Maria A. Sullivan

1919 - 2015

NORWICH - Maria Antonia White Sullivan passed away late Monday night, November 23, 2015, at Valley View Manor Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Norwich. She was 96 years old.

Of Spanish, Puerto Rican and English ancestry, Maria was born May 16, 1919, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Her father, Edgar Ralph White, was of English descent, and her mother, Mercedes Antonia Bruna y Feliciano, was born in Humacao, Puerto Rico, from ancestors of Spanish and Puerto Rican descent. 

On February 15, 1942, Maria married Joseph P. Sullivan. They shared 36 years together until his passing on January 10, 1978.

Maria devoted much of her early years to caring for her family and home. Later on she worked for the Orange County Office for the Aging. This was the first agency of its kind in New York State and Maria was present at its inception.

She moved to Miramar, Florida, in 1980 to care for her parents until their deaths in 1982. Maria was a woman of great faith and taught Sunday School at St. Stephens Parish for many years. She later retired to Unadilla where she lived with her daughter. For the past five years she resided in Norwich.

In addition to her husband, Maria was predeceased by both of her children, Edgar P. Sullivan (2009) and Katherine Mary Sullivan McAllister Lewis (2012), as well as sons-in-law Henry E. McAllister (1981) and David F. Lewis (2014). She was also predeceased by her brothers Charles and Preston White and her sister Mercedes Mingus.

Maria is survived by her daughter-in-law, Gloria Sullivan; her six grandchildren, Marylouise Dygert and husband Kevin of Middlefield, Tracy Gonzalez and husband Willie of Plattekill, Joseph E. Sullivan and wife Lisa of Delaware, Patrick Sullivan of Middletown, Maria Sullivan of Brooklyn and Nicholas Sullivan of Highland; seven great grandchildren, Christopher Dygert, Rebecca Morgan, Edward Gonzalez, Joseph A. Sullivan, Dustin Plimley, Brandon Plimley, and Ray Sullivan; a great great grandson, Zachary Morgan; and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be held at a later date.

Maria will be laid to rest with her parents in the Garden of Meditation at Hollywood Memorial Gardens in Florida.

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.

Paul W. Berg

1938 - 2015

ONEONTA - Paul William Berg, 77, died Saturday morning, November 21, 2015, at Focus Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Otsego.

Born August 20, 1938, in Jamaica, Queens, Paul was a son of William and Minerva Berg.

He married Florence Allman on September 25, 1959, in Virginia.

For many years he was employed as a draftsman for Grumman Aerospace Corporation in Bethpage, where he assisted in designing aircraft parts.  

Approximately 10 years ago, Paul and Florence moved to the Laurens area.  

Paul is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years, Florence; their two daughters, Barbara Rodriguez and her husband, Phillip, and Carol Heller and her boyfriend, Tom Pagillo, all of Hartwick; five grandchildren, Phillip Rodriguez, Jr. and fiancé Amber Hill, Michael Rodriguez and girlfriend Stephanie Ringel, Joseph Heller, Jr. and girlfriend Erin Fields, Vincent Heller and Justin Heller; three great grandchildren, Avril and Aiden Heller and Hayden Hill; and his new great granddaughter that will be born in February 2016.

A Funeral Service will be offered at 12 Noon on Friday, November 27, 2015, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown, with the Rev. David Wm. Mickiewicz, pastor of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Oneonta, officiating.

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.

John P. Woods, Jr.

CANAJOHARIE - John Peter Woods, Jr., passed away at his farm November 8, 2015, where he resided for the last 45 years. 

Those who wish to remember John with a memorial gift may do so by making  a donation to the American Cancer Society, 1 Penny Lane, Latham, NY 12110 or St. Mary's Healthcare Foundation, 427 Guy Park Avenue, Amsterdam, NY  12010.

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.

Elinor H. Pollock

1928 - 2015

COOPERSTOWN - Mrs. Elinor H. Pollock, 87, of Cooperstown, passed away peacefully Tuesday, November 3, 2015, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, surrounded by her family. 

A native of Massachusetts, she was born April 16, 1928, in Beverly, youngest daughter of Maurice and Ruth (Pedersen) Hopkins. After graduation from high school, she studied at the New England Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Boston. Following her training, she stayed on to work at the Deaconess, and there met her future husband, Donald O. Pollock, while he was working his way through medical school. They were married June 7, 1953, at the First Baptist Church of Beverly.

The Pollocks first came to Cooperstown in 1955, when Don served his internship and residency at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. There followed a period of military service, which took the family to a succession of postings, including 2 1/2 years in Eritrea, East Africa. The Pollocks returned to Cooperstown in 1967. 

Devoted to her family and community, Elinor freely gave of her time and service. She enjoyed working with the Red Cross, traveling throughout the region as part of the bloodmobile staff. And as a breast cancer survivor, Elinor willingly reached out to many with a message of encouragement and hope. 

