Ruth M. Gray of Monticello, a retired operator for the New York Telephone Company and a lifelong area resident, died Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at her home. She was 79 years of age.
The daughter of the late Charles and Nellie May York Powell, she was born January 13, 1923, in Woodridge.
Mrs. Gray was a member of the United Methodist Church of Monticello and a life member of the Telephone Pioneers of America.
She is survived by a son, Walter S. Conklin of Monticello; four grandchildren, Keith, Lori, Amy and Karen; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by three brothers, William, Kenneth and Ralph Powell, and a sister, Beulah Kirtack.
Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 195 Broadway, Monticello, with the Rev. Gene Smith officiating.
Burial will be made in the Hurleyville Cemetery in Hurleyville.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 or to the United Methodist Church of Monticello, 255 Broadway, Monticello, N.Y. 12701.

Peter H. Rasmussen of Middletown, a retired foreman for the City of Middletown Street Department and a lifelong area resident, died Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at the Arden Hill Hospital in Goshen. He was 92 years of age.
The son of the late Peter and Anna Ibohm Rasmussen, he was born September 20, 1909, in Big Island. He was the widower of Alphretta Rasmussen, Evelyn Rasmussen and Violet Rasmussen.
Mr. Rasmussen is survived by five children, Nancy Jones of New Hampton, Raymond Rasmussen and Peter H. Rasmussen Jr., both of Middletown, Robert Rasmussen and his wife, Ruthann, of Eldred, and William Rasmussen and his wife, Carol, of Cincinnati, Ohio; a stepson, Jack Velie and his wife, Shirley, of Middletown; a sister, Betty Carrick of Middletown; 22 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a sister, Welhelmina Spencer, a brother, Clifford Rasmussen; two daughters-in-law, Cora and Lenore; a son-in-law, Hallie E. Jones, and a stepson, Richard Velie.
Services and burial will be private.

Alfred P. Messemer of Endicott died Saturday, February 9, 2002, at the Waters Nursing Home in Endicott. He was 82 years of age.
The son of the late Jesse and Pearl Wagner Messemer, he was born February 25, 1919, in North Branch.
Mr. Messemer was a World War II veteran and was an active member of the Callicoon Center Schuetzin Verein for many years.
He is survived by his wife, Marie Messemer of Endicott; a son, Rollyn Messemer of Binghamton; three grandchildren, Marty, Jamie and Wendy; a sister, Charlotte Kautz of Callicoon and Florida; a brother, Stanley Veyhl of St. Louis, Mo.; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a son, Randy.
No further information was submitted.

Carmen L. Lebron of Monticello, a 13-year area resident, died Sunday, February 27, 2002, at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla after a long illness. She was 26 years of age.
The daughter of Carmen Rivera Lopez and the late Jose Lebron, she was born January 25, 1976, in Brooklyn.
Miss Lebron graduated from Monticello High School and was attending Sullivan County Community College at Loch Sheldrake.
She is survived by her mother and stepfather, Blase Lopez, of Loch Sheldrake; a brother Jonathan Lopez of Loch Sheldrake; a sister and brother-in-law, Milagros and David Cox of St. Petersburg, Fla.; and two uncles, George Rivera of Loch Sheldrake and Nelson Rivera of North Bergen, N.J.
Funeral services were held Thursday evening at the Ramsay's Funeral Home in Liberty.
Cremation was made at the Cedar Hill Crematory in Middle Hope.

Edward J. Marion of Glen Spey, a retired mill operator for Dow Corning in Huguenot and a 17-year area resident, formerly of Patterson, N.J., died Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at his home. He was 76 years of age.
The son of the late Ernest J. and Mary Crum Marion, he was born July 15, 1925, in Wappingers Falls.
Mr. Marion was a Navy veteran of World War II and a life member of the Tri-State Naval Ship Post #7241, Veterans of Foreign Wars, in Port Jervis.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Dorothy Marion, at home; two sons and daughters-in-law, Michael and Debbie Marion of Norwood, N.J., and Edward "Ed" and Lynn Marion of Lincoln Park; a daughter and son-in-law, Carol and Luke Kumburis of Albion; seven grandchildren; a great-grandchild; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by a grandson.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, 100 East Main St., Port Jervis, with Richard Hotzler of the Eldred Congregational Church officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 or to the Tri-State Naval Ship Post #7241, VFW, 45 Barcelow St., Port Jervis, N.Y. 12771.

