Hornell, New York

Lois P. Rockefeller – (79) – formerly of Rochester, died late Wednesday evening (April 1, 2020) at Hornell Gardens where she had resided for the past five years.

Born in Rochester on September 16, 1940, she was the daughter of Frederick & Ruth  Piotter.  She grew up in Rochester and was a graduate of Franklin High School.

Lois was preceded in death by her brother, Carl Piotter.

Surviving are 2 sons, David Rockefeller of Saranac Lake, NY and Donald Rockefeller of Rochester; 1 daughter, Karen Pipe of Campbell, NY; 5 grandchildren; nieces & nephews.

At Lois’ 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.

Steven M. “Steve” Kozlowski – 60 – of 1213 Lewis Road, Rexville, NY (Town of West Union), died unexpectedly on Monday (March 30, 2020) at his home.

Born in Irvington, NJ on September 15, 1959, he was the son of Henry & Dorothy (Mirda) Kozlowski.

Steve grew up in Spotswood, NJ and was a graduate of South River High School (class of 1977).  He resided in Washington, NJ for over 30 years and had been employed as a Sub-Station Mechanic for Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), retiring about 5 years ago.  He has resided in the Rexville area for the past 4 years.

A true outdoorsman, Steve was an avid hunter who enjoyed hunting deer, turkey, pheasant and other small game.  He loved working with his hunting dogs, especially “Max” & “Pepper”, two of his favorite German Short Haired Pointers that he had owned throughout the years.  Steve also loved fishing and had a deep affection for Salmon fishing.

He was a member of the National Rifle Association and a former member of the Knights of Columbus.  Steve was an avid New York Mets baseball fan and also enjoyed rooting for his beloved New York Giants (NFL).

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Henry & Dorothy Kozlowski.

He was married on May 29, 1983 to the former Maureen Ronan who survives.  Also surviving are his son, Ted (JoBeth) Kozlowski of Oxford, NJ; his daughter, Kristen (Jon Lopiccolo) Kozlowski of Washington, NJ; 2 sisters, Diane Kozlowski of New Jersey and Karen (Dale) White of Virginia; his brother, Michael (Michelle) Kozlowski New Jersey; several nieces & nephews.

At Steve’s request there will be no prior 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. 

Steve’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to either the National Rifle Association (NRA) or the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF).

Houghton / Hornell

James D. “Dan” Ahearn – (70) –formerly of Houghton, NY, and Hornell, died  Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at his home in Mesa, AZ where he had resided for the past three years.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by the Dagon Funeral Home.

James A. “Jim” Soukup – 68 -of 8521 Canfield Rd, Cohocton, (Haskinville — Town of Fremont) died Friday afternoon (February 21,2020) at his home after a long illness.

He was married on October 17, 1979 to the former Mary Wornoff who survives. Also surviving are two daughters, Tiffany (Christopher) Soukup-Brader and Laura (Paul) Shephard of Hornell; two brothers William (Josephine) Soukup of Bedford, OH, Gary Soukup of Ashtabula, OH; 1 sister Joyce (Gary) Garbas of Columbus OH; 1 granddaughter, Brooklyn Shephard; several nieces & nephews.

Due to the recent health concerns regarding the Coronavirus, friends are encouraged not to attend calling hours or funeral services for James “Jim” Soukup.  Instead, please view the Memorial Service which will be steamed via Facebook Live and can be viewed on the Dagon Funeral Home Facebook page on Saturday at 5:00 PM by visiting www.facebook.com/dagonfuneralhome.  The video will remain available for viewing on our Facebook page for 30 days. 

Jim’s family request in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made either to the family or Hornell Concern for Youth, 76 East Main St., Hornell , NY 14843 or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Catherine F. “Kate” Histed – (92) – formerly of Brainard Hill Rd., Belfast, and also formerly of Hornell, died Thursday afternoon (March 19, 2020) at Elderwood of Hornell Nursing Facility where she had resided for the past three months.

Born in Hornell on February 21, 1928, she was the daughter of Thomas & Evelyn (Feeney) Fenton.

Kate grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of St. Ann’s School.  She later graduated from Hornell High School (class of 1946).  She has resided in Belfast since 1968.

While living in Hornell, Kate was a communicant of the former St. Ignatius Loyola Church.  While residing in Belfast, she was a communicant of St. Patrick’s Church.

For many years she was employed as an operator for New York Telephone Company, retiring in 1961.  She was happy to be a “stay-at-home” mom and enjoyed raising her family and visiting friends & relatives.

Kate was married on November 4, 1950 to Francis Royal Histed who died June 24, 1991.  She was also preceded in death by her brother, Jack Fenton; her sister, Ruth Comstock; her daughter-in-law, Debbie Histed.

Surviving are 4 sons, John Histed of Belfast, Timothy Histed of Belmont, Robert (Lorrie) Histed of Belfast and Patrick (Darlene) Histed of Belfast; 2 daughters, Rebecca (Stan) Shafer of Belfast and Elizabeth (Jeff) Cole of Belfast; her sister, Betty Fenton of Hornell; 17 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; several nieces & nephews.

