Mary Lou McHale – 79 – of 270 Main St., Hornell, died unexpectedly on Monday (January 9, 2012) at her home.

Born in Hornell on June 16, 1932, she was the daughter of Charles & Lillian (Kelly) Howe.

Mary Lou grew up in Arkport and was a graduate of Arkport Central School.  She had been employed for several years at the former Marion Rohr Corporation and for nearly 40 years was employed as a School Crossing Guard for the City of Hornell.  For many years, she owned & operated Mary Lou’s Chocolate Shop in Hornell featuring a variety of “goodies” during the Easter Season.  Mary Lou thoroughly enjoyed all of the holidays and loved decorating her home for each holiday season.

James R. McEvoy – 77 – of Hornell, formerly of Almond, died peacefully Monday evening (January 2, 2012) at McAuley Manor following a long illness.

Born in Oswego, NY on January 5th, 1934, he was the son of James & Bernice (Guile) McEvoy.  He had resided in the Almond – Hornell area for most of his adult life.

Jim was a graduate of Williamson High School and later graduated from Ithaca College where he majored in Physical Education.  For 33 years, he served as a Physical Education Teacher at Alfred-Almond Central School.  During that time, Jim also served as soccer coach, basketball coach and track & field coach.  His track & field teams earned seven Section V titles.  He retired in 1992.  In 1997, he was inducted into the Alfred-Almond Sports Hall of Fame and recently was inducted to the Section V Track & Field Hall of Fame.

Emily M. VanSkiver, two year old daughter of David & Tammy (Butler) VanSkiver of 6 Aber St., Canaseraga, received her wings Friday morning (December 30, 2011) after passing at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester following a long illness.

Emily, who was born on December 29, 2009, touched many lives during her two short years on this earth.  She was a “fighter” who struggled, yet fought every medical hardship that was thrown her way.  Emily had an infectious smile that could light up a room.  To know Emily was to love her.  Although she was only here for a short time, she was loved by everyone that was blessed to have known her and will never be forgotten.  She was surely an angel sent from heaven!!

Emily was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Ernest & Catherine VanSkiver.

Surviving are her parents, David & Tammy VanSkiver of Canaseraga; her biological mother, Aaron Hutchinson & family of Hornell; her siblings, Brandon VanSkiver, Tyler VanSkiver, Natasha VanSkiver, Samuel Strickland and twin sister, Tegan VanSkiver; maternal grandparents, Harold & Lillian Kernan of Canaseraga; her aunts & uncles, Naomi Kernan, Jason (Karolyn) Kernan, Donald (Mary Kay) VanSkiver, Dean (Jane) VanSkiver, Darlene (Charles) Johnson, Duane (Mary Jo) VanSkiver, Darrell (Sandra) VanSkiver, Daniel VanSkiver & Dale VanSkiver; several cousins. 

Emily’s bright smile will also be remembered and sadly missed by all of the wonderful doctors, nurses and many special professionals & staff members from various agencies.  Her family will be eternally grateful all those who enriched Emily’s life.

At the family’s request, there will be no calling hours.  A Memorial Service will be held at the convenience of the family.

Memorial contributions in Emily’s name may be made to either the Tegan VanSkiver Trust Fund, C/O Naomi Kernan, 10264 Coombs Hill Rd., Canaseraga, NY 14822  or to the Ronald McDonald House Within the Hospital, Golisano Children’s Hospitals, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box Ronald McDonald, Rochester, NY 14642 (585-276-5437).

Arrangements are in care of the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.

Anna M. Perry — AKA “The Avon Lady” — mother, grandmother, friend, Avon lady, bargain hunter and card player, of 39 Scott St., was called to walk with her Lord on Friday (December 30, 2011), while a resident at Hornell Gardens.

She was born in Mileses, NY on August 24, 1934, the youngest of three children, to the late William and Johanna (Winkler) Brown.

On June 8, 1957, she was married to Carl M Perry of Susquehanna, PA, who died in 1982, after 24 years of devoted marriage. Besides her parents and husband, she was also preceded in death by her brother James Brown.

