Connell, Dow & Deysenroth, Inc.Funeral Home: October 2015

Lyle N. Steere

1922 - 2015

CHRISTIAN HILL - Lyle N. Steere, 93, beloved Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather, died October 23, 2015, in the house he built on Christian Hill with his family by his side.

Born in Hartwick on March 15, 1922, he was the son of Kendrick and Mary Elwood Steere. He married Elsie Ruparshek on September 25, 1948 in Cooperstown. They lived in Fly Creek and Christian Hill during their 57 year marriage until Elsie died June 19, 2006.

During World War II, Lyle served his country in the United States Army. He enlisted September 4, 1940, and was in Battery D, 5th Field Artillery, Sacketts Harbor and Fort Devens, Massachusetts, where the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was formed. He later went to Camp Blanding in Florida and then to Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. In August 1942 he went on the Queen Mary to Scotland, and then to Titworth Barracks near Salisbury, England. After landing in Oran, Algeria, he served in Tunisia, Salerno, Anzio, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland and Central Europe. At one point he met up with his brother, Nelson, who was with the 2nd Corps Headquarters in England, Africa and Italy. Lyle left Europe in July 1945 after being transferred to the 21st Replacement Battalion Headquarters Detachment, and received his Honorable Discharge August 12, 1945. During his time of military service he received the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal and Good Conduct Medal.

For many years he was a mechanic, and retired in 1982 after serving as Highway Superintendent for the Town of Otsego.

Surviving Lyle are three sons, Karl Steere ( Kathy) and Kendrick of Christian Hill, and Alan Steere ( Roberta) of Schuyler Lake. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Christina Baker ( Jamar) of Colorado, Ashley Luck (Ian) of New Hampshire, Kerry Brown (Kevin) of Colorado, Kyle Steere of Ithaca and Tyler Steere of Schuyler Lake, as well as great granddaughters Adrianna, Alexis and Addison Baker and Ava Luck. Also surviving is a sister-in-law, Sophia Culotti of Port Byron as well as beloved nieces and nephews.

Lyle was predeceased by his wife, two brothers, Stanley and wife, Anne, and Nelson and wife, Margaret, and several brothers and sisters-in-law. Friends may call at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown, on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, from 4-7 p.m., when the Steere family will be in attendance.

Funeral Services will be offered at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28, 2015 at the funeral home, with the Rev. William H. Delia, pastor of the United Methodist Church of Cooperstown, officiating. At the conclusion of the funeral, Military Honors will be accorded by members of the Cooperstown Veterans Club and the New York State Military Forces Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy in the form of memorial gifts may be made to Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Drive, 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.

Arlene M. Woodin

1934 - 2015

COOPERSTOWN - Arlene M. Woodin passed away Saturday morning, October 10, 2015, at A.O. Fox Nursing Home in Oneonta. She was 81.

Born on July 23, 1934, in Marseilles, Illinois, Arlene Marie was the only child of Joseph and Lena née Veronda Viviani. Following her graduation from Marseilles High School in 1952 she attended Illinois State Normal University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education (Home Economics) in 1956.

She married Ernest Donald Woodin on December 21, 1957, in their hometown of Marseilles, Illinois, and they settled in DePue where she worked as a home economics teacher. Her creative baking skills were recognized when she won a nationwide self-rising flour competition for her recipe for Lemon-Mace Crisps. After welcoming daughter Beth and son Alan, the family moved to Cooperstown for the first time in 1964. Ernie's career with AT&T took them back to Illinois in 1966 and later to Somerset, New Jersey. In March of 1972, the Woodins returned to Cooperstown where they settled on Elm Street. After their children graduated from high school, they made their home in the Town of Middlefield.

During her years in Cooperstown, Arlene was employed at various times at Ellsworth and Sill on Main Street and in the library at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. While she did not return to teaching, Arlene demonstrated her love of all things related to home economics through her sewing projects, home decorating, and experimentation with new recipes. Her family will fondly remember her as a wonderful cook and a great baker whose pies were the highlight of every holiday meal.