Due to the recent health concerns regarding the Coronavirus, there will be no calling hours.  A Private Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Ann’s Church in Hornell at the convenience of the family.  Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Fremont, NY.

Family & friends of Kate Histed are invited to view the Funeral Mass on the Dagon Funeral Home Facebook page on Tuesday at 10:00 AM by visiting www.facebook.com/dagonfuneralhome.  The video will remain available for viewing on our Facebook page for 30 days. 

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

Kate’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in her name be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, PO Box 1000 – Dept. 300 Memphis, TN  38148.  Memorial forms will be available at the Dagon Funeral Home.

Anne C. Bruno – (71) – formerly of Almond, NY died Thursday afternoon (March 19, 2020) at Hornell Gardens, where she had resided for the past 11 years.

Born in New York City on July 8, 1948, she was the daughter of Joseph & Charlotte (Kraft) Bruno.

Anne grew up in New York City and was a graduate of Charles Evans Hughes High School.  She later attended the University of Rochester where she majored in Liberal Arts.

She resided in Almond for over 20 years.  While living in Almond, Anne was employed as an Administrative Secretary for about 12 years at the University of Rochester.

Anne was preceded in death by her friend & companion, George Hilsdorf.

Surviving are her son, Matthew David Wilson; and also her sister, Bianca Bruno.

At Ann’s request there will be no calling hours or services.  Funeral arrangements are in care of the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.

Robert A. “Rob” Yates – of 1447 Vine St., Millbury, OH, formerly of Arkport, NY, died Sunday morning (March 8, 2020) at St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, OH, following a brief illness.

Born in Hornell on April 10, 1964, he was the son of Gilbert “Gil” & Diane (Nitsche) Yates.

Rob grew up in Arkport and was a graduate of Arkport Central School (class of 1982).  He later graduated from Alfred University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Ceramic Engineering.

He moved to Glassport, PA in 1990 where he was employed at Guardian Industries.  He briefly lived in McKeesport, PA, still working at Guardian Industries.

On May 14, 1994, he was married to the former Rose Nagy.  Rob & Rose moved to White Oak, PA where he was employed at World Kitchens, a company that manufactured Pyrex Dishes.  In 2015 they moved to Ohio where Rob worked as a Furnace & Batch Engineer for Johns Manville Company.

While living in Arkport, Rob was a communicant of St. Ann’s Church.  He later belonged to St. Angela Church of White Oak, PA.

Rob enjoyed rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers and also enjoyed fishing at his sister’s pond (trying to catch a pike) along with river & stream fishing.  He loved attending family functions such as family reunions and “Pond Parties” and weddings, always making an effort to attend no matter where he happened to be living at the time.  His laugh was contagious and would usually make everyone in the room join in with laughter!

He loved playing chess with his son, Robbie; playing cards (especially euchre) with his family; and pitching horseshoes at family picnics.  Rob had a deep affection for his pets and love feeding birds and listening to them chirp.  He also enjoyed gardening — raising tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers.

Rob was a true family man whose greatest joy was simply spending time with his wife, Rose, and attending his son, Robbie and daughter Melissa’s functions, such as concerts and Boy Scouts.  They were truly his “PRIDE AND JOY”.

He  was preceded in death by his mother, Diane Yates who died in 2008; his brother, Gary Yates who died in 1979; and his brother-in-law, Jim Perry.

Surviving are his wife, Rose Yates of Millbury, OH; his son, Robert “Robbie” (Cara Mazurek) Yates of Millbury, OH; his daughter, Melissa Yates of Millbury, OH; his father, Gilbert “Gil” Yates of Arkport;      4 sisters, Sharon (Willy) Meinking of Almond, Mindy Perry of Hartsville, Brenda (Randy) Abrams of Bath and Cyndi (Ron) Gula of Ellicott City, MD; 2 brother, Daniel (Terry) Yates of Batavia, NY and Michael (Shari) Yates of North Tonawanda, NY; several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces & nephews.

The family of Robert A. “Rob” Yates will receive friends on Friday from 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 10:00 AM at St. Ann’s Church with burial in Fremont Cemetery, Fremont, NY.

Richard A. Schimpff – 73 – of 6 Sawyer St., Hornell, died unexpectedly Wednesday morning (March 4, 2020) at his home.

Born in Trenton, NJ on April 15, 1946, he was the son of Leonard & Geneva (Phillips) Schimpff.

Richard lived in New Jersey in his younger years and for about 5 years resided in Texas, returning to New Jersey where he graduated from high school.  He later attended college where he majored in computer technology.  He was a veteran of the US Army.

Throughout the years, Richard resided in several locations, including New Jersey, Troy, PA, Canandaigua, NY, Batavia, NY, Canaseraga and has resided in Hornell for the past 25 years.  While in New Jersey, he was employed as a security guard and while living in Canandaigua and Batavia he served as a sales representative for Kirby Vacuum.  While in Canaseraga, he founded R&K Computer Service, servicing & repairing computers.

A self-proclaimed “computer geek”, Richard enjoyed traveling to computer shows throughout New York State.  He served as a volunteer fireman for the Village of Canaseraga and later for the Village of North Hornell.  In his younger years he enjoyed fishing.

