Obituaries

The following are today's death notices and last week's obituaries from The Evening Sun. Only print or online subscribers can see the current edition's full obituaries. Most notices are handled by funeral homes, but we do accept third-party submissions. To submit a notice, call us at (607) 334-3276 or e-mail news@evesun.com to inquire about formats, deadlines and billing

Today's Death Notices

Michael Karoll, 36, of Sherburne

Levo Kocher, 80, of Sherburne

John Homovich, 86, of Norwich

Donald Price, 40, of Earlville

Last Week's Obituaries

Thomas Mirabito Sr.

SIDNEY – Thomas J. Mirabito, Sr., 93, longtime resident of Sidney, passed away peacefully early Wednesday morning, May 2, 2012 at Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City.

Tom was born in Norwich on Jan. 17, 1919, one of four sons of Vincenzo (James) and Rosa (La Greca) Mirabito. Tom graduated from Norwich High School in 1938, and was a member of the 1937 Norwich High School Football Team that was undefeated, untied and unscored upon. He was also an avid tennis player throughout his life. He attended Alfred Agricultural & Technical College from 1939 to 1940. In 1940, Tom moved to Sidney. On September 5, 1942, Tom was married to Concetta Mirabito. Together, they shared nearly 70 years of love and happiness, and were blessed with 5 children: Rosemarie, James, Thomas, Jr., John and Joseph.

Tom dedicated most of his life to the family business, acting as president of James Mirabito & Sons from 1942 until 1984. He was also the President of the Sidney Oil Company from 1960 to 1984, President of F&S Fuel Supply of Greene from 1968 to 1984 and a Director of the Empire State Petroleum Association in 1980. With his brother, Soddy, Tom was the Vice President of Golden Valley Sports Camp. Tom was a member of the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, serving as a Director for several years, and as President of the Chamber from 1949 to 1950. He also served as the first President of the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce in 1962 and was selected as the Citizen of the Year by the Delaware County Chamber in 1981.

His local community was very important to Tom, leading him to serve as a Sidney Village Trustee from 1948 until 1953, and then as the Mayor of the Village of Sidney from 1953 to 1961 and from 1967 to 1971. He also served as President of both the Sidney Industrial Improvement Corporation (1962) and the Sidney Development Corporation (1962 to 1976), and was Chairman of the Sidney Industrial Development Agency from 1978 to 1984. He was also one of the four original members of the Route 7 Association that later became Interstate 88 and was a member of the board and First Chairman of the Sidney Area Hospital Foundation.

Tom was a member of the State University College of Oneonta Council from 1963 to 1975, a Director and Vice President of Tri-County Motor Club in 1967, Commissioner of Claims for the N.Y. City Board of Water Supply in 1968, Director of Oneonta YMCA. from 1978 to 1983, was a Trustee at Pathfinder Village from 1983 to 1990 and was Finance Chairman of the Tri-County Valley Coalition in 1990. He was a Director of First National Bank of Sidney in 1968, then became a Director of NBT of Norwich when it bought the First National Bank of Sidney in 1979, serving until 1991. Tom was currently an Honorary Director of NBT Bancorp.

In addition to the many boards he served on, Tom also gave his time to numerous local civic organizations. Tom joined the Rotary Club of Sidney in October 1945 and deeply believed in the motto, “Service Above Self.” He was President of the Club from 1965 to 1966, received the distinction as a Paul Harris Fellow in 1977 and was a District Governor for Rotary District 717 from 1984 to 1985. He was also the President of the Delaware County Cancer Society from 1975 to 1976 and was a Founding Father of the United Way of Sidney. Tom was a devout member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Council #4937 in Sidney, where he served as a Parish Council Trustee. Tom and Tiny faithfully attended daily mass. Among his highest accolades were being the recipient of the Sidney Man Of The Years Award in 1984, the Town of Sidney Republican of the Years in 1998, and being honored as the Torchbearer for the 1996 Olympic Games.

In his 93 years, Tom accomplished much, and was loved and respected by many. He will be truly missed by his family and by his community. And in the words of Tom Mirabito, “Time Marches On.”

