Obituaries

Rebecca A. Wilkins, 39, passed away on Sunday, September 9, 2018. Born in Saratoga Springs, NY on June 14, 1979, she was the daughter of Gary and Laura Wojtowecz.

She was a graduate of Ballston Spa High School and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in IT Management. Becky was a Senior Applications Operations Engineer for General Electric.

Becky was an awesome mom and treasured her son Logan. She enjoyed the simple things in life, camping, Friday night pizza night at her parents, and hanging out with her friends. Family was very important to her and they all were very close.

Becky is survived by her husband CJ and their son Logan; stepdaughters Cayla and Kiara; parents Gary and Laura Wojtowecz; brothers Jake (Sara), Andy (Aimee) and Chad (Kerri); and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held from 3pm to 7pm on Saturday, September 15 at the Ballston Spa Elks Lodge, 10 Hamilton Street, Ballston Spa.

Memorial contributions in memory of Becky may be sent to the Ballston Spa National Bank where a trust will be set up for her son Logan.

Juanita Ann Wolf Bouchard, 74, passed away on Friday, September 7, 2018, surrounded by her family. She was born in Ballston Spa, New York on November 13, 1943.

Ann worked as a secretary for many years. She enjoyed embroidery, cooking and often spent hours grocery shopping. She loved to chat with her family and friends. Her greatest joy was spending time with her grandchildren.

She was predeceased by her father Frank Wolf, husband Harvey Bouchard, sister Lillian French and nephew Frank Coullard. Ann is survived by her daughter Lora Downing; stepchildren Harvey Bouchard, John Bouchard and Jessica Bouchard; “adopted daughter” Becca Hayes; grandchildren Richard Downing (Jordan), Mychaela Downing (Matt), and Lainie Downing; great grandchildren Luella Downing, Devin Glasbrener, Gabriella Green/Downing and Jerimiah Morris; sister Andrea Wolf; nephews Timothy French and Phillip Becktoft; longtime companion Wesley Vedder and his son Brandon Vedder (Kelly); and her beloved dog Gigi.

At Ann’s request there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in memory of Ann may be made to Mary’s Haven or Community Hospice of Saratoga.

Kenneth J. Rohling, 72, passed away on Sunday, September 2, 2018. He was born in Saratoga Springs, NY on November 10, 1945.

Ken worked at Hannaford in Milton. He had a passion for fish and previously ran TJ’s Tropical Fish in Ballston Spa. He created a fish pond at his home, enjoying raising a variety of fish.

He was predeceased by his wife Gail and his siblings, Bill, Robert and Dorothy.

Ken is survived by his son Tyler, sister MaryLou, and several nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Monday, September 10 from 6pm to 8pm at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street, Ballston Spa.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Ken to Extra Life (www.extra-life.org)

Carolyn Lee Cromie, 76, passed away Friday, August 31, 2018. Born September 1, 1941 in Saratoga Springs, NY, she was the daughter of the late Ray C. and Josephine (Michalek) Whitford.

Lee was a life-long area resident and graduated from Saratoga Springs City Schools. She and her husband Bob operated Dungiven farm and after she had raised her children, she worked at State Farm Insurance. Lee enjoyed farm life, spending time in the garden and working around animals, especially the dogs and horses. A quilter and history enthusiast, Lee was a member of the Milton Grange and Heritage Hunters.

In addition to her parents, she is predeceased by her husband, Robert A. Cromie who passed away May 5, 2008. Lee is survived by her children, Sandra Burch (Wesley) of Portland, Oregon, Bonny Henderson (Don) of Geneseo, NY and Christian “Kit” Cromie (Kathy) of Mayfield; her brother, Ray “Bud” Whitford (Maria) of Florida; her grandchildren, Eli, Sheena, Hanna and Emily; and many nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, September 8 at the West Charlton United Presbyterian Church, Sacandaga Road, Charlton. Burial will follow in Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs. Relatives and friends are invited to call from 6 pm to 8 pm on Friday, September 7 at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High St, Ballston Spa.

