Sheila K. Benton
Teacher, 65

Sheila K. Benton, a lifelong Liberty resident, went home to be with her Lord on Monday, April 12, 2010 at Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris after a brave fight with cancer. She was 65.
Sheila was the daughter of the late Medwin and Carolyn Low Benton and was born on November 30, 1944 in Liberty.
Sheila was a Master Teacher at Tri-Valley Central School for 40 years.  She taught sciences from the sixth grade level up through and including college. A member of the Delta Kappa Gamma organization for outstanding teachers, Sheila brought an enthusiasm and knowledge base to her teaching that enriched the lives of the thousands of students she taught. Sheila was also a member of the Liberty Free Methodist Church.
Sheila was the definition of a true friend. She was caring, loyal and the first to try to help any individual in need. As she traveled through life, she brought God’s goodness into the world of others simply by the way she lived.
An avid gardener, Sheila was always planting for herself and others.  She would offer advice and guidance and then ask, “Do you want me to just do that for you?” A collector of rocks, Sheila was known to return home from every trip with outstanding stones from every state in the country.
She will be missed by the countless friends whose lives she touched, but in Heaven on Monday there was celebrating as she joined her loved ones who had waited for her.
Survivors include her step-mom, Anna Mae Benton and three brothers, Medwin A. Benton and his wife Carol, Curtis Benton and his wife Bobbi and Barth Benton and his wife Kathy. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Friends may call on Friday, April 16, 2010 at Ramsay’s Funeral Home, 275 S. Main St., Liberty from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral services will be held at the Liberty Free Methodist Church, Rt. 52, Liberty on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 10 a.m. Pastor Gary Wilcox will officiate.
Burial will follow at Grahamsville Rural Cemetery, Grahamsville, NY.
Memorial donations may be made to the Sullivan County Pregnancy Support Center, P.O. Box 832, Liberty, NY 12754.
Funeral arrangements are by Ramsay’s Funeral Homes Inc.

Therese E. Horecky
Ret. Service Rep., NYTEL, 79

Therese E. Horecky of Barryville, NY, a retired service representative for New York Telephone and a longtime resident of the area, died on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at home with her family by her side. The daughter of the late Michael J. and Mary Bertha Daniels Heiser, she was born May 22, 1930, a snowy day, in Long Island City, NY. She was 79.
Therese was a member of St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church in Yulan. She was a longtime member of the Catholic Daughters of America and St. Anthony’s Altar and Rosary Society. She taught at St. Anthony’s and St. Ann’s Religious Education Programs. She helped organize the Girl Scouts in the Town of Highland.
A family statement reads, “Therese was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She will be greatly missed by her family.”
She is survived by her husband of over 51 years, Joseph M. Horecky; six children: Lorraine Ann Sanders of Lancaster, NH; Therese Hammond of Glen Spey, NY; Catherine Horecky and Steven O’Neill of Palm Coast, FL; Robert Horecky and his wife Kelly of Waldorf, MD; Florence Horecky of Barryville, NY; and Margaret Knepper and her husband Dave of Gotha, FL; seven grandchildren: Danielle Smyth, Michael Sanders, Frances Hammond, William Hammond, Isabelle Hammond, Mary Catherine Horecky and Novalee Knepper; four great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Therese is predeceased by one sister and several brothers.
Friends are invited to call on Friday, April 15 from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., and Saturday, April 16 from 9-9:30 a.m. at the Harrison Rasmussen Funeral Home, Rt. 97, Barryville, NY.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, April 17 at 10 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church, Yulan, with Father Anthony Moore, OFM, as the celebrant.
Christian burial will follow at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Eldred, NY.
Donations may be made to Hospice of Orange & Sullivan County, 800 Stony Brook Ct., Newburgh, NY 12550.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Harrison Rasmussen Funeral Home, Barryville, NY. 845-557-8010.

Terry R. Covington Sr.
Former Chef, 68

Terry R. Covington Sr. of Liberty went to be with the Lord on Friday, April 9, 2010 at Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris. He was 68.
The son of the late Ira Covington and Winifred West, he was born on April 11, 1941 in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Terry had been a chef at the Raleigh Hotel in South Fallsburg, and was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving his country from 1961 to 1964.
He is survived by a son, Terry Covington Jr. of Liberty; daughters, Maria Gamble of New York City, Angela Gamble of Monticello, Garlina Finn of Mt. Holly, NJ, and Lorraine Horsley and her husband Troy of Silver Springs, Md.; stepdaughters, Shavon Bryant and Jennifer Jones, both of Liberty; a godson, Craig Duffy and wife Gerri of Bradley, NY; sisters, Angela West, Ernestine West, and Marilyn West-Goggins, all of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Belinda West of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Clementine McLemore of Pompano Beach, Fla.; and Linda Thomas of Monticello; brothers, Kenneth West and wife Desi of Statesboro, Ga., James West and wife Audrey of Coral Springs, Fla., Nathaniel Stevenson and wife Peggy of Pompano Beach, Fla., Tommy Lee West and wife Louise of Ft. Lauderdale, Rev. Harold Grimball of Liberty, Bruce Grimball of Atlanta, Ga., and Melvin Davis of Middletown, NY; 17 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; his former wife, Marjorie Covington of Liberty; and a host of nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by a daughter, Yvette Gamble; and a brother, Raymond Walker West.
Visitation will be held Saturday, April 17, 2010 at the Liberty Presbyterian Church from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Funeral services will be at the church at 1 p.m. with the Rev. Norman Graves officiating.
Burial with military honors will follow at Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery, Liberty, NY.
Funeral arrangements are by Ramsay’s Funeral Homes, Inc., Liberty, NY.

Maria S. Goldstein
Retired Waitress, 86

Maria S. Goldstein of Roscoe, NY, a retired waitress for the Roscoe Diner, died Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris, NY. She was 86.
She was born August 14, 1923 in La Calamine, Belgium.
Survivors include one daughter, Sonja Goldstein-Suss and her husband Rainer; two sons, Joe Goldstein and his wife Jeri and Greg Goldstein and his wife Linda; four grandsons, Jeff, Eric, Brian, and Todd; and three great-granddaughters, Gillian, Natalie, and Claire. She was predeceased by her husband, Julius, on April 13, 2008.
Maria met Julius in Belgium during World War II, married him and came to this county in 1946 on a Red Cross boat filled with war brides and their children. They settled in Roscoe in 1947. Maria had also worked in the Roscoe Theatre for a number of years. She loved to knit, garden, sing and have fun. Maria loved her family and friends.
Visitation will be Tuesday, April 20, 2010 from 10 a.m. to noon in the Harris Funeral Home, Railroad Ave., Roscoe.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at noon at the funeral home. The Reverend Donald Jenks will officiate.
Burial will be made in the Bon Air Cemetery, Roscoe.
Memorial contributions in her name may be made to the Roscoe-Rockland Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Old Rte. 17, Roscoe, NY 12776 or to the Roscoe Community Nursing Home, Residents Fund, 420 Rockland Rd., Roscoe, NY 12776.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Harris Funeral Home, Railroad Avenue, Roscoe, NY. 607-498-4929 or 845-439-5200. www.Harris-FH.com