Dana M. Sawczyszyn – 60 – of 28 Green St., Canisteo, died unexpectedly Friday, August 9, 2019 at his home.

Born in Blossburg, PA on August 19, 1958, he was the son of Michael & Ola (Simons) Sawczyszyn.

Dana grew up in the Hornell-Arkport area and attended Arkport Central School.  He later earned his General Education Degree (GED) from the University of Albany.

For many years, Dana served as office manager for Ed Degnan, Attorney-at-Law in Canisteo.  Along with his duties as office manager, he often worked with clients, served important papers & filed legal documents.  He also owned & operated Four Season Animal Damage Control, carefully trapping & releasing wildlife that had moved their way into homes and businesses.

Dana was an avid outdoorsman and loved hunting, fishing & trapping.  He was a member of the New York State Tri-County Trappers Association for several years, holding official offices within that time.

On February 14th, 1996, Dana married Rhonda Aultman on a live segment of the Brother Wease Morning Circus radio show on WCMF-FM/AM with 26 other couples.  They were married for 23 years before Rhonda passed away on March 25th, 2019 following a long illness.

One of Dana’s hobbies was smart gambling.  He spent many hours researching gambling techniques and traveled to various casinos and cities to utilize his knowledge. Cities and casinos Dana visited with Rhonda included Atlantic City, Turning Stone Casino, Salamanca, Hamburg, Batavia, Niagara Falls, Nichols & Monticello.

Dana was a very compassionate man who enjoyed simply spending time talking & laughing with his many friends.  He will be missed by them, as well as by the many “feline friends” he provided care for.

Surviving Dana is his daughter, Sarah (Jason) Platt of Suffern, NY.  Also surviving are Brenda Lee

(Danielle) Miller and Michael Mosher; and from the Rauber, McDaniel and Sawczyszyn families–multiple siblings, several cousins, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

At Dana’s request there will be no calling hours, but family & friends are invited to a “Farewell Toast” on Sunday, August 18th at 2:00 pm at Kanakadea Park, where stories of Dana will be shared in honor of his memory.

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

Dana’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his and Rhonda’s name be made to: The Wilmont Cancer Center, 601 Elmwood Ave, Rochester, NY 146422.

On August 5, 2019 in the year of our Lord, Mary Lois Hedges Grimm, a dedicated and loving wife to Jim Grimm joined him and her mother “Hedgie” at Heaven’s Gate.

Mary Lois was born at St. James Hospital on July 15, 1925 and was the daughter of Artimus & Ester (Wilkins) Hedges and the step-daughter of Thomas Dean.

She will be remembered as a life-long member of Park United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday school.  She also mentored teachers along with her four children, Carol Marie, Paul James, Mary Beth and Rebecca Sue, in the ways of the Lord.

Mary Lois was a graduate of Hornell High School, class of 1943 and spent several years active in her alumni class projects. To honor her in lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Hornell High School Memorial Scholarship Fund.

She was a dedicated partner in several family businesses, most notably Memory Studio and Tree Barn.

Mary Lois was president of the local chapter of the American Field Service through which she gained another son, Ronnie Ball and allowed her daughter, Mary Beth, to spend a summer in Uganda (Africa).

Mary Lois was preceded in death by her husband, James Grimm; mother, Ester Wilkens Hedges Dean; father Artimus Hedges; stepfather Thomas Dean; uncles Raymond, Charles, Lymon, and Harold Wilkins.

Left to honor her are her children, Carol Marie (John) LaSalle of Jupiter, FL, Paul James (Brenda) Grimm of Marshall, TX, Mary Beth (Carl) Lindquist of Greensboro, NC and Rebecca Sue (Ralph) Bailey of Bradford, PA; her brothers, David (Barbara) Hedges of Hornell, NY, Phillip (Nancy) Hedges of North Augusta, SC.  Also left to honor her are 10 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at The First United Methodist Church of Hornell, Webbs Crossing Road, Hornell, NY on Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 2:00 PM.  Final interment will follow at the Arkport Cemetery.

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

Hornell High School Memorial Scholarship Fund donations should be sent to HHS Alumni Association, PO Box 135, Hornell, NY 14843.

