Category Archives: Obituary

Gary V. Hoover

Gary V. Hoover of Cape Vincent, NY passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on April 10, 2021.

“Hoov” was born in Theresa, NY to Donald and Avis Muiter Hoover. He was a lifelong resident of the Thousand Islands Region.

Gary married the love of his life, Lynne James on August 15, 1998 on Wau Winett Island in Alexandria Bay.

Gary was an expert carpenter and custom home builder for over 50 years. His craftsmanship can be seen along the St. Lawrence River and throughout the Thousand Islands Region. He enjoyed summers on The River, boating, golfing with his son, drinking a stiff rum and coke, spending time with family and friends, and watching his children grow.

Gary said, “the greatest thing I ever built…is my family”.

Gary was a very loving and devoted husband and father.

Gary was predeceased by his father and mother, Donald and Avis Hoover. He is survived by his wife, Lynne Hoover of Cape Vincent; children, Vincent (Samantha) Hoover of Arizona, Anna, and Alana Hoover of Cape Vincent; grandchild, Everett Hoover of Arizona, and several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his siblings; three brothers, Thomas (Faith) Hoover, Theresa, NY, James (Sue) Hoover, Theresa, NY, and Alan (Carole) Hoover, Plessis, NY; two twin sisters, Jane Leahy of Clayton, NY and Joan Kilcer of Philadelphia, NY.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, April 14th from 4-7 pm at Costello Funeral Home, 113 Church Street, Alexandria Bay, NY. A graveside service, will be at 11am on Thursday, April 15th at Oakwood Cemetery in Theresa with Deacon Joel Walentuk officiating. All are welcome to attend Gary’s celebration of life luncheon on Thursday beginning at 12:30 pm at Obrien’s Restaurant & Bar, 226 Webb Street, Clayton, NY.

The family would like to thank Dr. Khalid Sindhu and especially Gary’s sister, Jane, for all their medical care. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Jefferson County, 1398 Gotham Street, Watertown, NY 13607, or jeffersonhospice.org.

Ya know what I mean…..

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Daniel L. “Dan” Langill

Daniel L. “Dan” Langill, 46, Alexandria Bay, NY, died Friday April 2nd as a result of an accident.

Dan was born on June 9, 1974 in Portland, Maine, the son of Catherine McMullen and David Langill. He graduated from Gray-New Glouster High School in Gray, Maine.

Dan enlisted in the United States Army in 1997, retiring in 2019 as a Chief Warrant Officer. He was an Apache Longbow Helicopter Pilot, serving tours of duty in Korea, Iraq (twice) and Afghanistan. He was currently employed as a Training Instructor (Flight Simulator), additionally, Longbow Crew Trainer Instructor at Fort Drum, NY.

A marriage to Cynthia Greer ended in divorce, after 22 years.

He was an avid boater, enjoyed all outdoor activities, classic cars and doing home improvements.

Dan is survived by his mother, Catherine and step-father, Hazen McMullen, New Portland ME; his father, David, and step-mother, Pauline Langill, Sebastian, FL; his daughter, Brittany (Danny) Stark, Topeka, KS; his fiancée, Terri Adams, Alexandria Bay. He was pre-deceased by his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Dorothy Verrill, and great-grandparents, Catherine and Charles Ladeau.

There will be private, family services in Gorham, ME. A public memorial service will be held at a time to be announced, in July of 2021, on Fort Drum.

Memorial contributions may be made in Dan’s name to Tunnel to Towers at tunnel2towers.org.

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Leon “Dean” Senecal

Leon “Dean” Senecal, a longtime fishing guide and lifelong resident of Alexandria Bay, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Born March 15, 1934 in Watertown, he was the son of the late Leon and Hazel Senecal and graduated from Alexandria Bay High School before serving in the United States Navy from 1952-56. He continued to serve as a member of the reserve until retiring from the Navy in 1974.

He married JoAnn Darlene Hicklin on September 15, 1956 in San Rafael, California. His wife predeceased him in 2015.

Well known as a true “River Man,” he worked as a fishing guide with the Alexandria Bay Fishing Guides Association for over 50 years before retiring. An avid outdoorsman, he spent a great deal of time hunting, fishing and trapping and seemingly never forgot a hunting story along the way. He was also a longtime minor hockey coach in Alexandria Bay and was inducted into the Alexandria Bay Minor Hockey Association’s Hall of Fame. Dean was also a member of the Alexandria Bay American Legion post 904 and a former member of the Alexandria Bay Fire Department.