Arlene is survived by two children, Beth A. Torruella and her husband, Reese, of Garner, North Carolina, and Alan J. Woodin and his wife, Allison, of Cobleskill; three grandchildren, Connor and Logan Torruella and Erika Marie Woodin; and numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death on December 25, 2014, by her husband of 57 years, Ernest.

Services will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.

The family would like to thank Dr. Dalton, Dr. Hills, Dr. Lone, and the nursing staff at the Bassett Cancer Treatment Center for their dedicated care and the staff at A.O. Fox Nursing Home and at Catskill Area Hospice who welcomed Arlene and gave her a safe and caring place to spend her final months.

For those who wish to make a memorial gift in memory of Arlene, her family suggests that the following organizations be considered: Bassett Medical Center Cancer Treatment Center, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown.

Laura Margaret Kane

1927 - 2015

MT. VISION - Laura Margaret Kane, 88, of Mt. Vision, passed away early Sunday morning, October 18, 2015, at Focus Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at Otsego.

She was born June 27, 1927, in Barneveld, a daughter of John and Mary Irene (Barnes) Rowlands.

At the age of five, she and her family moved to Edmeston, where she attended school in the Goodrich Schoolhouse. She later attended school in New Berlin, and graduated in 1945 from New Berlin High School.

Laura then moved away from home to attend beauty school; however, she became homesick and moved back to New Berlin where she was employed for a year in the cafeteria at the New Berlin school.

In 1947 Laura married Archie Ainslie and joined him in farming at the Ainslie homestead farm on Scotch Hill in Hartwick. During this time she also worked at Rosa Leone's Adult Home in Hartwick, as well as a store clerk in the grocery stores in the community. She was also a bus driver driving her station wagon off the hill with the Scotch Hill kids to Hartwick Central School and then to the Cooperstown Central School bus stop. She also worked for Opportunities for Otsego.

In 1971 she joined her second husband Everett Kane farming at Kanemead Farm in Mount Vision.

Her real joy was cooking and baking for others. In 1986 she opened Laura's Restaurant in Hartwick, where she served her homemade menu to the public for several years. Her Friday night suppers were enjoyed by all.

Laura was an active community member. She was an American Legion auxiliary member, a 4-H leader, served on the Town Board, was a member of the Hartwick Cemetery Committee and a member of the United Methodist Church Hartwick.

Laura is survived by her sister-in-law, Marge (Albert) Rowlands of Edmeston; her son Larry and wife Barbara Ainslie of Hartwick; her daughter Linda (Ainslie) and husband John Tuller of New Berlin; her son-in-law, Richard Twombly of Hebron (Amston), CT; and their children and families. Also surviving are her four step-children, Robert and wife Barbara Kane of Fly Creek, Ronald and wife Marilyn Kane of Mt. Vision, Rahlene and husband Mike Welch of Fly Creek, and Rodger and wife Fay Kane of Toddsville; and their children and families.

Laura was predeceased by her parents, her brothers Robert (Jean) and Albert Rowlands, her husband Everett Kane and her daughter Gail (Ainslie) Twombly.

Friends may call at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown, on Thursday, October 22, 2015, from 10 a.m. until 12 Noon. Funeral Services will follow at Noon at the funeral home with the Rev. Richard Howard, pastor of the Hartwick United Methodist Church officiating. The Service of Committal and Burial will follow in Hartwick Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made in Laura's memory to The Hartwick United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 576, Mt. Vision, NY 13810

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

Bridget M. Macaluso

1921 - 2015

COOPERSTOWN - Mrs. Bridget M. Macaluso, 94, of Cooperstown, passed away peacefully Friday morning, October 16, 2015, at Chestnut Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Oneonta.

Born August 11, 1921, in Hoboken, New Jersey, on a tugboat, she was the daughter of Patrick and Rita (Patterson) Bracken.