Richard was preceded in death by his first wife, Anne; his granddaughter, Maraya Lebron.

Surviving are his former wife, Kathy; 1 son, Anthony “Tony” (Adriana Abdullah) Schimpff of Rochester; 1 daughter, Sarah (Shawn) Holloman of Atlanta, GA; 1 sister, Sue Schimpff of Brockport; 6 grandchildren, Amari Schimpff, Jayden Holloman, Brooklyn Holloman, Bryson Holloman, Mylah Holloman and Sianne Holloman; 2 nieces, Melissa (George) Grana and Bellinda (Dustin) King.

At Richard’s request there will be no calling hours.  Private services will be held at the convenience of the family with final interment at the Bath National Cemetery, Bath, NY.

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

Leo Joseph Porcaro – 89 – of 119 East Elm St., Hornell, died early Wednesday morning (March 4, 2020) at Strong Memorial Hospital, where he had been taken by city ambulance after suffering a devastating fall at his home.

Leo was born as Americo Vespucci Porcaro in Furci, Italy on September 12, 1930, and was the son of Nicola & Angeline Porcaro.

When Leo was seven years old, his family moved to the United States and settled in Hornell. While attending St. Ann’s School, the Nuns renamed him to Leo Joseph Porcaro. He grew up in Hornell and was a graduate of Hornell High School.

Leo was a veteran of the US Army, serving his country during the Korean Conflict.  He received the Purple Heart Medal after being wounded in action.

For a brief time, Leo was employed at the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad.  For many years he worked as a laborer for several construction companies, primarily for SJ Groves & Sons Construction Company of Rochester.  While working for SJ Groves & Sons, Leo took part in many major construction jobs throughout the Rochester area and the Southern Tier.  Some of the more notable jobs were the construction of Route 86, Route 390, Route 490, Route 590, the Inner Loop and the Rochester War Memorial.  He retired from the Rochester Laborers Union.

Leo was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and a communicant of St. Ann’s Church where he had served as an usher.  He was also a life member of the following organizations: The Sons of Italy (G. Carducci Lodge), The Knights of Columbus, and a member of the Hornell American Legion. He was the last living member that was born in Italy, of The Beato Angelo Society, the Patron Saint of Furci Italy.

An avid card player, Leo enjoyed playing poker and euchre, but especially loved playing hearts.  He also enjoyed watching western movies and old western TV shows such as The Rifleman, Bonanza and Loredo.  He could never turn down the opportunity to watch a classic John Wayne movie.  Leo loved rooting for the Buffalo Bills, especially during the Super Bowl years.  However his greatest joy in life was simply spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.

Leo was preceded in death by his Parents and his brother, Donald Porcaro.

He was married on May 26, 1956 (63 years) to Joanne (Secondo) who survives.  Also surviving are 2 daughters, Rene (Joe) Richardson of Alfred and Mary Magari of Syracuse; 2 sons, Richard “Rick” Porcaro of Byron, NY and Nicholas “Nick” (Kathleen) Porcaro of Arkport; 10 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; several nieces & nephews.

The family of Leo J. Porcaro will receive friends on Sunday from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at the Dagon Funeral Home, 38 Church St., Hornell, NY.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday at 2:00 PM at St. Ann’s Church with burial in the Bath National Cemetery, Bath, NY.

Leo’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 14843 or to a charity of the donor’s choice.  Memorial forms will be available at the Dagon Funeral Home.

In recognition of Leo’s service to his country during the Korean Conflict, the American Flag at the Dagon Funeral Home will be flown at half-staff.

Hornell, NY  /  Canaseraga, NY

Thomas R. “Tom” Levee – 73 – of 5 Jackson St., Canaseraga, NY, died early Tuesday morning (March 3, 2020) at Noyes Memorial Hospital in Dansville, following a long illness.

Born in Hornell on November 8, 1946, he was the son of Robert & Virginia (Butler) Levee.

Tom grew up in Canaseraga and was a graduate of Canaseraga High School (class of 1965).  He later attended Barber School in Rochester and worked as a barber “off & on” for over 40 years.  For many years he served as a barber for the Craig State School in Sonyea, NY and also for the US Army & Air Force at Fort Drum.

He was employed for a time at Birds Eye Foods in Avon, NY and also drove a forklift for an Avon based Pre-Fabricated Home Company.  He later worked as a landscaper for Kelly Brothers in Dansville, NY.

Tom served as “Fire Police” for the Canaseraga Fire Company and was a member of the Canaseraga American Legion and the Marine Corp. League.  He was an avid collector of Arrowheads and loved searching for them locally, usually around Canaseraga.  For many years he made and sold beautiful custom canes and walking sticks.  In his younger years, Tom enjoyed hunting & fishing.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Robert “Bob” Levee who died in 2017.

Surviving are his sister, Roberta Johnson of Alabama; his brother, Ray (Terry) Levee of Canaseraga; several nieces & nephews.

At Tom’s request there will be no calling hours.  A “Celebration of Life” will be held on a day & time to be announced.

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 the Canaseraga Fire Department, Main St., Canaseraga, NY 14822.