He is survived by his son, Len (Barbara) Senecal, Cato, NY and daughters Susan (Chris) Weber, West Palm, FL, Darlene (Gerardo) Lopez, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Deana (Bryan) Honeywell of Cicero, NY. He is also survived by his grandchildren Greyson Lowe, Mariah Senecal-Reilly, Sebastien and Sean Honeywell and his nephews David and Lloyd Alker and nieces Valerie Cooper and Marcie Hicklin as well as his faithful springer spaniel Bruce. A sister, Gloria Dawn Maxam and a nephew, Shawn Alker, predeceased him.

There will be no service, but a celebration of life will take place in the summer.

Donations may be made in Dean’s name to the Volunteer Transportation Center 24685 State Route 37, Watertown NY 13601 (volunteertransportation.org) or the Alexandria Bay Fire Department.

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Caroline V. Kernehan

March 7, 2021

PLESSIS, NY – Caroline V. Kernehan, 88, of State Route 26, passed away Sunday at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse.

She was born July 1, 1932, in Watertown, NY, daughter of William and Leah Shoulette Pfister. She graduated from Alexandria Central High School. She married Robert C. Kernehan on October 23, 1954, at St. Cyril’s Church, in Alexandria Bay. Mr. Kernehan passed away on June 30, 2016.

Caroline worked as young woman, as a telephone operator for N.Y. Telephone, in Alexandria Bay. She also worked part time for Pearl’s Department Store, in Alexandria Bay. She and her husband, Robert owned and operated Bob & C’s Store in Plessis, where Caroline also had a retail yarn shop. She loved bowling, knitting, crafting, reading, playing bingo, and connecting with the girls from the telephone company.

She is survived by her son, Robert C. (Kelly) Kernehan, Alexandria Bay, her daughter, Kimberly A. Kernehan, Plessis, her brother Russell (Sue) and her sister Arlene Pfister, all of Alexandria Bay, six granddaughters and 14 great-grandchildren. Besides her husband Bob, she was predeceased by a son, David W. Kernehan, a brother, Donald Pfister, and three sisters, Mary Rowland, Elizabeth Lockwood, and Sharon Senecal.

Calling hours will be Saturday, March 13th, from 11 am till 1pm at the Costello Funeral Home, Alexandria Bay. A memorial service will begin at 1pm at the funeral home. Spring burial will be at St. Cyril’s Cemetery, Alexandria Bay.

Memorial donations may be made in her name to the Alexandria Bay Fire Department or the Alexandria Bay Food Pantry.

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Betty J. Lanterman

February 13, 2021


Alexandria Bay, NY – Betty J. Lanterman, 88, or formerly of Carnegie Bay Road, passed away early Saturday morning in Lyons, NY.
She was born October 7, 1932 in Syracuse, NY, daughter of Frank and Irene Orton Houghton. She graduated from Alexandria Bay High School.


She married W. Gerald Lanterman on February 23, 1962, in Hendrick’s Chapel at Syracuse University. She and her husband “Jerry” owned and operated Lanterman’s Channel View Cottages, on Carnegie Bay Road, for many years. Mr. Lanterman passed away on November 5, 2003.

Betty also worked as an assembler in the heavy military division of General Electric, in Syracuse and later as the ac]vi]es director for E.J. Noble Hospital, in Alexandria Bay.


She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, the Alexandria Bay Baptist Church and the E.J. Noble Hospital Auxiliary. After moving to Canandaigua, NY, she became an active member of the Manchester United Methodist Church in Manchester NY.


She is survived by three sons, Thomas R., of Windsor Locks, CT, Timothy H., of DeWitt, NY and William G. III, of Clifton Springs, NY, Timothy, Maya, Jade and Sunny, grandchildren, Josephine Castle, Jackson Castle and Lillian Tarala, great-grandchildren.


Due to current restrictions and an interest in the safety of loved ones, a decision has been made to postpone a memorial gathering until conditions improve.

Duane Money

Duane Money, 78, High Street, Alexandria Bay, passed away Tuesday, February 2nd at River Hospital.