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Concetta (Tiny) Mirabito; a daughter and son-in-law, Rosemarie and Arthur Weed; three sons and daughters-in-law: Thomas, Jr. and Sharon Mirabito, John and Cheryl Mirabito and Joseph P. and Rosemary Mirabito; 10 granddaughters; 4 grandsons; 6 great-grandsons; 7 great-granddaughters; sisters-in-law, Josephine Mirabito and Carmela (Carmie) Mirabito; brothers-in-law: Fred and Ramona (Estelle) Mirabito, Salvatore and Ruth Mirabito and Frank Mirabito; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Tom was predeceased by his son, James Mirabito, who passed away at age 5, as well as three brothers: Angelo, Anthony and Rosario (Soddy) Mirabito.

Friends are invited to call from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Sunday at C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, 21 Main Street Sidney. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11a.m. on Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 15 Liberty Street, Sidney, with Fr. Gordon Polenz as celebrant. Burial will follow in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Sidney.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Tom’s name may be directed to the Sacred Heart Parish Endowment Fund, 15 Liberty St. Sidney, NY 13838 or to the charity of one’s choice.

Condolences may be sent to the family online at www.landersfh.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of C.H. Landers Funeral Chapel, Sidney.

Leslie Kozlowski

OXFORD – Leslie H. Davis Kozlowski, 51, of Palmetto, Fla., formerly of Oxford, passed away unexpectedly on April 29, 2012.

She was born Aug. 31, 1960. She is survived by her mother, Margaret Vize of Oxford; her long time companion, Boyd Randolph of Palmetto, Fla.; son, Robert Schwager of Orlando, Fla.; brother, James Davis of Oxford; sisters, Nina Nesbitt of Bradenton, Fla.; Shelly Coffey and Laura Cosens, both of Tennessee. Leslie was predeceased by her father, James E. Davis in 1985.

Leslie graduated from Oxford Academy and Central Schools in 1978. She worked for many years for the Department of Social Services as a social worker in Children and Family Services in Bradenton, Fla. She retired from there and moved to Palmetto. She also worked for Chenango County Social Services during the time she lived in Oxford.

Friends and family may call at the Behe Funeral Home, 21 Main St., Oxford, on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. with a graveside service immediately following in Riverview Cemetery, with Rev. Norman Holtz, pastor of Faith Bible Church, officiating. Memories and condolences may be shared by visiting www.behefuneralhome.com.

Charles Kerr

NEW HARTFORD – Mr. Charles A. Kerr, 73, of New Hartford, entered into rest on Thursday, May 3, 2012 with his family by his side at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.

He was born in Sauquoit, the son of the late Harry and Irene French Kerr and was educated in local schools.

Charles enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and received the rank of 2nd class airman. On July 9, 1960, he married the former Daisy Force, a blessed commitment of 52 years. He was employed with Agway as a serviceman, retiring after 33 years of dedicated service.

He will be sadly missed by his beloved wife Daisy; his son Kevin Kerr and wife Lisa, Norwich; his daughter Kim Marie Stockbridge and her husband William, Frankfort; his grandchildren Keegan, Anthony, Madison, Delaney; surviving brothers: Harry, Lyle, and Robert; surviving sisters: Marion, Bessie, Karen, Judy and Debbie; sister-in-law Mary. He was predeceased by a sister, Carol, and brother, Jimmy.

A private gathering will be held at the convenience of the family with interment to follow at Crown Hill Memorial Park, Clinton. Those wishing to contribute may contribute to the American Cancer Society In Memory of Charles A. Kerr.

Arrangements under the guidance of John L. Matt Funeral Home Chadwicks. To send an online message of sympathy: www.johnlmattfuneralhome.com.

Charles Cummings Jr.

NORWICH – Charles (Bud) Cummings Jr., 78, of Norwich, passed away Wednesday, May 2, 2012 in the Chenango Memorial Hospital surrounded by his family.

Bud was born in Walton in March of 1934 the son of Charles and Cora Jennings Lamphere Cummings Sr. He attended school in Unadilla and as a young man worked on his sisters farm in Maryland, NY. In June of 1951 Bud entered the United States Air Force serving his country until his honorable discharge in June of 1955. Upon leaving the military he moved to the state of Maryland where he began a longtime career as a painting contractor. He first worked in Maryland with his brother-in-law Lansing ‘Bud’ Post before moving back to Norwich on 1967 where he and his brother Don started Cummings Brothers Painting. Over the years they became very well know in the area and painted many home in and around the Norwich area.

