Obituaries Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, September 1, 2011
Sharon Stein
NEW SCOTLAND — A common note sounded through Sharon Stein’s life, often tracing the intricate turns composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. She died on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011 at the age of 68.
Born on Nov. 27, 1942 in Quincy, Mass. to Lawrence Gordon Low and Myrtle A. Rood Low, she began piano lessons as a child no more than 10 years old. By the time she was a teenager, said her husband, Geoffrey Stein, she was playing the organ for a local church. She couldn’t yet drive, so her mother brought her each week to the church outside of Braintree, Mass. where she and her late brother, Gregory G. Low, grew up.
“The organ is called the king of music,” Mr. Stein said, explaining that it is not an easy instrument to play. His wife kept playing the piano, too, and the couple would often play together — he on the oboe and she on the piano. Growing up as an Episcopalian, Mrs. Stein was fond of church music and developed an affection for Bach, who wrote a cantata each week for his Lutheran church in 18th Century Germany.
“The way Bach created music — it was complex, it was appealing to the ear, and it was the kind of music that she liked,” Mr. Stein said of his wife.
After graduating from Braintree High School in 1960, Mrs. Stein went on to Gettysburg College and Tufts University, completing her degree at the University at Albany. She later earned a Master of Science degree in health-care administration at Russell Sage College. She went on to work for the Women, Infants, and Children program at Albany Medical College, the state’s department of social services, and the state’s department of health, from which she retired in 2008.
Her hand extended to volunteer work that she did with the HIV positive patients at Albany Medical Center Hospital and her recent support of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Also, as a young mother to her three children, Mrs. Stein was a foster mother.
Over the last few decades, Mrs. Stein was the church organist for Rensselaerville’s Presbyterian church, Unionville’s Reformed church, Delmar’s Episcopal church, and Mechanicville’s Methodist church. “Finally, as liturgical musician at St. John the Evangelist & St. Joseph’s Catholic [church] in Rensselaer… she found her most rewarding musical career, combining a great organ, an acoustically-stellar and handsome building, and a welcoming, hospitable congregation,” her family wrote in a tribute.
Mrs. Stein was a board member of the eastern chapter of the American Guild of Organists, attending local programs and national conferences. While she and her husband liked going to regional performances at Tanglewood, Glimmerglass, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the Union College chamber concerts, they also traveled to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
The couple recently participated in the Orfeo Music Festival in Italy and visited friends in Germany and France.
“In the end, it was the music that she really liked,” said her husband.
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Mrs. Stein is survived by her three children, Lauren D. Gill and her husband, Paul Smith, of California; Christopher S. Gill of North Carolina; and Melanie C. (Gill) Ernst and her husband, Alexander, of Delmar. She is also survived by her husband of 29 years, Geoffrey N. Stein; her step-mother, Carolina D. Low; her former daughter-in-law Lisa Gill; and her grandchildren, Rory and Eamon Smith, Peter and James Ernst, and Nicholas Race.
A memorial service with Holy Communion will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Cathedral of All Saints, 62 South Swan St., Albany. The Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys will participate. Calling hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday at the Applebee Funeral Home on Kenwood Avenue in Delmar.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Cathedral of All Saints Music Program, 62 S. Swan St., Albany, NY 12210.
Saranac Hale Spencer
Stephen Terleckey Sr.
AMSTERDAM — Stephen Terleckey Sr., a dedicated and hardworking farmer with many friends, died unexpectedly on Monday, Aug. 29, 2011.
“He was a very good man with loads and loads of friends,” said his wife, Karen Terleckey, yesterday. “Our kitchen right now is full of friends and tears.”
Mr. Terleckey was born in Amsterdam on April 10, 1939 and raised on a farm there by his parents, John and Anna Lahaman Terleckey Sr. He attended the former Wilbur H. Lynch High School in Amsterdam.
“He grew up on a crop farm with a few cattle,” said Mrs. Terleckey.
“His life-long passion for agriculture began in 1952 when he and his brother John formed Terleckey Brothers, continuing the family tradition of farming,” his family wrote in a tribute.
Mrs. Terleckey grew up in Altamont; her birth name was Karen Theresa Orsini. The couple met square dancing at what used to be Pat’s Ranch on Gun Club Road in Altamont. They married on Sept. 15, 1962.