Kelly D. Beckstrom – 57 – of Hornell, formerly of Arkport, died early Sunday morning (August 4, 2019) at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester following a brief illness.

Born in Wellsville, NY on May 25, 1962, she was the daughter of Robert & Sandra (Dickerson) Boyd.

Kelly grew up in the Wellsville / Scio areas and was a graduate of Scio High School (class of 1980).  She later attended Alfred State College.

For many years, Kelly was a “Stay At Home Mom” and more recently was employed as a cashier at Cy’s Shurfine, now Arkport Shurfine, in Arkport, NY.  She had been a member of the Arkport Presbyterian Church.  Kelly’s main enjoyment in life was simply spending time with her family and especially loved the time she spent with her grandson, Colton.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Dakota Beckstrom and also her brother, Jason Boyd.

Surviving are 4 daughters, Taylor Richardson of Hornell, Bailey (Douglas Smith) Richardson of Concord, NC, Kelcy Beckstrom of Almond and Victoria Beckstrom of Cohocton; her mother, Sandra Rowley of Wellsville; her father, Robert (Lorraine) Boyd of Cincinnati, OH; her grandson, Colton Smith; 2 brothers, Brian Boyd of Buffalo, NY and Jamie Boyd of Sparks, NV; several nieces & nephews.

The family of Kelly D. Beckstrom will receive friends on Thursday from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY where a Memorial Service will be held on Friday at 11:00 AM with Deacon Robert McCormick officiating.  Final interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellsville, NY.

Kelly’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name be made to Golisano Children’s Hospital, 601 Elmwood Ave # 655, Rochester, New York 14642.  Memorial forms will be available at the Dagon Funeral Home.

Elizabeth J. “Betty “ Gangemi, 93, currently residing in Cortland, NY, previously of Hornell, NY passed away early Sunday morning (August 4, 2019) at the Cortland Park Nursing Facility in Cortland, NY.

She was born in Wayne, NY, on March 31, 1926 to Robert and Estella (Rutherford) Black.  She resided in the Corning, NY area until May 1946, when she married Nicholas Gangemi and moved to Hornell.  She resided in Groton from 2014 until moving to Cortland earlier this year.

While living in Hornell, Betty was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and had been a communicant of St. Ignatius Loyola Church and later St. Ann’s Church.  For many years she served as bookkeeper for Nick’s Mobile, a service station owned & operated by her husband, Nick.

In her younger years she enjoyed bowling and belonged to a women’s bowling league and also a “couples league”, playing with her husband, Nick.  She also enjoyed working on crossword puzzles and jigsaw puzzles.

She was predeceased by her husband, Nicholas, on August 23, 2012. She was also predeceased by her parents, by two brothers, Robert Black and Theodore Black of Corning, and a sister Eleanor (Black, Bliss) Harrau of Lawrenceville PA.

She is survived by one daughter Linda (Stephen) Gobel of Cortland, NY, and two grandsons, Eric Gobel of Chicago, IL and Andrew (Marisa) Gobel of Homer, NY, and several nieces and nephews.

At Betty’s request, there will be no calling hours. Services will be private at the convenience of the family. Contributions can be made to St Ann’s Academy, 41 Genesee St., Hornell, NY 14843.

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

Thomas G. “Tom” Gilleran – 76 – of Hornell, died unexpectedly Wednesday morning (July 31, 2019) at his home.

Born in Albany, NY on September 27, 1942, he was the son of George & Frances (Klos) Gilleran.

Tom grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of St. Ann’s School.  He later graduated from Hornell High School (class of 1960).  Following high school graduation, Tom attended Alfred University where he majored in Chemical Engineering.

He was employed for many years at the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) as a computer technician, retiring about 17 years ago.

Tom had been member a communicant of St. Ignatius Loyola Church.  He enjoyed fishing, playing chess and watching baseball (especially the NY Mets & LA Dodgers) on TV.  He also enjoyed horse racing and his many trips to the race track.

He was preceded by his father, George T. Gilleran, his mother, Frances E. Gilleran in death by his nephew, Andrew Attinasi.

