Obituaries

Lansing, NY - Georgia K. Baker became her family’s guardian angel unexpectedly on June 13, 2012.  She was born on August 20, 1955, to George and Terry Baker.  From day one, Georgia was full of spunk and fire, and she quickly earned the nickname “Punk”.  She spent most of her life working hard, but her favorite occupation was being a Great Aunt and second Nana to her three great nieces, Amaya, Ryan, and Kiri, and her great nephew, Benjamin.  Georgia gave endlessly of herself and was always there when her family needed her. 

Her selflessness and loving nature made it hard for her to turn anyone or anything away.  Because of this, she will be sorely missed by her four dogs and three cats that she shared her home and her love with.  Georgia would most want to be remembered for the person she was in the last four years of her life.  After her divorce, she moved to Lansing to be closer to her sister, Mitzy and her family.  In Georgia’s own words, which were written shortly after her move, “My life is starting to be a lot better.  I’m finally able to smile.  Life is good.  I have my family I always wanted.”  She was an example of determination, love and compassion, which her family will never forget.

Contributions in Georgia’s memory may be directed to SPCA of Tompkins County, 1640 Hanshaw Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850.

Prayers of committal, officiated by Pastor Jane Sautter, will begin at 2pm, Sunday, June 24, 2012, at Pine Grove Cemetery, Lansing, NY.

Angelo Franco Jr. passed away Saturday, May 26, 2012 after a long trial with Parkinson’s.  He was the oldest son of Angelo and Emily Franco and husband to Carol (Lenaeus) Franco.  Angelo graduated from Syracuse University with a five year degree in Architecture and was drafted into the Army, where he served at Fort Belvoir.  In 1965 Angelo came to Ithaca where he worked for Tallman Inc., which later became Fred Thomas Associates, and in 1989 he moved to Egner Architectural Associates, retiring in 2003.  He met and married Carol shortly after his move to Ithaca, in 1966.

From his first experiences as a Boy Scout, Angelo had a deep love of the outdoors which he passed on to his two children; hiking, camping, and learning about nature were a big part of their childhood.  Travel was another passion and camping across the United States when the children were younger turned to more extensive trips – Angelo and Carol explored China, Korea, South America, England, Europe and Scandinavia together.

Kirk J. Hoag, "John", age 89, passed away on March 31, 2012 in the comfort of his Lansing home. Born February 10, 1923 in Norwich, NY, John was the youngest son of the late Kirk M. and Lula (Shorter) Hoag.

John spent his early days working on the family farm until he married his wife Clarice Baker Hoag in 1944. During WWII John and Clarice lived in Buffalo where John worked at Curtiss-Wright as a riveter on the P40, C46 and P47 aircrafts.

Dorothy May Emmick of 314 Buck Rd., Lansing, NY, passed away on Monday, April 9, 2012, at Cayuga Medical Center at the age of 86.

Born October 30, 1926, in Sherwood, NY, she was a daughter of the late Spencer W. and Daisy (Keim) Bright. After graduation from Ludlowville High School, she was married to Louis Emmick, who survives her. A hardworking, busy lady, Dorothy worked along with Lou in the family grocery store in Lake Ridge while raising a family. She was an excellent cook, and especially notorious for her salads and pies which were always in high demand. Dorothy was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who will be dearly missed.

Anna Moravec, age 93 of Ithaca died Friday, March 23, 2012 at Beechtree Care Center in Ithaca, NY.

Born March 26, 1918 in West Dryden, NY she was a daughter of the late August and Emma Vesley Kozel and wife of the late James Moravec.  She was a graduate of Ludlowville High School, class of 1936 and had been employed with the NYS School for Girls in Lansing prior to her retirement.  She was a member of the Pythian Sisters, Northeast Home Demonstration Unit and St. John's Episcopal Church where she was very active in church activities.

Ethel B. Kennaugh, age 100 passed away on February 6, 2012 at Bridges Cornell Heights in Ithaca, NY.  Ethel was born on August 23, 1911 in Queens, NY, the daughter of the late Edward A. and Rose End Blakelock.

In 1934, she married William F. Kennaugh in the Richmond Hill Methodist Church in Queens, NY.  He predeceased her in 1993.  After their marriage, they moved to Delhi, NY where Bill became associated with Delhi Tech (now SUNY Delhi) and Ethel worked as a stenographer in the County Social Services Department.  After raising a family and living in Delhi for 50 years, they moved to Ithaca, NY to be near their daughter.

Frances I. Gage, 86, of Lansing, New York, died Sunday, January 29, 2012 at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, New York.

