Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, April 14, 2011
Robert E. DeLeon
GUILDERLAND — Robert E. DeLeon, a devoted family man and World War II veteran, died on Sunday, April 10, 2011, at Albany Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. He was 87.
Mr. DeLeon was born in Lima, Peru, son of the late Santiago DeLeon and Laurene Dunn.
He lived most of his life in Albany, and attended the Vincentian Institute. He served with the United States Army during World War II.
After being employed for many years at Williams Press, in Menands, he indulged his life-long passion for golf as the assistant superintendent at the town of Colonie golf course. He went on to work as a groundskeeper at both the Western Turnpike and Capital Hills golf courses.
He retired just one year before his death, his family wrote in a tribute.
Mr. DeLeon is survived by his six children — Reverend Robert DeLeon, CSC; Kathleen Degener, and her husband, Paul; Thomas DeLeon; Richard DeLeon and his wife, Susan; Diane DeLeon; and Laurene Walsh.
He is also survived by 11 grandchildren — Paul, Daniel, and Brian Degener, Jeremiah, Nicholas, Nancy, Dustin and Danielle DeLeon, and Caitlin, Shannon, and Shane Walsh; and two great-grandsons, Brandon and Keane Degener.
He also leaves behind his beloved feline companions, Nip and Tuck.
His wife of 57 years, Ann Jacqueline (Mabeus) DeLeon, died before him, as did his brother James, and his sister, Mary.
A funeral service will be held on Friday, April 15, at 11 a.m. at New Comer Cannon Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Road in Colonie. Calling hours will be from 9 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment will follow the service at the Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville.
To leave a message for the family online, visit www.newcomeralbany.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Town of Guilderland Animal Shelter, 6363 French’s Mill Road, Guilderland Center, NY 12085.
Vivian A. Chesnut
HILLTOWNS — Vivian A. Orelup Chesnut was a devout Christian as well as a skilled seamstress and gardener.
She died at 1:33 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2011, at her home in Delanson, surrounded by her loving family.
She was 77.
Born in Knox on Sept. 16, 1933, she was the daughter of the late Harold and Helen Lewis Orelup.
On Aug. 7, 1954, she married Waldo Emerson Chesnut Jr. She raised their children and cared for their home. Their marriage of 57 years ended only with her death.
“Her selfless and giving life included her joyful love of God, her devotion to her family, and her dedication to her church,” her family wrote in a tribute.
Mrs. Chesnut and her husband were longtime members of Duanesburg Reformed Presbyterian Church, where she was a Sunday school teacher. In later years, they were members of Calvary Tabernacle in Schenectady. She was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
In addition to her husband, Waldo E. Chesnut Jr., Mrs. Chesnut is survived by her children: John Chesnut of Duanesburg; Joan Emlin and her husband, Daniel, of Englewood, Fla.; Rev. Melodie Carlson and her husband, Rev. Kevin, of Schenectady; Linda Naples and her husband, Robert, of Niskayuna; and Walda Chesnut Brownstein and her husband, Alex, of Niskayuna.
She is also survived by her brother, Harold Orelup and his wife, June; and her sister, Valerie Orelup — all of Knox.
She is survived, too, by eight grandchildren: Amy Lemmerman; Jesse Chesnut; Michael (Heidi) Carlson; Bethany Carlson; Justin (Kristy) Carlson; Hannah and Carly Naples; and Amelia Brownstein; as well as 6 great-grandchildren: Vaughn, Vanashia, Gavin, Vayden, Ethan, and Ireland; and several nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Chesnut’s daughter, Nancy Chesnut, died before her, as did her parents.
A celebration of life was held on Wednesday, April 13, at Calvary Tabernacle in Schenectady. Interment will be later this spring in Duanesburg Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery, at 6512 Western Tpk. in Duanesburg.
Arrangements are by Griswold Funeral Home in Schenectady.
Friends and family may express their condolences at www.scott-barbieri.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice of Schenectady, 1411 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308.
Patricia (Amber) Luttrell Turin
ALTAMONT — A spiritual, energetic, and enthusiastic person, Patricia Luttrell Turin nurtured the flowers in her garden as naturally as she nurtured others.
