George N. Moller

George N. Moller, a loving family man, died on Thursday, March 8, 2012, at Tidelands Community Hospice House in Georgetown, S.C. He was 77.

Mr. Moller was born in Schenectady, son of the late John and Margaret Moller. He was a long-time resident of Schenectady, where he owned George’s Home Service, an electric and plumbing business.

He retired to Surfside Beach, S.C., in 1980.

Mr. Moller is survived by his wife, Mary Moller, of Surfside Beach, S.C.; his children, Jeffrey Moller, and his wife, Colleen, of Altamont, Laurel Maco, and her husband, Arthur, of Six Mile, S.C., and Randy Moller, and his wife, Mary, of Altamont; and nine grandchildren — Melissa Sala of Albany; Shannon Fortran of Troy; Katie Moller of New Lebanon, N.Y.; Jeffrey and George Moller of Altamont; Wyatt and Luke Moller of Altamont; and Christopher and Jordan Maco of Six Mile, S.C.

He is also survived by his stepchildren, William Alexander, of Kannapolis, N.C.; Dan Alexander, and his wife, Amy, of Harrisburg, N.C.; David Alexander, and his wife, Lorry, of Sandy Springs, Ga.; James Alexander, of Stamford, N.Y.; Michael Alexander, and his wife, Colleen, of Stamford, N.Y.; and Elizabeth Hazleton, and her husband, Matthew, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; and 10 step-grandchildren.

He is also survived by a brother, John Moller, and his wife, Helen, of Altamont, N.Y., and a sister, Mary Ann Young, and her husband, James, of Conway, S.C.

His first wife, Phyllis Moller, died before him.

A funeral service was held on Monday, March 12, at Surfside United Methodist Church, with Dr. Scott Wachter officiating. Entombment followed at Hillcrest Mausoleum.

Memorial contributions may be made to Jason’s House, Surfside United Methodist Church, 800 13th Ave., N. Surfside Beach, SC 29575, or Tidelands Community Hospice House, 2591 N. Fraser St., Georgetown, SC 29440.

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Joseph A. Giambo

Joseph A. Giambo, a former Farnsworth Middle School principal and active volunteer, died unexpectedly, at his home, on Wednesday, March 14, 2012. He was 73.

Mr. Giambo was a house principal at Farnsworth Middle School, and was also the director of Pupil Personnel Services in Schenectady, before his retirement.

He was an active volunteer in the Hospice Community Caregivers in Schenectady and Albany, and with the Encore Music Group in Florida.

He had lived in Altamont, and Venice, Fla.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Anne Giambo; his daughters, Joanne Rosser, and her husband, Jack, of Syracuse, Debra Giambo, and her husband, Luis, of Bonita Springs, Fla., and Wendy Arsenault, and her husband, Mike, also of Bonita Springs, Fla.; and his six grandchildren, Alison and Jay Rosser, Tony and Che Garrido Giambo, and Michael and Benjamin Arsenault.

Services will be held in Venice, Fla., on March 19, and a memorial service is planned for Altamont at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Suncoast Firefighters (contact Battalion Chief at 941-861-2121); St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude’s Place, Memphis, TN 38105; or Community Hospice of Schenectady, 1411 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308.

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Virginia B. Fransecky

ALBANY — Virginia Barnum Fransecky showed her love for children as a mother, a grandmother, and an educator.

“My mother was a cheerful, single-minded person,” said Mrs. Fransecky’s daughter, Virelle Kidder. “When she decided she wanted to do something, she did it. She was a hardworking, single mom. She raised two of us alone, and went back to work as a teacher. Her light was always on at night, and she was working. She was really amazing, the way she kept moving forward; she kept learning and developing her abilities.”

Mrs. Fransecky died on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. She was 98.

Born on May 19, 1913 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to the late George and Elizabeth Barnum, she was the youngest of three children. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati, earning degrees in liberal arts and education.

Later, she earned a master’s degree in administration at the State University of New York College at Oswego, and a master’s degree in reading from Syracuse University. She was also a lifetime member of Delta Kappa Gamma.

She spent years as an educator, having taught every grade but two.

“She was simply a fabulous teacher,” her daughter said. “People came back for years to see her and tell her she was a terrific teacher, and everybody told me that. And she had perfect discipline — nobody ever crossed her.”

Mrs. Fransecky began one of the state’s first remedial reading centers at the Mexico Central School District.

“Kids who needed help and were failing in school would come to this reading center, and she would help them, and they just excelled,” her daughter said. “She really believed in helping kids.”

The reading center was essentially a classroom filled with materials that she thought would improve kids’ reading abilities.

“She just filled that place with interesting things for kids to read, and she absolutely got on their level,” Mrs. Kidder said of her mother. “She just found what motivated them, and they learned to read what they liked. The kids thought it was pretty cool to go there.”

According to her daughter, Mrs. Fransecky’s desire to be an educator came from her mother.

“Her mother instilled in her to be certain she got a good education, and that meant going through college during the depression,” Mrs. Kidder said. “Her parents died when she was 19. It took her five years to get through college, because she had no money. She always had to go into the dean’s office to ask for more scholarships.”

In 1967, Mrs. Fransecky moved to Albany to take a job at the New York State Bureau of Reading in the State Education Department.

In addition to having a full-time career in education, Mrs. Fransecky was a devoted friend, mother, and grandmother.

“She was an outstanding grandmother,” her daughter said, and she was an expert seamstress who loved sewing beautiful clothes for her grandchildren.

Mrs. Fransecky regularly attended Altamont Reformed Church in Altamont, and enjoyed many friends and activities through Guilderland Senior Citizens.

“Her gracious and cheerful spirit, warm hospitality, and devotion to her family and friends will be cherished by many,” her daughter wrote in a tribute.

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Virginia B. Fransecky is survived by her two children: Dr. Roger B. Fransecky of Omaha, Neb., and Virelle Kidder and her husband, Dr. Steven Kidder, of Sebastian, Fla.

She is also survived by four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Her husband, Russell A. Fransecky, died before her, as did her two older brothers: Col. Marshall (Gladys) Barnum; and Jerome (Virginia) Barnum.

Her daughter-in-law, Nancy Foreman, also died before her.

A memorial service will be held at the Teresian House, at 200 Washington Avenue Extension, at 11 a.m. on May 19, her upcoming 99th birthday.

There will be no calling hours.

Interment will be held at the convenience of the family in Memory Gardens in Colonie.

Memorial contributions may be made to Teresian House, 200 Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12203; or the Altamont Reformed Church, 129 Lincoln Avenue  Altamont, NY 12009, in memory of Virginia B. Fransecky.

To condolences to the family online, visit www.NewcomerAlbany.com.

— Zach Simeone