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Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, March 25, 2010


Florence V. Clickman

ALTAMONT — Florence V. Clickman, a devoted, family-oriented woman, died on March 21, 2010, at the St. Peter’s Hospice Inn, in Albany. She was 87.

Mrs. Clickman was born in Raven Rock, N.J., on June 17, 1922, the daughter of the late Amos and Edith (Stryker) Smith.

“Florence was a lifelong homemaker, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother,” wrote her family in a tribute. She loved playing bingo, pinochle card games, and gardening. She was very social and loved to be out and about; she enjoyed the Altamont Senior Citizens group, her family wrote.

“She was a friend to many, and will be missed by all her friends and loving family,” the tribute said.

Florence V. Clickman is survived by her four daughters, Shirley Salisbury, and her husband, William, Joan Hensley, and her brother, Kenneth, Carol Chase, and her husband, Richard, and Sharon Mycoff, and her husband, Clark; her daughter-in-law, Wanda Clickman; and, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren.

Her husband, Charles Walter Clickman, died in 1995. Two sons, Charles William and Kenneth Clickman, and a brother, Harold Smith, also died before her.

Mrs. Clickman was cremated, and a graveside service to celebrate her life will be held in July in the Westerlo Rural Cemetery. Arrangements are by the A. J. Cunningham Funeral Homes, Inc., in Greenville, N.Y.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Community Hospice of Albany, 445 New Karner Road, Albany, NY 12205, or the Altamont Rescue Squad, 767 Route 146, Altamont, NY 12009. 


Pius Wairegi Gakure

BERNE — Pius Wairegi Gakure died unexpectedly on Friday, March 12, 2010, in Albany. He was 22.

Mr. Gakure went to Lukenya High School in Nairobi, Kenya, before moving with his family to Berne. He graduated from Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School, where he played soccer, and went on to pursue a degree in pharmacy at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

He is survived by his parents, John and Elizabeth Gakure, of Berne, as well as three brothers: Maxwell Gakure of Kenya; Patrick Gakure of Columbus, Ohio; and Kevin Gakure of Houston, Texas; and four sisters: Jane Gakure; Ann Lantey; Lilian Gakure; and Patricia Gakure — all of Kenya.

A funeral service will be held at noon on Friday, March 26, at the Rock Road Chapel in Knox. Interment will follow at Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland. Friends may call at the church on Friday morning between 10 a.m. and noon. Arrangements are by the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont. 


Charles B. Witherwax

GUILDERLAND —Charles B. Witherwax, also known as “Woody,” a World War II veteran, died on March 18, 2010, in Kitty Hawk, N.C. He was 90.

Mr. Witherwax was born in Albany on April 18, 1919, in Albany, the son of the late Edmund and Marguerite Witherwax. He graduated from Draper High School, in Rotterdam, and served in the United States Army during World War II.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Westchester University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College, and he also attended Springfield College. He was the director of physical education, the athletic director, and the football coach at the Liberty Central Schools.

Family friend Beverly Harrington said Mr. Witherwax was more than a coach and teacher; he was a mentor. She said he did everything possible to get his students to graduate.

“A former student of his came all the way from Washington State for the funeral,” Mrs. Harrington said. She described Mr. Witherwax as an outgoing and gregarious person.

Mr. Witherwax was a member of the Dade City Masonic Lodge, where he was the Master in 1990. He was also a member of the Egypt Shrine in Tampa, Fla. His late-in-life hobby was clogging, which he took up for exercise, and loved, Mrs. Harrington said.

“He would just reach out and engage you in a conversation before you even realized it,” she said.

****

Charles B. Witherax’s wife, Jean L. Witherwax, died before him.

He is survived by Barbara and David Koeblin of Kitty Hawk, N.C.; a sister-in-law, Ethel Mitchell, of Downingtown, Pa.; and nieces and nephews.

A graveside service was held on Wednesday, March 24, in Prospect Hill Cemetery, in Guilderland. Arrangements are by the Fredendall Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 26 Chestnut St., Liberty, NY 12754.

— Anne Hayden


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