Jules R. Feiffer

1929 - 2025

RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Jules R. Feiffer, a cartoonist and writer, passed into eternal life late Friday morning, January 17, 2025, at his home in the Town of Exeter with his wife, the writer JZ Holden by his side. He mastered every major narrative art form of the 20th century – comic strips, theater, cinema, novels, graphic novels, children’s literature – and used them to capture our every neurosis, desire, fear, hypocrisy, fantasy, rationalization and twisted daydream. He was 95. 

Born January 26, 1929, in The Bronx, Jules Ralph Feiffer was the son of Polish Jewish immigrants David and Rhoda (Davis) Feiffer. Encouraged by his mother, he began drawing at the age of 3 and soon developed a love for cartoons. After graduating from James Monroe High School at the age of 16, he went to work for Will Eisner, who considered Jules a mediocre artist, but he “liked the kid’s spunk and intensity.” The two worked well together, especially on Eisner’s cartoon, “Spirit.”

From 1951 until 1953, Jules served in the United States Army during the Korean War where he did animation for the Signal Corps. 

After working with Will Eisner, Jules eventually ventured off onto his own and became a staff cartoonist for the fledgling The Village Voice where he produced a weekly comic strip eventually titled “Feiffer” that ran for 42 years, until 1997. Known for his signature sketchy, scribbly line drawings, he compiled a collection of his satire cartoons into a best-selling book, “Sick Sick Sick: A Guide to Non-Confident Living,” a dissection of popular social and political neuroses. 

By 1959, “Feiffer” was distributed nationally by the Hall Syndicate and appeared in such newspapers as The Boston Globe and Newark Star-Ledger, as well as major publications including The New Yorker, Esquire, and Playboy. Eventually, syndication reached 100 newspapers at its peak. In 1997 The New York Times commissioned him to create its first op-ed page comic strip, which ran monthly until 2000. 

In the 1960s, Stanley Kubrick, a fellow Bronx native, invited Feiffer to write a screenplay for “Dr. Stangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.” Feiffer decided it just wasn’t for him, and Kubrick wound up writing, directing and producing the film himself. Feiffer went on to write the screenplay for “Carnal Knowledge” in 1971, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson and Art Garfunkel. In the 1980s he wrote the screenplay for Robert Altman’s “Popeye.” Though it met with mixed, critical reaction, the film, starring Robin Williams as Popeye and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl was a hit. 

Through the years, he published many books containing his art, including children’s books such as “The Phantom Tollbooth” in 1961, and wrote and drew one of the earliest graphic novels, “Tantrum.” Age was not a factor for this indefatigable man, and just this past year, he published “Amazing Grapes,” a graphic novel for middle-school-age children. 

Included in the many honors and awards he garnered throughout his life, are an Academy Award in 1961 for best animated short film, “Munro,” the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for political cartoons, a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 from the Writers Guild of America, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame. 


In September 2016, Jules married the writer JZ Holden and moved to Shelter Island. They later moved to upstate New York and settled into a home overlooking fields, mountains and a lake. 

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three daughters from previous marriages, Halley, Kate and Julie Feiffer. 

Soon after his death, many tributes to his prodigious career have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Comics Journal and Variety, just to name a few. Please read these articles to gain an appreciation for a life well-lived. 

Jules will be laid to rest later this spring in Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown.

Arrangements are with 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.

Jean W. Johnson

1934 - 2025

COOPERSTOWN – Jean W. Johnson, a native of Cooperstown and a faithful and devoted member of Christ Church, entered into eternal life early Sunday morning, January 5, 2025, The Feast of the Epiphany, surrounded by her family at Bassett Medical Center. She was 90. 

Born April 30, 1934, in Cooperstown, Jean was a daughter of Joseph C. Worrall - a former jockey for F. Ambrose Clark - and Gertrude Brisack Worrall - a well-known and respected pediatric nurse at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital. 

Jean spent most of her early school years in Detroit before moving back to Cooperstown and graduating from Cooperstown High School with the Class of 1952. Jean attended the Utica School of Commerce where she studied secretarial science. 

On October 15, 1954, in the middle of Hurricane Hazel, Jean married Richard Edward “Dick” Johnson in a ceremony at Christ Church in Cooperstown. They made their home on North Street in Edmeston where they raised their family. 

For many years, Jean was employed as a legal secretary for her husband and later was the Chief Clerk for the Otsego County Family Court. 

As a life-long Episcopalian, Jean was a beloved member of Christ Church, where she served in various roles, including more than 50 years as a member of the Altar Guild. She was a member of the Native Daughters of Cooperstown and often attended the annual luncheons with her mother, Gertrude and sister, Joan. Jean also belonged to the Lake and Valley Garden Club and served in several positions and was also a dedicated member of the Cooperstown Alumni Association. 