Memorial contributions may be made in memory of Lee to the Aussie Placement and Rescue Helpline (an Australian Shepherd rescue organization) www.aussierescue.org.

Robert W. Poteralski, 50, passed away Monday, August 20, 2018. Born December 16, 1967 in Niskayuna, NY, he was the son of Zigmunt M. Poteralski and the late Patricia (Woods) Krosky.

Robert is survived by his wife, Lisa Poteralski of Schenectady; his son, Johnathan Richard Poteralski of Schenectady; his father, Zigmunt Poteralski of Glenville; his sisters, Theresa (John) Skutnisky of Burnt Hills and Mary (Raymond) Durocher of South Carolina; his brothers, Richard Poteralski (Kathleen Bobb) of Rochester, Joseph (Robin) Poteralski of Schenectady and Zigmunt (Kimberly) Poteralski of Ballston Spa; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 9:30 am Monday, September 10 at St. Mary’s Church, 167 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa where a Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated. Burial will follow at Vale Cemetery in Schenectady.

Mary Bucholtz, 95, passed away on Saturday, August 18, 2018. Born in Gloversville, NY on February 13, 1923, she was the daughter of Michael and Sarah Krajcir.

Mary was a talented seamstress, making clothing for her family and friends. In her younger years, she enjoyed snowmobiling.

She was a predeceased by her husband Elmer C. Bucholtz and her brothers John and Frank Krajcir. Mary is survived by her children Deborah L. Bucholtz and Michael E. Bucholtz (Maxine); grandchildren Michael R. Bucholtz and Maria E. Bucholtz; and several nieces and nephews.

At Mary’s request there will be no services.

Robert E. Pustolka, Sr., 86, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. Born and raised in the Town of Colonie, Bob was the son of Wojciech and Leonora Pustolka. He was a graduate of Draper High School where he lettered in multiple sports. He also attended the University of Kentucky where he studied mechanical engineering.

Robert enjoyed a rewarding career with General Electric Company. His real passion came during his time at the Kesslering Site where he worked on nuclear prototypes as a field engineer.

Another passion of Bob’s was being a member and chairperson for the Town of Ballston Planning Board, where he served for over 20 years. He was particularly involved in the farmland protection and preservation committee. Bob will be remembered for his personal investment of time and willingness to support others in their pursuit of building homes, businesses, and farms in the Town of Ballston.

Bob was clever and had a quick wit to those who knew him well. He prided himself in his knowledge of current events, windmills and John Deere. Having been raised on a farm with a big family, Bob developed a strong work ethic. He continued to enjoy his passion for farming owning a gentleman’s farm which he purchased in the mid sixties.

Bob was predeceased by his loving wife Patricia Ann (Tilley) Pustolka, his son Mark, and his siblings Alfreda, Helen, Thomas, Stanley, Joseph, John, Richard, Walter, and Michael. He is survived by his children Robert Pustolka, Jr (Elizabeth), Suzanne Zilka (Frank) and Kimberly Smith (Curtis); his sister Isabella Rocco; and several grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Monday, August 20 from 4pm to 6pm at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street, Ballston Spa. Funeral services will be private.

Memorial contributions in memory of Bob may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Sally A. Genier, 59, passed away on Friday, August 10, 2018. Born in Cambridge, NY on November 27, 1958, she was the daughter of Clark and Joan Briggs.

Sally was a loving mother and entrepreneur, running her own business and taking care of her family. She enjoyed gardening, baking, cross stitch and spending time at the beach.

She was predeceased by her parents, Clark and Joan, brother Marc and sister Linda. Sally is survived by her husband Mark, and their children Samantha Genier and her fiance Peter Keenan, Amelia Genier (Marshall Hallenbeck) and Ethan Genier (Marisa Bates); brother Clark Briggs (Marsha); and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held 10am Wednesday, August 15 at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street, Ballston Spa. Burial will follow in Powell Wiswall Cemetery. Relatives and friends are invited to call on Tuesday, August 14 from 5pm to 7pm at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in memory of Sally may be made to the Galway Lions Club, PO Box 244, Galway, NY 12074.

