Archive » January 2014 » Obituaries

Galen B. Chase

MEDUSA — A farmer, horse rider, and highway worker, Galen Chase had plenty of love and humor for friends and family.

Galen B. Chase Sr. of Medusa died, after a long, courageous battle with cancer, on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, with his loving family at his side. He was 61.

Edith L. Rocheleau

BERNE — A committed, smiling kindergarten teacher, Edith Rocheleau loved fun and education and didn’t see them differently.

Edward C. Zyniecki Jr.

GUILDERLAND — An entrepreneur, Edward C. Zyniecki Jr. was a family man as well as a businessman.

“He loved his grandchildren and just enjoyed the whole spirit of family,” said his son, Edward Zyniecki.

“You would often find him telling stories of life and bouncing a baby on his lap,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Charles C. Simons

ALTAMONT — Charles C. Simons, a sincere man who always held onto hope, died on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, following an extended illness with Parkinson’s disease. He was 86.

Stella G. Pollard

ALTAMONT — Stella G. Pollard, a lifelong resident of Altamont, died on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014, at the Buckingham at Norwood Care and Rehabilitation Center in Norwood, N.J. She was 89.

Mrs. Pollard was born in Albany, on Nov. 20, 1924. She is the widow of Edward W. Pollard, who died on Oct. 9, 2004.

Christopher Neil Morrett

SCHENECTADY — Christopher Neil Morrett, an outdoorsman and custom sign-maker, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014, at Ellis Hospital. He was 48.

Mr. Morrett was born in Niskayuna, the son of Donald Morrett, of Schenectady, and the late Marion (née Borst) Morrett.
 

Robert Kenneth Woodward

Robert Kenneth Woodward, a retired purchasing agent who also relished his work as a part-time police officer, died on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014.

He died the day after his brother, James B. Woodward, was buried.

John E. Houck, Sr.

ALTAMONT — John E. Houck Sr., a patient man with a good sense of humor, died on Monday, Dec. 30, 2013, surrounded by his loving family, after a brief illness.

Mr. Houck was born in Albany, the son of the late John and Elizabeth Houck.

He and his wife, Diane Houck, who died in 2002, raised 12 children together.

James B. Woodward

CLARKSVILLE — James B. Woodward, who grew up in Clarksville, was defined by his friendliness.

Having moved to a retirement community in Ellenton, Fla., Mr. Woodward died peacefully at his home on Friday, Jan. 10, 2014. He was 72.

S. Frank Kodra

VOORHEESVILLE —As a kid, S. Frank Kodra’s hero was the Lone Ranger. He grew up to work as a deputy and as an accident investigator for the Thruway Authority and to volunteer on an ambulance squad. Like his childhood hero, he liked to help people, often people in difficult straits.

Roger Furman

WESTERLO — The grassy shoulders of summer roads were shorn broadly and with pride when Roger Furman and his identical twin, Ralph, were on the mowers.

Mr. Furman lived in Westerlo his entire life and worked for the Albany County Department of Public Works, known in his youth as “the county.”

John Heidinger

ALTAMONT — John Heidinger, a religious man and lover of trains, died on Friday, on Dec. 27, 2013. He was 74.

Mr. Heidinger was born on Sept. 22, 1939, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of the late Rose and Peter Heidinger.

He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 to 1961.

Grete Turin

Manchester, VT — Grete Turin bridged the old world and new, embracing America where she raised her three children while maintaining her Danish heritage.

She died on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. She was 94.