Darla Jean Cooper passed away on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at her home surrounded by her loving family.
Jean was born on Aug. 17, 1939, in Poultney, Vt., the daughter of Everett and Mary (Waite) Parker and the adopted daughter of David and Beulah Cooper.
Jean graduated from Whitehall High School in 1959. She was employed for 30 years as postmaster of the Hulletts Landing post office. She was employed part time at AJ’s Restaurant in Granville. Jean enjoyed the outdoors, especially ice fishing and hunting. She was an avid golfer for more than 30 years. She attained every golfer’s dream of a hole-in-one on July 27, 2003, at Country Meadows in Fort Ann. Jean also loved bowling and playing cards.
In addition to her parents and adoptive parents, she was predeceased by her siblings, Patricia Hanna, Esther Farrar, and James Parker, two nieces, Jill Parker-Ward and LeeAnn Brooks, and a nephew, Everett Loveland.
Jean is survived by her siblings, Clifford (Mike) Ryder and his wife, Sandy of Georgia, Vt., her twin sister Donna Casey of Granville, Maynard Parker and his wife, Mary, of Hudson Falls, Mary Lee Bowen and her husband, Allen, of Fair Haven, Vt., and Laura Fraser of Whitehall. Also surviving are several nieces and nephews who include Kevin and Amy Zellars (her primary caregivers) of Granville, and her aunts Effie Brooks, Lois Kopp and Alice Spargo.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, March 12, at the Robert M. King Funeral Home, 23 Church St., Granville, with the Pastor Rob Smith of the Fair Haven Baptist Church officiating. Friends may call on Thursday, March 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery in Middle Granville in the spring.
In lieu of flowers the family has suggested memorial contributions be made in her memory to the Granville Fire Departments, c/o of Village Offices, 51 Quaker St. or P.O. Box 208, Granville, N.Y. 12832.
The family would like to extend its appreciation and heartfelt thanks to Hospice of Washington County.
Madeline Crandall passed away on March 3, 2010, following a short illness at Albany Medical Center.
Madeline was born on Dec. 25, 1929, in Granville, the daughter of the late Maurice and Mary (Gilbert) Doty.
In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sisters, Agnes VanGuilder and Helen Thayer.
Survivors are her husband, Edward of Granville; two children, Ronald Carmichael and Sandra Carmichael; as well as several grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother, David Doty and his wife, Patricia, and a sister Carolyn Juckett, all of Granville; as well as several nieces and nephews.
At her request, no calling hours are scheduled and burial will be private.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Robert M. King Funeral Home, 23 Church St., Granville.
Rodger Lawrence Hurley, dearly loved husband, father and grandfather, died suddenly of a heart attack on Tuesday, March 2, 2010. He was the town supervisor of Granville.
He was born on Feb. 27, 1940, in New York City and grew up in Ramsey, N.J., and in Friendship, N.Y., where his grandparents had farmed. He was the son of John Archer Hurley and Elizabeth Hess Hurley.
Mr. Hurley graduated from Ramsey High School, where he was a varsity basketball player and where he was voted athlete of the year. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Brown University, where he also played varsity ball and was honored to have been selected as among the 10 best, in his decade, of Brown University’s players over the last hundred years. While working in Bangkok, he coached the Thai National Team to victory in the Southeast Asian regional competition. He frequently said that his one unfulfilled ambition in life was to achieve a vertical jump like Michael Jordan’s.
Mr. Hurley served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and the Special Forces and fought in Vietnam. After his military service, he completed his master’s degree in practical politics from Rutgers University.