Duane was born on December 21, 1942 in Syracuse, NY, the son of Donald and Charlotte Johnson Money.  He graduated from Central Tech High School in Syracuse and attended Jefferson Community College.

Duane served in the United States Coast Guard from 1961 until 1976.  He married Paula Estes on May 23, 1969 at the Alexandria Bay United Methodist Church.  After retiring from the Coast Guard, he worked for 23 years for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring as Postmaster from the Morristown NY post office, in 2002.  He was a member of the Alexandria Bay American Legion post 904.

Besides his wife Paula, Alexandria Bay, Duane is survived by his son, Steven (Christine) Money, Highland, IL and his daughter Tanya (Kevin) Tracy, Watertown, NY, five grandchildren, and a brother, Dale (Aneata) Money, Kissimmee, FL.  A sister, Norma Smith predeceased him.

There will be no services.

Memorial donations may be made in Duane’s name to the Alexandria Bay Rescue Squad, 110 Walton St., Alexandria Bay, NY 13607.

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Ronald F. Kocher

January 30, 2021

Ronald F. Kocher 72 formerly of Vestal, NY passed away on Saturday January 30, 2021 at Grand Strand Hospital in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. 

Born November 7, 1948 in Ithaca, NY the oldest son of J. Fred and Arlene (Hood) Kocher, he graduated from Vestal Central High School in Vestal, NY in 1966.

After high school Ronald graduated from Utah State University in Logan, UT as an Electrical Engineer.   He went to work for various companies on the East Coast until he finally settled back to his home town and worked for IBM in Endicott, NY.  Ron also spent many summers in the Thousand Islands with his family and after selling his 42 foot cruiser purchased a cottage in Clayton, NY for weekends and vacations.  Ronald also owned his own business that he started after retirement renting out many storage buildings in Apalachin, NY.  He finally settled down year round in Myrtle Beach and then Conway, SC.

Ronald fell in a parking lot on October 30, 2021 at Conway SC and suffered a severe head injury and never recovered, he was entered into an Adult Care Unit at Myrtle Beach until January 29th when he was sent to Grand Strand Hospital at Myrtle Beach with COVID Symptoms after having received his COVID vaccination a week before.

He is survived by his father J. Fred Kocher of Alexandria Bay, sisters Lynn (Bill) Cucci of Vestal, Donna (Gary) Gressler of Watertown, NY, twin brothers Gary Kocher of Alexandria Bay, and Barry Kocher of Watertown, NY.  Ronald is also survived by his nephews and nieces Jason (Lauren) Cucci of Apalachin, NY, Justin (Angela) Cucci of Binghamton, NY, Chris (Kimmy) Cucci of Hollywood, CA, Amber (Jeff) Adams of Corning, NY, Zachary (Asia) Gressler of Walton,NY, and Wyatt (Gabby) Gressler of Rome, NY.  Ron also had some great nieces and nephews, Ben & Evan Cucci of Apalachin, NY and Lucas, Samantha, and Owen Adams of Corning, NY, and Tatum Gressler of Walton, NY.

Ron is predeceased by his wife Diane (2016), his mother Arlene Kocher (2017), and great nephew Nathan Cucci (2016) of Apalachin.            

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Marilyn B. Jones

January 29, 2021

Alexandria Bay, NY – Marilyn B. Jones, 86, of Alexandria Bay was welcomed into the loving arms of Jesus and her beloved husband, Ted Jones, the morning of Friday, January 29th. She passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter, Elizabeth, in Haymarket, VA.

She was born March 9, 1934 in Watertown, NY, daughter of the late John and Dorothy Tallon Brownell. She graduated from Alexandria Bay High School and then from the University of Rochester, with her RN degree. She worked in medical offices throughout her career, ultimately retiring from Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, SC in 1996.

She married Harvey “Ted” Jones on June 15, 1957 at the Church of the St. Lawrence, in Alexandria Bay with Rev. David Talbot officiating. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2007 with a dinner with close friends and family at Pine Tree Point, where they had their wedding reception so many years earlier. Mr. Jones passed away on April 6, 2014 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Marilyn is survived by her son, Troy Jones and his wife, Sue, of Charlotte, NC, her daughter, Elizabeth Amy Wheeler and her husband Edward Jr., of Haymarket, VA and her grandchildren, Evan (Kristin) and Ryan Jones, Trei and Victoria Wheeler.

