Obituaries

Jane Bouton, 69, of Old Rte. 28, died Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 at the Kingston Hospital. She was born on the farm in Halcott on December 12, 1938, the daughter of the late Alonzo and Margaret Cleveland Ballard. She was a native and lifelong area resident. She had many jobs locally and loved to help people. Most recently she had been the manager of a Fleischmanns motel.

Aasta B. Liddle, 87, a lifelong area resident, died Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008 at Countryside Care Center, Delhi, where she had resided since April 7, 2004. She was born in Norway on September 9, 1921 the daughter of Edward and Anna (Pedersen) Berg. Aasta was a graduate of Andes School.

Elaine Margolies, 76, of Saddle Brook, N.J. and Fleischmanns, N.Y., passed away on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008.
Surviving are a son, Mitchell, (Beverly); daughters, Bonnie (Victor) Constantine and Nina (Michael) Rosenbaum-Senak; brothers, Leonard and Morton (Florence) Kaplan; sister-in-law, Rickey Drobenare and grandchildren, Jillian, Amy, Devin, Robert, Margo, Tracey and Brenda.

Barbara Converse Johnson, 53, of Halcottsville died Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 at her family’s home in Roxbury, and with her passing goes a loving, vibrant spirit. Born July 6, 1955 in Bronxville, she grew up in Rye, a daughter of Stephen Hardy and Mary Booth Johnson. A member of a family of nautical adventurers, Barbara was naturally drawn to boats and the sea, but found love and purpose in the Catskills where she lived with her partner, Carl Pickhardt, for the past 18 years.
Barbara attended Rye High School, Smith College, Cornell University and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, earning an MBA which she put to exceptional use in the financial industry in New York City.

Charles Van Kirk Schafer, 83, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. He was cared for at home by his loving family and with the help of the Catskill Area Hospice.
He was born in Fairfield, N.J. on May 2, 1925. He served in the U.S. Army Infantry during WWII in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1946. He was awarded the Bronze Star and was a member of the American Legion.

Alice Elizabeth (Reed) Kasmer, 85, of Roxbury, passed away in her home where she lived her entire life, on Monday morning, Oct. 13. She was born in Roxbury on September 21, 1923, the daughter of Burton and Elizabeth (Webb) Reed. She graduated from Roxbury Central School in 1941. She then attended Wilfred Beauty Academy in New York City. After receiving her cosmetology license, she opened her own hair salon in Roxbury.

Katherine Blackburn, 91, of Andes, passed away Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 at Mountainside Residential Care Center, Margaretville. She was born in Brooklyn on February 5, 1917, the daughter of Joseph and Kit Giblin. She married James Brutis Blackburn. Katherine was a loving mother and a very caring person giving beyond the call of duty. She had been an area resident for the past two years.

Arthur Nelson Smith, 73, passed away at home on Friday evening, Oct. 3, 2008.
He was born on December 20, 1934 in Margaretville. He graduated from St. Lawrence in Canton where he was a member of the ROTC. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany as a military policeman. He then joined the Army Reserves and became a long-standing member of the Army Pistol and Rifle teams until he retired as a Major in 1994.