Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, February 25, 2010

Frank Casatelli

ALBANY — Frank Casatelli was a World War II veteran who enjoyed hunting, boating, and, most of all, his family.

He died on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, at Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albany. He was 86.

Mr. Casatelli was born in the Bronx on May 23, 1923, the son of Pietro and Enrichetta Nardone Casatelli. He was raised in the Bronx and Brooklyn but lived in McKownville for over 59 years.

Frank Casatelli was a decorated veteran of World War II, his family wrote in a tribute, and served his country in the United States Army Special Forces in the Philippines.

He worked for the New York Telephone Company, and for the Marble and Tilesetters Union, eventually becoming the president of Manhattan Tile Company and later the Capital District Tile Company.

Mr. Casatelli was also a member of the McKownville Fire Department for over 59 years, serving through the ranks and as commissioner for six terms, and was a member Albany Elks and the Albany Yacht Club.

He also served on the board of directors for the Hudson-Mohawk Volunteer Firefighters Association, and was recognized as firefighter of the year. He also served the community by teaching at nursery schools and in special education classes, and working as a Cub Scout leader.

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Mr. Casatelli is survived by his wife of 59 years, Betty Jane Hunter Casatelli; his daughter, Lorraine V. Casatelli-Morse,and her husband, Jerry Morse Jr, of Coeymans Hollow.; his brother, Fred Casatelli; and his daughter-in-law, Felicia Casatelli-Ballard.

He is survived, too, by his granddaughters: Larissa and her husband, Jared Wells; Rheanne and Kallian Morse of Coeymans Hollow; and his grandson, Franklin Casatelli of McKownville.

He is also survived by his great-granddaughter, Adisyn Taylor Wells of Coeymans Hollow; his brother, Fred Casatelli; his friend, Michael Burns; as well as by nieces, nephews, and many friends.

His son Billy died before him, as did his brothers: Al, Faust, and Michael Casatelli; and his sisters: Mary Gabarino, Carole Pascucci, and Rita Lomascolo.

The family extends its heartfelt thanks to all of the doctors, nurses, aids, and staff at the Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center for the care they gave him. “They are truly angels walking among us,” the family wrote in a tribute.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, at Hans Funeral Home, 1088 Western Ave. in Albany. Relatives and friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. Interment will be at Graceland Cemetery in Albany. Messages of condolence may be left online at www.HansFuneralHome.com.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the McKownville Fire Department at 1250 Western Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12203, or to the Stratton VA Hospital at 113 Holland Ave., Albany, N.Y. 12208. 

Jamie Bielas Klemczak

Jamie Bielas Klemczak, a Syracuse University student, died on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. She was 21.

Ms. Klemczak was born in Niskayuna, to Nancy Bielas, and the late Stanley Klemczak. She was the stepdaughter of Donald J. Kohn. She grew up in Guilderland, and was a 2006 graduate of Guilderland High School.

She was a fourth-year student at Syracuse, majoring in Women’s Studies. She would have graduated in May 2010. A member of Amnesty International and the National Organization of Women, Ms. Klemczak was active in social issues; she volunteered in a rape crisis center in Syracuse. She also loved to work with young children, and worked at a local day-care center for several years.

Jamie Bielas Klemczak is survived by her mother, Nancy Belias and stepfather, Donald J. Kohn; her sister, Jo Bielas Klemczak, of Guilderland; her maternal grandmother, Mary Bielas, of Brunswick; her paternal grandmother, Joyce Klemczak, of Amsterdam; several aunts and uncles — Bonnie Bielas, of Grafton, Diane Bielas, of Albany, Linda and Bill Petrosino, of Amsterdam, and John and Karen Klemczak, of Fort Johnson; and several cousins.

A funeral service was held on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at the Bryce Funeral Home, in Troy, with Reverend Arthur Hagy, Pastor of Center Brunswick United Methodist Church, officiating.

Interment will be in Eagle Mills Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to Equinox of Albany, 95 Central Ave., Albany, NY 12206. 

Beulah J. Hofmann

GUILDERLAND — A strong and loving woman, Beulah J. Hofmann took care of others all her life.

She died on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady. She was 87.

She was born on Jan. 21, 1923 on Kings Road in Schenectady, which is now Colonie, said her daughter, Linda L. Hill. Mrs. Hofmann lived in a historic building that had once been an old tavern and is featured in the movie Drums Along the Mohawk, her daughter said.

Her parents, the late David and Leota (Cook) Ernst, had a small farm, where they raised their three children — Beulah and her twin sister, Elizabeth, and their brother, David Jr.

Times were tough during the Great Depression but the family, from their farm, had enough to get by, said Mrs. Hill. “My grandfather would hire a hand and my grandmother would say, ‘We don’t need the help.’ My grandfather would say, ‘He has no place to stay.’”

The tradition of caring for others, even when you didn’t have much for yourself, was imbued in Beulah Hofmann at a young age.

