Obituary: Catherine Elizabeth Keeshan Ranieri

Catherine Elizabeth “Kitty” Keeshan Ranieri, age 83, of Chatsworth, CA and formerly of Munsey Park, Manhasset died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. She was born Feb. 3, 1930 in Manhattan, the youngest and only daughter of John Joseph Keeshan, a native of Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland, and Margaret Frances (Conroy) Keeshan. Catherine was raised in Forest Hills, NY, and attended school at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and Forest Hills High School.

Catherine married George Bruno Ranieri on July 12, 1952 and raised four children in Riverside, CT then Manhasset. Catherine was a Girl Scout leader and member of several committees at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. In 1963 her beloved husband George succumbed to stomach cancer. Five years later her brothers Jack and Bill encouraged her to join them in southern California, so in November 1968 the family moved to Westland Village, Ventura County, CA.

Obituary: Mary Walden Jeffers

Mary Walden Bell (“Wally”) Jeffers, beloved daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died April 19, 2013, at the age of 99, in Bloomfield, CT.

Wally was born in Asheville NC in 1914.  She was the eldest child of Mary Walden (Williamson) Bell and Landon Covington Bell. She grew up with six younger brothers in Columbus, OH, and graduated from Wellesley College in 1936. In 1940, Wally married Walter W. Jeffers, an officer of what is now Citibank, whom she had met on a blind date while in college.  They resided in Plandome and were active in the Manhasset Congregational Church and in civic affairs.  When Walter died, in 1989, she moved to Bloomfield, CT.

Obituary: Lawrence Sergi

Lawrence Sergi, 72, of Oakridge Trail, passed away the morning of April 9, 2013 at his residence in Evans City, PA. Born in Brooklyn on Aug. 13, 1940, Lawrence was the son of the late Charles and Vera Ciaburri Sergi. Surviving is his loving wife, Mary who he married in 1966. Lawrence was a member of St. Mary’s Church in Manhasset. He was a retired insurance investigator.

Lawrence enjoyed traveling with his wife and cherished the times he spent with his daughters and grandsons. Lawrence was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather who will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Survivors include his two loving daughters, Christine and her husband Jeff Gillow of Castle Rock, CO; Andrea and her husband Tom Piccione, Jr. of Chippewa Township, PA; and his two grandsons, Thomas Michael Piccione III and Christopher Lawrence Piccione. In addition to his parents, Lawrence is preceded in death by his beloved brother, Andrew Sergi.

Obituary: Adena Margarita Anderson

Adena Margarita Anderson died March 22, 2013, at 105 years. She was born on a farm in Rosendale, Wisconsin March 14, 1908 to Anna and Herman Haberkorn, the youngest of seven. Adena attended the University of Wisconsin, majoring in home economics, and that is where she met her husband, Albin (Andy). It was he who nicknamed her Dean. They were married in 1934, and moved to New York in 1936 when Andy was transferred by the A&P Tea Company to establish its quality control laboratory. They settled in Manhasset in 1941. Adena was very active in the Manhasset Girl Scouts where she was a leader for many years. She started the Turnover Shop (resale of secondhand clothes), which raised money in support of Manhasset Public Schools. Adena taught at Grace Institute and was a substitute teacher in high school home economics. 

 

Adena was a member of Church of Our Saviour Lutheran since 1941 where she was active in the Ruth Circle and other areas of the church throughout her life. Her greatest pleasure was establishing memorial plantings at the church where she met her “second son” Gregory Suridis. Dean loved life and was a consummate storyteller, particularly about her own foibles. She was a masterful hostess and loved entertaining. She had a wide circle of friends who brought her incredible joy especially in the last several years as her health declined. She loved giving to others and spent her entire life reaching out to those around her in many different ways.  Until the day she died she was thinking about how she could thank others for their kindnesses. 

 

Obituary: Robert B. Peelle

Robert Beatty Peelle, 93, died peacefully in his sleep March 16, 2013 with his youngest daughter by his side. He was born May 26, 1919 in Brooklyn, NY, a ‘birth-right’ Quaker, the oldest of the four children of Henry Edmund Peelle and Inez Beatty Peelle.

 

Bob was raised in Forest Hills, NY, and attended public elementary school there. Secondary school education was at Friends’ Academy of Locust Valley, NY. At age 16, he was admitted to Swarthmore College, PA, and graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1939. He earned an MME from NYU in 1941 and an MBA from Columbia University in 1979 at age 60.

 

Bob married Gertrude Elaine Maginniss (Gemmy), also a 1939 Swarthmore graduate, on April 11, 1942. They first lived in Schenectady, NY, where he worked for General Electric. They reared their six children in Manhasset and Roslyn, NY, while he worked for the Peelle Company, a multi-generation family business manufacturing industrial and elevator doors, based first in Brooklyn, then Bay Shore, NY. Bob and his brother eventually headed the company and oversaw its expansion to several operating plants. The two brothers retired in 1989, the control of the company being passed on to Bob’s nephew and middle son. After living half a century on Long Island, Bob and Gemmy moved in 1996 into the Rydal Park retirement community. Gemmy pre-deceased Bob in 2008.