She died on Saturday morning, April 9, 2011, from complications related to ongoing fight with cancer. She would have celebrated her 63rd birthday on Monday, the 11th.
Her husband called her Amber. “She has beautiful red hair,” he explained, citing his Scandinavian background. Others came to call her Amber, too. “She’s my Amber; she’s a jewel,” said her husband, Lars Turin.
“Her legacy lay in the nurturing of others,” he and his sons wrote in a tribute. “She provided this care for family, friends, and those she touched through her positions as teacher, teacher’s aid, and facilitator for the growth and development of many in the handicapped community.”
Born on April 11, 1948, in Newton, Mass., Ms. Turin grew up in Natick, Mass. Her father, James Luttrell, was the personnel director for Bell Telephone in Boston. Her mother, Jean Luttrell, was a manager and bookkeeper for a local business. Her older sister, Peggy, became an art teacher for a city school system in Pennsylvania where she catered to children who didn’t fit in regular classes.
Growing up, Ms.Turin was a dancer. She studied ballet for nine years and applied that skill to cheerleading, serving as captain of her high-school squad. Later, she married Wayne Uhlin and had two children, Daniel and Brian. Initially residing in Albany, she and the children moved to Westmere after the separation and subsequent divorce in 1975.
In 1977, a mutual friend served as a “catalyst,” said Mr. Turin, having invited them both to a Christmas party. In the days that followed, a courtship began that culminated in a marriage in 1980.
“Dan, Amber’s oldest son, is learning disabled and required her total attention. Her career became that. She played many roles in Wildwood Programs,” active in pre-kindergarten to adult residence programs, Mr. Turin said of the agency for the developmentally disabled.
“In the years that followed, Amber and I had two sons, Ethan and Kyle,” Mr. Turin explained. “She remained at home with them until 2001 when she began working as a teacher’s aid at Altamont Elementary School,” a job she
held for a decade.
“She loved working there…She had artistic ability and was very creative. She took pride in dressing up the classrooms and hallways,” said her husband, a retired art teacher himself.
Summers, Ms. Turin’s was a familiar face, as she worked at Cindy Pollard’s ice-cream parlor in the village.
“Her real passion was to work in our perennial garden,” said her husband. “We would spend our days outside in the garden. It pulls at my emotions to see the plants she nurtured breaking through the ground now.” He described their work as “a living palette of color”.
“She’d start the day, walking the route, marveling at each stage of development of each flower,” he said.
“She approached every day with a passionate plan to experience life with sensitivity and artistry,” her family wrote. “Her connection to her world was defined by the appreciation of the smallest details that bring beauty to life’s rhythm.”
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In addition to her husband, Lars Turin, she is survived by her sons Dan Uhlin; Brian Uhlin and his wife, Heather; Ethan Turin and his partner, Jenna Vorwald; and Kyle Turin and his partner, Danielle Mokritski. She is also survived by her grandchildren Keir, Cade, and Brina Uhlin; her nephew Adam Brecht; her niece Christina Stewart and her daughter, Camille.
Her parents, Jean and Jim Luttrell, died before her, as did her sister, Peggy Brecht, and her nephew Ben Brecht.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Caregivers, 2113 Western Ave., Guilderland, NY 12084.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
Anton J. Drahos
GUILDERLAND — Anton J. “Tony” Drahos, a lifelong dairy farmer, died on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at Ellis Hospital. He was 95.
Mr. Drahos was born on July 29, 1915 in Willow River, Minn., the son of the late Anton and Anna Drahos. He moved to Guilderland when he was 4 years old.
He worked on the family dairy farm until he retired, and was a member of the Dairyman’s League.
Mr. Drahos also worked at Duffy Mott Cider and the Indian Oil Company, and was a committeeman for Agway.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Esther Drahos; two children, Frank Drahos, and his wife, Kelly, of Rising Sun, Md., and Pamela Story, and her husband, Raymond, of Sloansville; two grandchildren, Danielle Basore, and her husband, Geoffrey, and Amanda Drahos; two sisters, Stephania Koslik of Schenectady, and Vlasta Van Patten of Scotia; and several nieces and nephews.
His son, Michael, died before him, as did his sister, Mary.
A funeral service was held on Monday at the Fredendall Funeral Home in Altamont, followed by an interment in Schenectady Memorial Park.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, Post Office Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-1718.
