Amy S. (Ryan) French
January 14, 1974 ~ December 30, 2022
Amy S. Ryan French, 48, of O’Hara Dr., Norwich, NY passed away at her home on December 30, 2022. She was born on January 14, 1974 in Norwich, a daughter of Barbara Ryan and was a graduate of Norwich High School. Amy was the manager of Mirabito Fuel in Norwich and had previously worked for the Country Store and Champion Products in Norwich. She enjoyed camping, fishing and “Golden Girls” coffee time. Family time was her greatest joy, especially the times spent with her grandchildren. https://www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com/obituaries/amy-ryan-french
Larry A. Gifford
February 29, 1952 ~ January 1, 2023
West Winfield – Larry A. Gifford, 70, born on February 29, 1952, passed away peacefully at 5:00 am at his daughter Victoria’s home, on January 1, 2023. Larry enjoyed the simple pleasures in life such as chatting with friends and family over a cup of coffee, woodworking, fishing, hunting, playing cards or billiards. Larry was a faithful member of the Unadilla Forks Baptist Church in Leonardsville. He cherished his church family and attended bible classes regularly. Helping to mow the church lawn gave him great joy. He is survived by his daughters Victoria and Valeri Gifford, his grandchildren Lianne, Troy and Levi, along with his siblings Nancy, Joan, Wayne, Randy, Scott and their significant others and families. https://www.paulfuneralhome.net/obituary/Larry-Gifford
HELEN L. ARMSTRONG
May 1, 1932 ~ December 29, 2022
Verona-Helen L. Armstrong, age 90, a longtime Verona resident passed away peacefully late Thursday evening December 29, 2022 in the Eastern Star Home after a very brief stay. She was born on May 1, 1932 in Pitcairn, New York a daughter of the late Loyal and Rena (Farr) Manchester and was a graduate of the Gouverneur Schools. On June 30, 1955 Helen and Milton A. “Milt” Armstrong were united in marriage in Gouverneur, New York and shared that loving vow of over sixty-four years together until Milton’s death on February 3, 2020. Helen’s early work career included being a telephone operator with the Bell Phone Company and later worked in the cafeteria of J. D. George School in Verona after many years as a full time homemaker caring for her family. She was very active for over forty years with the Beacon Light Baptist Church where she served as the piano player, Sunday school teacher and treasurer. More recently she was a member of the Heritage Baptist Church. In her spare time she enjoyed knitting and baked the best peanut butter cookies. https://maleckifuneralhome.com/tribute/details/839/Helen-Armstrong/obituary.html#tribute-start
Margaret (Riley) Lefevre
January 8, 1948 ~ January 2, 2023
Margaret “Marge” (Riley) Lefevre, 74, of Whitesboro, NY, passed away with her family by her side on Monday, January 2, 2023. She was born January 8, 1948, in Altoona, PA. The daughter of the late James Riley & Jean (George) Riley of Utica, NY. She was educated locally at UCA and was self-employed as a house cleaner for 30 years. Marge was a devout Roman Catholic who loved teaching religious education class at St. John the Baptist, Rome, NY and volunteered at many local church bazars. She enjoyed annual vacations at Brantingham Lake with her family and adored spending time with her four grandsons. Marge is survived by her four children, Amy Lefevre of New Hartford, NY, Eden Lefevre of Rome, NY, Joseph Lefevre of Latham, NY, and Lauren (James) Loisell of Barneveld, NY; and her grandchildren. https://www.bentzfuneralhomes.com/obituary/Margaret-Lefevre
Gary P. Flansburg
June 27, 1954 ~ January 3, 2023
Frankfort, New York-Gary P. Flansburg, 68, of Frankfort, NY, passed away on January 3, 2023, at St. Elizabeth Medical Center, with his loving family by his side. Gary was born on June 27, 1954 in Herkimer NY, a son of the late Philip and Betty Jane (Broadbent) Flansburg. He attended West Canada Valley Schools and later graduated from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 1973. He joined the US Navy and served on the USS Mount Whitney, earning a National Defense Service Medal before being honorably discharged in 1977. In 1981 he married Sonja Bryer in a small ceremony at her grandparents’ farmhouse. They moved to Newport NY to start their family. Gary was a Teamster, and worked for Coca Cola Bottling Company in Marcy and later Syracuse, for over 30 years until his retirement in 2016. Originally the oldest of four siblings, Gary was blessed to have a large blended family that grew to 18. Some of his fondest memories were being young and wild with his many siblings, and he loved telling stories of activities from back in the day: camping, waterskiing, duck hunting, fishing, or just causing a ruckus. Gary truly felt he was a “lucky” guy, having survived a lot over the years and still kept a positive attitude. He always had a smile on his face and a joke or story at the ready. He enjoyed playing music way too loud, NASCAR & local car races, football, barbequing (or maybe just eating BBQ!), trips to Denny’s and the Casino with his Coke crew, and fishing with Captain Bob and the gang. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/gary-flansburg-obituary?id=38551894
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Columbus mistakes manatees for mermaids
“On January 9, 1493, explorer Christopher Columbus, sailing near what is now the Dominican Republic, sees three “mermaids”—in reality manatees—and describes them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.” Six months earlier, Columbus (1451-1506) set off from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean with the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria, hoping to find a western trade route to Asia. Instead, his voyage, the first of four he would make, led him to the Americas, or “New World.” Mermaids, mythical half-female, half-fish creatures, have existed in seafaring cultures at least since the time of the ancient Greeks. Typically depicted as having a woman’s head and torso, a fishtail instead of legs and holding a mirror and comb, mermaids live in the ocean and, according to some legends, can take on a human shape and marry mortal men. Mermaids are closely linked to sirens, another folkloric figure, part-woman, part-bird, who live on islands and sing seductive songs to lure sailors to their deaths.”
To read the full article click here: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/columbus-mistakes-manatees-for-mermaids
To read the full Blog Post click here: http://athomeinthehuddle08.blogspot.com/2008_01_06_archive.html
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