Month: May 2022

HORNELL – On Wednesday May 25, 2022 on the brink of dawn, 5:15 a.m. in Elmira, NY, Rev. Dr. Philip J. Casterline, a creative spirit, returned to his own creator after a two year battle with pancreatic cancer that can only be described as unbelievably heroic.

With joy he was reunited with many who have gone before him including his mother, Virginia (Lester) Johnson; father, Albert Sadekoski Sr.; his grandparents, William and Amy Bartle and Joe & Josephine Sadekowski; siblings, Pat Gena, Karen Button, Danny (Cindy) Johnson, Peggy Johnson; beloved mother and father-in-law, Rose and Art Carpenter; and brother-in-law, Bobby Carpenter.

Left to celebrate and mourn first and foremost is the absolute love of his life, his travel companion to over a dozen countries and nearly every state, his muse, his project manager, and his bride of over 57 years (married on September 28 1964) Marcia Ann (Carpenter) Casterline; his children who were the very beat of his creative heart, the pride and joy of his life, the culmination of his dreams and the evidence of a life dedicated to the love of God and others; daughter, Rev. Phylmarie and her husband Rev. Walter Weister of Atlanta GA; son, John Casterline and wife Stephanie of Pittsburgh PA; son, Tony Casterline and Mindy Frye, of Charlotte NC, Rev. Laura and Dave Kenyon of Big Flats, NY, Laurie McDaniels of Canisteo, NY

With 18 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, it is no wonder Grandpa had a special place in his heart for children. Always willing to look them in the eye, get on their level, be silly and take them seriously. With an abundance of patience to both teach and create collaboratively. Whether it be art, music, an idea or new fun vocabulary, he was always looking to share an experience that would both help cultivate what he saw in those in his care and that he too would grow from a self-made scholar who returned to school in later adulthood to become a national dean’s list scholar his deep curiosity was a gift he imbued to everyone. Grateful for a grandpa like this are, Rev. Kelly Weister and her three children, Evalise, Miralina, & Elaeora (Brandon Petaccio), John Castertline III and his wife Nichole and child, Conner, Rachel Blank and her husband Walter and children, Abby and Lincoln Blank, Emily, Tom, Jett,  Jaxon,  London and Gianna Casterline, Emily and Dillon Kenyon, Joshua, Jullian and Matthew Sullivan, Kristina and BJ Buckmaster.

Many siblings and special loved ones and friends are left to celebrate him today, David Casterline, Duane (Peggy) Sadekoski, Ruth Sadekoski, Les (Diane) Johnson, George Johnson, Ricky Johnson Sr., Kevin Johnson, Mary Hawkes Bell, Doreen (Chuck) Pruttsman, Laura Kissar, Connie (Pete) McDaniels, Joanne Carpenter, Sam and Noemi Lopez; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and loved ones.

Most important to his legacy are the countless spiritual sons and daughters and the generations of spiritual children that follow from 52 years of ministry after his undeniable shift from long haired, pot smoking Hippie to a man of God after hearing the voice of the Lord at Foster-Wheeler that day, half a century ago.  His ministry included 42 years as the founding Pastor of Living Waters Church in Hornell NY where his passion for developing the gifts of EVERY SINGLE member led to several church plants, 40 years of prison and jail ministry with a special connection to the Steuben County Jail where he lead services twice a month for decades. Over 60 Pastors and ministers developed their calling as there was nothing he loved more than “Preach the Word and get Souls Saved.” 

The family will greet relatives and friends from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday (May 28, 2022) at the Living Waters Church, 1737 Southyard Road, Hornell where a funeral service will take place beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. Private committal services and interment will be at Rural Cemetery, Hornell for the immediate family only.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing may contribute in his memory to the Living Waters Church, P.O. Box 152, Hornell, NY 14843 (envelopes for memorial contributions will be available at the church) or to a charity of the donor’s choice. 

The Bishop-Johnson & DeSanto Funeral Home, 285 Main St., Hornell is honored to assist the Pastor’s family with the arrangements.

Online condolences or remembrances are welcome on the Facebook page of Bishop-Johnson & DeSanto Funeral Home or at www.bishopandjohnsonfuneralhome.com.

HORNELL, NY / FALLS CHURCH, VA-Harold “Hal” Severin, 93, of Falls Church, VA, formerly of Hornell, died unexpectedly on Friday (May 13, 2022) at his home.

Born in Paterson, NJ on April 6, 1929, he was the son of Willy & Charlotte (Trinkaus) Severin.

Hal grew up in the Bronx, NY where he resided until the age of 10 when his family moved to Leipzig, Germany.  As a US citizen living in Germany during WWII, he graduated from high school and returned to the United States when he was 17 years old.  He was a graduate of Alfred University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Ceramic Engineering.  Hal worked as a Ceramic Engineer for American Standard, Brockway Glass (Owens Illinois) and Manville until his retirement in 1992.