Marilyn “Ruth” Gilmore – 80 – of 90 Seneca St., formerly of 21 Allen St., Hornell, died Friday afternoon (December 16, 2011) at Hornell Gardens where she had resided for the past 5 weeks.

Born in Hartford, CT on February 15, 1931, she was the daughter of Dewey & Martha Milliner.

A resident of Hornell for most of her adult life, Ruth had been employed as a housekeeper & receptionist for both Dr. John Kelly  &  Dr. James Kelly in Hornell for many years.  She also owned & operated a child day-care from her home for several years.

Ruth had been a member of the First Baptist Church in Hornell.  She enjoyed working on cross word puzzles, knitting & crocheting. 

Christopher R. “Chris” Norton – 59 – of County Route 121, Wayland, (Loon Lake), died unexpectedly at his home.

Born in Hornell on April 11, 1952, he was the son of Richard & Margaret (Fie) Norton.

Chris grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of Hornell High School (class of 1970).  Following high school he enlisted in the US Army where he served from 1971-1974.  While serving in the US Army, Chris was stationed in Alaska and served as a medic.

For many years, Chris was self employed as a painter and drywall hanger.  He later earned his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Alfred University, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.  He was very proud of the fact that he eventually became an Associate Professor at SUNY Alfred, teaching physics and electrical engineering.

George J. Cheresnowsky of 1143 Haskell Road, Hornell, died early Thursday morning (December 15, 2011) at his home, following a long illness.

A native and lifelong resident of Hornell, he was born August 26, 1931 and was the son of the late John & Anna (Shutowich) Cheresnowsky.

George was a graduate of Hornell High School (Class of 1951).  Following high school, he began working as a mason / bricklayer.  He was a veteran of the US Army during the Korean Conflict and was stationed in Germany.

Following his discharge from the US Army, George continued his work as a mason / bricklayer.  He left his mark with his craftsmanship across the Southern Tier, having built many schools, colleges, office buildings and wineries.  George was a lifetime member of the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craft Workers, receiving his Gold Card in 2001.

Darrin E. Kuker – (54) – of 233 Vincent St., Hornell, died Monday afternoon (December 5, 2011) at McAuley Manor, following a long illness.

Born April 25, 1957 in Scranton, PA, she was the daughter of Dudley & Dolores (Novack) Kuker.

A resident of Hornell since the age of 5, Darrin was a graduate of St. Ann’s School and later graduated from Hornell High School (class of 1975).  Following high school, she attended Allegany BOCES where she majored in Cosmetology.

Darrin was employed for a time at The Americana Beauty Salon in Hornell.  For 13 years she was employed at the former Sears Store in Hornell — first as a “tele-typist” and later at the Sears Furniture Outlet.  For about 6 years she worked at the Hornell Humane Society as a general care-giver to the dogs & cats and for 18 ½ years was employed at the former P&C Grocery in Hornell as Bakery & Produce Clerk.

Angelina C. Devlin – 98 – of 390 Seneca Road, North Hornell, died early Tuesday morning (November 29, 2011) at St. James Mercy Hospital, following a long illness.

Born in Olean on June 17, 1913, she was the daughter of Albert & Catherine (Ward) Kuhn.

Angelina resided in Hornell for most of her life and was a graduate of St. Ann’s School and Hornell High School (class of 1931).  She later received her Bachelor’s Degree in Education from State Teacher’s College in Buffalo, NY. 

Her first teaching position was in a one-room schoolhouse in West Almond.  Throughout the years, Angelina taught elementary school in several locations including Canaseraga Central School, North Hornell School, St. Ann’s School, Lincoln School and Arkport Central School.  She retired in 1978.

Francis J. “Frip” Marino – (85) – of 348 Cleveland Ave., North Hornell, died early Saturday morning (November 26, 2011) at Rochester General Hospital, following a long illness.

Born in Hornell on May 24, 1926, he was the son of Anthony & Rose Mary (Milanese) Marino.

Frip was a graduate of St. Ann’s School and later graduated from Hornell High School (class of 1944).  He was employed in many capacities for over 44 years at the former Erie Railroad, Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and Conrail.   For four of those years (1984-1988) his employment with the railroad forced him to live in Buffalo, but he was able to move back to Hornell in 1988.  He retired in 1989.