Jean lived a rich and varied life. When she was 4 years old, her Aunt Beatrice Hogue (née Brisack) saved her from drowning at the Pump House on Mill Street. Mom loved to host many friends of her children and grandchildren, whether she was making dinner before Edmeston sporting events, baking her famous cookies, making crepes for mini-courses, or lint rolling prom dresses, Jean was always ready to help. She loved everyone and she loved to make new friends. 

Jean will be greatly missed by her loving family, her church and many friends. She spent numerous hours gardening, golfing, playing bridge, sewing, and traveling. She especially loved quilting. Her handmade quilts are treasured items for her children and grandchildren. 

Jean is survived by two daughters, Debra Mullet and husband, John of College Station, Texas, and Meghan King and husband, Rob, of Bradford Woods, Pennsylvania; a son, Timothy R. Johnson, Esq. and wife, Vicki of Edmeston; six grandchildren: Ian Mullet, Alexander (Gloria) Johnson, Susanna Johnson, Cooper King, Schaefer King (Natalie), Catherine Johnson (Erin); nieces Annie Mithoefer and Robin Torrence; nephew Mark Jacobson; special cousins and great nieces and nephews. 

She was predeceased by her parents, Joseph C. Worrall and Gertrude B. Worrall; her husband of 30 years, Dick Johnson; her sister, Joan W. White; and nephew Brian Jacobson. 

The Office of the Burial of the Dead with the Holy Eucharist will be offered at 11 a.m. Monday, January 13, 2025, at Christ Church in Cooperstown, with the Rev'd Nathan Ritter, rector, officiating. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall. The Service of Committal at The Columbarium Wall in the Churchyard at Christ Church will be held later this Spring. 

In lieu of flowers the family kindly requests contributions to Edmeston Free Library, Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home, Susquehanna S.P.C.A. or a charity of your choice. 

Jean’s family would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home family and the Bassett Medical Center doctors, nurses and staff on third floor medical. 

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.

Alessandra Palumbo

1924 - 2025

COOPERSTOWN – Alessandra Palumbo, 100, of Mamaroneck and Rye, passed away on January 4, 2025, at The Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home in Cooperstown where she moved in 2019 to be closer to her daughter, Deanna, who was by her side when she passed.

Born February 16, 1924, to Frank & Rosa Giaramita, Aless was one of six children. She met her soul-mate, Bernard Palumbo by the water cooler at work. They married on June 6, 1948, and together they raised six children. Aless is survived by her children: Victoria Sterling, Laurence, Deanna (Michael Levenstein), Rosary Murphy (Sean), Sandra Lubliner (John); 10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a sister, Maria D’Angelo; brother/sisters-in-law William & Madeline Palumbo andGloria Palumbo; and many nieces, nephews and friends. She is predeceased by her husband and her son, Bernard Joseph Jr.
 
Aless was a voracious reader, a skilled cook, and an expert quilt maker, creating quilts for her children and grandchildren. Several of her quilts were featured in the 2023 & 2024 annual Fenimore Quilt Club Show. Her most cherished times were family gatherings. She lived a wonderful life and was as sweet as they come. Her final years spent at the Thanksgiving Home were incredibly comforting for her entire family and we want to thank their wonderful staff for the incredible care they provided. When asked at her 100th birthday celebration for advice on turning 100 she jokingly said, “Don't do it.” What an inspiration to a life well lived! Her entire family feels blessed having had her in their lives and cherishes her memory.

Funeral Services for family and friends will be held in Westchester County.

Donations can be made to The Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home or St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.


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.

Hal P. Carius, Jr.

1954 - 2024

HARTWICK – Hal P. Carius, Jr., 70, of Persons Road in Hartwick, died unexpectedly at his home Saturday afternoon, December 21, 2024. 

Hal (never Harold) was born on April 20th, 1954 in Hackensack, NJ, the son of Harold Paul Carius and Anna (Zeman) Carius. Much more the son of his mother than his father, Hal retained her fire and spirit throughout his life. 

He was a force of nature, a hurricane that never blew out. Hal seemed eternal. His family had always guessed that, if he did go (and it never seemed like it was in his nature to die), it would be in some spectacularly bizarre fashion. He might have been hit by lightning and vaporized. Or crushed by a falling tree in the middle of a field. Or felled by some rare disease that you could only contract on the third Sunday of the 10th month every 15 years under a full moon while wearing the wrong color hat. You know, normal things. Pedestrian things. Things that could have happened to anyone. 

Over the course of his life, Hal learned many things about many things. He was as good an engineer, plumber, electrician, mechanic, cook, baker, driver, speaker, artist, and father as anyone could have ever hoped to be. His love of animals, especially dogs, knew no bounds, and he was frequently heard to wish vengeance and suffering on anyone who might harm any innocent creature. 

Hal (again, never Harold) is survived by Paula, his loving wife of 48 years, his son Will, and Chris, his younger brother. The Carius brothers were close for most of their lives and were frequently mistaken for twins, despite their three-year age difference. 

A visitation will be held at a later date at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Hartwick EMS Squad, or to All 4 Paws Animal Rescue in Malvern, PA. Please tell them that Hal sent you. He would have liked that. 


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.