From 1954-1956, Hal served in the US Army. Because he spoke fluent German, he was stationed in Verdun, France and served as a radio operator.

Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Hal returned to the Hornell area where he married Patricia “Pat” Egmond on September 29, 1956, whom he had met in Hornell prior to his service in the Army. Throughout the years, Hal & Pat and their family resided in many locations. From 1956 – 1967 they lived in Pinole, CA and from 1967 – 1979 they resided in Brockway, PA. In 1979 they moved to Littleton, CO and later moved to Perrysburg, OH where they lived until moving to the Hornell – Canisteo area in 1992. They moved to Tappahannock, VA where they resided until moving to Falls Church, VA in 2014.

Hal was a member of Our Lady of the Valley Parish and had been a communicant of both St. Ignatius Loyola Church and St. Ann’s Church and sang in both choirs. In addition to singing in the choir he was an active lector and cantor, including St. Tobias in Brockway, PA, St. Timothy’s in Tappahannock, VA, and Queen of Apostles in Alexandria, VA. He was a member of the Teutonia Männerchor of Toledo, Ohio, and performed in many local community musicals and operas over the years.   For many years, he volunteered his time serving as a driver for the Faith in Action of Steuben County serving the Amish Community, taking them to doctor’s appointments.  He was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, a more recent Washington Nationals fan, and loved playing fantasy baseball with his daughters.  Hal enjoyed genealogy and doing family research and indexing files on family history, most especially translating church records from German to English.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia “Pat” Severin who died January 28, 2018; his brother, Norman Severin, and his parents.

Surviving are 1 son, Michael Severin of Lakewood, CO; 4 daughters Barbara Severin of Herndon, VA, Monica (Tony) Palombella of Midlothian, VA, Mary (Kevin) O’Brien of Arlington, VA and Theresa Severin of Alexandria,VA; 4 grandchildren Shyanne Severin, Lily Severin, Laura Palombella and Mark Palombella; 1 great-grandson Logan Friend; half-brother Michael Just of Germany; many nieces & nephews.

At Hal’s request there will be no calling hours. A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday (June 3, 2022) at 10:00 AM at St. Ann’s Church in Hornell. Final interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

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

Hal’s family request that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name be made to World Central Kitchen https://wck.org/ and Capital Caring https://www.capitalcaring.org/

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

 

ANDOVER / ALFRED-Gary C. Lloyd, 79, of 4992 County Road #12, Andover (Town of Alfred) died early Wednesday morning (May 11, 2022) at Arnot Ogden Hospital in Elmira, following a long illness.

Gary was born in Hornell on October 9, 1942, the son of Charles (Mahoney) & Eva (Saxton) Lloyd. Gary was a naturalist since he was a small boy. He roamed the streams, forests, and fields of his grandparents’ land to observe and interact with all manner of winged, furred, scaled, and web-footed creatures. Gary learned to hunt, fish, and trap as a child, which required him to be still and blend in with his natural surroundings, listening and watching.

Gary grew up in Hornell, surrounded by cadavers, as his father was an undertaker and operated a funeral home. He was fascinated by chemical reactions, as he played with his chemistry set in a hidden chamber of the basement of his parents’ funeral home.

Graduating from Hornell High School in 1960, Gary was a member of the HHS wrestling team, where in 1958 he placed 2nd in the NYSPHSAA Section V Class A Wrestling Quarter Finals (Allegany–Steuben County). He also played soccer for Hornell, and was awarded MVP for his position as the “center forward.” Once, when driving down the streets of Hornell with his best friend Dick Gray, he shouted to a pretty brunette he really liked, “Remember Gary Lloyd!” He notoriously drove a hearse around town, often to pick up this same brunette for a date – his favorite lady, Mary Jane Girondo, whom he married in 1964.

Following high school graduation, he attended St. Bonaventure University for two years and later transferred to Utica College of Syracuse University where he received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1965. He received his Master’s degree in Education from SUNY Geneseo in 1978.

Gary stumbled into teaching during the teacher shortage of the 1960s, and soon realized that it was one of his many callings in life. He went on to teach Biology and AP Biology at Alfred Almond Central School for 30+ years. Often described by his former students as a “legend,” Gary (“Mr. Lloyd”) was known for his wild stories about “wee beasties,” his unusual attire, and the many pickled animal parts he kept in jars around his classroom. One such creature, a pernicious roundworm, was said to emerge from a woman’s nose as she slept. Mr. Lloyd dressed all in camouflage and wore a turtle claw around his neck, which frequently sparked a conversation about his adventures defeating the turtle when it began killing “his” baby geese. Mr. Lloyd’s animated storytelling, unconventional teaching approaches, and nontraditional forms of wisdom and academic encouragement inspired many of his students to pursue studies in natural science, or to chase — with discipline and stubborn perseverance — whatever life goals they wished for. During his teaching years, he served as a wrestling and soccer coach. In 1970 the students dedicated the A-A yearbook to him. He retired in 1998, just after his daughter graduated from Alfred-Almond.