“He was a good husband and father,” said his wife, noting they were just two weeks shy of their 49th wedding anniversary.
“After we married, he and his brother ran just the crop farm,” Mrs. Terleckey said. They used tractor-trailers to haul the produce to market. “Eleven years ago, we bought an ice-cream produce stand and 125 acres of land,” she said. Children and grandchildren pitched in to help with the businesses, known as Karen’s Produce and Ice Cream, All Hay Farm and Crown and Hay Feed.
“It’s a real meeting place for the neighbors,” said Mrs. Terleckey of the business on Route 5S in Fort Hunter.
“He was a hard-working man,” said Mrs. Terleckey of her husband. He was a member of the National Hay Association, Vegetable Growers Association, Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and the Farm Bureau. He also served for several years on the Town of Florida Planning Board. Additionally, he was very involved with the farmers’ markets in Montgomery, Fulton, and Schenectady counties.
He was a member of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, both in Amsterdam.
Despite his hard work farming, Mr. Terleckey made time for his children. “Even though he was very busy on the farm, and couldn’t get away in the summer, he took the children on vacations every year in the winter,” said his wife. This included family trips to such far-flung places as Florida, Texas, and California. “He took the time to do that every year,” she said.
She concluded, “He was a very good man and we’ll really miss him.”
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In addition to his wife, Karen, Stephen Terleckey is survived by two sons, Stephen Terleckey Jr. and his wife, Tricia, of Amsterdam, and Dean Terleckey of Amsterdam; three daughters, Mary Beth Rackowski and her husband, Steven, of Amsterdam; Sherry O’Brien and her husband, Vern, of Broadalbin, N.Y., and Deanna Nelson and her husband, Jeff, of Amsterdam.
He is also survived by one sister, Genevieve Zeiser, of Speculator, N.Y.; 10 grandchildren, Kayla, Mariah, Andrew, Matthew, Ryan, Courtney, Brock, Cole, Travis and Jenna; three step-grandchildren, Jason, Caralee, and Robert; and one step-great-grandchild, Kaylee; sisters-in-law, Helen Gerry and Noma Terleckey; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
His sons, John and Michael, died before him as did his brothers, Emil and John, and his sisters, Mary and Ann.
A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, at 9:15 a.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church on Main Street in Amsterdam with Rev. John Medwid as celebrant. Interment will follow in St. Nicholas Ukrainian Cemetery, Amsterdam.
The family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, Sept. 2, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Funeral Home at 171 Guy Park Avenue in Amsterdam. Mourners may sign an online guestbook at www.brbsfuneral.com.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Institute or to the Albany Medical Center Children’s Hospital, both care of the funeral home office: Betz, Rossi & Bellinger Funeral Home, 171 Guy Park Ave., Amsterdam, NY 12010.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
Mary Tymchyn Kates
Outgoing and helpful, Mary Tymchyn Kates was a mother who enjoyed the outdoors with her boys, loved family gatherings, and worked enthusiastically at a number of jobs.
She died on March 25, 2011 in Dallas, Texas after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was 92.
Born on Sept. 15, 1918 in Altamont, she was the daughter of the late Michaelina and Harry Tymchyn. She and her eight siblings grew up on the family’s farm on Hawes Road in Guilderland. “She loved the outside and adventure,” recalled her sister, Elizabeth Staroba.
Mrs. Kates attended Altamont High School and went on to the Austin Beauty School to become a beautician. “She loved doing that,” said her sister. With the advent of World War II, she worked for General Electric and then served her country as an air traffic controller in the Army. “She decided to join the service like her brothers,” said Mrs. Staroba. “She loved it. She used to come home from out West on the big Army planes that landed in Schenectady.”
It was in the Army that she met Linford Kates, the man who would become her husband. They had two sons, Linford and John. “She went camping and fishing with her boys,” said Mrs. Staroba. “She loved the outdoor life.”
Mrs. Kates also kept a large flower and vegetable garden, and was a skilled cook and baker. Being of Ukrainian descent, she especially liked making special pastries at Christmas time, her sister said.
“She went to school part-time to help the nurses in the hospital,” said Mrs. Staroba. “She always wanted to help others.”