Marilyn was her kids’ biggest fan in whatever they were involved in and was a team mom to various baseball teams, Cub Scout and Brownie leader, and the coach of the Belvedere Youth Football Cheerleaders. Once she retired to Alexandria Bay she very much enjoyed being team mom to Ted’s teams which he coached and she also became a member of the E.J. Noble Hospital Auxiliary, Church of the St. Lawrence Vestry, the local Garden Club, a volunteer at the community Thrift Store and was also named Citizen of the Year 2011.

Funeral services will be announced in the spring of 2021. Burial will be in Barnes Settlement Cemetery.

The family would especially like to thank the very special caregivers who showed so much love and compassion: Rachel Wiseman, Paige Guns, Sonya Turner and Ann Javins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Church of the St. Lawrence, P.O. Box 211, Alexandria Bay, NY 13607 or The River Hospital, P.O. Box 567, Alexandria Bay, NY 13607, Attn: Development Dept.

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Ellen E. Cronk

January 28, 2021

Oswego, NY – Ellen E. Cronk, 101, passed away early Thursday morning, January 28th in Oswego.

She was born May 1, 1919 in Sackets Harbor, NY, daughter of Joseph and Angerine Spencer McGrath. One of eleven children, she graduated from Sackets Harbor High School, in 1938.

She married Don Cronk, Sr., on June 29, 1940.

Ellen was village clerk for the Village of Pulaski, NY for 27 years. During her time as clerk, she served under 8 different mayors and at 4 different locations, the last being the Snow Building, where her name is inscribed on a plaque.

She was a remarkable lady, dearly love by her family and her second family at St. Luke’s, where she resided in her later years. Loving, kind, just and upright, her memory will live forever.

Ellen is survived by her son, Donald Cronk, Jr, Pulaski, NY and her daughter, Katherine (Anthony) Folino, Alexandria Bay, 10 grandchildren and 10 great and great great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter Joanne Burritt, in November of 2020.

Memorial services will be announced in the spring of 2021.

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Loretta L. Sibert

Alexandria Bay, NY – Loretta L. Sibert, 62, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 12, 2021.

Loretta was born in Philadelphia, Pa, the daughter of Paul C. Harris, Sr. and Johnnie Mae Harris.  She graduated from Cherry Hill East High School, Cherry Hill, NJ and Camden County College, Blackwood New Jersey, where she majored in theater.

Loretta is survived by her husband Jim Sibert who she married on October 17, 2004, her mother Johnnie Mae Harris, Cherry Hill, NJ; her children, Akil Collins and wife Stacy, Cherry Hill, NJ, Paul A. Collins, Lindenwold, NJ, Ayanna S. Collins, Lindenwold, NJ, and Amaris A. Sibert, Alexandria Bay, NY; her three grandchildren Devin, Sophia and Malik, and her sisters, Ellen Harris-Small, Palmyra, NJ, and Sheila Harris-Adams and brother in law Bryan Adams, Merchantville, NJ, and a host of nieces and nephews. Her loving father, Paul C Harris Sr. and brother, Paul C. Harris, Jr. greeted her in heaven.

Loretta was dedicated to her family, community and always had a heart to serve. She was a shining star that bought joy to everyone around her.

Loretta was a talented jewelry designer who also created customized wedding jewelry. She expressed her love in everything she did.

Loretta loved the Lord and served him with her beautiful singing while leading praise and worship at the 1000 Islands Christian Church. She also sang in her home church choir in New Jersey for many years. Throughout Loretta’s entire life, she held an unwavering faith in God, which she shared through her kindness, joyous, and positive attitude for those who surrounded her.

A celebration of life service will be held Monday, January 25th at 6:30 pm at the Thousand Islands Christian Church, 26631 Simpson Rd, Plessis, NY with Pastor Gene Brown officiating. On-line Celebration of Life Service will be available on YouTube at Watch “Rev Gene M Brown”. https://youtube.com/channel/UCCsm0F0DEfxKATmgmEltdaA

Loretta’s family thanks everyone for their prayers, support, and thoughts at this difficult time.

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