Jennie Lou Wright

June 30, 1945 - September 23, 2014

LAURENS - Jennie Lou Wright, age 69, died Tuesday night, September 23, 2014, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown.

She was born June 30, 1945, in the Village of Walton, a daughter of Warren D. and Lulu Rose (Watson) Wormsley.  

Throughout her life Jennie enjoyed caring for her home and family as well as camping and visiting Gilbert Lake State Park. The majority of her life was devoted to caring for her son, Phillip - her dedication to him was outstanding in every way.

Jennie is survived by two daughters, Tina Sullivan and her husband, Jeremy, of Fly Creek Valley and Tammy Jones of Otego and a son-in-law, Kevin Jones, of Oneonta; four sons, William Kaiser of Tennessee and his former wife, Trudy, Richard Kaiser of Florida, Shannon Kaiser and his wife, Sandra, of Florida, and Phillip Wright, Jr. of Franklin; 13 grandchildren, Gage-Lee Boecke, Tiffany Boecke Mabie and her husband, Marcus, William Kaiser and his fiancé, Trish Spitzer, Chelsea Kaiser, Kaitelynn Kaiser, Jeremy Kaiser and his wife, Letha, Justin Kaiser and his girlfriend, Sierra Blanton, James Eberling, John Eberling, Theodore (Ted) Jones and his fiancé, Amanda Flannery, Daniel Jones, Quinn Jones, and Casey Jones and her boyfriend, Chris Byrnes; three great grandchildren, Tianna Kaiser, Kira Kaiser and Kaylee Jones; three half sisters, Julia Jymbo of Tokyo, Japan, Phyllis Harris of Sherburne, and Davia Kent of Illinois; a half brother, Gene Wormsley; many, many nieces and nephews; and many aunts and uncles. She is further survived by her long-time friends Tammy, Patty, Kathy, Anita, Michelle and Betsy, and her long-time caregivers, Wendy, Anita and Aliza.

She was predeceased by her father, Warren D. Wormsley, who died March 30, 1993; her mother, Lulu R. Lillie, who died April 12, 2002, and a half sister, Virginia Eynes, who died October 9, 1988. 

Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. 

Arrangements are under the care and 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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.

James Lynn Cronkhite

June 16, 1946 - September 10, 2014

COOPERSTOWN - James Lynn Cronkhite, of Cooperstown, and a former resident of Spencer and Fort Plain, passed away Wednesday, September 10, 2014, at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, shortly after undergoing surgery for a persistent medical issue. He was 68.

Jim was the son of George Seward Cronkhite and Anna Mae Nellis, and was born June 16, 1946, in Amsterdam. He grew up on the century old dairy farm in the Fordsbush section of Montgomery County.

Jim graduated from Fort Plain Central School in 1963, where he excelled in both academics and athletics. He lettered in basketball, baseball, soccer and track, served on the Student Council and won first place in the annual science fair competition. Jim was also very active in 4-H, winning numerous prizes at livestock shows, including the annual Junior Livestock Show in Cooperstown.  

A graduate of Ithaca College, Jim first taught physical education, then math and later became an administrator. He last served as athletic director and dean of students in the Spencer-Van Etten Central School District in Tioga County. He also coached basketball, football, girls' volleyball and for 33 years, the boys' varsity baseball team (his favorite sport).

Jim had a friendly and outgoing personality and was always willing to help out a friend or student. He attended The Reformed Church of Fort Plain and was a life-long fan of both the New York Yankees and Giants. He loved to entertain family and friends, play cards, solve puzzles and garden, as well as cross- country ski and travel when he was able.

He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Lorraine Quackenbush Cronkhite, originally of Fort Plain; a brother, Dennis Cronkhite and his wife, Maureen, of Fordsbush; a sister, Patricia Hurley and her husband, Christopher, of Skaneateles; as well as his nieces and nephews, Bryan Cronkhite, Karen Cronkhite, Jennifer Raux (Randy), Christopher Hurley (Megan), and James Hurley (Kate); and a great nephew, Benjamin Raux.  

He was predeceased by his parents. 

Friends may call at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown, on Sunday, September 14, 2014, from 4-6 p.m., when Jim's family will be in attendance.

