Helen McGovern Csakany
August 22, 1920-October 19, 2014
Helen McGovern Csakany of Woodside, N.Y., passed away on Oct. 19 at St. Luke’s Hospital in Newburgh. She was 94.
The daughter of Thomas and Mary Healy McGovern, she was born on August 22, 1920 in New York City. Helen was a retired telephone operator for The New York Telephone Company in Elmhurst, N.Y.. She was known for her kind heart, impeccable appearance, and candid honesty. Helen was hardworking, family-oriented, and always thoughtful of others. She was extremely generous and never missed a donation to St. Jude’s. She was loved and respected by her friends and family and will be greatly missed.
She is predeceased by her husband, Joseph Csakany; son, Joseph “Red” Csakany; granddaughter, Colleen Csakany; daughter-in-law, Carolee Csakany; grandson, Franklin Lewis; and her beloved dog Toby.
She is survived by her son, John Thomas Csakany; daughter Patricia Vornlocher of New Windsor; cousins, Barry and Jennifer Lanza, Kevin and Elaine Lanza; grandchildren, Nadeen and Andy Tischy, John and Karen Csakany, Steven and Ruth Csakany, Eileen and Bobby Sestak, Edward and Georganne Vornlocher, Thomas and Bonny Vornlocher, John Vornlocher, Helen Csakany Flint, Jolene Csakany, Toniann and Ernie Albertson, and Rachel and David Smith; great grandchildren, Alexia, Corey, Kyle, Alex-Michelle, Jamie, Carley, Joseph, Dillon, Daniel, Ethan, Casey, Samantha, Thomas, Kiera, Jordania, and Mark; and her great-great granddaughter Leighton.
The family received visitors on Oct. 22 at Quigley Bros. Funeral Home in Cornwall-on-Hudson. A Christian mass was held on Thursday, Oct. 23 at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, 26 Hunter Street, Highland Mills.
Thomas J. O’Brien Sr.
June 6, 1939-October 15, 2014
Thomas J. O’Brien Sr., 75, of Cornwall, passed away on Oct. 15 at home with his family by his side, after a long battle with cancer.
The son of Peter and Bridget “Agnes” (Donegan) O’Brien. he was born on June 6, 1939, in Queens, N.Y.
Tom was a retired crane operator from IUOE Local 14-14B in NYC. He was a member of the AOH Div. 2 in Cornwall.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ethel (O’Dell) O’Brien, and his three children Kathleen (O’Brien) Demar of Cornwall, Thomas J. O’Brien Jr. of New Paltz, and Kevin O’Brien of Cornwall: his siblings Mary MacDonald, Winifred Infante, Genevive O’Brien, Peter O’Brien, and Patrick O’Brien; his six grandchildren Sean O’Brien, Darin O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien Jr., Kyle O’Brien, Erik Demar and one granddaughter Ava “Bridget” Demar. He was predeceased by his parents and by his sister Aileen (O’Brien) Ferguson.
Tom was a loving husband; he put others before himself. He was an avid saltwater fisherman, spending six months in the Florida Keys and six months in New York. He loved taking friends out fishing and loved playing cards. He loved his family. He was a dedicated Catholic and belonged to St. Thomas of Canterbury Church in Cornwall-on-Hudson. He will forever be missed by all.
May the Lord look upon him kindly and give him peace.
His family received visitors on Oct. 17 at Quigley Bros. Funeral Home in Cornwall-on-Hudson. A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Oct. 18 at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church in Cornwall-on-Hudson, with Fr. Andrew Kurzyna officiating. The Mass was followed by burial in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Mountainville.
John A. Roberts
October 12, 2014
John A. Roberts of Coto de Caza, Calif. died on Oct. 12 at 94-years-old.
John, who lived in Cornwall-on-Hudson from 1964 to 1981 with his wife Edith and family, was active in the Cornwall community. He was a longtime, active member and an elder at the Cornwall Presbyterian Church. John was also the two-time chairman of the Cornwall Independence Day Committee and a member of the Cornwall School Board. He was an avid supporter of the Cornwall Central High School wrestling team during the 1960s compiling impeccable records of the match statistics for many years.
John was a World War II veteran serving in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater as a radio operator. After the war, he received a degree from Rutgers University in electrical engineering. He was elected president of the Powder Metal Assn. of the IEEE and became a life member.
Born in Newark, N.J., he moved to Cornwall-on-Hudson with his family from Cranford, N.J. to become president of Magnetic Core Corp. in Newburgh. He joined Pyroferric Corp. as executive vice president and later moved to Charleston, Ill. when the company consolidated operations. He and his wife retired to Rancho Bernardo, Calif. in 1998.
In January, his wife Edith died after 66 years of marriage.
John is survived by his sons John Jr. of Philadelphia and Craig William of Poway, Calif. and daughter Sally Ann Palmer of Coto de Caza, Calf. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Elizabeth Roberts of Chicago, Daniel Roberts of Fair Lawn, N.J., Katie Roberts of Santa Monica, Calif. and Christopher and Colin Palmer of Coto de Caza.
A memorial service was held on Oct. 18 in California. He and his wife Edith will be interred in Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego later this year.