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Obituaries
'Adventurous Spirit': Pilot Killed In NY Plane Crash Remembered For 'Palpable Zest For Life' 'Adventurous Spirit': Pilot Killed In NY Plane Crash Remembered For 'Palpable Zest For Life'
'Adventurous Spirit': Pilot Killed In NY Plane Crash Remembered For 'Palpable Zest For Life' Natalie Gillis saw much of the world in her 34 years, most of it from the air. The pilot from Toronto, Canada died Monday morning, June 17, when her twin engine Piper plane crashed just moments after taking off from Albany International Airport. Gillis, the aircraft’s sole occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Colonie Police. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. Earlier Report: Pilot Killed In Small Plane Crash Near Albany Airport Her employer, KASI Aviation Services, confirmed her death in a Facebook tribute posted Thursday morning, Ju…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral
NY Veteran's Lifelong 'Secret' Revealed In Heartbreaking Obituary Going Viral A decorated veteran and retired firefighter from upstate New York is going viral for his heartbreaking posthumous revelation. Lifelong Rensselaer County resident Col. Edward Thomas Ryan, of Rensselaer, died with a long-kept secret that rendered him “afraid of being ostracized,” he wrote in his own obituary, which was published in the Albany Times Union on Saturday, June 8. "I must tell you one more thing. I was gay all my life: thru grade school, thru high school, thru college, thru life,” Ryan wrote. “I'm sorry for not having the courage to come out as gay. I was afraid of being ostraciz…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
'Ray Of Sunshine': Heather McNamara, NY Recipient Of Groundbreaking Surgery, Dies At 22 'Ray Of Sunshine': Heather McNamara, NY Recipient Of Groundbreaking Surgery, Dies At 22
'Ray Of Sunshine': Heather McNamara, NY Recipient Of Groundbreaking Surgery, Dies At 22 Heather McNamara, who stole hearts across the tristate area after undergoing groundbreaking cancer surgery as a child, has died at the age of 22. The Long Island resident from Islip Terrace died Saturday, June 1, due to multiple organ failure after spending months hospitalized in intensive care from a bacterial infection, her mother Tina announced. McNamara became a familiar face to many in 2011, when she appeared in a commercial for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. In the black and white spot, the then 7-year-old recounted how two hospitals turned her family away before Dr. Tomoaki Kato ag…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
New Update: 25-Year-Old NYPD Officer From Hudson Valley Killed In Crash Was 3-Year Veteran New Update: 25-Year-Old NYPD Officer From Hudson Valley Killed In Crash Was 3-Year Veteran
New Update: 25-Year-Old Nypd Officer From Hudson Valley Killed In Crash Was 3-Year Veteran A 25-year-old New York City Police officer from the Hudson Valley who was killed in a crash is being remembered as a dedicated officer with plenty of success already under her belt during her three years of service. Putnam County resident Juliana N. Torsiello of Putnam Valley, a member of the New York City Police Department, was killed in an Orange County crash on County Road 51 in the town of Hamptonburgh hamlet of Campbell Hall on Friday, May 24 just before 6 p.m., New York State Police announced. Earlier Report - 25-Year-Old Woman Who Was NYPD Officer Killed In Hudson Val…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Adored Army Vet, Nonprofit Founder From Hudson Valley Dies At 38: 'Larger-Than-Life' Adored Army Vet, Nonprofit Founder From Hudson Valley Dies At 38: 'Larger-Than-Life'
Adored Army Vet, Nonprofit Founder From Hudson Valley Dies At 38: 'Larger-Than-Life' A beloved US Army veteran from the Hudson Valley who dedicated much of his time and effort toward helping his fellow troops is being remembered for his large personality and ability to form a lasting bond with anyone.  Putnam County resident Luke Rathschmidt of Mahopac died unexpectedly in South Carolina on Saturday, May 18 at the age of 38, according to his obituary.  Born in 1986, Rathschmidt was a proud US Army veteran who served in Iraq in the 82nd Airborne Division.  His time in the military left a lasting impression on him that shaped much of the rest of…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Hudson Valley Teen Killed In Crash Remembered For His Love Of Fishing, 'Being On The Move' Hudson Valley Teen Killed In Crash Remembered For His Love Of Fishing, 'Being On The Move'
Hudson Valley Teen Killed In Crash Remembered For His Love Of Fishing, 'Being On The Move' A 17-year-old Hudson Valley student killed in a crash that also injured three others, one critically, is being remembered for his love of life. Related: Hyde Park HS Student Dead, 1 Critical Following Crash Daniel "Dan" George Noakes, age 17, of Hyde Park, died unexpectedly on Wednesday, May 15, at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie following a single-vehicle crash in which he was the driver. A Poughkeepsie native, Noakes was the son of Glenn A. and Nicole Liegey Noakes. His father lives in Poughkeepsie, and his mother and sister, Annie, in Hyde Park. Noakes, an 11th-grad…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
'Devastating Loss': Mom Of 4-Year-Old Killed In Capital Region Crash; Support Swells For Son 'Devastating Loss': Mom Of 4-Year-Old Killed In Capital Region Crash; Support Swells For Son
'Devastating Loss': Mom Of 4-Year-Old Killed In Capital Region Crash; Support Swells For Son Support is flooding in for a 4-year-old boy who lost his mother in a head-on crash in the region that also killed a second driver. Rensselaer County resident Tricia Daigneault, age 29, of Hoosick Falls, was one of two women who died in the Washington County wreck, which occurred in White Creek on Wednesday morning, May 15. New York State Police said Daigneault was driving on State Route 22 near Grandma Moses Road when she collided with another vehicle head-on shortly after 6 a.m. She and the other driver, Shumeka Mentor, age 39, of Albany, were pronounced dead at the scene. There were no o…

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by Michael Mashburn