In a life dedicated to service, Mr. Hurley held positions in government at several levels, working with UNESCO in Bangkok, Thailand, with the federal government as national director of projects with the National Corporation for Service, with the city of New York working for drug-addicted Vietnam veterans, and at the state level in a wide variety of positions. He ran for Congress in 1980. He was president of the Hartford Central School Board and a proud member of Granville’s Engine and Hose Volunteer Fire Company. He was the author of a well-respected book on poverty, titled “Poverty and Mental Retardation: A Causal Relationship”; the introduction to that volume was written by Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Mr. Hurley felt most fulfilled, however, in his position as town supervisor. He believed passionately in a positive future for Granville because he saw the strength of that community in its history of working together for the well-being of its citizens. Projects like the Haynes House of Hope and the Granville Partnership for Economic Development were fundamental to his perception of his community, and he was relentless in advocating for the people of this area. In a Memorial Day speech he said of his town: “The values which have always been a central part of the fabric of Granville — hard work, self-sufficiency, loving attention to children, fairness, caring for one’s neighbor, service to the community — always need attention and re-emphasis.” Those were the beliefs that inspired him every day. He wanted his life to count. And it did.
Memorial donations may be made in his name to the Haynes House of Hope, Adirondack Vets House, Granville Engine and Hose Volunteer Fire Company, the Hartford Volunteer Fire Company, or the South Granville Congregational Church.
He leaves behind his wife, who loves him deeply, Ann Wells Hollinshead Hurley; and four beloved children: two sons and their wives, Rodger Wells and Candace Hurley, Robert Daniel and Sonia Hurley, and two daughters, Elizabeth Eul Soon Hurley and Catherine Jean Hurley; three treasured grandchildren: Jaden, Gianna, and Nia Hurley, and his loved brother, Robert Francis Hurley.
A memorial service for Rodger Hurley will take place at the South Granville Congregational Church on Saturday, March 13, at 1 p.m. A reception to follow will be held at the Hartford Volunteer Fire Company Hall. Burial will be private, for family only.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Robert M. King Funeral Home in Granville.
Verona F. (Hughes) Conners, formerly of Embury Apartments in Saratoga Springs, passed peacefully Monday, March 1, 2010, at the Wesley Health Care Center surrounded by friends and family. She was 87.
Born on Jan. 5, 1923 in Middle Granville, she was the daughter of the late William J. and Mary E. (Thomas) Hughes. The family moved in 1931 to Saratoga Springs where she graduated from high school in 1941. She was employed by Van Raalte & Co. for 11 years as a supervisor of shipping. After marrying in 1951, she worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco until 1955. While raising two children, she was secretary to the principal at Dorothy Nolan School until retiring in 1980.
Throughout her life, she quietly served her community as choir director, Sunday school teacher, assisting Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, and in later years knitting and crocheting hundreds of hats, mittens, “Sweaters for Kids” and afghans for “After the Fire.”
In addition to her parents, she is predeceased by her son, Bruce E. Conners, who passed away on June 15, 1974.
Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Robert E. Conners; her daughter, Karen S. Conners of Duanesburg; her brother, Ernest L. (wife, Betty Rowland) Hughes of Hillsboro, Ore.; and several cousins.
A celebration of Verona’s life was held Monday, March 8, at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs (584-5373). There were no public calling hours. Private burial will be in Greenridge Cemetery, Lincoln Avenue.
Memorials may be made in her name to the Wesley Foundation, 131 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 12866.
Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.
Yvonne Teresa Naugle, 80, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 1, 2010, at Genesis Eldercare Mountain View Center in Rutland, Vt.
She was born Aug. 26, 1929, on Staten Island, the youngest child of Augustus and Marcella (Kiernan) Kinzel.
She graduated in 1947 from Curtis High School on Staten Island, and on Sept. 23, 1950, married Alvin G. Naugle, who predeceased her on Dec. 17, 1997.
They made their early home on Staten Island, and then moved to Englishtown, N.J. After 19 years of marriage, their daughter Jennifer was born in 1969. In 1973, they moved to Castleton, Vt., where they purchased and operated Tag’s Motel together until selling it and retiring in 1984. In her retirement, she worked part time for 23 years, starting in 1985, at the bookstore at Castleton State College, where she eagerly anticipated “book rush” until her retirement in 2008.
Yvonne is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Barrett and her fiancé, Jeff Larson, of Castleton; her sister Doris Wekerle and her companion, Russ Neblung, of Rahway, N.J.; her sister-in-law Ellen Johnson and her husband, Arthur of Palenville, their three daughters, Elizabeth, Stacey and Leslie; and several cousins. Also surviving Yvonne is her dear friend, Mary Anne Heilig and her husband, Peter, of Castleton.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her in-laws, Elizabeth and Alvin J. Naugle, her beloved husband, Al, a brother, Kenneth Kinzel, a sister-in-law, Viola Kinzel, a niece, Edie Kinzel, and a nephew, Kenneth Kinzel Jr.
