Connell, Dow & Deysenroth, Inc.Funeral Home: May 2020

Sharon Ann Congelli

1945 - 2020

FLY CREEK – In the early morning hours of Sunday, May 17, 2020, Sharon Ann Congelli, a longtime resident of Wayland, passed away at her daughter’s home in Fly Creek, surrounded by family, following a valiant seven-year battle with glioblastoma. She was 74.

Born November 20, 1945, in North Hornell, Sharon was the daughter of Duane E. and Carol J. (Bricks) Knapp of Atlanta, NY. After graduating from high school in Wayland she attended the Continental School of Beauty in Rochester.

While she was employed at several places throughout her life, she was best known as the manager of the Home Video store located in the Wayland Food Mart, for over 25 years. Prior to managing the video store, Sharon worked for the Wayland Central School as part of the high school cafeteria staff, a position she enjoyed and from which lifelong friendships were born as evidenced by monthly lunch gatherings with the “cafeteria ladies” held for decades after.

Sharon was a good listener with a gentle nature and a cheerful outlook on life that was comforting to those around her. Her family, especially her ten grandchildren, loved visiting Sharon at her longtime residence on Loon Lake. There she shared with them her well-known love of loons and enjoyed paddleboat rides around the lake. Sharon loved hosting family and friends at the lake, where she always made everyone feel welcome and at home, blessing her children with a lifetime of memories spent on Loon Lake.

Sharon was a spiritual person whose journey of faith began in the Atlanta Presbyterian Church. She had also been a longtime member of St. Paul’s United Church of Christ in Wayland, Loon Lake Community Chapel in the summers and, during her four-year residence in Fly Creek, was a much-loved participant of Butternuts Monthly Meeting Quaker worship groups in Cooperstown and Oneonta. Sharon had an expansive and inclusive perspective of spirituality and appreciated elements of many faiths and spiritual practices, gathering in sacred circles of women and joining each of her children and grandchildren in their practices.

Sharon was conscientious about fulfilling her civic duty and for many years assisted her fellow community members in Wayland as an election worker at the polls on election days.

She was an avid reader and enjoyed being a regular patron at the small libraries in the communities she lived and frequented. Sharon enjoyed puzzles, games and any activity that brought family and friends together in shared experience. She derived great joy from attending her grandchildren’s sporting, musical and theatrical events as well as attending concerts, films and professional performances. Sharon was a lifelong learner and enjoyed visiting museums and cultural and historical sites. She was curious with a boundless enthusiasm for exploring new places and activities which she maintained throughout her life, traveling and learning with communities of people. She appreciated the natural world and delighted in walking and observing the changes each season brought.

Sharon was devoted to family and friends, having an unlimited capacity for welcoming people into her life. Her strength and resilience allowed her to meet each challenge in life with grace and a consistent outlook of empathy and joy. Her presence was a gift to all. She was beloved by many and held in peace and love to the very last by her devoted family who cherishes her still.

Sharon is survived by her four children, Jonas (Tammy) Congelli of Tully, Sarah (Mark) Wilcox of Fly Creek, Carol (George) Smith of Forest Grove, Oregon, and Michael (Jennifer) Congelli of Spencerport; ten grandchildren, Steffaney and Nathaniel Wilcox, Emily, Allison, Matthew and Anna Congelli, and Izzy, Carly, Sammy and Vinny Congelli; and her four siblings, Lee (Megumi) Knapp of Tennessee, Lois(Jim) Mark of Dansville, Winifred (“Winnie”) Feathers of Geneseo, and Joan (Bill) Brewster of Dansville and their families.

Sharon was preceded in death by her father, Duane E. Knapp who died November 14, 2008, and her mother, Carol J. Knapp, who died July 12, 2012.

While there will be no services at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and current restrictions on public gatherings, please remember for now the times you spent with Sharon, smile, and know that she is at peace. When it is safe and regulations allow, Sharon’s family will plan on having a public memorial service in Wayland. She will be laid to rest near her parents in St. Joseph’s Old Cemetery in Wayland.

As Sharon’s family is acutely grieving her loss, and as there will be some delay in gathering for a formal memorial service, her children would be very grateful to receive stories and remembrances of her from those she connected with through the course of her life. In celebration of her life, please share your memories of Sharon with messages humorous, poignant, joyous – the full scope of a life well lived. By mail: Family of Sharon Congelli, c/o Sarah Wilcox, PO Box 95, Fly Creek, NY 13337 or by email: lilybluestone4@yahoo.com.

Memorial donations in Sharon’s name may be made to: Wayland Free Library, E.J. Cottrell Memorial Library of Atlanta, Village Library of Cooperstown, Loon Lake Community Chapel, Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, Butternuts Monthly Meeting of Cooperstown or Cancer Connects of East Syracuse.

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.

Joyce S. Jones

1932 - 2020

HARTWICK SEMINARY – Joyce S. Jones, a long-time resident of Hartwick Seminary and a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, passed away with family by her side Tuesday afternoon, May 19, 2020, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. She was also an accomplished seamstress and upholsterer, and had a special love for Otsego Lake, often reminding her family, “Aren’t you glad I moved to Cooperstown, there is not a more beautiful place.” She was 87.