Frances was born October 7, 1925 to the late Robert A. Irvine and Alice Walrath Irvine in Jasper, New York. She graduated from Jasper Central School in 1943. She attended State University of New York at Geneseo, graduating with a degree in Elementary Education in 1946.

After graduation, Fran taught third grade in Greenwood, NY. She subsequently married and joined her husband in Troy, NY, where he was a student of Electrical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Over the years they have lived in Schenectady NY, Owensboro KY, Syracuse NY, Topsfield MA, Weston MA, and Chestnut Hill MA.

On December 25th, 2011, Amy Huei-Mei Lin, age 67, passed away after a 5-year battle with colon cancer. She was born May 19, 1944, in Tainan, Taiwan She is survived by her devoted husband Kenneth Lin; her loving daughters Anne and Susan Lin; her 2 sisters and 4 brothers in Taiwan; as well as the many wonderful family and friends with whom she kept in touch in the Ithaca community.

She worked as a nurse at Cayuga Medical Center and spent the past 30 years as the manager of Jung Ching Foods, selling Chinese food at the Ithaca Farmer's Market, local Ithaca events, and at Cornell University dining hall a la carte venues, where she developed many friendships and affected countless people. She was always proud of her daughters Anne and Susan for their academic and musical accomplishments.

Donald E. Cook, Sr., 66, of 97 Armstrong Rd., Lansing, NY, passed away on January 8, 2012, at the Hospicare residence after losing a ten month battle with cancer.

Born December 11, 1945 in Ithaca, he attended Newfield Central School before moving to Lansing, where he owned and operated an auto body repair garage and then Don's Inboard Outboard Boat Motor Shop until his retirement in 2011. Don was an avid fisherman and enjoyed time spent on his boat with friends on Cayuga Lake and fishing in tournaments throughout upstate New York. He also enjoyed feeding and watching the birds and animals that frequented his backyard, the companionship of his pets, and traveling.

Ithaca - Dr. William J. Dress, professor of botany, emeritus, of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University died December 15, 2011 at his home at Kendal at Ithaca.  He was 93.

Dr. Dress was born in Buffalo and the son of the late David and Hazel Dress and the grandson of the late Benjamin and Harriet Bauchspies.  He graduated from South Park High School and later attended University of Buffalo where he received his A.B. degree in classical languages in 1931. From 1942 to 1945 he served in the U.S. Army Air Corp in an air service squadron, first in Louisiana and then in England, North Africa, and Italy.  He was honorably discharged at the rank of staff sergeant.

Harris B. Dates, of North Fort Myers, Florida and Lansing, New York, died peacefully after a short illness on September 26th, 2011.

Mr. Dates is survived by his loving wife Betty, three children; Sylvia (Eric) Averill, East Bridgewater, MA, Diane (Roger) LaLonde, Lansing, NY, Steven Dates, Lansing, NY, five step-children, nine grandchildren, four great grandchildren, nieces and a nephew.  He was predeceased by his first wife Clara (Stevie) Dates, his sister Marietta Fenner and his brother Bryant Dates Jr.

Mr. Dates was born on June 4, 1916 in Lansing, NY.  He was a long time employee at Cornell University and also served as Town of Lansing Supervisor and Tompkins County legislator for many years before retiring to North Fort Myers.

Martin J. Trinkl, Sr., age 71, of Leroy Ave., Lansing, NY, passed away at home on September 22, 2011.

Born June 15, 1940, in the same house he passed away in, Marty was a son of the late Ignatz and Josephine (Kukitz) Trinkl, Sr. A lifelong Lansing resident, he was a 1958 graduate of Lansing High School, where he was inducted into Lansing Athletic’s Hall of Fame as a member of the 1955-56 Basketball team. Marty’s greatest pleasure came from spending time with family. He was a proud, devoted husband, father and grandfather who will be dearly missed. A sensitive and appreciative man, he accepted people as they were. He was a very detail oriented man with a curious mind; always able to answer any question directed his way. Marty also enjoyed spending time at Myers Point and birdwatching. He was a dedicated employee of Cargill for over 41 years, retiring in 2000 as a mine surveyor.

Endwell: Stanley "Stosh" Binkewicz, 79, of Endwell, unexpectedly fell asleep in the Lord, on Tuesday, September 13, 2011. He was born on September 28, 1931 to the late Bernard and Steffie Binkewicz.

Stan is survived by his loving wife of 52 years, Helen; three sons, Daniel (Mary) Binkewicz, Matthew (Katrina) Binkewicz, and Peter (Julie) Binkewicz; eight grandchildren, Paul, Melissa, Kristen, Jessica, Justin, Kathleen, Caroline, and Tony; numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Susan M. Davidson, 58, passed away peacefully in the presence of her loving family at home, on Ridge Rd., July 24, 2011. She was an amazing woman who fought hard against pancreatic cancer for almost three years, and beat the odds.

