Raymond Shook, Jr., 51, contractor, hunter
GREENPORT—Raymond E. Shook, Jr., 51, of Greenport died Tuesday February 15, 2011 at his home following a long illness.
Born in Hudson, May 1, 1959, he was the son of the late Raymond E. Shook, Sr., who died in 1995 and Nancy Avery Spiewak of Greenport.
Mr. Shook was a self-employed contractor who enjoyed hunting, and spending time with his family. He attended St. Mary’s Academy through high school.
In addition to his mother, he is survived by his wife, Marie (Stickles) Shook at home; one son, Nathan of Greenport; a step-son, Christopher Stickles of Helena; two sisters, Desiree Konkus of Hudson and Cynthia Myrdycz of Greenport; and two brothers, Timothy Shook of Greenport and Michael A. Shook of Louisiana.
There are no calling hours. Funeral services will be announced in the spring. Memorial contributions are requested to St. Mary’s Church, P.O. Box 323, Hudson 12534 or to the The Cavell House, 69 Prospect Avenue, Hudson 12534.
Arrangements are with the McDonald-Valenti-Richards Funeral Home, Greenport.
Christopher Bloch, 60, engineer, tinkerer
PHILMONT—Christopher D. Bloch, 60, of Hillsdale died of Parkinson’s Disease Friday, February 18 at the Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
He was born April 28, 1950, the son of Alan and Patricia Dunsmore Bloch. Married to Kalista Nichols Bloch, he had two step-children, Amy Demarest of South Egremont, MA and Robb Demarest, of Parkland, FL.
In addition, he had a daughter-in-law, Marian Demarest, and three grandchildren, Calista Demarest Moore, whom he saw frequently and was especially dear to him. He was always delighted when he could visit Nathan and Raina Demarest in their home in Florida.
A graduate of Bronx Science High School, he continued his education at Hunter College and the State University of New York at New Paltz.
He completed his studies in physics, computer science, and math at the University of Albany. He worked as an engineer for a number of companies, designing, fabricating and installing bakery equipment and systems, as well as designing electrical control systems.
In his spare time, he enjoyed all manner of mechanical/electrical projects, especially repair and restoration of vehicles, an interest that began in childhood.
He and his friend bought World War II radios and other electronic devices to tinker with to see if they could fix them. He also built model planes, an interest that led to his acquiring a damaged 1941 Stinson airplane to restore. He worked for awhile on the project but finally decided the job would require too much time and he sold it to a retiree who completed the work.
Another time he was given a 1900-era New York Central caboose that needed restoration. He began work on it but decided instead to contact a train club, which was better equipped to complete the job. He took special pride in maintaining and using his father-in-law’s 1949 Allis Chalmers tractor.
He is also survived by his sister, Alison Bradbury and her husband Philip and their three children; his closest cousins and their families: Alex Briggs and his wife Carol, Meredith Skeath and her husband Perry. Additionally, he is survived by his lifelong friend Jerry Goldberg and his brother-in-law, Scott Nichols. He loved his wife’s large extended family and enjoyed many festive gatherings with them.
He was predeceased by his parents, step-parents and several cousins.
There will not be a formal memorial service. The family will hold a private gathering in his memory.
Those who wish might plan something to bring pleasure to someone who is struggling with illness or a person who is simply lonely. Alternately, the family would be pleased if friends donated a gift to an organization close to their own hearts in memory of one of their own loved ones.