Born October 22, 1932, in Ayer, Massachusetts, she was one of four children of David P. and Alice (Moison) Sargent. Raised on the family farm in Groton, Massachusetts, Joyce graduated from Groton High School with the Class of 1950, and then attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1954. Later that same year she moved to Cooperstown when she took a job at the Cornell Cooperative Extension. This was quite a step for a young lady in the 1950s to take, and Joyce admitted she was a bit scared moving away from her family and native Massachusetts, but she persevered and did well.

Joyce was especially glad she moved to Cooperstown when, at a New Year’s Eve party, she met Duane E. Jones. On November 26, 1956, Joyce and Duane were married in Groton, Massachusetts and, after relocating several times, settled into their home in Hartwick Seminary in 1964. In the mid 1960s, Joyce left her job at the extension office to devote her time to raising her children and caring for their home. She always had talent for sewing, and in the 1970s started working on her own as a seamstress as well as doing upholstery work.

For decades, Joyce faithfully served on the board of directors of the Hartwick Seminary Cemetery Association. She, along with her husband, Duane, looked after the upkeep of the cemetery and was the person to call whenever a burial needed to take place. She was also a representative for Cherry Valley Memorials.

Joyce was very devoted to the First Presbyterian Church in Cooperstown, where she was a long-time faithful member, served as a Deacon and was in charge of the Columbarium in the Church-yard. Before women could take an active role in church governance, Joyce became a vital part of the church’s Women’s Fellowship, serving as their treasurer and taking part in the various guilds that, at the time, were part of this church group. As an accomplished seamstress, her passion for this ministry of the church led her to be the main stay for many years in deciding on and organizing the various sewing projects the women worked on in their Monday sewing circle. They would sell their creations at the Alternative Market held each year just prior to Christmas. Through the years she also served as chair of the annual Ice Cream Social and the accompanying sale of the women’s handcrafted items, as well as church rummage sales. One of her biggest endeavors was raising awareness of the need to restore the church’s stained glass windows, and was instrumental in raising the needed funds. Her legacy at First Presbyterian will live on for years to come in the stained glass quilted wall hanging she crafted for the church’s 2007 bicentennial celebration. Designed and pieced together by Joyce and her grandchildren, they began choosing fabrics in June of 2006 and worked together during school holidays for several months. It was quilted by Joyce and her ecumenical friends and upon completion in July 2007, her son, Steven mounted it on a wooden frame and it now hangs in the sanctuary above the main entrance doors. The various blocks represent and depict liturgical seasons in the Christian calendar and cycles of life.

Never one to sit idle, Joyce was also an accomplished bowler, and she and her sister, Jan, won the No Tap tournament four years in a row.

This remarkable woman, who was such a vital part of her church and community, and whose hearing loss never kept her from persevering and accomplishing so much, will be greatly missed by her loving family. She leaves behind four children and six grandchildren, son Steven Duane Jones and his wife, Eva of Niskayuna and their children, Cora Elizabeth, Kelly Christine and David Duane Jones, and three daughters, Susan E. Bergene and husband, Gregory of Cooperstown and their daughters, Kristin Ellen and Hanna Joy Bergene, Sandra Lee Jones of Middletown, Delaware, and Sharon L. Otto and husband, Paul of Niskayuna and their son, Paul Christopher Otto. She is further survived by her brother, David P. Sargent, Jr. and his wife, Janet of Great Falls, Virginia, and a sister, Jean Norton and her husband, Lee of Valatie, and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her father and mother, who predeceased her in 1994 and 1995 respectively, Joyce was also predeceased by her husband of 42 years, Duane E. Jones, who died June 21, 1999, and her sister Janet Ann Kerr, who died December 8, 2018.

She will be laid to rest alongside her husband in Hartwick Seminary Cemetery.

While there will be no services at this time, please remember your times spent with Joyce, smile, and know she is at peace.

For those who wish to honor Joyce’s life, please consider a memorial donation to Hartwick Seminary Cemetery Association, 1636 Kelly Corners Road, Oneonta, NY 13820, or Habitat for Humanity of Otsego County, 403-B Chestnut Street, Oneonta, NY 13820.

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

William A. Bonnel

1963 - 2020

COOPERSTOWN – William A. Bonnel, who was a faithful long-time employee of Reiss Moving & Storage in Hartwick Seminary, passed away late Friday afternoon, May 8, 2020, at Robinson Terrace Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Stamford after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 56.

A native of New Jersey, Bill was born December 19, 1963, the only child of William C. and Nancy Jean (Jackson) Bonnel. The Bonnels moved to the Cooperstown area when Bill was young, and he attended Cooperstown Central School, graduating with the Class of 1983. He later received a degree in automotive technology.

For many years, Bill was employed by Reiss Moving and Storage in Hartwick Seminary as the maintenance man in their warehouse. A “jack of all trades”, he could always be counted on to be there, where he especially enjoyed greeting people getting their cars washed. A quiet man blessed with a great memory, he will be sorely missed by Howard, Doris and Frances, and all those whose lives he touched.

Bill is survived by his son, John Lloyd Parshall of Forestport, and a granddaughter, Alexis Anderson, as well as his good friends Howard and Doris Reiss and Frances Breslin.

He was predeceased by his father, William C. Bonnel, who died October 3, 1976, and his mother, Nancy Jean Bonnel, who died March 26, 2006.

While there will be no services, please remember the times you spent with Bill, smile, and know that he is now at peace.

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