Aside from his painting, Bud was a great cook and over the years had owned and operated what is now known as the Caboose in downtown Norwich and Bud & Dee’s Diner at Woods Corners. He also had cooked for the Flanagan family at the dog trials, the Oxford Rod and Gun Club and had operated the restaurant at Plaza Lanes.

Above all else, Bud was a family man who loved his family and friends and enjoyed telling stories about his time in Korea.

Bud is survived by his daughter Denise Rae Cummings Laverne, his sister Pat Sutton and his brother Donald Cummings both of Norwich, his grandchildren Neil Ryan LaFever and Jaci Cheyenne Long LaFever and his great granddaughter Ava Rae LaFever. Also surviving is his half sister Jean Case of Norwich and a special friend Ken (Bob) Schroer along with several nieces and nephews.

Bud was predeceased by his wife Dolores Rosa Sweeney Cummings; his sisters Tina Brigham, Joyce Post, Dorothea Shackelton, Letha Wood, Helen Leahy and Wanda Fiaschi.

Memorial services for Bud will be held at noon on Thursday from the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Jeremy Stopford will officiate.

Interment will be at the convenience of the family.

Friends may call at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home on Thursday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service at noon.

Hazel Laczak

GREENE – Hazel M. Laczak, 87, Greene, passed away Monday, May 7, 2012. Arrangements are under direction of Root Funeral Home, Greene, and condolences may be sent to the family at www.rootfh.com.

Robert Nowack

EARLVILLE – Robert “Bob” Nowack of Earlville, passed away quickly and painlessly on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 after battling the after-effects of a heart attack that occurred nearly a year before. He was 75.

Bob was an avid flyfisherman who would spend hours crafting fly masterpieces on his custom-built fly tying bench, and then eagerly await the opening of trout season in April. He loved every aspect of the outdoors, and he was also a master storyteller who enjoyed spinning yarns, operating under creative liberties to evolve the story over time to the delight and amusement of those who heard the same story more than once. He put two beautiful kids through college, launched them into successful lives, and saw them both married and become established in their own way. He was an avid volunteer at numerous organizations, and little known to others, he paid for college tuition for young adults who could not have otherwise afforded it.

Bob was born in and grew up in Rochester as the son of German immigrants. He was a precocious child who always enjoyed the outdoors. He attended college at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse and graduated with a degree in Forestry in 1959, and then earned a Masters Degree in Forestry from Yale University in 1960. His marriage to Susan Spencer resulted in two children, Laura and Harry. He came to live in Earlville through his work as a forester at Rogers Conservation Center in Sherburne. He was a dedicated civil servant for New York State in the Departments of Environmental Conservation, Health, Transportation, Labor, and Taxation and Finance before retiring in 1993 as a System Analyst for the Department of Taxation and Finance. His keen intellect and dislike of complicated and unworkable systems provided him the unique ability to make the complicated very workable. He had a gift for writing memorandums that exposed the absurdity of the accepted, departmental conventional wisdom and that revealed to the reader in a humorous fashion the one “right” solution. Many of these well-penned and amusing memos were kept and shared at his retirement banquet by his co-workers, and some of them were forwarded to department of taxation offices in other states where they were similarly well-received.

In his retirement, Bob enjoyed the outdoors on his farm where he could be found hunting, wood cutting, or mowing his fields when he was not fishing somewhere else. In his later years, hunting was his excuse to be outside in the woods, and woodcutting, walking the streets of Earlville with his devoted pet companion BooBoo, and workouts at the Chenango Water Exercise Group were his exercise. He returned to his forestry roots through his involvement with The American Chestnut Foundation, an organization devoted to restoring the blight-decimated American Chestnut to the American forest. His involvement with Northern Nut Growers spurred him to establish an orchard of heartnut trees on his farm with the intention of demonstrating the commercial viability of raising nut crops in the cold Central New York climate. To close friends and family, the endeavor was jokingly referred to as “Bob’s Nut Farm.” But through selection of hardy specimens, his orchard is thriving and consists of many trees just beginning nut production. He had plans to begin back-crossing the heartnut trees with Butternut, another native American species threatened by blight, to ensure the continued survival of the Butternut trees that grew wild on his farm. He told his sister the day before his death that he “couldn’t wait to get back on the tractor at his farm.” He assisted many friends and family with finding good quality hardwood lumber that has been turned into many exquisitely crafted furniture and cabinetry projects.

