Elza Ozols Bailey
September 19, 1936—October 29, 2021
Formerly Cornwall, New York
Elza Ozols Bailey of Manchester, CT passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, October 29th after a long illness.
She was born in Aluksne, Latvia on September 19, 1936, and she and her family immigrated to the US in 1949. She was a graduate of Manchester High School and earned a B.A. from Upsala College in New Jersey.
Most of her professional work was in retail, including 22 years at Lord & Taylor where she was consistently a member of the President’s Club. She was one of the founders of The Newcomer’s Club in Cornwall, New York. Much of her volunteer work was devoted service to her church in every community in which she lived. She was actively engaged with the Latvian community in Manchester.
Elza is survived by her son Robert C. Bailey, daughter-in-law Erin (Murphy), and grandson Rodeo, all of New York City, sisters Austra Ozols Gaige of Bloomfield, CT and Zenta Ozols (and Richard)Barger of Bolton, CT and Palm City, FL, nieces Karina Gaige, Amity Gaige, nephew Scott Barger and their families.
The family wishes to acknowledge the exceptional support they received from White Oaks Retirement Community, VITAS Hospice, Caring by Kathy, and A&B Homecare Solutions.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Elza’s memory may be sent to the Ozols Family Fund at the American Latvian Association, 400 Hurley Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850-3121. The Fund supports education for disadvantaged children in Latvia.
A memorial service will be held at Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5th at 3:00 PM and a second memorial will be scheduled for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cornwall, New York at a later date.
To leave a memory or message of condolence or to view the livestream, please visit Holmeswatkins.com.
Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home
400 Main Street
Manchester, CT 06040
Regina M. (Bigg) Mariotti
January 5, 1950—October 22, 2021
New Windsor, NY
Regina M. (Bigg) Mariotti, of Cornwall, NY entered into eternal rest on October 22, 2021 at 71 years old.
The firstborn child of the late Michael L. Bigg, Sr. and JoAnn J. (Dopico) Bigg, Regina was born on January 5, 1950 in Cornwall, NY.
After graduating from Thevenet Hall Academy, Regina was the first in her family to graduate college, receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Saint Mary’s College and her Master’s Degree from SUNY New Paltz. As the oldest of six children, Regina was a natural caretaker with a passion for teaching. She began her teaching career at Cornwall-on-Hudson Elementary School and finished at St. Martin De Porres in Poughkeepsie. However, it was her 36 years as the kindergarten teacher at her beloved St. Thomas of Canterbury School in Cornwall-on-Hudson that made her heart beat and gave her life purpose.
In a world where it is all too rare, Regina’s unique combination of deep compassion, sharp wit, fierce loyalty, and unending selflessness made her the best teacher, big sister, and aunt. Though she has a deep love for all of her former students, her first students – her five siblings—were her favorite.
As her family mourns the tremendous loss of their fearless leader, they are comforted in knowing how many mountains she moved, minds she molded, and lives she impacted in and out of her bright yellow classroom.
Regina is survived by her loving and forever appreciative siblings: Michael Jr (Michele), John (Diane), Jomarie Rivers, Steven Bigg (Candace), Lauren Solner (Steven), beloved nieces and nephews: Michelle, Michael, Mickey, Tyler, Sherridan and Cassidy Bigg, Jennifer and Jonathan Rivers, and Ryan and Allison Biasotti; and cousin Joe Big.
Regina is predeceased by her parents and two brothers-in-law, John Cito Jr. and John Rivers.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in April 2022. Please refer back to the website for additional information.
As an avid reader with an insatiable appetite to learn and teach, in lieu of flowers, we ask you to send donations in her memory to one of her favorite places, The Cornwall Public Library. Please send donations to “Friends of Cornwall Library”, PO Box 396, Cornwall, NY 12518.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences please go to www.Quigleybros.com.
Robert J. McCarthy, Jr.
November 21, 1959 – October 27, 2021
Cornwall, NY
It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Robert McCarthy, Jr. on Wednesday, October 27th, 2021. Robert was an incredible man and fought a brave fight against ALS for the past eight months. Even in light of his diagnosis, he spent his days spreading tremendous amounts of joy and wisdom to his loved ones and made sure everyone kept smiling and laughing with him until his last day. Robert had a unique ability to have an indelible impact on almost everyone he encountered. Whether it was the patients at the Eastern Orange Ambulatory Surgery Center “EOASC”, his lifelong friends from the New York City neighborhood Inwood, or residents of Cornwall, NY where he has resided for the past 28 years; he always left lasting impressions on the people he met. People will most remember his incredible sense of humor and selfless caring nature for others. To know him was to love him and he was a true gift to us all.
Robert worked incredibly hard to support his family throughout the years, working multiple jobs at times to provide for his family. His adaptability and courage to reinvent himself throughout his life culminated when he decided to become a Registered Nurse at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital and later EOASC after working 25+ years for FedEx. He adored his job and work family at the surgery center where he took so much pride in being a Registered Nurse in the operating room. This work family showed him endless amounts of love and support during his battle with ALS and recently dedicated an OR Room in his honor the day before he passed away which meant the world to him.
Outside of his career, Robert was a man of many interests and talents. He enjoyed fitness and was a self-proclaimed “gym rat”. He was also a competitive runner earlier in his life and was considered one of the top amateurs in his age group in New York City at that time. He was a lover of music, and you could often hear the sounds of Yes, Genesis and the beautiful tones of Tibetan bowls billowing from his home. Robert loved nothing more than to cook and share his love through his food with his family and friends. He achieved a lifelong dream of becoming a stage actor and starred in many shows through various local theater groups and was beloved on stage. Although he was saddened when he knew he would no longer be able to take the stage due to his diagnosis, he was grateful for the time he spent perfecting his craft and providing people with amazing performances. Above all, his greatest love and achievement were his two children, Terrence and Jaime. There was nothing in this world that meant more to him than them.
Left to cherish the memories are his son Terrence McCarthy and beloved caretaker and daughter in-law Adrienne, his daughter Jaime Evans and son in- law David who kept him (and all of us) laughing until his final days, his life partner and best friend Dawn Lowe who cared for him deeply and her son Daniel who shared Robert’s passion for music and the arts, his ex-wife Catherine, loving mother of his two children who remained close to his heart, his grandchildren Riley Evans, Beck Evans and Owen McCarthy, the true light of his life. Robert is also survived by his loving siblings: Ann Kerrigan, Jeanne McCarthy Wells, Patricia Garcia and William McCarthy along with his many nieces and nephews. Robert had many beloved pets in his lifetime, and he is survived by his precious Luciana, grand-puppy Teddy and grand-kitty Noopie.
We know he is gracing his presence on the heavenly stage, making everyone laugh and will be looking over us always.
Forever our guardian angel. We love you. Always and Forever, Papa.
Based on new CDC guidelines adopted by NYS, fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks or be socially distanced, but unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks and be socially distanced in the funeral home.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 4th at Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc., 337 Hudson Street, Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 5th at St. Thomas of Canterbury Church, 340 Hudson Street, Cornwall-On-Hudson, NY. Interment will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Mountainville, NY.
Memorial Contributions in Robert’s name may be made to ALS Association – Greater New York Chapter, 42 Broadway Suite 1724, New York, NY 10004 or The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, 555 Long Wharf Drive, New Haven, CT 06511.
Arrangements are entrusted to Quigley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Inc.; to send condolences or to get directions to the funeral home, please go to www.Quigleybros.com