William Thomas Every

July 23, 1947 - January 15, 2012

COOPERSTOWN - William Thomas Every, formerly of Goodyear Lake, died Sunday morning, January 15, 2012, at Otsego Manor. He was 64.

Born July 23, 1947, in Walton, Bill was the only child of Frank Cook Every  and Faith Every. He attended kindergarten and first grade in Walton and then moved to Cooperstown Junction. A graduate of Oneonta High School, Class of 1965, he attended The State University of New York Agricultural and Technical College at Delhi, and graduated in 1967 with an associate's degree in business marketing.

Following his graduation from college, Bill had a strong desire to join the military and serve his country during the Vietnam War. But due to a disability this was not possible, so for the next year he worked for Paul Drogen. He was later employed with Bendix in Sidney but left there in 1969 to work for Corning in Oneonta. For a brief time he left Corning to work for Beechnut in Canajoharie, but then returned to Corning. In 1972 he returned to Bendix, which later became Amphenol, and worked there for the next 27 years until he retired in September 2001.

In his leisure he enjoyed teaching hunter safety courses on Crumhorn Mountain.

Since 2008 Bill has resided at Otsego Manor.

The last of his family, Bill is survived by his good friend, Terry Church, of Otego.

Later this spring, Bill will be laid to rest near his mother and father in Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown.

Arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.



If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Eileen Marie Sinnott

January 5, 1955 - January 10, 2012

FLY CREEK - Eileen Marie Sinnott, passed away after a battle with cancer January 10, 2012, at Otsego Manor where she received wonderful care. She was 57.

Eileen was born January 5, 1955, and raised in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, to loving parents Victor and Anne (Collopy) Sinnott. She attended Holy Cross Elementary School (grades one-eight), Erasmus Hall High School and Kingsborough Community College.

She left Brooklyn in 1996 and moved to Fly Creek and the Cooperstown area to be near her parents and two of her five siblings.

She went to work for Otsego County in 1997 at the Department of Health/Public Health Nursing. A co-editor of "Healthy Otsego", a newsletter produced by the Health Department, she enjoyed working with the lead program and authored an article on lead poisoning prevention. She was instrumental in creating the web pages, some of which included the Child Passenger Safety Seats. Eileen was an asset at her job and will be missed by all who worked with her.

She loved to draw and create and was so gifted. Her family members are fortunate to have been the recipients of her many creations.

She devoted much of her free time to home improvement projects. If not doing improvements at her place, she could be found doing projects at the home of her sister, Pat. 

Eileen was a caring and loving daughter to her parents, Anne (Collopy) and Victor Sinnott, of Fly Creek.

She was an amazing and devoted sister, a protector to her siblings: brother Daniel Sinnott and his wife, Cathie, of Thompson, PA; sister Patricia Sinnott of Toddsville; sister Kathy and her husband, Paul Gardner, of Middlefield; brother John Sinnott and his wife, Zhayde, of Long Island; and sister Maureen Heffernan and her husband, Frank, of Pennsylvania.

She was a much loved aunt to her nieces and nephews: Christopher Sinnott, Jennifer Sinnott and her fiancé, A.J. McCartney; Vito, Brooke and Cody Sinnott; Nicole, Amanda and Frank Heffernan; great niece and great nephews; and her step nieces and step nephew.

She was also the loving niece of Roberta Wood of Middlefield.  

We were blessed to have had her in our lives and we will take comfort in knowing that she will always be with us.

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal."

Family and friends called from 1 - 4 PM Sunday, January 15, 2012, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown.

A funeral service was offered at 4 PM Sunday, January 15, 2012 at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home with the Rev. Stephen Fournier, pastor of the Milford Center Community Bible Church, officiating.

Eileen will be laid to rest at a later date in St. Mary's Cemetery, Index.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Catskill Area Hospice & Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Drive, Oneonta, NY  13820 or Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company, P.O. Box 218, Fly Creek, NY  13337.

Arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.



If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Duane C. Hotaling

December 6, 1945 - January 9, 2012

HARTWICK - Duane C. Hotaling, a man devoted to his family and well-known in the arena of tractor pulling, died Monday evening, January 9, 2012, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. He was 66.

