MICHAEL BENTON BATES

PENN YAN — Michael Benton Bates, 64, of 110 Chapel St., Penn Yan died Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at the Bath VA Medical Center.

Graveside service for Michael will be held at the Bath National Cemetery in Bath on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 11 a.m. with Full Military Honors.

He was born in Rochester on Aug. 23, 1943 the son of the late Henry and Doris Benton Bates.  He had attended Spencerport High School and served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, earning the National Defense Service Medal. He was employed as bartender and manager for Logan’s Party House in Rochester.

He is survived by his sons, David (Donna) Bates and Russell (Chrissy) Bates, all of Baltimore, Md.; grandchildren, Gwendolyn, Abigail, and Lucy; brother, Gerry (Joan) Bates of Branchport; sisters, Judith (Wayne) Holland of Murphy, N.C. and Deborah (John) Cornell of Scottsville; and many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements are with the Townsend-Wood Funeral Chapel, 201 E. Elm St., Penn Yan, NY.  Friends and family may sign the guestbook at www.townsendwoodfuneralchapel.com

ROBERT B. CONLEY

PENN YAN — Robert M. (Bob) Conley 78, of 201 Walnut St., Penn Yan, died peacefully at this son and daughter’s home April 19 in Dresden.

Calling hours are from 2 to 4 and 7  to 9 p.m. Friday, April 25 at Weldon Funeral Home, 102 East Main St., Penn Yan. A funeral service  officiated by the Rev. Barbara Gifford and the Rev. Ellen Knight will be held Saturday, April 26 at 3 p.m. at the funeral home.
Burial will be in the Branchport Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Keuka Comfort Care Home.

Robert was born in Penn Yan April 7, 1930 to Charles and Frances Andrews Conley.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1954. He was the manager of Starview Lanes in Penn Yan.

He was a member of the V.F.W., American Legion, Moose Club, Isaac Walton League and Harley Owner’s Group (HOG) .

He is survived by his son, Anthony (Darlene) Conley, and their son, Ryan, all of Dresden; Robbin Conley and his children Andrew and Courtney, of Hammondsport; daughters Victoria (Jim VanSkiver) Wright and her children, Tara, Todd and Alissa of Prattsburgh, Wendy (Bucky) Lampman and their son, Chris of Penn Yan; and Casandra Conley and her child, Davie, of Allentown, Pa.

He is also survived by a brother Richard (Helen) Conley of Pulteney, a sister Beverly (Jim) Gleason of Penn Yan, several nieces and nephews and two great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his wife, Janey in 2000, a son, John in 1976 and a daughter, Sharon in 2006.

JUNE L. HERRMANN

DUNDEE — June L. Herrmann, 81, of Dundee, formerly of Rochester, went to be with the Lord on Saturday April 19, 2008 at F. F. Thompson Memorial Hospital, in Canandaigua.

There are no prior calling hours. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 25 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 135 Hamilton St., Penn Yan with the Rev. Amy Walter-Peterson officiating. Burial will be in Hillside Cemetery, Dundee.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 135 Hamilton St., Penn Yan, 14527.

June was born April 17, 1927 in Rochester, the daughter of Louis and Charlotte Setzer Wunsch. On June 14, 1947 in Rochester, she married Paul E. Herrmann; who passed away on March 5, 2002. 

She was a retired Cafeteria Manager for Number #7 School in the City of Rochester. Mrs. Herrmann was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, The Ladies of the Moose in Florida, and was a former school crossing guard; she enjoyed square dancing, crocheting, knitting, and flowers.

She is loved and will be missed by a son Carl E. (Susan) Herrmann of Webster; two daughters Carol J. (Arthur) Dunn of Greece, and Amanda A. (Art) Thomas of Farmington; two brothers Robert (Christine) Wunsch of Rochester, and Louis Wunsch of Depew; two sisters Joyce Ali of Canandaigua, and Betty Hausman of Florida; seven grandchildren; two  great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

Arrangements by the Baird Funeral Home, 36 Water Street, Dundee.

HAROLD B. JENSEN

PENN YAN — Harold B. Jensen, 92, of North Flat Street, died on April 17, 2008 at home surrounded by his loving family and friends after a battle with cancer.

Calling hours were held on Sunday, April 20, at Weldon Funeral Home and a funeral service was conducted by The Rev. Russell Scheel on Monday, April 21 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Burial was in the Bellona Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and the Ontario Yates Hospice.

Harold was born Feb. 6, 1912, outside of Penn Yan. The son of Carl Jensen and Laurine Christensen, Harold was born and died in the home where he resided for his entire life. He was a farmer, a member of the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, The Danish Brotherhood, the Pageant of Steam Association and the Benton Senior Citizens.