She met her husband Joseph Robert (Bob) Macaluso in the United States Navy and married him February 26, 1949, at the Church of St. Raymond in the Bronx.

Bridget was a lover of books, mysteries, words, humor, and conversation. She was a strong believer in community service. A funny, witty, loving, supportive and generous mother, grandmother and friend, she was loved and revered by all who knew her.

For many years she was employed as a secretary at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Campus of the Veterans Administration Hudson Valley Health Care System in Montrose. A determined person, she earned her GED at the age of 62 and then earned an associate's degree in psychology.

Bridget and Bob lived in Peekskill for over twenty years before moving to Cooperstown in June 1989. She was a communicant of St. Mary's "Our Lady of the Lake" Roman Catholic Church, was a member and past president of the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital auxiliary, and volunteered at the Susquehanna SPCA. Following Bob's death on April 23, 2001, Bridget moved to Oneonta, where she lived with her daughter, Patrice for ten years and then moved to Cooperstown with her daughter and son-in-law Roberta and Tom. The last few years she lived at Hampshire House, and then Chestnut Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Oneonta.

Bridget is survived by four daughters, Jean Marie Macaluso of Kingston, Roberta Hohensee and her husband, Thomas, of Cooperstown, Patrice Macaluso of Oneonta, and Margaret Williams and her husband, George, of Saugerties; two sons, Alan Macaluso and his wife, Kelly of New Paltz and Brian Macaluso and his wife, Sari, of Kingston; eight grandchildren, Haley and Kyle Hohensee, Rebecca and Joseph Williams, and Sam, Ben, Theo and Charlie Schikowitz; and five great grandchildren, twins Cosmos and Hugh, Indio, Leone and Harper.

In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her 12 brothers and sisters, including Elizabeth, Mary, Peggy, Terry, Barney, William and John.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial gathering to be held at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2015.

As an alternative to flowers, please consider donating in memory of Bridget to the Susquehanna Animal Shelter, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326 or Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Drive, Oneonta, NY 13820.

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

Dr. Thomas A. Gratton

1935 - 2015

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Philippians 4:4 (KJV)

SCHENEVUS - Pastor Tom A. Gratton, God's faithful servant, went to meet his Lord and Savior early Tuesday morning, October 13, 2015, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. He was 80.

Born October 9, 1935, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was a son of James and Minnie (Ross) Gratton. Raised in Pittsburgh, he later moved to Rhode Island.

Called to the ministry of his beloved Savior, Pastor Tom brought countless people to the Lord, including some who themselves became pastors. In 1973 he received his Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary School of Theology.

During his ministry he served churches in various places throughout the country, including Michigan and Texas. After serving the Spring Woods Baptist Church in Texas, he moved to the State of Maryland and for twenty-one years served as pastor to the First Baptist Church of Suitland, helping to grow what started as a small group of faithful Christians into the strong and vibrant congregation it is today. It was during his pastorate there that he presented his Doctor of Ministry thesis on strategizing an effective ministry in an urban, evangelical and racially integrated Southern Baptist Church. Dr. Gratton envisioned a totally new approach for ministry and commitment to being God's people on mission, and encouraged his colleagues to get excited about pastoring in multi-racial neighborhoods. He received his Doctor of Ministry from the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1989, and retired from full-time ministry in 1993.

Throughout his years of ministry, he was accompanied by his first wife, Nancy A. Hall Gratton. They were united in marriage September 6, 1958, in Battle Creek, Michigan, and spent almost 50 years together until her passing on June 11, 2006.

Tom later met Karen Ann Olmstead McMahon, a native of Cooperstown living in Virginia who had also recently lost her spouse. Karen and Tom were married January 12, 2008, in a ceremony at Mount Hermon Baptist Church in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. In 2010 they moved to upstate New York and Tom became a member and served as a supply preacher at the West Davenport Free Baptist Church and Stamford Baptist Church.