“My parents divorced when I was 9,” recalled Mrs. Hill. “My mother worked at Whitney’s Department Store — she was a clerk in house wares — for $30 a week. I can remember my mother, as clear as if it were yesterday, handing a woman two jars of sauce and two pounds of spaghetti because she needed it. That was our dinner. We ate peanut butter that night.”

Mrs. Hoffman, who had worked at General Electric before Whitney’s, and later worked at Sears and Roebuck, also took in a 5-year-old child to raise. “He was in foster homes and in trouble,” recalled Mrs. Hill. “My mother wouldn’t believe a child that age could be that bad.”

An 80-year member of the Pilgrim Holiness Church, Mrs. Hofmann was a religious woman. “We went to church every Sunday. Wednesday night was prayer meeting,” said Mrs. Hill. Mrs. Hofmann taught Sunday school and also cared for babies in the church nursery.

She was involved in mission work for the church, too, and traveled to Haiti for the first time in 1993 where a church and school complex was built. “I have pictures of my mother digging the foundation,” said Mrs. Hill. “They made the blocks right there.”

Mrs. Hofmann raised her son and daughter on Siver Road in Guilderland. “She was tough,” said Mrs. Hill. “She wouldn’t spoil us.” The family had a menagerie of animals including the usual dogs, cats, and hamsters as well as horses and a skunk named Flower. “She was de-scented,” said Mrs. Hill. “She was a sweet little thing.”

In her later years, Mrs. Hoffman cared for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, becoming close to them and their families.

James Gardner, the publisher of The Enterprise, grew up on Siver Road as a neighbor of the Hofmanns. Mrs. Hofmann later cared for Mr. Gardner’s aging mother.

“Beulah was just an absolutely wonderful neighbor,” said Mr. Gardner. “She was always concerned about the well-being of the neighbors…The way she took care of my mother, she was like an angel.”

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Beulah J. Hofmann is survived by her daughter, Linda L. Hill; her son, Charles A. Hofmann and his wife, Marion; her grandchildren, Monique, Colin Jr., Tonya, Charles Jr., Gregory, David, and Annalise; her great-grandchildren, Michael, Veronica, Adreanna, Alyssa, Sean, and Xander; her twin sister, Elizabeth “Betty” Shave; her nephew, Walter Shave, and his wife, Sharon; her niece, Suzanne Engelien; her great-nephew, Douglas Shave, and her great-niece, Deborah Flannery and her husband, Michael.

Her son, Edward Hofmann, died before her as did her brother, David Ernst Jr., and her son-in-law, Colin A. Hill.

Calling hours will be held at the NewComer Cannon Funeral Home at 343 Karner Rd. in Colonie (Route 155, south of Central Avenue) today, Feb. 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. Condolences may be left online at www.NewcomerAlbany.com.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 26, at Pilgrim Holiness Church where a calling hour will precede the service from noon to 1 p.m. Interment will follow at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland.

Memorial contributions may be made to Pilgrim Holiness Church, 2105 Curry Rd., Schenectady, NY 12303.

Donald G. Seyboth

VOORHEESVILLE — Donald G. Seyboth was a veteran of the Vietnam War, an avid NASCAR fan, and was a skilled negotiator at flea markets and garage sales. His friends and family called him “Buzzy.”

He died on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010, at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. He was 64.

He was born in Albany, the son of the late George Seyboth and Catherine Stoltz Seyboth. He graduated from Cardinal McCloskey High School in 1963.

Mr. Seyboth was a sergeant in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam war, where he served as a Morse intercept operator. He then spent 35 years working as a gas mechanic at Niagara Mohawk, where he worked until his retirement.

“Sitting around the house, he enjoyed playing solitaire, and he loved eBay,” said his niece, Dawn Cotton. “He was still attending his great nephew’s baseball games, and he was an avid baseball player himself.”

“Buzzy” was a Little League coach for 15 years, and was a big fan of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

“You could always see him driving around in a big red Dodge truck,” his niece said. “He loved going to the YMCA, and going to spinning classes.”

He and his wife, Shirley, recently celebrated their 40th anniversary on a Hawaiian cruise.

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In addition to his wife, Shirley (Butler) Seyboth, Mr. Seyboth is survived by his son, Brett, and his wife, Denise, of Colonie.

He is also survived by his grandsons, Bryce and Dylan Seyboth; his nephew Stephen Keyer, and his wife, Michelle Brown, of Colonie; his niece Dawn Cotton, and her husband, Shannon, of Rotterdam; his grand-niece Kathryn Bramer; and his grand-nephew Jordon Cotton.

He is also survived by his best friend Boots, and his YMCA friends and staff in Guilderland.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. today, Feb. 25 at Norman E. Dascher Funeral Home, at 490 Delaware Ave. in Albany.

Interment, to take place at Our Lady Help of Christians Cemetery in Glenmont, will follow the funeral service.

Memorial contributions may be sent to Community Hospice of Albany County, 445 New Karner Rd., Albany, N.Y. 12205, or to the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society, at 3 Oakland Ave., Menands, N.Y. 12204.

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