Born December 6, 1945, in Cooperstown, he was the son of the late Howard and Margaret (Sullivan) Hotaling. After graduating from Cherry Valley Central School, Duane attended the Milwaukee Institute of Technology. After receiving his degree he stayed in the Milwaukee area and worked for Allis-Chalmers. He later moved back to Westville to run the family farm as well as his own construction company. After moving to a farm in Mt. Vision he met Donna L. Phillips and they were married October 18, 1986, and made their home in Hartwick.

Throughout his life Duane had a love for tractors, and retired from farming to have more time for tractor pulling. He pulled in events throughout the northeast, New England and Canada, and won many awards, including at the New York State Fair, and was the undefeated champion for 10 years. As the Northern Eagle Pulling Team, he was grateful for the many years of sponsorship provided by Lou Hager and Budweiser.

Duane's family meant the world to him and they always accompanied him on his many tractor pulling trips. He eventually retired, again, so that he could spend more time with his family as well as working in his machine shop, Hemlock Hill Repair, building racing engines. In a way, Duane never fully retired. 

Devoted to the Hartwick community, Duane was active in many organizations, including Hartwick Fire Department Company No. 1, Hartwick Rod and Gun Club  and the Hartwick United Methodist Church. He was also a member of Westville Grange No. 540 and the New York Tractor Pulling Association. An avid fan of NASCAR, Duane always enjoyed riding snowmobiles and four wheelers with his kids and grandkids. He will be greatly missed by his beloved family and the Hartwick community.

Duane is survived by his wife of 25 years, Donna Hotaling of Hartwick; his son, David Hotaling of Kortright and his children, Cody and Kyle Hotaling; his daughter, Christine Watson and her husband Rodney of Mt. Vision and their children Brandon, Kaitlyn and Connor Watson; a step-son, David Sellick and his wife Katie of Hartwick and their children David and McKenna Sellick; and one sister Judy Harris and her friend Lew of New Berlin and children Heather, John and David. 

Duane is also survived by his mother and father-in-law, Ina and Donald C. Phillips of Hartwick and his former daughter-in-law Deborah Trask and her husband Howard.

Family and friends may pay their respects at the Hartwick United Methodist Church from 5 - 8 PM on Friday, January 13, 2012.

A funeral service will be offered at 11 AM on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at the Hartwick United Methodist Church with the Rev. Fred Albrecht, pastor, officiating. The service of committal and burial will be at a later date in Hartwick Cemetery. 

As an alternative to flowers, please consider making a donation to the following organizations, Hartwick Fire Department Company No. 1, P. O. Box 86, Hartwick, NY 13348, Hartwick Emeregency Squad, P.  O. Box 208, Hartwick, NY 13348, Hartwick United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 576, Mt. Vision, NY 13810 or the Hartwick and Mt. Vision Food Bank, 2998 County Highway 11, Hartwick, NY 13348.

Arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Dorothy M. Gardner

18 December 1917 - 29 December 2011

COOPERSTOWN - On 29 December 2011, Dorothy Marie Gardner, peacefully joined her husband, Ralph D. Gardner, in heaven.

Born 18 December 1917, in Astoria, Queens, "Dot" was the first child of Harold Boyd Lewis and Mary Cecilia Keller. She was soon joined, and is survived by her brother, Harold, Jr. (Marjorie, deceased) of Asbury Park, NJ and sisters Mary (Jack) Venner of Doylestown, PA and Barbara (Fred) Burns of Spring Lake Heights, NJ.

Dot and "Brother" often spoke of summers spent on the family boat on Long Island Sound. After Mary was born the family, along with assorted grandparents, aunts and uncles moved to Asbury Park on the Jersey Shore, where Barbie was born.

When Dot was 16 she boarded a train to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she majored in math. After graduating she moved to Malverne on Long Island to take a job as a high school math teacher. It was there that she met and married Ralph D. (Dick) Gardner. They enjoyed living near New York City and attending Broadway shows. They settled into a home on Lexington Avenue and welcomed two children, Michelle (Spurchise) and Mark. Summers were spent at Arnold's Lake in Milford or visiting family at the shore. The camp and home were always open to Michelle and Mark's friends and cousins for water skiing or just hanging out.