Carol Raymond Knowles
NEW SCOTLAND — Carol Raymond Knowles, loving wife and mother, died on March 26, 2011,
in Walnut Creek, Calif., after a long, courageous battle against cancer. She was 60.
“Carol loved her family, her home, and the landscapes of northern California,” her family wrote in a tribute.
Mrs. Knowles was born on April 11, 1950, in Albany, daughter of Dr. Robert W. and Marion E. (Wright) Raymond.
She graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 1968, and from Hartwick College, in Oneonta,
with her bachelor of arts degree in 1973.
She and her husband relocated to California in 1983, and she lived in Walnut Creek since 1987.
Mrs. Knowles was a member of the violin section of the Diablo Symphony Orchestra for many years. She worked in several libraries, and will be especially remembered as an excellent cook and avid gardener, wrote her family in a tribute.
She is survived by her husband of 31 years, Douglas Knowles; her daughter, Sarah Knowles; her mother, Marion Raymond, of Ithaca; and her sister, Dorothy Matsui of Redmond, Wash.
Private services will be held.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Diablo Symphony Orchestra or Save Mount Diablo, both of
Walnut Creek, Calif.
Judith Ann Weymouth Petroske
VOORHEESVILLE — Judith Ann Weymouth Petroske, who awoke early and filled her days with family and friends, died on Monday, March 28, 2011 at the Avow Hospice House in Naples, Fla.
Mrs. Petroske was born to the late Ferdinand C. and Julia (Farrell) Weymouth on April 18, 1942 in Augusta, Maine.
She went to the Lincoln Grammar School and graduated from the Cony High School in Augusta in the Class of 1960. Mrs. Petroske then went on to graduate from the Gates Business College and worked at the Augusta
Mental Health Institute.
She continued her career in the medical field, working at Albany Medical Center and later at Trinity Institute in Albany.
“She was an avid morning person and enjoyed early morning walks, reading, dancing, playing tennis, and spending time with family, friends, children, and grandchildren,” her family wrote in a tribute. “For more than 40 years she enjoyed instructing aerobic dancing, not only for the dancing and physical fitness aspects of it, but for the wonderful people she met and often became friends with along the way.
“She was a volunteer fitness instructor for the Parkinson’s Foundation, helping patients with Parkinson’s disease stay physically active. She recently participated in the Susan G. Komen walk for breast cancer in Tampa, Fla., raising money and walking 60 miles over three days for the cause.”
Mrs. Petroske had a strong faith and was a parishioner, lector, and lay minister at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples, Fla. and St. Mary’s Parish in Chaumont, N.Y., where she was also a volunteer and gave communion to the elderly.
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Mrs. Petroske is survived by her husband of 20 years, Jack Petroske, of Watertown, N.Y., and by her children: Nicole Lennon and her husband, Richard, of Odessa, Fla.; David Arbour and his wife, Mary Lynn, of Port Richey, Fla.; and Renay Arbour and her husband, Davide Cernuschi, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Their father, Hector “Babe” Arbour, died before her.
She is also survived by her stepchildren: Jeffrey Petroske and his wife, Ginevra, of Webster, N.Y.; Dawn Shannon and her husband, James, of Watertown, N.Y.; Kenneth Petroske, of Watertown, N.Y.; and Krista Dillenback and her husband, John Jr., of Dexter, N.Y.
She is survived, too, by her grandchildren: Alexandra Lennon, Samantha Lennon, Victoria Lennon, Sarah Arbour, Michael Arbour, Michael Shannon, Joshua Shannon, twins Nathan and Nicholas Shannon, Mikaela Dillenback, Madison Dillenback, and Morgan Dillenback.
She is also survived by her brothers, Lt. Col. Robert Weymouth and his wife, Helen, of Cocoa Beach, Fla.; William Weymouth and his wife, Linda, of Augusta, Maine; and James Weymouth and his wife, Janet, of Augusta, Maine along with many nieces and nephews.
A Mass was held on April 2 at the St. Peter the Apostle Church in Naples, Fla. with arrangements by the Fuller Funeral Home in Naples.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Association of Southwest Florida, Inc.,
2950 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 20, Naples, FL 34103.