Joseph "Jess" Abel of Jeffersonville, the retired owner and operator of the Jeffersonville Pharmacy for 18 years and a longtime area resident, died Saturday, April 28, 2001, at the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa. He was 81 years of age.
The son of the late Hyman and Rose Roth Abel, he was born November 19, 1919, in the Bronx.
He began working at the Jeffersonville Pharmacy at the age of 8 and had a 55-year association with the business. It was there that a special concoction of root beer and a scoop of ice cream, now known as a "Black Cow," became popular.
The last to graduate (in 1938) from the old Jeffersonville High School, his community spirit was recognized with many certificates and awards, including a Humanitarian Award by Sullivan County; Roman Catholic Vicariate Council of Sullivan Award in 1991; and Appreciation of Service by the Jeffersonville Adult Home in 1984. He was a grand marshal of the homecoming parade and of the 1998 Jeffersonville Jamboree.
A 35-year member of the Sullivan County BOCES Board, Mr. Abel was named Outstanding Friend to Education 2000 by the Sullivan County School Boards Association, received a New York State Assembly Certificate of Merit, and was given Special Congressional Recognition by the U.S. Congress in May of 2000. The Mid-Hudson School Study Council for Education Excellence in School Service was awarded Mr. Abel, as well as the Sullivan BOCES Special Appreciation Award in 1996. He was named Senior Citizen of the Year by the Sullivan County Office for the Aging in 1993.
A fire, in the village of Jeffersonville in 1890, had destroyed the records and when Mr. Abel became historian, he set out to assemble records of the cemeteries and important data of the Village of Jeffersonville.
Mr. Abel was a member and past president of the Jeffersonville Synagogue; the Town of Callicoon historian and a 35-year member of the Jeffersonville Ambulance Corps, all in Jeffersonville. He was also a member of the Sullivan County Parks Commission, the Sullivan County Historical Society and Liberty Lodge 521, Free and Accepted Masons. A World War II veteran, he was a charter member of the H. Russell Kenyon Post No. 5808, Veterans of Foreign Wars, in Callicoon.
He is survived by his wife, Esther Roth Abel, at home; a son, Bernard Abel of Monticello; two daughters, Ruth Lee Turk of Monticello and Barbara Abel of Chicago, Ill; a sister, Harriet Lapidus of East Meadow; and a granddaughter, Beth Victoria Turk. He was predeceased by a daughter, Marrianne S. Abel, and three sisters, Velda Sodell who died in 1985, Beatrice Francis, who died in 1964 and Helen Kaplan, who died in 1997.
Services were held Monday at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home in Monticello with Rabbi Irwin Tanenbaum officiating.
Burial was made in the Jeffersonville Synagogue Cemetery in Youngsville.
Shiva will be observed at the family home in Jeffersonville until Thursday.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Grover M. Hermann Hospital, Callicoon, N.Y. 12723 or to the Jeffersonville Synagogue or Jeffersonville Ambulance Corps, both at Jeffersonville, N.Y. 12748.

Charles John "Charlie" Barbuti Sr. of Liberty, the founder of Barbuti Furniture Store and a longtime area resident, died Saturday, April 28, 2001, at his home. He was 86 years of age.
The son of the late Charles and Marion "Mae" Cusick Barbuti, he was born December 21, 1914, in Brooklyn.
Mr. Barbuti's association with baseball and softball in Sullivan County spans eight decades. He was a member of the old Town of Liberty baseball team and was a coach in the Liberty PAL Little League. He was an organizer of the Liberty Softball League and the Sullivan County Seniors softball team.
A longtime member of the Town of Liberty Democratic Club, he was a 20-year elected Councilman for the Town of Liberty Town Board and a former Village of Liberty Board Trustee. He also served as vice president of the St. Paul's Senior Citizens and was a member also of the "Over the Hill" coffee gang.
In a family statement, it was said, "From his position as head of his family, through the business and political world to which he dedicated so many years, to the baseball diamond which he loved so dearly, in the game of life, Charlie was a winner. He was a celebration of life. Even though his life was long and full of joy, his passing still leaves a tremendous emptiness in his family, in his large circle of friends and the community, all of which he loved so much."
He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Muriel Hansen Barbuti, at home; three sons and two daughters-in-law, James Barbuti of Deland, Fla., Thomas and Kathy Barbuti of Baltimore, Md., and Charles Jr. and Terri Barbuti of Liberty; a brother, George Barbuti of Lake Worth, Fla.; nine grandchildren, James Barbuti Jr., Frank Barbuti, Emeley Nicholson, Yvonne Decker, Patricia Barbuti, Arianne Barbuti, Heather Barbuti, Allison Barbuti and Jill Barbuti; ten great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeased by a daughter-in-law, Dorothy Barbuti, who died April 2, 2001.
Friends may call at the Harris Funeral Home, West Street at Buckley, Liberty, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home with Monsignor Edward Straub officiating.
Burial will be made in St. Peter's Cemetery in Liberty.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Charles Barbuti Sportsmanship Scholarship Trust, c/o HSBC Bank, 53 South Main St., Liberty, N.Y. 12754, Attn: Dianne Brady.

