he would have to have someone else sign his blueprints.”

He had also worked for GNH Lumber in Norton Hill, N.Y., and had trained dogs professionally when he was in Florida.

Though he moved far from home, Mr. Tozer loved spending time with his family, his brother said. He also loved cars, and provided a wealth of knowledge to his brother in this hobby they shared.

“He was like a walking encyclopedia of old-car information,” said his brother. “He could tell you all the minute details about old Duesenbergs back from the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s — a real cool guy in that respect. He was a lot of fun to go to car shows with, and he really appreciated old cars.”

He had an extensive library of books on both cars and motorcycles, and studied them ever since he was a kid.

“He had his own motorcycle that he rebuilt and fixed up, an old Harley Davidson,” his brother went on. “He was in a motorcycle group called the ‘Booze Fighters,’ and we would always ask, ‘Do they get drunk and fight, or are they against drinking?’ and he would always laugh.”

Mr. Tozer also enjoyed working on old cars, said his brother. “He could take a grumpy old car and make it look like a million bucks,” he said.

Mr. Tozer was also interested in boxing, and had a love for animals, his brother said.

“He was into eagles, wolves, birds of prey — hawks and so forth, and he just enjoyed the beauty of them,” said his brother.

Another common interest of the two brothers was their fascination with Native American culture.

“He was into the American Indian culture and just enjoyed being with American Indians,” said his brother. “He went out to the Iroquois museums and Howe Caverns, and, for a while, that’s all he could talk about; he loved their culture of preserving the earth. It’s kind of ironic, because my ancestors were some of the early settlers here in Westerlo, and were actually instrumental in fighting the Indians out of Westerlo. And yet, we were very much into them, and we often discussed how we always regretted what our ancestors did to the American Indians. They looked at them as a force to be overcome, and now we admire them.”

In addition to studying the culture, Mr. Tozer owned headdresses and sun catchers.

“I really miss him,” his brother concluded. “There’s a big emptiness in my heart.”

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Tozer is survived by his long-time companion, Gail “Gere” Maugere of Port Saint Lucie, Fla.; his brother, Roland Gilbert Tozer, and his brother’s partner, Janet Studnicki, both of Dormansville; and his niece, Rebecca Lynn Tozer Machlovitz and her husband, Marc, of Phillipsburg, N.J.

He is also survived by his cousins: Robert Brodner and his wife, Marie, of Rochester, N.Y.; Candice Beardsley and her husband, David, of Greece, N.Y.; Bradley Brodner and his wife, Demaris, of Ontario, N.Y.; James Tozer and his wife, Glenda, of Lithia, Fla.; Jack Tozer and his wife, Carol, of Millville, N.J.; and Carl “Butch” Tozer Sr. and his wife, Sharon, of Millville, N.J.

At Ronald Tozer’s request, there will be no services.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 260 Osborne Road, Loudonville, NY 12211, or to Wiregrass Hospice, 1825 Day Street, Oxford, AL 26203, or to any other charity.

— Zach Simeone

Memorial Service — Helen T. (Mackintosh) Goyette