A Funeral Service will be offered at the funeral home at 11 a.m. on Monday, September 15, 2014, with the Rev. Nancy Ryan, pastor of The Reformed Church of Fort Plain, officiating. Burial will follow in Fort Plain Cemetery.

It is the wish of the family that, in lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Jim be made to the American Heart Association, P.O. Box 3049, Syracuse, NY 13220.

Arrangements are under the care and 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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.

Rose C. Gibson

August 23, 1928 - September 10, 2014

SPRINGFIELD - Rose Catherine Gibson, a long-time resident of the Springfield and Van Hornesville areas, passed away early Wednesday morning, September 10, 2014, at Otsego Manor. She was 86 and had lived a life of love and service.

One of 8 children, Rose was born August 23, 1928, in her aunt's home in New Marshfield, Ohio. Her parents, Mercer Logan Williams and Adelaide (Powell) Williams, were living at that time in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where Mercer was serving as the superintendent of a high school. The family moved to New Hyde Park on Long Island in 1936 when Mercer accepted a high school science and math position at Sewanhaka High School. Rose grew up in New Hyde Park, and graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 1945. Due to her interest in aviation, she chose to further her education at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, received an associate's degree, and then spent the next summer in Mexico City, Mexico, with the Quaker, American Friends Service Committee. She began studies the following Fall at Boston University, but met Charles (Bud) Frederick Gibson of Port Washington, Long Island, and she and her fiancé married October 23, 1948.

Charles and Rose joined together in the aspiration of raising their anticipated family on a dairy farm, and, in 1951, purchased a three-acre property in Huntington Station, Long Island. Charles began correspondence courses in dairy sciences at Long Island Agricultural and Technical Institute in Farmingdale, while Rose gave birth to and raised four sons:  Daniel, William, James and Douglas. In 1958, Rose and Charles sold their Long Island property and moved to Springfield. Charles "interned", working for the Cope family dairy farm for one year, and then as a mechanic for Beadle & Company, Inc. in Richfield Springs while they sought out their "Rosebud" farm, which they finally acquired on Wiltse Hill between Van Hornesville and Springfield in October 1960.

Upon moving to Springfield, Rose became an active and faithful member of the First Presbyterian Church of East Springfield, first serving as a Sunday School teacher and singing in the choir. Rose continued to serve the church for nearly 50 years in many capacities. A highlight was serving as a delegate to General Assembly in Chicago, Illinois, during the tumultuous late 1960s. 

In Van Hornesville, Rose was a Cub Scout Den Mother, a member and one-time president of the PTO, and school board member. A charter member of the Herkimer County Mental Health Association Auxiliary, she served for over 30 years with this organization which sponsored events and gathered gifts for mentally challenged children at group homes throughout Herkimer County.  She was also a member of the National Alliance for Mental Illness.  

Upon the sale of the "home" dairy farm in 1982, Rose worked briefly as a teacher's aide in the Springfield Central School, and then accepted a position in 1984 assisting in the Resource Room at Owen D. Young Central School, where she helped students with reading and other course needs under four teachers until 1992.  

Upon her husband's death in 1992, Rose began to serve at the Duvall Home for Mentally Challenged in Glenwood, Florida, which was strongly affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, during the winters until 2006. She also delivered Meals on Wheels for the Town of Springfield for several years, until her stroke in 2007. Through the Otsego Land Trust, Rose established a conservation easement on 200 acres of their farm in order to preserve its natural characteristics.  

In 2007, Rose moved to Hampshire House in Oneonta to be near several family members. While living there, she adopted and was adopted by the First United Presbyterian Church of Oneonta, The "Red Door" Church, which she faithfully attended and served at until June 2014, when she moved to Otsego Manor.  

In fulfillment of Rose's desire to continue to serve humanity she has donated her body for medical education and research;  her brain has been accepted by Harvard Medical School and her body has been received by the Albany Medical College Anatomical Gift Program. 

Rose was preceded in death by her parents, as well as three of her sisters, Dorothy Wilson, Joanne Pearsall, and Margaret Belger; two of her brothers, Richard Williams and Mercer L. Williams, Jr.; and a son, Douglas W. Gibson.