Helen Altschuler of Liberty, a homemaker and a longtime area resident, died Thursday, April 26, 2001, at the Sullivan County Adult Care Center in Liberty. She was 82 years of age.
The daughter of the late Abraham and Eva Goldberg, she was born March 6, 1919, in New York.
She is survived by her husband, Hy Altschuler of Liberty; a son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Susan Altschuler of Herndon, Va.; and two grandchildren, Zachary and Erin Altschuler.
Services were held Friday at the Joseph N. Garlick Funeral Home in Monticello with Rabbi Ben Zion Chanowitz officiating.
Burial was made in the Cedar Park Cemetery in Paramus, N.J.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Family Council of the Sullivan County Adult Care Center, Liberty, N.Y. 12754 or to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.

Angela Molfetas of Bloomingburg, a lifelong area resident and a beautician for Pampered Lady in Middletown, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, April 25, 2001. She was 26 years of age.
The daughter of Denise Tetz Stitt, she was born March 19, 1975, in Goshen.
She is survived by a son, Darren Young Jr.; her mother and stepfather, Russell Stitt of Bloomingburg; her companion, Jim Hansen of Bloomingburg; her maternal grandfather, Edward Tetz Sr. of Chester; three uncles, Edward Tetz Jr. of Middletown, Joseph Tetz Sr. of New Tripoli, Pa., and Gary Tetz Sr. of Bloomingburg; an aunt, Corinne Tetz of Bloomingburg; and several cousins. She was predeceased by her maternal grandmother, Verna Dominego Tetz.
Private cremation was followed by burial at the Wallkill Cemetery in Phillipsburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.

Albert Brown Jr. of Woodbourne, a student of Fallsburg High School and a lifelong area resident, died suddenly Tuesday, April 24, 2001, at his home. He was 19 years of age.
The son of Albert and Yvonne Cooper Brown, he was born December 21, 1981, in Harris.
He is survived by his parents of Woodbourne; a sister, Kaydee Cooper of Wassaic; aunts and uncles, Pamela Cooper Patnode of Wassaic, Patricia Cooper of Lake George and Mrs. Katherine Cooper-Miller and her husband, A.J., of Middleburg, Fla; five cousins; his great-grandmother, Kay Cooper of Wassaic; his maternal grandparents, Ann and Theron Cooper of Plattsburgh; a great-aunt, Patricia Yaple of Woodbourne; a great-great-aunt and uncle, Pauline and Mort Thompson of Wassaic; three uncles, Eugene Brown of Monticello and Frank and his wife, Rosemary Brown, all of Napanoch, and Howard Brown of Woodbourne; and an aunt, Cathy Brown Lake of Ellenville. He was predeceased by his grandmother, Yvonne Norwood Cooper Banker.
Services were held Saturday at the Colonial Memorial Funeral Home in Woodbourne with the Rev. Barbara Claypool officiating.
Interment was made in the Woodbourne Reform Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to Albert and Yvonne Brown, c/o Colonial Memorial Funeral Home, P.O. Box 520, Woodbourne, NY 12788.