In 1973, Dot retired from teaching, moved to Cooperstown and quickly became "unretired", working for many years at the Farmers' Museum. This was a perfect fit, combining her love of history and antiques. Some of mom's interests were painting, quilting, knitting, basket making, sewing and decorating for holidays. A great day would include a cup of coffee in bed, the New York Times crossword, a visit with one of her beloved grandchildren and at 5:00 cocktails (Beefeater on the rocks with a twist)  and dinner out with the famous Dinner Belles.

Dot was renamed Googa by her granddaughter, Kara, and is still known by that name to her grandchildren and all their now grown friends. Goog did like to brag to Matt and Andrew that she had seen Babe Ruth play ball back in the day. She was an avid reader, loved and hated to golf, water skied at Arnold's Lake into her 70s and baked delicious cheesecakes and grasshopper pie.

Dot's loving survivors include her daughter Michelle (Frank) Spurchise of Milford and son Mark Gardner, also of Milford. Grandchildren and families include Kara (Chris) Carlin and children Cameron, Brianna and Madison of Enfield, CT; Matthew (Laura) Spurchise and children Reese and newborn Alexandra of Peabody, MA and Andrew (Lauren) Spurchise and son Jackson of San Francisco, CA. Also surviving are brother Harold, sister Mary (Jack) Venner and sister Barbie (Fred) Burns.  Nieces and nephews include Jim Lewis, Kate Lewis, John Venner, Andrew Venner, Sharon Holder, Fred Burns, Bill Burns, Mary May, Stephen Burns and Amy Campbell and their families.

For the last several years Mom has resided at the Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home in Cooperstown. In this loving and supportive community she was able to continue her artwork, enjoy her daily cocktail and live independently. To the staff and residents, Dot's family will never be able to thank you enough for your caring respect and love. Mom's final stop was Otsego Manor and here again there is no way to express our gratitude to our heroes on Serenity Place and the angels on earth of Hospice.

Donations may be made to the Otsego Manor Serenity Place Activity Fund, 128 Phoenix Mills Cross Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or to the Susquehanna SPCA, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Dot's family received friends from 2-5 p.m. Thursday, January 5, 2012, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown.

A Mass of Christian Burial was offered at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 6, 2012, at St. Mary's "Our Lady of the Lake" Roman Catholic Church, 31 Elm Street, Cooperstown.

The Service of Committal and Burial will take place later this Spring in Elm Row Cemetery in Laurens.

Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Daisy Yolanda Romero Park

August 4, 1942 - December 19, 2011

Daisy Yolanda Romero Park of Cooperstown and Boca Grande, Florida, died unexpectedly on December 19, 2011 at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown.

Born in Salinas, Puerto Rico, on August 4, 1942, Daisy was the daughter of the late Juan and Virginia (Rosado) Romero. Sent to the mainland United States as a young child to be educated, Daisy attended a convent school in Poughkeepsie, New York, from which she was graduated in 1960. She was married to Robert T. Park at St. John the Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, on September 16, 1961. She made her home and raised her young family in Brooklyn before moving to Cherry Valley in 1978 and to Cooperstown in 1988.

In Cooperstown, Daisy was employed as a Housekeeper and Governess, first as Housekeeper for the late Mrs. Bradley Goodyear at Cary Mede in Springfield Center and the late Dorothy Bostwick Campbell at Leatherstocking Farm, Cooperstown. In 1980 she became Housekeeper for the late W. T. Sampson and Judith Johnston Smith at Guy Cottage on Otsego Lake. Daisy was a dear and faithful friend to Mrs. Smith until the latter’s death in 1994, whereupon she moved on to assist the third and fourth generations of the Campbell/Smith family as Housekeeper and Governess for Michael and Cory Smith Moffat and their children at Maresfield Farm in Middlefield. She remained in that position until her death, a total of 32 years with that family. During these years she also handled the household management of the late Reverend Canon George and Mrs. Susan French at the Christ Church Rectory in Cooperstown. Daisy was well known and much loved by a great many people in both Cooperstown and her winter home in Boca Grande, particularly by the many children whose lives she touched as caregiver, teacher, playmate and friend.