Gary was a master fisherman, hunter, and trapper who enjoyed teaching his skills to his children and grandchildren. He was careful and observant, immersing himself in a local ecosystem in order to truly understand and commune with the wildlife he stalked. He taught his son Tim the hunting and trapping ways of the woods from an early age. Gary took Tim and his friend Paul Spencer to “Turkey Calling” seminars in the mid 70’s when turkey hunting was really taking off in the area. He hunted turkey and deer for decades with Tim, and also hunted raccoons with Tim and his old beloved Blue Tick Coon Hound, “Jack,” for many years. They trapped fox, muskrat, mink, and raccoon for many years together.

He fished local ponds as well as the Finger Lakes, pulling many “all-nighters” fishing for trout with the old propane lights hanging over the water to bring up the sawbellies. He went deep-sea fishing off the Outer Banks in 1974, and caught a magnificent 268 pound blue marlin. When visiting his sister Sheila in North Carolina, he went deep-sea fishing again with his family in 1996, catching tuna, mahi mahi, king mackerel, and marlin. After a grueling 57-hour course and test, Gary was awarded his marine captain’s license in 2001. He won many fishing and hunting accolades over the years, including the grand prize at the 9th annual National Lake Trout Derby on Seneca Lake in 1972 and several tournaments in the late 1990s including a tournament on Keuka Lake with his son Tim. His parents lived on Conesus Lake for several years, where he fished with his father and his son heavily for northern pike, tiger muskie, and did ice fishing as well. He fished Canandaigua Lake in the 1970s, Keuka Lake extensively in the late 1990s, but always said that his favorite finger lake was Hemlock Lake because it is so preserved and wild.

Gary also became an activist leader in the late 1980s when New York State tried to install a nuclear waste facility in Allegany County. In 1989, Gary co-founded ACNAG (Allegany County Non-Violent Action Group) and became a memorable player in the “anti-dump” movement by advocating for civil disobedience as the best way to organize against and successfully resist the state mandate. Gary is a central character in Thomas V. Peterson’s 2002 nonfiction book Linked Arms: A Rural Community Resists Nuclear Waste, which describes how rural, ordinary people in Allegany County worked tirelessly together to prevent the nuclear waste facility. ACNAG members wore red armbands and stood on the front lines, indicating that they were willing to be arrested. Gary was arrested on May 31, 1989, and spoke on the news several times about why he felt so strongly about the unacceptable nature of a nuclear waste facility in Allegany County. When gifting a copy of Peterson’s book to his parents, Gary wrote, “we accomplished what was said to be the impossible. […We] defeated a fifty million dollar state-mandated project without the use of violence. Let our actions of civil disobedience help set a hallmark precedent for what people can do for their county and country.”

A spirited entrepreneur, Gary channeled his love for hunting into his business, Deerskin Products, which he started in 1987. People all over western New York have bought deerskin gloves from Gary over the years, and though the business is now gone, the durability of the gloves ensures that many will continue to enjoy his gloves for years to come.

Gary is survived by his wife, Mary Jane (Girondo) Lloyd; his son, Timothy Lloyd of Alfred Station; his daughter, Hilarie (David Walker) Lloyd of Pittsford; his sister, Sheila (Randy Smith) Lloyd of Bannon, OR; and 5 grandchildren, Amanda Lloyd, Annie Lloyd, Benjamin Lloyd, Alistar Lloyd-Walker and Aurora Lloyd-Walker. In 1997, Gary completed his alcohol rehabilitation at Chit Chat Westfield, and was sober for 3 years afterward. In 2014, Gary and Mary Jane celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner party at The Main Place in Hornell.

Gary touched the lives of many people over the course of his life as a teacher, friend, father, brother, son, and grandfather. He genuinely cared about people and his community. He will be greatly missed by many who knew him. Think of “Mr. Lloyd” when you encounter a creature. Think of Gary when you “follow the track of the white tail,” and watch closely and listen as you explore the tangle of life in a field, forest, or pond. Pay attention to toads, as Gary urged us to do in one of his most memorable poems, “Ode to a Toad.”

“On a dark and misty night,
when you’re walking all about,
keep your eyes on the ground,
because all the toads are out.
…
When you fondle little toads,
You could never get a wart,
So just jostle them gently,
for it’s nature they support.”
(from “Ode to a Toad,”
Gary C. Lloyd, 1992)

At Gary’s request, there will be no calling hours or religious services. Instead, a “Celebration of Life” will be held in late July, 2022. Venison and wild leeks will be on the menu.

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

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Gary Lloyd’s name can be made to A.E. Crandall Hook & Ladder Co.’s volunteer fire department and Emergency Medical Services. Tax-free donations help these volunteers purchase the equipment and supplies they need to provide fire and EMS services at no cost to their patients or their insurance companies. (4 Main Street, Box 582, Alfred, NY 14802, 607-587-8880)

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

I watch the woods
could it be,
or is it the woods
just watching me
— Gary C. Lloyd