Hilda Pearl Greenstein of Miami, Fla., a former resident of Hurleyville, died Monday, April 23, 2001, in Florida.
She was born in New York City in 1910.
She worked in a bakery shop in New York where she met her husband, the late Lester Greenstein, who died in 1996 after 67 years of marriage.
Together, the Greensteins operated self-owned supermarkets in Kansas and Missouri. One of their most famous weekly customers was President Harry Truman and his family.
She moved to Hurleyville in 1944 where she owned an apartment building, helped open another supermarket with her husband, serving the summer vacationers and major resort hotels for 20 years.
Mrs. Greenstein was a past president of the Ladies Auxiliary and an executive board member of Anshei Hurleyville Congregation. She moved to Miami in 1956 and became a member of B'nai Israel Greater Miami Youth Synagogue and Young Israel of Kendall Synagogue. She served many hours as a "pink lady" at Baptist Hospital in Miami, working in the diet office. As a volunteer, she was then given full charge of the gift shop at Deering Hospital in Miami.
In a family statement, it was said, "She will be remembered as a kind, compassionate matriarch with the knack of baking the most delicious cakes 'from scratch.' But most of all, she was 'Momma'."
She is survived by three children and their spouses, Dr. Melvyn and Renee Greenstein, Lorraine and Eugene Ganz and Allen and Nicole Collier; four grandchildren and their spouses, Warren and Martha Ganz, Jay Ganz, Dr. Bruce and Susan Greenstein and Jill and Martin Fine; six great-grandchildren, Melissa and Samuel Ganz, and Adin, Sage, Lindsey and Ellis Greenstein; a sister, Sylvia Fox; a niece, Barbara and her husband, Jeffrey Hoppenfeld, and their son, Jared.
Services and burial were held in Miami on Tuesday.

Charles J. Dutkiewicz of Liberty, an electronic repairman known as "Video Dr.," and a 20-year area resident, died Thursday, April 26, 2001, at the Seelig Division of Community General Hospital in Harris after a long illness. He was 35 years of age.
The son of Jean Hartman Dutkiewicz and the late Charles Dutkiewicz, he was born June 9, 1965, in Smithtown.
He is survived by his mother and step-father, Jean and Fred Hoffman of North Branch; his wife, Sharlene Rand Dutkiewicz, three sons, Joseph, Brandon and Brian Dutkiewicz, and a daughter, Christina Dutkiewicz, all of Liberty; a step-daughter, Raven Gross of Liberty; a brother, Robert Gross of Callicoon; a sister, Linda VanLoan of Middletown; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Ramsay's Funeral Home in Liberty.
Private cremation will be made at the Cedar Hill Crematory in Newburgh.

Helene V. Stamm of Oxford, a retired typist formerly of Queens, died Thursday, April 26, 2001, at the New York State Veterans Home in Oxford. She was 84 years of age.
The daughter of the late George and Helena Delach, she was born January 6, 1917, in Patchogue. She was the widow of Bernard J. Stamm.
She is survived by a daughter, Bernadette Stamm of Liberty; a son, James Stamm of Queens; a brother, Henry Delach of the state of Florida; a sister, Dorothy VanDeroort of Rochester; five grandchildren, Michael Millheiser of Smallwood, Simon Millheiser of Liberty, Deborah Smalls of Long Island, Jennifer Cattuci of the state of Florida, and Daniel Kennefick of Alabama; and two great-grandchildren, Lilly Millheiser and Michael Smalls. She was predeceased by a daughter, Jane Kennefick, a brother, George, and two sisters, Rosemarie and Veronica.
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Monday at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Woodbourne.
Interment was made in the Long Island National Cemetery in Pinelawn.
Funeral arrangements were made by the Colonial Memorial Funeral Home in Woodbourne.

Clarence "Sailor" Blaut Sr. of Barryville, a retired carpenter with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local No. 15 in Hackensack, N.J., and a 20-year area resident, died Saturday, April 28, 2001, at the Hackensack (N.J.) Medical Center. He was 80 years of age.
The son of the late Karl and Margaret Karlos Blaut, he was born March 19, 1921, in Bernwood.
Mr. Blaut was a member of St. Anthony's Church in Yulan. An Army veteran of World War II, he had received the Bronze Star, and was a member of the 83rd Chemical Mortor Battalion that meets several times each year.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Catherine Dorothy Amrine Blaut, at home; three sons, Clarence Blaut Jr. and Barry Blaut, both of Barryville, and Dale Blaut of Amarillo, Tex.; a sister, Helen Pitchetto of East Rutherford, N.J.; nine grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Kim Blaut.
Friends may call at the Gray-Rasmussen Funeral Home, Route 97, Barryville, on Tuesday, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
A Mass of the Resurrection will be offered at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Anthony's Church in Yulan with the Rev. Evan Greco officiating.
Burial will be made in St. Anthony's Cemetery in Eldred.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Yulan Fire Department, Yulan, N.Y. 12792 or to the American Heart Association, 419 East Main St., Suite 202, Middletown, N.Y. 10940.