Memorial contributions may be made in Yvonne’s name to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1 Hillside Road, Rutland, Vt. 05701 or Rutland Area Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice, 7 Albert Cree Drive, Rutland, Vt. 05701.
Calling hours were held Thursday, March 4, at the Durfee Funeral Home in Fair Haven, Vt., and the funeral service was held on Friday, March 5, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Rutland with the Rev. Sharon Hughes presiding. Burial will be at a later date at Hillside Cemetery in Castleton.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Durfee Funeral Home in Fair Haven.
Richard A. Zeimet, 64, of Hampton passed away at his home on March, 4, 2010, with his loving wife and family at his side.
Born on Dec. 6, 1945, in Des Plaines, Ill., he was the son of Ted and Marie (Prochasta) Zeimet.
After growing up in Des Plaines, he enlisted in the U.S Navy in December 1962, and was honorably discharged in June 1974.
He married his wife and best friend, Rose, on Sept. 27, 1966. After his discharge from the Navy they moved to her home town of Hampton to raise their family.
Rich, known to many as “Zim” or “Abbott,” was a licensed master plumber and had been employed by Jordan Oil, Whitcomb Plumbing and Heating, the New York State Department of Correctional Services (maintenance) and General Electric Co. in Rutland, Vt., where he retired after 18 years.
He was a past member of the Hampton Volunteer Fire Department, Poultney (Vt.) Valley Snowmobile Devils Club and Vermont Association of Snow Travelers. Rich enjoyed hunting, but his first love was fishing and he spent many hours on Lake Champlain with his “fishing buddy” Dinty Moore.
He loved spending time with his grandkids when they could come and visit. He enjoyed packing a lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and taking them fishing. He especially loved to watch the expressions on their faces when they caught a fish.
Rich was a proud Navy veteran. He served aboard the USS Hunt -DD674, USS Graham County -1176, USS Guam LPH-9, USS Albany CG-10 and USS Detroit AOE-9. In 1990 he joined and became a very active member of USS Albany Association and later also became a member of the USS Guam LPH-9 Association and attended yearly reunions of both associations.
He was also a member of the “Cruiser Sailor Association,” “Tin Can Sailor” and a 20-year member of the American Legion Post 0039.
Rich is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Rose M. (Shaw) Zeimet; his son, Richard E. and his wife, Anissa, of Clarksville, Tenn.; his daughter, Ronda M. Panoushek and her husband, Steve, of Hebron, Ky.; five loving grandchildren, Shelby and Victoria Panoushek, Lauren, Zachary and Megan Zeimet; two brothers, James Zeimet and his wife, Jeanne, of Kingston, Ill., and Charles Zeimet and his wife, Darla, of Iron Mountain, Mich.; and a sister-in-law, Georgia Zeimet of Park City, Ill. He is also survived by loved ones we depended on so much, Bob and Cam Shaw, many close relatives, nieces and nephews, and his many friends and shipmates who were the most amazing support group ever.
Rich was predeceased by his parents, Ted and Marie, and one brother, Ted Zeimet.
A memorial service, with a celebration of life immediately following, will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 10, at Crippen Fellows Post 50 American Legion in Castleton, Vt. At his request, there will be no calling hours.
Donations in his memory may be sent to USS Albany Association, USS Guam LPH-9 Association, Poultney Rescue Squad or Haynes House of Hope through the Durfee Funeral Home, P.O. Box 86, Fair Haven, Vt. 05743.
- Darla Jean Cooper, 70
- Madeline Crandall, 80
- Rodger Lawrence Hurley, 70
- Verona F. (Hughes) Conners, 87
- Yvonne T. Naugle, 80
- Richard A. Zeimet, 64
- Griffith (Roger) Evans, 86
- Christine A. (Stewart) Krawczyk, 60
- Edwin F. Nagell, 53
- Carol Caruso Cae, 68