Perhaps most central to Elinor's life was her steadfast devotion to the First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, for it was there that she faithfully blended her love of family and God. A member since1969, Elinor sang in the Chancel Choir, served in church leadership as a Deacon and an Elder, as Treasurer and Clerk of Session, volunteered as a Sunday School Teacher, was a member and/or chair of numerous committees over the years, and participated fully in the women's association. A generation of young people will remember Elinor as the one who prepared the food for the weekly Thursday school gatherings at the Presbyterian Church. 

In her leisure - and she did have some - Elinor enjoyed gardening, golf and playing Bridge. Before Alzheimer's Disease restricted her participation in those things she loved most, she excelled in exercising her gift of hospitality - making a meal, visiting a sick friend, arranging flowers from her garden, and sharing a smile. 

Elinor is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Dr. Donald O. Pollock, of Cooperstown; four children and spouses, Donabeth and Gil Urick of Bonita Springs, Florida, Peter and Diana Pollock of Cooperstown, Sally and Bud Zaengle of Greene, and Jim and Sharon Pollock of Georgetown; nine grandchildren and one great grandson, Philip Zaengle and wife, Amanda, and their son, Henry, Owen Zaengle and wife, Emily, Sam Zaengle and wife, Donna, Helen Zaengle, Jacob Zaengle, Karl Zaengle, Mary Zaengle, Laurel Zaengle and Benjamin Pollock; also many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her oldest son, the Rev. Stewart A. Pollock, and her siblings.

A Memorial Service to the Glory of God and in Thanksgiving for the Life of Elinor H. Pollock will be offered at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2015, at the First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, with the Rev. Elsie A. Rhodes, pastor, officiating. Following the service there will be a time for refreshment and fellowship in the adjoining Chapel. 

She will be laid to rest in The Columbarium in the Presbyterian Churchyard.

For those who wish to remember Elinor through a memorial gift, her family respectfully requests that donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, 25 Church Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

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.

Robert W. Smith

1938 - 2015

COOPERSTOWN - Mr. Robert Whitehill Smith, this countries' oldest living heart transplant patient, passed away Tuesday evening, November 3, 2015, at Whitehill Cottage, his home in the Town of Middlefield, after a valiant struggle against cancer. He was 77.

Born February 2, 1938, in Flushing, Queens, Bob was a son of Charles and Theodora (Miller) Smith. 

After graduating from Bay Side High School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force on February 5, 1957. He served as an Air Policeman with the 54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and was stationed for one year in San Antonio, Texas, 18 months in South Korea, and 12 months at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. He received his honorable discharge from the military on November 4, 1960, having achieved the rank of Airman Second Class, and continued serving his country in the Reserves.

In 1963, Bob went to work for J.C. Penney in Valley Stream, and spent the next 30 years working in various locations in the New York City area. At the time of his retirement in 1993 he was managing a store in Massapequa on Long Island. 

On March 29, 1980, Bob married the former Eulene Lewis in a ceremony at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown. They lived on Long Island in Amityville, but when they both retired they moved to Oriental, North Carolina, and lived there for 11 years. 

On December 26, 1988, Bob had a heart transplant at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and until his death he was the longest living survivor of this type of operation in the United States. 

In October 2004, Bob and Eulene moved back to Cooperstown. He had always wanted to live in an old farmhouse, so when they found what they felt was the perfect home in the Town of Middlefield, they purchased it and called it "Whitehill Cottage". 

Bob was a talented carpenter and woodworker, and throughout his life crafted many beautiful outdoor and indoor items for their home. He also enjoyed oil painting, golfing, downhill skiing, ice skating, and riding motorcycles. An avid musician, he played the banjo, and for eight years Bob and Eulene performed as the duo "Harbor Sounds" at various venues in North Carolina.  Perhaps most of all, Bob enjoyed being on the water with Eulene in their 34' Egg Harbor Sport Fisherman yacht "Mistral". Together they cruised the waters off Long Island as well as the Atlantic. 

Bob lived a great life full of many enjoyable times and adventures. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Bob is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Eulene Smith, of Cooperstown; two daughters, Deborah Schneider and Karen Cottone of Long Island; one son, Robert Whitehill Smith, Jr. of Pennsylvania; Eulene's daughter, Danielle Verity of Florida; Eulene's two sons, Blake Verity of Long Island and Blair Verity of Pennsylvania; grandchildren; and two brothers, Donald Smith of New Jersey and William Smith of Maine.

He was preceded in death by Eulene's son, Henry William Verity.

A memorial service will be offered at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, 2015, at the Cooperstown United Methodist Church, with the Rev. William H. Delia, pastor, officiating. 

For those who wish to remember Bob with a memorial gift, please consider donating to the American Cancer Society, 13 Beech Street, Johnson City, NY 13790 or the Cooperstown Emergency Squad, P.O. Box 322, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

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.