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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'
'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
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
'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
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'
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'
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
'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
Obituaries
Family Killed In Wrong-Way Merritt Parkway Crash On Way Home From Hospital Family Killed In Wrong-Way Merritt Parkway Crash On Way Home From Hospital Family Killed In Wrong-Way Merritt Parkway Crash On Way Home From Hospital
Family Killed In Wrong-Way Merritt Parkway Crash On Way Home From Hospital Three members of a Connecticut family killed in a wrong-way driver crash were on their way home from the hospital when killed. Related: IDs Released In Wrong-Way Merritt Parkway Crash With 4 Fatalities In Stratford ID Released For Driver In Stratford Crash That Killed 4 Fairfield County resident Steven P. Rowland, age 65, of Easton, was driving his aunt and uncle, Thomas and Olga Vitale, ages 80 and 81, also of Easton, home from Yale New Haven Hospital when all three were killed in the crash in Stratford, according to their obituaries. "While his death was abrupt and he…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
17-Year-Old Volunteer Firefighter From Capital Region Dies; 'Loved Helping Other People' 17-Year-Old Volunteer Firefighter From Capital Region Dies; 'Loved Helping Other People' 17-Year-Old Volunteer Firefighter From Capital Region Dies; 'Loved Helping Other People'
17-Year-Old Volunteer Firefighter From Capital Region Dies; 'Loved Helping Other People' Tributes and donations are flooding in following the unexpected death of a beloved 17-year-old volunteer firefighter and EMT from the region. Saratoga County resident Anthony Stefanacci, of Saratoga Springs, died by suicide on Friday, May 10, according to the Ballston Lake EMS. Stefanacci, lovingly known by colleagues as “AJ,” had just passed his EMT exam and was a week shy of his 18th birthday. He was set to graduate from WSWHE BOCES, where he was enrolled in the Criminal Justice Studies program. In a post on Facebook, the school said it was devastated to learn of his passing, adding that…

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by Michael Mashburn
Obituaries
Update: Support Pours In For Family Of Fallen Westchester Officer After Tragic Accident Update: Support Pours In For Family Of Fallen Westchester Officer After Tragic Accident Update: Support Pours In For Family Of Fallen Westchester Officer After Tragic Accident
Update: Support Pours In For Family Of Fallen Westchester Officer After Tragic Accident A community has come together to raise tens of thousands of dollars to support the family of a fallen Westchester County Police officer who died in an accident at his home.  Westchester County Police Officer Alfred R. Mosiello, Jr. died on Thursday, May 2 after sustaining injuries in a tractor accident at his Putnam County home, according to the department, which did not detail his age. Earlier Report - Westchester County PD Officer Alfred R. Mosiello, Jr. Dies Since his sudden death, hundreds of friends, fellow officers, and other community members have taken action to ensu…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Police Department In Hudson Valley Loses Second Officer In 2 Weeks At Age 55 Police Department In Hudson Valley Loses Second Officer In 2 Weeks At Age 55 Police Department In Hudson Valley Loses Second Officer In 2 Weeks At Age 55
Police Department In Hudson Valley Loses Second Officer In 2 Weeks At Age 55 A Hudson Valley police department is facing the sudden loss of an officer for the second time in two weeks.  New, updated report - Funds Raised For Fallen Brewster Officer Jose Colon's Family In a statement on Sunday, May 5, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced the loss of Brewster Police Officer Jose Colon, who died on Friday evening, May 3 at the age of 55 while off-duty.  A cause of death was not released.  According to Brewster Police, Colon was an "excellent officer" who spent two decades with the New York City Police Department and two months in…

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Community Heartbroken Over Loss Of Hudson Vallely Firefighter, School Bus Driver Community Heartbroken Over Loss Of Hudson Vallely Firefighter, School Bus Driver Community Heartbroken Over Loss Of Hudson Vallely Firefighter, School Bus Driver
Community Heartbroken Over Loss Of Hudson Vallely Firefighter, School Bus Driver Community members, firefighters, schoolchildren, friends, and family are "heartbroken" over the sudden passing of a popular Hudson Valley firefighter and school bus driver. Rockland County resident Matthew M. Duffy, age 57, of Orangeburg, died on Thursday, April 25. Duffy was the Deputy Director of Plant Facilities at Rockland Psychiatric Center for 37 years before retiring in 2021. After retirement, his obituary said that he worked for Peter Brega as a school bus driver for the Nyack school district.  He was an active life member of the Orangeburg Fire Department for 42 years and a m…

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by Kathy Reakes