Bob was an avid reader and generous supporter of the local Earlville Free Library, and served faithfully on the library Board of Directors for many years during his retirement. He was a notable fixture at the annual library book sale every year, and if you were a parent buying books for your child at the annual sale, you probably remember the extra children’s book he gave you for free. He could also be spotted in the library room at the computer checking his emails or stirring up trouble in a humorous way on various message boards. He was a major believer that the library and computer services were a cornerstone to the village and essential for the children of Earlville. Bob was also a volunteer instructor at the Chenango Water Exercise Group and assisted many people with exercises during their rehabilitation. His support and involvement here and at other organizations will be missed.

Bob is survived by his sister, Jean (Nelson) Sanger of Moreland Hills, Ohio; daughter Laura Nowack (Kenneth Johnson) of Brewster; his son Harry Nowack (Mary Wade) and grandchildren Hannah, Erin, and Jordan of Waterford; his semi-adopted son John (Candy) Duwel and their children Ida Mae, Johnny, and Charles of Canastota; and his ex-wife Susan Spencer of Newport Richey, Fla. He was predeceased by his brother, John Nowack.

A wake will be held at Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 3 Preston Street in Earlville, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and the funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. at Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home on Sunday.

Donations in lieu of flowers are requested to be made in Bob Nowack’s name to the Earlville Free Library, 4 North Main Street, Earlville, NY 13332; or to the The American Chestnut Foundation, New York Chapter, 23 Carriage Circle, Williamsville, NY 14221; or to the Chenango County SPCA, 6160 County Route 32, Norwich, NY 13815. Those attending the wake or the funeral service may bring any donation with them at that time.

To send a condolence or sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com.

Roberta Edna Jackson

NORWICH – Roberta Edna Jackson, 87, of Norwich, formerly of Greene, passed away February 29, 2012. She will be laid to rest at 1 p.m. Saturday in Sylvan Lawn Cemetery, Greene. Rev. Jay Zaremba will officiate the graveside committal service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Central Baptist Church, South Chenango Street, Greene, NY, 13778; or to your local emergency squad. Arrangements are in the care of Kennedy Funeral Home, 21 North Chenango Street, Greene.

Henry D. Hovick

NORWICH – Henry D. Hovick, 91, formerly of Norwich and Burlington, died peacefully on Thursday, May 10, 2012 at the NYS Veterans Home in Oxford.

He was born August 12, 1920 in Alversund, Norway, the son of Hans Kundtson and Hannah Katrina (Ekeland) Hovick. He married Margaret Nell Riggle on July 8, 1944 in Bulgar, PA.

Henry served in the United States Air Force and was a WWII Veteran. He then continued to serve our country in the Army National Guard. Henry retired from Otsego Electric where he had been employed as a lineman for 25 years.

His wife Nell; his children James Alan Hovick, Kathleen Diane Kappauf, and Gail Maureen Bolton; sixteen grandchildren, twenty-five great children; and his sister Erna Dagney Richards survive Henry.

His son Thomas Henry Hovick, his grandson David Bruce Bolton and his sisters Borghild Johnson and Ester Kleppand, predeceased him.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Burlington, with Rev. Paul Messner & Assoc. Sandy Shear officiating. Calling hours will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Houk-Johnston-Terry Funeral Home, Edmeston.

Interment will follow at Burlington Green Cemetery

Contributions may be made in Henry’s memory to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Burlington, or the NYS Veterans Home, Oxford.

Funeral Arrangements are under the guidance of the Houk-Johnston-Terry Funeral Home, Edmeston, and condolences to the family may be left at the funeral home website, www.hjtfuneralhome.com.