David W. Kolk Sr. of Middletown, a former employee of Horton Medical Center in Middletown and a lifelong area resident, died Friday, April 27, 2001, at the Horton Medical Center. He was 48 years of age.
The son of the late Henry and Evelyn Mack Kolk, he was born May 2, 1952, in Middletown.
He is survived by his wife, Marlene Baker Kolk, and a son, David W. Kolk Jr., both of Bloomingburg; two brothers, Douglas Kolk and his wife, Barbara, of Daytona, Fla., and Ronnie Kolk of Westbrookville; two sisters, Jeannie Walker of Middletown and Carol Rasmussen and her husband, Bill, of Ohio; and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Ralston-Lippincott-Hasbrouck-Ingrassia Funeral Home, 72 West Main St., Middletown.
Burial will be private.

Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Fairview Cemetery in Stone Ridge for Edith Dorothy Davis of Ellenville, a housewife and lifelong area resident, who died December 20, 2000, at the Walnut Mountain Care Center in Liberty. She was 95 years of age.
For directions, call Loucks Funeral Home in Ellenville, at 647-4343, or the family.

Ethel Rossano of Wurtsboro, a retired restaurant worker for the Waldorf Cafeteria in New York City, died Thursday, April 26, 2001, in the Horton Medical Center in Middletown. She was 94 years of age.
The daughter of the late Ben and Leah Mendelsohn, she was born May 13, 1906, in England.
She is survived by two daughters, Martha Kania of Mountain Lakes Camp, Wurtsboro, and Lee LoCastro of New York City; six grandchildren, Frances and Patty of Las Vegas, Linda of Wallkill, Carolann of Pennsylvania, Roseann of Wurtsboro and Michael of Godeffroy; and 11 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a son, Fred, and two great-grandchildren.
Services were held Monday at the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home in Wurtsboro with the Rev. Robert Pinto officiating.
Burial was made in the Bloomingburg Rural Cemetery in Bloomingburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Mamakating First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 525, Wurtsboro, N.Y. 12790 in appreciation for their kindness and caring shown to her family.

William J. Stackhouse of Albany, a former resident of Ellenville, died Tuesday, April 24, 2001, at his home. He was 67 years of age.
The son of the late William D. and Ethel Westbrook Stackhouse, he was born March 25, 1934, in Monticello.
Besides being an accomplished pianist and piano technician, Mr. Stackhouse was also an antique collector and dealer and a certified estate appraiser. Many of his donated historical Ellenville pieces are on display in the Ellenville Public Library and Museum.
Mr. Stackhouse was a member of the Dutch Settler's Society of Albany and the Piano Technician's Guild.
He is survived by a sister, Marilyn T. Fleck and her husband, John, of Ellenville; two nephews, William J. Fleck of Wurtsboro and Steven R. Fleck of Rockville Centre; two grand-nephews, Michael T. and James R. Fleck; and numerous cousins.
Private burial was made in the Fantinekill Cemetery in Ellenville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Ellenville Public Library and Museum, Ellenville, N.Y. 12426.

Harold H. "Joe" Krum of Livingston Manor, a retired driver for Local 445 Teamsters Union and a lifelong area resident, died Sunday, April 29, 2001, at his home. He was 93 years of age.
The son of the late Benjamin and Elvira Everett Krum, he was born October 3, 1907, in Neversink. He was the widower of Hilda Krum.
Mr. Krum was a member and past president of the Hunter Road Hunting Club and a member of Local 445 Teamsters Union.
He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Harold L. and Betty Krum of Livingston Manor; a brother, Harvey Krum of Elmira; three sisters, Bertha Fischer of Oneonta, Florence Peterson of Paramus, N.J., and Irene Jones of the state of Florida; three grandchildren, Patricia Cady, Rosemarie Finkle and Michael H. Krum; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a granddaughter, Anita Williams.
Friends may call at the Herbert C. Bryant Funeral Home, 29 Pearl St., Livingston Manor, on Tuesday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home with Pastor Dorothy Smith officiating.
Burial will be made in the Grahamsville Rural Cemetery in Grahamsville.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Sullivan County, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550.