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Pastor Tom is survived by his loving wife, Karen A. McMahon Gratton, of Schenevus; one daughter, Rachael Moore of Tennessee; his faithful friend, Norma, whom he considered to be his daughter; two step daughters, Autumn Black Jewell of Orange, VA, and Stephanie Black of Middlefield; and several grandchildren, all of whom called him "Pops".

He is further survived by two sisters, Judy Parfitt and Lois Bott; a sister-in-law, Kathleen M. Olmstead-Mummert; two brothers-in-law, Richard L. Statler and Keith D. Olmstead; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his first wife, he was predeceased by two sisters, Betty DeJidas and Dorothy Mae Statler, and a brother, James "Jimmy" Gratton.

Pastor Tom will be laid to rest with his first wife, Nancy, in a private graveside service in the Garden of Reformation at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Waldorf, Maryland.

A memorial service will be offered at 2 pm. on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, at the First Baptist Church of Upper Marlboro, 7415 SW Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with Rev. James L. Burcham, pastor, officiating.

Locally, a memorial service is being planned for the near future, and will take place at the West Davenport Free Baptist Church, 211 Charlotte Creek Road, with Pastor Steve Estes, officiating.

One of the people Pastor Gratton inspired to enter the ministry is Pastor Daniel Conrads, whose love of the Lord came from a seed planted by Pastor Tom. Not only did he become a pastor himself, Pastor Dan is now forming a new church. So in lieu of flowers, Pastor Gratton would be pleased if people would donate in his memory to Pastor Daniel Conrads for the benefit of the Richmond Church Plant, 1842 Valley Drive, Richmond, IN 47374. Your donation in memory of Pastor Tom will help grow this new church.

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

Elaine Beck Schaeffer

COOPERSTOWN - Elaine Beck Schaeffer of Cooperstown passed away suddenly at Bassett Medical Center on Thursday evening, October 8, 2015. She was 62.

Elaine was the loving wife of Charles and beloved mother of Scott and Elyssa. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Kenneth and Phyllis Beck.

Elaine spent her early formative years with her family in Nice, France. She was educated at Abington Friends, a Quaker school in Pennsylvania from which she cultivated a lifelong respect for individuals and emphasis on equality, simplicity and integrity. During high school she spent a year abroad in Braunschweig, West Germany.

Elaine attended Wagner College, graduating with a BA in German literature. She spent her junior year studying in Bregenz, Austria, where, among other interests, she took up skiing in the Alps.

After college, Elaine worked for the interior fabric and design firm Brunschwig & Fils in New York City as the production coordinator, during which she traveled to and worked with mills and showrooms throughout Europe and the U.S.

Elaine was dedicated to the arts from a young age, studying piano and singing with a religious choir, including on European tours. She studied drawing at the Arts Students League in New York City and maintained a passion for exploring art museums in the U.S. and while traveling in Europe for work and visiting her children during their own study abroad sojourns.

Elaine loved cooking and excelled at baking her famous carrot cake and unparalleled apple pie. Her smile would light up a room and could clear dark clouds from a rainy day. She volunteered for years at the Susquehanna Animal Shelter Better Exchange Thrift Shop and most recently worked for NYSHA at the Fenimore Art and Farmers' Museums in Cooperstown.

Elaine enjoyed any opportunity to work on her gardening, spend time with her friends, cats and now departed chessie, Tessa, and work on crossword puzzles (always written in ink pen, never pencil) among many other activities.

A closet historian and member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Elaine was also a member of the Captain Cook Society and enjoyed reading about the adventures and discoveries of her ancestor James Cook, among other explorers.

A caring and dedicated mother and wife, Elaine was very loved and will be missed more than words can convey.

In addition to her husband and children, Elaine is survived by extended family members and friends who will miss her dearly.

Friends and relatives are invited to Elaine's memorial service at 5 p.m. Thursday, October 15, 2015 at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street in Cooperstown. A private burial service will be held Friday.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations in Elaine's name be made to the Susquehanna Animal Shelter, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326. http://susquehannaanimalshelter.org.