Surviving are his sister, Mary Ann (Daniel) Attinasi of Rochester; his nephew, Daniel (Johanna) Attinasi; his niece, Christine (Vince) LaTerra; two great nieces, Drew Attinasi and Mary Jo LaTerra; along with several cousins.  He will also be sadly missed by his friends and wonderful neighbors.

At Tom’s request there will be no calling hours.  Private graveside services will be held at the convenience of the family.

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

Tom’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to St. Ann’s Academy, 41 Genesee St., Hornell, NY or to the American Red Cross, 11371 LPGA Drive, Corning, NY 14830

Kathleen M. “Kathy” Durso – 57 – a resident of Corning Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare, formerly of Hornell, died early Saturday morning (July 27, 2019) at Corning Hospital, following a brief illness.

Born in Hornell on February 27, 1962, she was the daughter of Michael & Mary Lou (Walters) Durso.

Kathy grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of Hornell High School (class of 1980).  She later received an Associate’s Degree from Alfred State College.

She resided in California for 25 years and had been employed for an insurance company. She returned to the Hornell area about 10 years ago to help take care of her mother, following the death of her father.

She was preceded in death by her father who died April 12, 2005.

Surviving are her mother, Mary Lou Durso of Hornell; 2 brothers, Michael (Rose) Durso of Half Moon Bay, CA and Stephen (Susette) Durso of Carpinteria, CA; 2 sisters, Cindy (Rick) Hasler of Dayton, OH and Chrissy (Doug) Taggert of North Hornell; 8 nieces & nephews, Joe (Melissa) Durso, Jim (Bree) Durso, Alexis Durso, Jennifer (Chris) Pawelski, Lindsay Hasler, Matthew (Kristen) Taggert, Melissa (Chris) Squeglia and Lisa (Josh) Nichols; great nieces & great nephews.

The family would like to express an appreciation and recognition to Kelly Mehlenbacher, a lifelong high school friend.

At Kathy’s request there will be no calling hours.  Private services will be held at the convenience of the family.

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

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name may be made to American Diabetes Foundation, PO Box 13067, Alexandria, VA   2312 .

Mathilda M. “Mickey” Slenker – 79 – of 110 Elizabeth St., Hornell, died Sunday evening (July 21, 2019) at Arnot Ogden Hospital in Elmira, following a brief illness.

Born in St. Louis, MO on December 17, 1939, she was the daughter of Melchior & Elizabeth (Eckrick) Haefele.

Mickey grew up in St. Louis where she graduated from high school (class of 1957).  She later graduated from St. Louis City Hospital School of Nursing where she received her Registered Nurses License.

Residing in Warren, OH for about four years, Mickey was employed as a registered nurse and also a nurse anesthetist.  She has resided in the Hornell area since 1980 and had been employed as a registered nurse at both St. James Mercy Hospital and the former Bethesda Community Hospital.

She was preceded in death by 2 sisters, Loretta Haefele and Elizabeth Ferry.

Surviving are 2 sons, Leo (Melissa) Slenker of Kansas City, MO and John (Jennifer) Slenker of Alexander, NY; 6 grandchildren, Matthew, Rachel, Thomas, Benjamin, Claire & Anna; several nieces & nephews.

At Mickey’s request there will be no calling hours.  Private services will be held at the convenience of the family.

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

Mickey’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorials in her name be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

Leo J. DelRossa, Jr., 76, of Penn Yan, NY, died Friday evening, July 12, 2019, at Hildebrandt Hospice Care in Rochester, NY.

Born in Penn Yan on December 2, 1942, he was the son of Leo and Rose (Ribble) DelRossa.

Leo grew up in Dresden, NY, and was a graduate of Penn Yan Academy. He had resided in Penn Yan since the age of 19.

At a very young age, Leo began working for his father at DelRossa Ford Tractor & Implement in Penn Yan. He was active in the family business for his entire life, managing DelRossa Ford—later Torrey Auto—in Dresden for 45 years. Leo was an award-winning mechanic and sales representative. He trained for, practiced, and mastered every aspect of the business including service calls, sales, mechanical service and repairs, accounting, and facility maintenance. Customer service was natural to this man who was loved by so many.