Harold is survived by his sons, Carl (Rose) Jensen of Penn Yan and Roger (Gail) Jensen of Geneva; daughters Anne (Charles) Ammerman of Penn Yan and Nancy (John) Powers of Auburn; and grandchildren Kari Morse, Christopher Ammerman, Stephanie Jensen and Courtney Braun.

He was predeceased by his wife Beulah, brothers William and Arthur, and a sister Harriet Alexander.

RITA C. MACDONALD

YATESVILLE — Rita C. MacDonald, 52, of Guyanoga Road, died Monday, April 14,  at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Family and friends visited at Weldon Funeral Home, 102 East Main St., Penn Yan on Thursday, April 17 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A funeral service officiated by Carol Pinneo was held at 3 p.m. April 17 at the funeral home. A private burial was held in Yatesville following the service. 

Memorials may be made to the Yatesville Church or American Cancer Society.

Rita was born in Penn Yan on May 14, 1955, the daughter of Lawrence and Arlene (Milliman) Castner. A graduate of Penn Yan Academy, Rita was a member of the  Yatesville Methodist Church and enjoyed farming, gardening, antiquing, and was also an avid bird watcher.

She is survived by her husband, Greg MacDonald; son Jeffrey L. MacDonald; sisters Janet Castner and Ann Niver of Penn Yan; nieces Angie Cox and Tammy Mackerchar; one great niece and four great nephews; her dog, Sport and many friends who will dearly miss her unique sense of humor.

She was predeceased by her father, Lawrence.

DR. RALPH W. SEAGER

PENN YAN — Dr. Ralph W. Seager of Penn Yan passed away quietly at Keuka Comfort Care Home on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

Memorial services for Ralph will be held at 7:00 PM Tuesday, April 29 at the First Baptist Church in Penn Yan. The family wishes that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to Keuka Comfort Care Home, 35 Route 54, East Lake Rd., Penn Yan, NY, 14527; Ralph W. Seager Scholarship Fund, Keuka College, Keuka Park, NY, 14478; or First Baptist Church, 224 Main St., Penn Yan, NY. 14527.

A noted author and poet, Ralph published some 800 poems and essays, as well as several books, among them the well loved and much quoted “Songs from a Willow Whistle”,  “Wheatfields and Vineyards”, and “Sound of an Echo”. Among many other themes, his writings expressed his thoughts on faith, love, nature, patriotism, the Christmas Miracle, and the joy of growing up in rural Yates County.

For 20 years Ralph taught creative writing and English at Keuka College, and taught poetry workshops across the United States. His love of teaching was only exceeded by the admiration of his students and colleagues toward him, particularly in his ability to awaken one’s senses to the discovery of the unfamiliar, the beauty of the ordinary, and the potential of the unseen. Ralph was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by Keuka College in 1978.

Ralph grew up in Guyanoga Valley, graduated from Penn Yan Academy and spent most of his life in Yates County. As a trombonist, he played in boys’, high school, and village bands for nearly 50 years. His marriage to high school sweetheart Ruth Lovejoy flourished for nearly 73 years until she passed away in 2005. Together they traveled to Africa, Europe, Russia, and across America and Canada, relishing the pleasure of meeting new people of different cultures.

Serving with the Navy and Marines in World War II, Ralph saw duty on Pelelieu in the western Pacific. He was instrumental in the rescue of survivors of the battleship Indianapolis attack in July of 1945.

Ralph continued to write and publish poetry until his death.

He is survived by sister Margaret Drakeley of Penn Yan, sons William, Douglas, and Keith, daughters-in- law DD, Emily, and Linda, seven grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.

MARK S. TRUEX

AVOCA — Mark S. Truex, 47, of Avoca, formerly of Penn Yan, passed away Sunday, April 13, 2008 after a long illness.

There were no calling hours. A memorial service was held in his honor on Monday, April 14 at the Penn Yan VFW. Arrangements were made with Avoca Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Alice’s Rest and Comfort Care Home, 8904 Cook Road, Avoca, NY 14809. Online condolances and remembrances of Mark are welcomed at www.bishopandjohnsonfuneralhome.com.

Mark was born April 27, 1960 in Point Pleasant, N.J., to Robert and Sharon Truex. Mark was employed at Coach and Equipment in Penn Yan.

Mark is survived by his wife Darlene of Penn Yan; two sons Adam and Beau Truex of Penn Yan; daughter Samantha of Avoca; brother Keith and  a niece and nephew of Danbury Conn.; as well as four grandsons.

He was predeceased by his father, Robert in 1991; his brother, Robert Jr. in 2003; his mother, Sharon in 2004; his daughter, Raien in 2005; and his brother, Daniel in 2006.