Her niece, Gail Coutant described Mrs. Kates with a string of superlatives: She was very outgoing, very friendly, very cheerful. She always had a joke.”
Her family wrote in a tribute, “Mary will be remembered by her kind heart, her love of baking, especially around the holidays, and her beautiful garden. She enjoyed sharing humor and cookie recipes with family and friends, especially her grandchildren.”
“She was fun-loving,” concluded her sister, “and always on the go.”
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Mary Tymchyn Kates is survived by her children, Linford Kates and his wife, Susan, of Dallas, Texas, and John Kates of Hatfield, Pa.; her siblings John Tymchyn and his wife, Judy, of Pennsylvania, Walter Tymchyn and his wife, Patricia, of New York, Elizabeth Staroba and her husband, Stanley, of New York, and Gloria Rice of New York; her grandchildren, Michelle Manus, Allyson Vaughn, and Garette Kates; and her great-grandchildren, Annaliese Manus and Ann Vaughn.
Her husband, Linford Kates, died before her, as did her parents, Michaelina and Harry Tymchyn, and her siblings, Anna Carson, Victor Tymchyn, Harry Tymchyn, and Martin Tymchyn.
A private family burial will be held in Pennsylvania this fall.
— Melissa Hale-Spencer
Jeanette M. Brannen
Jeanette M. Brannen, an avid volunteer, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 while visiting her family.
“Jeanette was an inspiring role model throughout her life. She remained ready to live life, volunteering in many different capacities,” wrote her family in a tribute.
She is survived by her children, Jesse C. Brannen, Christopher T. Brannen, and his wife, Caryn, Susan J. Brannen, and J. Henry Greenwood, and Janet L. Adams, and her husband, Terry; her stepchildren, Susan Ryerson, and her husband, Robert, JoAnne French, and her husband, Bob, and John Lees, and his wife, Kathy.
She is also survived by her grandchildren, Kirsten Brannen, Jason Brannen, Joshua Adams, Krista Adams, Lisa Adams, John Henry Greenwood, Scott Brannen, and Jennifer Brannen; her great-grandchild Samantha Brannen; sister-in-law Ruth Nicholson; and many nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.
Her husbands, Jesse C. Brannen and Raymond Lees, died before her, as did her sister Irene Sliwczynski, and her twin brother, Kenneth Gabay.
Calling hours will be held today, Sept. 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Fredendall Funeral Home at 199 Main St. in Altamont. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 11 a.m., at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on Traver Road in Pleasant Valley, N.Y. A service will be held in her memory at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Boynton Beach, Fla., at a later late.
The family asks that memorial contributions be made in Mrs. Brannen’s name to a charity of choice.
Nancy Meilinger Mosher
VOORHEESVILLE –– An experienced teacher and nurse, Nancy Meilinger Mosher died at her home on Pleasant Street on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. She was 75 years old.
“Nancy was always involved with her family and enjoyed keeping track of the activities of nieces and nephews,” her family wrote in a tribute. She was forever involved with her family and enjoyed social events.
Born in Fultonville, Mrs. Mosher grew up in Voorheesville. She lived in San Francisco for 30 years where she taught kindergarten before moving back to Voorheesville in 1987.
Upon returning to Voorheesville, she earned her nursing degree and worked in the health-care field until her retirement from Guilderland Center Nursing Home in 2006.
Also, Mrs. Mosher was very active with the Voorheesville Public Library. She had served as a member of the library board.
“She loved to travel and meet with friends at social events and lunches,” her family wrote.
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Mrs. Meilinger Mosher is survived by her son, Kevin Mosher, of Voorheesville. Her son, Kurt Mosher, died before her.
She is also survived by her granddaughter, Jessica Mosher; siblings Edward Meilinger, and his wife, Wendy, of San Diego, Calif.; Robert Meilinger and his wife, Anne, of Voorheesville; Ron Meilinger and his wife, Barbara, of Voorheesville; Carol Tashjian and her husband, Bill, of East Greenbush; Dick Meilinger and his wife, Paula, of Pine Plains; and brother-in-law, Larry Church. Her sister, Diane Church, died before her.
A memorial Mass was held on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at St. Matthew’s Church in Voorheesville with burial in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Guilderland.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Voorheesville Public Library.