 

Obituary: Edward Leon Bezkor

Beloved husband and father, Edward Leon Bezkor, 85, of Manhasset, New York passed away peacefully on April 1, 2013 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He was born in the Bronx to Albina and Theodore Bezkor. He earned a masters degree in engineering from Columbia University and was honored with the Tau Beta Pi National Award for distinguished scholarship and exemplary character. Ed served in the Army Corps of Engineers as part of the post World War II peacetime force. He was employed as a civil engineer by Parsons Brinkerhoff and was then hired by Gibbs & Hill as project manager for the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant. 

 

While living in Manhasset, Ed was a member of the American Legion Post 304, Knights of Columbus, and a communicant at St. Mary’s Church. He was also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. An avid outdoorsman, Ed enjoyed camping, fishing, canoeing, hiking, and snow skiing. Family camping trips were a time that Ed could share life lessons like the importance of planning and preparedness, respect for nature, and his love for the outdoors.

 

Being a man of great character and a kind heart, Ed led by example. Providing, protecting, and caring for his family were the most important things to him. He will be dearly missed by his wife of 45 years, Doris; son Bob, daughter-in-law, Bonnie, and grandson, Barrett; and son Eddie. 

Obituary: Victor P. Kawiecki, Sr.

Victor P. Kawiecki, Sr., age 83, of Port Washington, passed away on January 30, 2013. He was a Korean War Medic and retired electrician of the Manhasset School District.

Victor was the beloved husband of Eileen; loving father of Kathleen Lewis (William), Alice Feldt (David), Victor Jr.(Graciela), Elaine, Patricia Weber (Matthew), Eileen Orpheus (Edward), and Nora. Adored grand- father of William Jr., Victor and Catherine Lewis, Crystal, Andrew and David Jr. Feldt, Shannon Kawiecki, Joanna and Monica Weber as well as one great-grandchild, Sean Feldt. Brother of Wanda Simoroski.

Burial was Feb. 2 at St. Peter of Alcantara RC Church, with interment at Holy Rood Cemetery.

Obituary: Dr. Stuart L. Yunis

Dr. Stuart L. Yunis, a pioneer in the field of nephrology, passed away on March 16. He was 79 years old.

Dr. Yunis was a well-respected physician – and a beloved family man. He left Dartmouth following his third year, receiving early admission to SUNY Syracuse medical school. After graduation, he became chief resident at LIJ and later became double board certified in both internal medicine and nephrology. Dr. Yunis founded a very successful medical practice in Lake Success with specialists in every field. He also created the first in-house dialysis department at LIJ and later moved to St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, where he launched the in-house dialysis unit.  

Obituary: Marailyn D. Furlong

Marilyn D. Furlong, long time resident of Manhasset passed away on March 9, 2013. Loving wife of 62 years to Robert H. Furlong. Beloved mother of Patricia Furlong McCarthy (Christopher), Robert Harry Furlong Jr. (Lenore), Anne Furlong Whalen (Stuart) and James William Furlong (Kathleen). Cherished grandmother of 11 and great grandmother of three. Sister of Thomas W. of Mission Viejo, CA and Lorraine of St. Louis, MO.

She was in repose at the Fairchild Funeral Chapel, 1570 Northern Blvd Manhasset on March 12 from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m.  The Funeral Mass was Wednesday, March 13 at St. Mary’s RC Church in Manhasset.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Francis Hospital Foundation, Office of Development & Public Affairs, 100 Port Washington Blvd., Roslyn, NY 11576.

Obituary: Eric Gunner Carlson

A long time native of Long Island, Eric Gunner Carlson passed away peacefully at Saint Francis Hospital in Roslyn on the morning of Jan.26, 2013. Carlson was born June 22, 1924 to Helen and Gunner Carlson.  Both parents emigrated from Sweden and came to Glen Cove, NY in the early 1900s.  The family moved to Roslyn in 1925, and Carlson attended the local schools where he was selected as an actor for the WPA Federal Theater Project in Roslyn. He graduated from Roslyn High School in 1941 and enrolled in Cornell University that fall.  

Carlson took a leave of absence from Cornell and entered the military in February of 1943 where he became a corporal with the 87th Division when he was transferred to the Air Corps. There Carlson received his bombardier wings as a Second Lieutenant at Victorville, CA in June, 1944. Carlson served with the 351st Bomb Group in the 8th AAF in England during WWII, where he participated in 13 B-17 combat missions and received the Air Medal and the Medaille De la France Liberee.