Born August 18, 1952, in Queens, NY, she was the daughter of William H. Martinson, who survives her, and the late Jean Roessler Martinson. A graduate of Mepham High School in Bellmore, NY, Susan earned her Bachelor's degree in Human Development at Cornell University and her Master's in Education from SUNY Cortland. She married her husband, Norman Davidson, in 1976. After a stint teaching, Susan took time to raise their two sons full time. Once they matured, she returned to work, most recently as a tax preparer at Sciarabba Walker & Co, where she worked for over 10 years.

Eugene L. Dean of Lansing, NY, died on his 86th birthday, July 5, 2011, at the Cayuga Medical Center, Ithaca, NY, with his wife of 64 years, Janet (Morse) Dean by his side.

Born July 5, 1925 in Albany, NY, Gene was the son of the late Louis and Helen (Wagner) Dean. A 1943 graduate of Ithaca (NY) High School, he entered the United States Army in August 1943, serving in Europe as a reconnaissance squad leader during World War II and a supply officer following the armistice, achieving the rank of staff sergeant. He received his discharge from the Army in November 1945, earning a Good Conduct Medal and Purple Heart for his service.

LeLand John Ruzicka, 82, passed away at his home in Lansing surrounded by family on June 19, 2011.

Born in Ithaca, NY, on August 31, 1928, Lee was a son of the late Bernard and Goldie (Davis) Ruzicka. A lifelong Lansing resident, he graduated from Ithaca High School, attended drafting school in Albany, and proudly served his country in the U.S. Army. In 1951 he was married to Eleanor Ludlow and they enjoyed 60 years together at their lake home on Milliken Station Road Ext. Lee worked at Cayuga Rock Salt in Lansing for many years before getting seriously hurt on the job.

Harry E. Reinhart, 85, of Lansing, passed away June 16, 2011 at Hospicare of Ithaca.

Born in Johnsonburg, PA on March 11, 1926, he was the son of the late Frank and Ada (Wachob) Reinhart. He graduated from Albion, PA High School in 1944 and served in the US Army in Korea. Following his service, Harry graduated from Slippery Rock State Teachers College and earned his Master's Degree at The University of Pittsburgh. In 1952 he married Constance Neale in Beaver Falls, PA. Harry taught in several Pennsylvania school districts and was principal of the Conneaut Valley School District. He moved to New York upon being appointed principal of Lansing High School and served in that role from 1966 - 1971. Harry then became the Director of Education at George Junior Republic. After retiring from education, he worked at Therm, Inc., Ithaca, NY.

Jason D. Herren passed away unexpectedly at home on June 7, 2011, at the age of 36.

Born December 23, 1974, in Phoenix, AZ, he was the son of Katrina Neff and Billy Herren. Jason was employed as a welder at Pall Trinity Micro Corporation in Cortland.

In addition to his mother Katrina (Pat) Neff of Lansing, and his father, Billy Herren of IL, Jason is survived by his brothers, Jeremy Herren and James Neff of Lansing; a sister, Jessica Herren of IL; maternal grandparents, Mary Sue Taylor of AZ, Fred Cooper of AZ. and paternal grandmother, Billie R. Herren.

Thomas Andrew Skibitsky of Lansing, New York peacefully passed away on June 05, 2011 surrounded by his family. He was born to Andrew and the late Aldona Skibitsky on August 25, 1942 in Brooklyn, NY and was raised in Montgomery, NY. He met his beloved wife Lynda (Lehmann) in 1964 and married in 1966.

After serving in the US Air Force, he continued his education and then traveled the country as a Sonar Engineer with General Electric. His travels brought him "home" to Ithaca in 1972 where he changed careers and was a Production Supervisor for NCR and Paxar until his retirement in 2007. He was a member of All Saints Parish, the Alfa Romeo Club and the Elks Club. Tom was passionate about living life to the fullest. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, boating, and spending time with friends and family.

Calvin D. Volbrecht, age 86, of Lansing, NY, passed away June 5, 2011.

Born March 5, 1925, he was a son of the late Arthur and Eva (Keener) Volbrecht, Sr.  After graduation from High School, Cal proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy. Upon returning to Lansing, he was married to his loving wife of 63 years, Edith Davis Volbrecht. Cal worked for several years with his brothers in the Volbrecht Lumber Co., was a self employed carpenter and worked for a time in the maintenance department of the Ithaca City School District. He began his own scrap metal yard with the intent of working on his own vehicles, but it quickly expanded, and he was proud of having spent over 50 years as a "scrapper".