Leo attended St. Michael’s Church in Penn Yan. He was a member of the American Legion and many clubs, including the Elks, Moose, Duck Hunters, Penn Yan Hunting, and Himrod Field and Stream Conservation.

Leo was an avid outdoorsman, who enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an excellent cook. He also enjoyed working in his vegetable garden. Leo was famously generous towards family, friends, and customers—and sometimes for complete strangers in need—there was no kindness that Leo would not do. To be touched by Leo’s unselfishness was to feel the Holy Spirit in action.

Surviving are his father, Leo J. DelRossa of Dresden; his longtime companion, Carol O’Keane of Rochester; a son, Leo J. “Skip” (Cindy Thompson) DelRossa, III; daughters Lena (John) McDermott of Hornell, NY and Christina DelRossa of Dundee, NY; brothers Alan (Joyce) DelRossa of Dresden, Erwin “Rocky” (Ginny Robinson) DelRossa of North Rose, NY, Jeff (Mary) DelRossa of Pittsburgh, PA, and Michael (Braedy) DelRossa of Geneva, NY; sisters Betty (Jerry) Masters of Geneva, Michelle “Mikki” (Eric) Sheldon of Dresden, Myra (Rick) Adsitt of Geneva, Dale Wood of Penn Yan, and Marcia (Tim) Gunkler of Penn Yan; grandchildren Britni (Jacob) Wilmot, Devon Forman, Alaina (David) Wilcox-McDermott, and Kelcie (Andrew) Lewis; great-grandchildren Caden Wilmot, Riley Wilmot, and Cullen Lewis; many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

At Leo’s request, there will be no calling hours. A “Celebration of Life” will be held on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 3:00 PM at the Himrod Field and Stream Conservation Club, 770 Rice Road, Himrod, NY  14842. Friends and family can gather there to share stories and reminisce, while enjoying food and drink in a casual outdoor setting.

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

Leo’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to Hildebrandt Hospice Care, 2652 Ridgeway Ave., Rochester, NY 14626.

Hornell, NY  /  Arkport, NY

Gary J. Rauber – 64 – of 8723 Emerson Road, Arkport, (Town of Almond) died early Monday morning (July 8, 2019) at his home, following a long illness.

At Gary’s request there will be no calling hours.  A “Celebration of Life” will be held at a date and time to be announced.

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

Gary’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to Hornell Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Park Road, Hornell, NY 14843.

To leave an online condolence or share a memory, visit www.dagonfuneralhome.com

Jeanne E. Stearns – (89) – of 3 Henry St., Arkport, died Thursday morning (July 4, 2019) at Elderwood at Hornell Nursing Facility, following a long illness.

Born in North Hornell on November 28, 1929, she was the daughter of Edward & Alta (Snyder) Jeffery.

Jeanne grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of Hornell High School (class of 1948).  She later graduated from Columbia School of Nursing in New York City where she earned her Registered Nurses License.  In the upcoming years, she continued taking classes in keeping with her license.

From 1958 – 1989, Jeanne served as School Nurse at Arkport Central School.  For about 8 years, she was employed as a registered nurse at St. James Mercy Hospital, retiring in 1996.

Jeanne was a member of the Arkport Presbyterian Church and also the Hornell Alumni Association.  She had a deep affection for animals and throughout the years owned many dogs & cats.  She was a longtime supporter of the Hornell Humane Society and also the SPCA.

Always ready to help others, Jeanne “took-in” countless children and young adults into her home, giving them a place to stay because they were having troubles at home.  She will be remembered as a loving & caring woman who was an asset to the entire community.

Jeanne was preceded in death by 2 sisters, Pat Tiemersma and Alyce Brown.

Surviving are 3 sons, William (Linda) Stearns of Arkport, Martin (Bea) Stearns of Menifee, CA and Mitchell (Gina) Stearns of Hildebran, NC; 1 daughter, Denise (Sam) Spear of Lockport, NY; 1 sister, Kathleen Wilson of Frederick, MD; 15 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; several nieces & nephews.

At Jeanne’s request there will be no calling hours.  Private services will be held at the convenience of the family.

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

Jeanne’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name be made to the Hornell Humane Society, 7649 Industrial Park Road, Hornell, NY 14843.