She is survived by her sister, Barbara LaSalle, of Oneonta; a brother, David Williams, of Bellmore, Long Island; and her sons and their wives and grandchildren: Daniel and Judith Gibson of Ballston Lake and their children, Katie and Charlie, William and Jan Gibson of Cooperstown and their son, Will, and his wife, Emily, and their children Eva and Patrick, James Gibson and his children, Jennifer, Jacob and Rose and her children, Aaliyah and Cory, and Douglas' wife, Jacqueline, and their sons, John and Chris, and many beloved nephews and nieces.  

A Memorial Service is planned for 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2014, at the First Presbyterian Church of East Springfield.

In lieu of flowers, Rose's family respectfully requests that memorial donations be directed to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, "NAMI - Otsego County Inc.", 3141 County Highway 11, Hartwick, NY  13348, the First Presbyterian Church of East Springfield, P.O. Box 122, East Springfield, NY  13333 or the First United Presbyterian Church, 2 Walling Avenue, Oneonta, NY  13820.

Arrangements are under the care and 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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.

Marie Goodrich Gill

WATERVILLE - Marie Goodrich Gill, formerly of Richfield Springs, died early Monday morning, September 8, 2014, at the age 85, at Harding Nursing Home in Waterville.  

Arrangements are under the care and 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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.

Eleanor P. Maliszewski

May 23, 1919 - August 31, 2014

HARTWICK - Eleanor P. Maliszewski, a former resident of Long Island who made her home in Hartwick, passed away Sunday morning, August 31, 2014, at Otsego Manor. She was 95.

A native of Long Island, Eleanor was born on May 23, 1919, on the family farm in Hicksville. She was a daughter of Edward and Johanna ( Loeffler) McGunnigle.  

Raised on Long Island, Eleanor was a graduate of Hicksville High School. For many years she was employed as a secretary and bookkeeper for several businesses on Long Island, including Doug East Shop and Car Sales in Huntington.  

On November 8, 1952, she married Joseph George Maliszewski-also a Long Island native-at St. Ignatius Loyola Roman Catholic Church in Hicksville. They settled in Northport where they raised their family. In 1995, Eleanor and Joe moved from Long Island to Hartwick, where they built a home and enjoyed life in the country.

Eleanor dearly loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren and enjoyed spending as much time with them as she could. She also enjoyed knitting, reading and gardening, especially with Joe.   

Of the Roman Catholic faith, she was a communicant of St. Mary's "Our Lady of the Lake" Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown.

Eleanor's mainstay in life was her family, which includes five daughters and four sons-in-law, Joanne P. Allison of Hartwick, Mary Ellen and Chris Hughes, of Northport, Victoria and Tim West of Hartwick, Patricia and Jeff Altadonna of Centerport, and Christine and Bill Feehan of Aurora, Illinois; eight grandchildren, Joseph Allison and wife, Christie, of Hartwick, Catherine Nagelschmidt and husband, Reid, of Cooperstown, Erin Griffith and husband, Bob, of Hartwick, Christopher J. Hughes and wife, Mollie, of Northport, Ryan West Frable of Hartwick, Timothy West, Jr. and wife, Joelle, of Hartwick, Patrick West, of  Utica, and Thomas West and wife, Carolyn, of the State of Maryland; and eleven great grandchildren, Kaitlin Hughes, Alli May, Madison and Bode Nagelschmidt, Hartland, Lillian, Grace and Ellis Frable, and Shelby, Joseph and Andrew West.  She is further survived by two sisters, Irene Miller of Milford Center and Agnes Ahrens of Flemington, NJ; and one brother, Edward McGunnigle and wife Dorothy of Hicksville, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Joe, who died January 29, 2006; a son-in-law, Robert Gordon Allison, Jr., who died May 19, 2008; two sisters, Cecelia and Frances McGunnigle; and one brother, Gerald McGunnigle. 

Friends may call at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. when Eleanor's family will be in attendance.  

The Liturgy of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2014, at St. Mary's "Our Lady of the Lake" Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown, with Fr. John P. Rosson, pastor, presiding.

The Service of Committal and Burial will follow in St. Mary's Cemetery, Index.

Eleanor's family extends a special thank you to her Manor family for the love and care she received while living there.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1905 or Hartwick Fire Department, Co. No. 1, P.O. Box 86, Hartwick, NY 13348.

Arrangements are under the care and 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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.