Howard R. Haller of Wurtsboro, a retired maintenance worker for the Veterans Administration in Jamaica, N.Y., died Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at the Ellenville Regional Hospital. He was 88 years of age.
The son of the late Ehart and Emma Schock Haller, he was born June 16, 1913, in Woodhaven.
Mr. Haller was a veteran of the United States Army.
In a family statement, it was said, "He and his wife retired in 1984 and moved to Wurtsboro where they enjoyed their golden years 'in the country.' All will feel the loss of his kind and gentle being, and he will be greatly missed by family and friends."
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lillian Haller, at home; two daughters and sons-in-law, Joyce and John Bernabo-Terrano and Barbara and Ian Brennan; two nephews, George Heinsohn and his wife Mary, and James Shaw; a grand-nephew and grand-niece, Christian and Kerry Shaw; seven grandchildren, Janet and her husband Patrick, Philip and his wife Martina, John Jr., Gregory and his wife Courtney, Nicole and her fiance, Sandy Jaclynne and her fiance, Sal, Travis and Cheyenne; and five great-grandchildren, Patrick John, Ashley, Dominique, Sydney Rose and Gregory Jr.
Friends may call at the VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 111 Sullivan St., Wurtsboro, on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home with the Rev. Robert Pinto officiating.

Abbas Farouk Hammam of Giza, Egypt, a former one year resident of Callicoon, died at his family's home in Giza on November 14, 2001, after a long illness with pancreatic cancer. He was 42 years of age.
The son of of Nazira and Farouk Hammam, he attended Ain Champs University in Cairo, graduating in business and commerce. He worked for many years in shops in the famous Khan Khalili bazaar and in Taharir Square in downtown Cairo.
He and his wife lived one year in Callicoon while Abbas was under the care of the oncology department of Community General Hospital in Harris. They also spent three years in Cairo and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
He is survived by his parents of Giza, Egypt; his wife, Linda Bastian Hammam, at home; two brothers, Morsey and Bedradine Hammam; four sisters, Isla, Mohassen, Om Waleed and Om Sheriff; and several nieces and nephews.
Services were held at the family tomb on the 14th outside of Cairo, Egypt, and were attended by the extended family, including older relatives from the family's home village of Tata, in southern Egypt.
Communication with the family can be made by email at lindabastian@hotmail.com.

Hazel Mary Turner of Liberty, a homemaker and lifelong area resident, died Monday, February 18, 2002, at the Seelig Division of the Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. She was 91 years of age.
The daughter of the late DeWayne and Nettie Whitney Geer, she was born June 1, 1905, in Hancock. She was the widow of Vernon Turner who died in 1986.
Mrs. Turner was a member of the Hurleyville United Methodist Church and the Star Rebekka Lodge of Liberty.
She is survived by two sons, Vernon Turner of East Edmeston and Milton Turner of Woodbourne; two daughters, Sylvia Kortright of Liberty and Marion Keator of Divine Corners; a sister, Dorothy Coddington of Hancock; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a brother, Ivan Geer, and two sisters, Alice and Viola.
Friends may call at the Ramsay's Funeral Home, 275 S. Main St., Liberty on Friday from noon to 2 p.m.
Services will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at the funeral home with the Rev. Robert Pinto officiating.
Burial will be made in the Hurleyville Cemetery in Hurleyville.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.

Donald Harold Wood of Sundown, a former fire tower observer at Red Hill and a lifelong area resident, died Wednesday, February 20, 2001, at his home. He was 51 years of age.
The son of the late Harold and Evelyn Sheeley Wood, he was born July 31, 1950, in Ellenville.
He is survived by his companion, Bonnie Barringer, at home; two sisters, Susan Hunt of Ulster Heights and Patti Miller of Westchester County; a brother, Roger Wood of Ulster Heights; and several nieces and nephews.
There will be no visitation.
Cremation will be private.
Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of one's choice.

