Blanche V. Gile (1967 – 2019)
ALBANY—Blanche V. Gile passed away peacefully at St. Peter’s Hospital surrounded by her loving family January 23, 2019. She was born in Hudson, April 24, 1967 and was the daughter of the late Harry and Shirley (Klein) Laurange of Chatham Center. She was the loving wife of William Gile of Chatham Center for more than 36 years.
A homemaker who was an avid gamer, she loved crocheting, getting her nails done, hanging out with her four grandsons and being at the ocean.
Mrs. Gile is survived by: her mother, Shirley of Chatham Center; husband, Bill of Chatham Center; daughters, Krystle (Stephen) Tibbitts of Chatham Center, Jessica (Albert) Charron of Chatham Center and four wonderful grandsons, Nathaniel, Elijah and Benjamin Tibbitts and Grayson Charron.
Services will be conducted Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the French, Gifford, Preiter and Blasl Funeral Home, 25 Railroad Avenue, Chatham at noon. Interment will follow at Chatham Center Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made to the COPD Foundation, 3300 Ponce De Leon Boulevard, Miami, FL 33134 or St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation, 310 South Manning Boulevard, Albany 12208. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.
Gwyneth K. Barger (1913 – 2019)
LENOX, MA—Gwyneth Kahn Barger died at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center in Lenox, MA, January 15, 2019, where she resided since 2014. She was 105 years old.
Born August 29, 1913 in New Rochelle, she was the daughter of Otto and Olive Evans Kahn.
After graduating from Wellesley College in Massachusetts in 1934, she went to her mother’s native land, England and found employment at a woman’s magazine. She wrote a number of short stories; she also freelanced stories and light verse.
She stayed in England during the first year of World War II, hoping to serve in some wartime capacity but when the United States sent a “last chance” ship to bring home its expatriates she returned home. Back in the states she joined the William Allen White Committee to Defend America by Aiding its Allies, barnstorming through New England giving talks on village greens and in town centers.
She became a reader at Paramount Pictures in New York but when the U.S. entered the war after Pearl Harbor she signed up with the American Red Cross. Expecting to be sent to Europe she found herself in the Southwest Pacific including New Zealand, Australia, New Guinea and the Philippines. After a three-year tour of duty she returned to the U.S. and worked at Time magazine and freelanced. She stayed with them for more than 20 years in various capacities. At that time there were no women writers on the magazine. She stunned her male colleagues at one point when she sold a story to the Saturday Evening Post.
In 1955 she married an Englishman, Harold Barger, who was a professor of economics at Columbia University. In 1964 the Bargers spent a sabbatical year in Paris at Reid Hall, an 18th century mansion which the university had just acquired and was developing into its Paris campus.
She served as staff manager and supervised the reconstruction of the building. In 1975 the Bargers retired to their country home in Chatham, where they became active in community affairs. She wrote for many of the newspapers and magazines in Columbia County. On the 50th anniversary of the 1929 Crash the Bargers collaborated on an article for the New York Times Magazine and also wrote a book, “College on Credit,” detailing the history of united student aid funds, a private organization.
The Bargers had always traveled extensively in Europe. After her husband died in 1989, Mrs. Barger added to her travels Russia, China, Turkey, Egypt and India. In 2001 she moved to Kimball Farms Lifetime Care Community in Lenox, MA, and remained active and contributed to the many activities it offered.
She was predeceased by her parents and a brother, Evans Kahn of Old Greenwich, CT. She is survived by: a nephew, James E. Kahn and wife Josephine of Cos Cob, CT and many relatives in England including, Joyce Hollway, Caroline Hollway, Janet Pendlebury, Mary Goodspeed, Jenny Vinson, Kirsten Barger, Jenny Naseem, Clive Barger, and all their descendents.
Her family expresses heart-felt appreciation and thanks to the staff at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center in Lenox, MA, for the loving care that was bestowed upon Mrs. Barger during the four years that she was a resident. Also, appreciation and thanks to Hospice Care in Berkshire County for their dedication and care in her last few months of life. Many thanks to all the numerous friends whose lives she enriched and in turn brightened hers.
In keeping with Mrs. Barger’s loving and generous spirit, it was her decision to donate life so others may live. She made a commitment with the Anatomical Gift Program through Albany Medical College to donate her remains.
Donations in her name may be made to any organization that is structured to help the poor and homeless.
George H. Palmatier, Jr. (1947 – 2019)
GHENT–George H. Palmatier, Jr., went home to be with Jesus January 23, 2019.
Born May 15, 1947 in Hudson, he was the son of the late George Palmatier, Sr., and Mary Margaret Merante Palmatier.
He graduated from Coxsackie-Athens High School and earned degrees at Ulster County Community College and Siena College.
He retired in 2011 after 41 years at the Grand Union Company. He loved leading weekly Bible studies at the Hudson Correctional Facility and volunteering at the Ghent Food Pantry.
He is survived by: his wife of 49½ years, Patricia; daughter, Ann Marie (Mike) Davis; son, Michael (Mary) Palmatier; grandchildren, Emma Rose and Nicholas; great-granddaughter, Harlee and brother, Dominick.
Family will receive friends at the French, Gifford, Preiter and Blasl Funeral Home, 25 Railroad Avenue, Chatham, Tuesday, January 29 from 4 to 7 p.m. Services will be held at the funeral home, Wednesday, January 30 at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at the Athens Rural Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Calvary Assembly of God, Stottville, or the Ghent Food Pantry.
Paul B. Donnellan (1949 – 2019)
GHENT—Paul Brian Donnellan of Ghent passed away suddenly January 24, 2019 at age 69.
He was born April 8, 1949 in Brooklyn, son of the late Viola and Will Donnellan.
He was predeceased by his wife, Nancy and is survived by beloved partner, Beth Lenahan; son, Christopher and daughter-in-law Kristen; son, Steven; granddaughters, Abigail and Alivia; sister, Marirose; brother-in-law, Gerry Rehagen; sisters-in-law, Mary Lou Donnellan and Linda Donnellan; nieces, Anne Donnellan and Anne Emberson; nephews, Brian and Chris Donnellan and David Rehagen.
He was predeceased by his brothers, Gregory and Roger.
Mr. Donnellan grew up in Queens in a family of New York City firefighters. He turned his gifts for science, math and engineering into a career that ensured delivery of water to the citizens of New York. He was a civil engineer who served for more than 31 years in the New York City DEP Water Supply Operations including shaft maintenance and distribution, and worked on City Tunnels One Two and Three over the course of his career.
A graduate of Brooklyn Tech and SUNY Empire State, Mr. Donnellan was an avid private pilot and equally enthralled by Roman engineering, quantum physics, road trips with his family, and the antics of his beloved granddaughters.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Tuesday, January 29 at Saint James Church, Chatham.
In lieu of flowers, his family invites memorial donations to support the science program at the Jesuit-sponsored St. Ignatius middle school in the South Bronx at www.sis-nativity.org. Condolences may be conveyed at frenchblasl.com.