Daisy had a deep and enduring love and pride for her children and her children’s children, as well as for the entirety of her extended family and friends, and she was a close and treasured companion of all those she held dear. She was an avid reader with a profound appreciation of writers, books and libraries. Her beautiful gardens bloomed with an endless promise of spring and she was eternally fearless of the approaching autumn. She was quietly fluent in history, literature, popular culture and current affairs, with a natural affinity for both political and financial intrigue. Hers was a life where wisdom transcended judgement, decorum resisted impulse, and intelligence, love and faith were the watchwords of a remarkable woman and of a life well lived.

Daisy is survived by her beloved children, Yolanda A. Park, Kathleen E. Park, Robert T. Park, Jr., Ellen Park, Chad Park and Sabra Cawley, her sister Carmen “Nellie” Roman, brothers Victor Romero and Jose Romero and 14 half-siblings. She is also survived by her loving grandchildren, Zachary T. Woodbury, George E. Woodbury, Jessica R. Park and Rene G. Grundborg, as well as numerous and proudly loved cousins, nieces and nephews. Her loving and faithful attention will also survive her in the grateful hearts of Alexander S. B. Moffat, Campbell D. Moffat and Lillian S. Moffat and all of the children of their generation who will carry her memory forever.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother Juan Romaro.

In recognition of Daisy’s lifelong love of learning and devotion to children, her family has established the Daisy Y. Park Memorial Scholarship Fund at The Brookwood School in Cooperstown, the proceeds of which shall be awarded in perpetuity by the Brookwood School to provide annual scholarships to children in need. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Daisy Y. Park Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o The Brookwood School, 687 County Route 59, Cooperstown, New York, 13326. Donations may also be made to The Island School, Post Office Box 1090, Boca Grande, Florida, 33921 or to the Johann Fust Community Library, Post Office Box 309, Boca Grande, Florida, 33921.

Funeral arrangements, under the direction of Connell, Dow and Deysenroth in Cooperstown, and internment in the family plot at Lakewood Cemetery, Cooperstown, will be private and at the discretion of the family.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Dr. Maureen Micek

COOPERSTOWN - On December 18, 2011, Dr. Maureen Micek, a former pediatrician with Bassett Healthcare Network, Oneonta, died unexpectedly.

She is survived by her husband, Dr. Timothy R. Siegel; children Jacob and Sarah Siegel; and her mother, Maureen W. Micek. She is also survived by her siblings, Andrew, Thomas, Mary Lou, Timothy, Rosemary and Ann.

Expressions of sympathy can be mailed to the family at 52 King Road, P.O. Box 545, Etna, NH 03750.

Those  interested in making a contribution in Mo's name are encouraged to give to the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org (NAMI, 3803 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, VA  22203) or to Reach Out and Read at www.reachoutandread.org. (Reach Out and Read National Center, 56 Roland Street, Suite 100D, Boston, MA 02129).

There will be no services at this time.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.

Brian Wade Olster

May 24, 1978 - December 12, 2011

COOPERSTOWN - Brian Wade Olster, a 17-year resident of Springbrook, died Monday morning, December 12, 2011, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. He was 33.

Born May 24, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Bruce Andrew Olster and Beckie Beth Dershaw.

For the past 17 years, Brian made his home with Springbrook, a residential living facility for persons with disabilities. Through the years Brian served as a greeter at the local Wal-Mart and as a volunteer at the Delaware Valley Humane Society in Sidney, the Susquehanna SPCA in Cooperstown, and the Community Veterinary Center in Oneonta.

Brian is survived by his mother, Beckie Dershaw, of Woodstock, and his father and step mother (Special Mom) - Bruce and Madeleine Olster, of Tierra Verde, Florida; his sister, Brooke Olster of Port-au-Prince, Haiti and younger brother, Gregory Olster, of St. Petersburg, Florida.

The family would like to recognize the staff at Springbrook, especially the ladies and men of Glensbridge House, where he lived for the past nine years, who brought so much joy and laughter to his life. They made Brian a family member in the truest sense.

At the request of Brian's family, there will be no services. 

As a way to memorialize Brian, please consider a memorial gift to the SPCA, 6160 County Road 32, Norwich, NY  13815.

Arrangements are under the guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.


If you would like to send condolences to the family, send an email to Connell, Dow & Deysenroth. We will forward your comments to the family. If you would like to send flowers in memory of the deceased, contact Mohican Flowers, or call them at (607) 547-8822.