Henry H. Scheuerman of Westbrookville, a retired water superintendent for the Town of Monroe and a lifelong area resident, died Tuesday, February 19, 2002, at his home. He was 62 years of age.
The son of the late Henry and Doris Tomer Scheuerman, he was born February 20, 1939, in Goshen.
He is survived by a sister and brother-in-law, Janice and Harold Stoebling of Greenville; a son, James Scheuerman of Providence, R.I.: a daughter, Kathleen Scheuerman of Shelter Harbor, R.I.; three nephews and their spouses, Neil and Denise Zabriskie of Palm Bay, Fla., and Jeffery and Phyllis Zabriskie, and Glenn Zabriskie and his companion, Karen, all of Milford, Pa.; and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at St. John's Lutheran Church, 391 Mount Hope Rd., Middletown, with the Rev. Peter A. Rustico officiating.
Cremation will be made at the Cedar Hill Crematory in Middle Hope.
Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Orange in the Hudson Valley, Inc., 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, N.Y. 12550 or to St. John's Lutheran Church Building Fund, 391 Mount Hope Rd., Middletown, N.Y. 10940.

Anthony "Bub" Salvati of Matamoras, Pa., a retired meat department manager for Grand Union and a lifelong area resident, died Wednesday, February 20, 2002, at the Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis. He was 88 years of age.
The son of the late Joseph and Josephine Salvati, he was born May 15, 1913, in Middletown.
Mr. Salvati was a 70-year charter member and past president of Mountaineers Rod and Gun Club. He joined the Wallkill Engine Co. #6 on March 7, 1932. He was a past president of the Westfall Fire Department and a past chief of the Westfall Fire Police. He was a co-founder and past president of the Pike County Fire Police Association, a member of the Pennsylvania Fire Police Association, a past deputy fire coordinator of the Pike County Firemen's Federation, a member and former director of the New York State Volunteer Fire Police and a member of the Orange County, N.Y., and Sussex County, N.J., Fire Police Association. He was also a former member of the Westfall Police Department and a member and former director of the New England Fire Museum in Brewster, Mass.
He is survived by two sons, Joseph M. Salvati and his wife, Linda, of Cuddebackville, and Kevin Salvati of Matamoras, Pa.; a daughter, Sheryl Carney of Melbourne, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Sue "Suzie" Guss and her husband, Robert, of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; two sisters, Letitia DeGraw of Melbourne, Fla., and Rose Viserta of Port Jervis; five grandchildren, Jeffery Salvati of Wappingers Falls, Karen Robinson of Godeffroy, Kelly Mead of Monticello, Kerry Mansueto of Wurtsboro and Lynn Salvati of Hemlock Farms, Pa.; 11 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Friends may call at the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, 100 East Main St., Port Jervis, on Friday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the funeral home with the Rev. John J. Turi officiating.
Burial will be made in the Milford Cemetery in Milford, Pa.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Westfall Fire Department, P.O. Box 154, Matamoras, Pa. 18336.

Gaynor Ann Van Sleet of Napanoch, a homemaker and lifelong area resident, died Monday, February 18, 2002, at the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. She was 75 years of age.
The daughter of Mable Mae Krom, she was born March 18, 1926, in Ellenville.
Mrs. Van Sleet was a member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Napanoch.
She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Edmund H. Van Sleet, at home; 10 children, Daniel Van Sleet of Chantilly, Va., June Boucher of Farmington, Cheryl Giugitta of Samsonville, Betty Brown of DeFuniak Springs, Fla., Dawn Munley of Kingston, James Van Sleet of Hudson, Fla., John Van Sleet of Portsmouth, Va., Audrey Lynn of Grahamsville, Gwen Cain of Ellenville, and Wayne Van Sleet of Milton, Fla.; 30 grandchildren; and 28 great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by a daughter, Marge North and a granddaughter, Miranda North.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Loucks Funeral Home in Ellenville with the Rev. Peggy Ann Sauerhoff officiating.
Burial will be made in Fantinekill Cemetery in Ellenville.