Connell, Dow & Deysenroth, Inc.Funeral Home: April 2024

Bradley K. Wilfeard

1955 - 2024

COOPERSTOWN – Bradley K. Wilfeard, a native of Cooperstown who served for many years as a security officer at Bassett Hospital, and who was well known as an avid fan of Star Trek, passed away following a brief illness early Thursday morning, April 25, 2024, at Bassett Medical Center surrounded by his wife and daughter. He was 68.

Bradley was born at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown on December 3, 1955, a son of Herbert and Irene (Childs) Wilfeard. He attended Cooperstown Central School, graduating with the Class of 1974.

On August 21, 1976, he married Kathleen P. Warley in a ceremony on her family’s property in Garrattsville.

Proud to be a Native Son of Cooperstown, Bradley enjoyed growing up in the area and as a child loved farming in Pierstown. He began a career in food service working at Sherry’s Famous Restaurant at the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets in Cooperstown. He then went to work at Bassett Hospital in their food service department, where he stayed for two years until joining their security team. He became a well-respected security officer, and served the hospital in this capacity for 43 years until retiring September 1, 2020.

In his leisure, Brad always loved a good meal, and especially enjoyed eating out. His love for food was almost equal with his love for Star Trek-he was a huge fan. He will be greatly missed.

Bradley was predeceased by his father, Herbert in 1983; his mother, Irene in 2014; his brothers Bernard L. Wilfeard, Sr. in 1999 and David M. Wilfeard in 2018; and his father-in-law, Chester Warley who died in 2020.

Bradley is survived by his wife of 47 years, Kathleen Wilfeard; daughter, Andrea Wilfeard and fiancé Keith Meier of Cobleskill; sisters Peggy (Alan) Basile, Holly (Ed) Pearsall and Nedena (Ronald) Swift, and sister-in-law Elizabeth Wilfeard, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins; his mother-in-law, Simonne Warley; sister-in-law Pamela Warley and brother-in-law, Steven (Terrianne) Warley.

Family and friends may call and pay their respects from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, May 3, 2024, at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown. A service will be held at 6 p.m. that evening at the funeral home with Rev. Betsy Jay officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the Garrattsville Emergency Squad, 4413 State Highway 51, Garrattsville, NY 13342, or Otsego County Emergency Services, 140 County Highway 33W, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

“Live long and prosper”

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 at (607) 547-8822, or A Rose is a Rose at (607) 264-3100.

Martin Douglas Sorin, Ph.D.

1944 - 2024

SPRINGFIELD CENTER - Martin Douglas Sorin, Ph.D., 79, of Springfield Center, passed away on April 11, 2024, at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown.

Martin Douglas Sorin was born on September 16, 1944 and grew up in Brooklyn, New York.

He was the son of Joseph and Lillian Simpkin Sorin. His father taught him to fish, which would become a lifelong passion. When he was a teenager he started a fishing business, rising early in the morning to catch fish and sell them on the pier in Sheepshead Bay. He always thought that his career would be to captain a fishing boat, but a teacher convinced him to go to college. He attended Long Island University and found a second passion in the study of politics. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in political science and went on to New York University where he earned a Ph.D. in political science and graduated with distinction. His course of study focused on the Supreme Court and he maintained an interest in the court throughout his life, but his dissertation was on health care delivery on the Upper East Side in New York and would presage a career in public health. He was most interested in public programs that would make people’s lives better and in making sure that those programs were effective. To this end he began his career working for think tanks. First, the Center for Policy Research at Columbia University and later the Lazar Institute in Washington, D.C. where he worked on a national study exploring pre-trial crime. In it, he explored how judges determined whether to release suspects on bail and whether they considered dangerousness as a criterion.

After his brother-in-law died from AIDS he went to work for the AIDS Institute evaluating programs for people with the disease. He worked on AIDS programming for 9 years. Until his retirement in 2016 he worked for the New York State Health Department’s Wadsworth Laboratories as Director of Program Evaluation in the Director’s Office and NYS Health Research Council. In this role he managed the state’s breast cancer research advisory board and the spinal cord injury research board chaired by Christopher Reeve.

It was during his Ph.D. work at New York University that he met Gretchen Sullivan, a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey who would become his wife. They moved to Springfield Center so that she could attend the Cooperstown Graduate Program, and later she became its director. They were married for 49 years and 11 months.

Martin was an avid gardener and had a wonderfully dry sense of humor and loved to laugh, a characteristic that was sometimes surprising because of his introverted nature, but also showed off his impressive intellect.

He is survived by his wife, Gretchen Sullivan Sorin, daughter Meredith Sorin Horsford and son-in-law Robert Horsford, son Gregory Sullivan Sorin, and two granddaughters, Lily and Maya Horsford as well as dear friends John and Florence Carnahan and Barbara and Ted Bartlett.

Martin knew how education can change a life as his life was transformed. Donations in his memory may be made to the Martin D. Sorin ‘70 Endowed Scholarship at Long Island University by sending a check payable to Long Island University, Attn: Advancement, 720 Northern Blvd, Brookville, NY 11548 with "Martin Sorin '70 Scholarship" in the memo line.

At his request there will be no services. A private function will celebrate his life and personality.

Arrangements are with the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.

Armella Agnes Phillips

1923 - 2024

FLY CREEK - Armella Agnes Phillips (Aimee), age 100, passed away peacefully with family by her side on Monday, April 15, 2024.

Born into a loving Midwest family on September 19, 1923, she was the 8th child of Henry and Mathilda Mescher and grew up in Dyersville, Iowa with her 13 siblings. She made front page news when she was the first young lady from her area to join the US Women’s Army Corp in 1944. While serving she met Hubert “Bud” Phillips, a dashing air force gunner, they were married in 1947 and had a wonderful loving marriage for 54 years. She was an outstanding mother to her 9 children giving them the love, care and support they needed while giving them enough freedom to grow and explore. She was an excellent seamstress doing alterations for Clark’s Men’s Store and The Paula Shop, and she also enjoyed working at the Otesaga Hotel front desk for 27 years. Her passing has left a great void, but she will be remembered with love from her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, her two remaining brothers, her sister-in-law, Joan Clark, and countless nieces and nephews.

She is survived by her 9 children: Sue Holmes (Bert) of Cooperstown, Michael Phillips (Margie) of Milwaukee, Wisc., Brian Philips (Beth) of Mt. Vision, Peggy Stote (Jeff) of Oswestry, England, Craig Phillips (Cheryl) of Herkimer, Terry Eng (Matt) of Wasilla, Alaska, Kathy Graham (Sean) of Cherry Valley, Jeff Phillips (Barbara) of Cooperstown, and Laurie Tilley (Jeff) of Mt. Vision; 23 grandchildren and 30 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband Bud in 2001 and an infant daughter, Julie Ann, in 1967.

A Mass will be held to celebrate Armella’s life at St Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown on Saturday, May 4th at 11a.m. Burial will be held at later date.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Helios Care, 297 River St. Unit 1, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Matthew D. Allison

1958 - 2023

MILFORD - Please join us for a memorial service to celebrate the life of Matthew Allison. We will gather together on April 27, 2024, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 232 Eddie Martin Road, Milford, to remember Matt who is greatly missed. Please bring your fondest memories of Matt to share with families and friends.