Geraldine I. Mabb, 104, passed away on Thursday, August 9, 2018. Born in Detroit, Michigan on June 28, 1914, she was the daughter of Elmer and Mary Boyce.

Geraldine was a dietitian aide at Benedict Memorial Hospital in Ballston Spa.

She was predeceased by her husband Clarence, son Clarence Duane, grandson Daniel, brother Elmer and sister Charlotte. Geraldine is survived by her children Beverly Woods (John) and Richard Mabb (Laurie); daughter in law Beth Mabb; grandchildren Brett Woods, Todd Mabb, (Abbey), Suzanne Walton, Kelley Taylor (William), Dolores Mabb, Keith Mabb, and Travis Taylor (Alexis); great grandchildren Katie, Tessa, Jack, Mandy and Mitch; and great great grandchildren Hailey and Colton.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Friday, August 17 from 10am to 11am at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street, Ballston Spa. A service will be held at 11am. Burial will follow in Dunning Street Cemetery, Malta.

Memorial contributions in memory of Geraldine may be made to Eagle Matt Lee Fire Co No 1 or Shelters of Saratoga.

Laurence J. Armer, 90, passed away on Sunday, August 5, 2018, surrounded by his loving family. Born on March 16, 1928, in the Town of Milton, NY, he was the son of Gordon and Irene Palmateer Armer.

Laurence was a dairy farmer at his home on Birchton Road.

He was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Irene, his brother Robert, and his sister Myrtle Hamilton.
Left to cherish his memory, five brothers Gordon (Gladys), Cecil, and Wallace all of Ballston Spa, Arthur (Lois), and Willard of Galway; six sisters Doris Tretiak of West Charlton, Betty Trigg of Broadalbin, Ruth Quinlan (Charles) of Galway, Alice Carpenter of Ballston Spa, Ella Laird (Loren) of Charlton, and Laurel June Hatlee of Poughkeepsie; and many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Saturday, August 11 from 11am to 1pm at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street Ballston Spa. A service will be held at 1pm. Burial will follow in Sweetman Cemetery, Charlton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Community Hospice of Saratoga County or the charity of your choice.

Daniel Gary Carlton, 49, passed away peacefully due to a heart condition on Thursday, August 2, 2018. Born May 16, 1969 in Albany, he was the son of Bruce and Patricia (Scarpellino) Carlton. Dan was a 1987 graduate of Ballston Spa High School and a 1989 graduate of Dean College, Franklin, MA with a degree in communications.

Dan worked in automotive sales for many years and also enjoyed working in radio. In 1989 he began working at Salisbury Chevrolet in Scotia and continued his career at New Salem Saab, Keyes Automotive Mercedes Benz/Acura, DeNooyer Chevrolet Performance Division/Baldwin Motion, Mangino Chevrolet and, most recently, DePaula Chevrolet.

His entire world revolved around his daughter Giavanna – spending time with her and planning their adventures, as often as possible indulging their shared passion for swimming. Dan was a car enthusiast. He enjoyed ice racing with the Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club and racing at the Albany Saratoga Speedway in Malta in the Sportsman Division. He loved spending time in the woods where he hiked and fished, frequently with his daughter.

Dan loved sports and during his school years, played baseball and wrestled. He also played lacrosse in college. Dan enjoyed Little League and was the first high school student in the area to manage a Little League team. He was raised by his adoptive parents, Bruce and Pat. Later in his life, he worked hard to find his birth mother and succeeded, enjoying a relationship with her, her husband and his half brothers.

He is predeceased by his grandparents, Dudley and Marion Carlton, Andrew and Elizabeth Scarpellino, James Stringer and Jeanne Fennessy Stringer. He is survived by his beloved daughter, Giavanna Elle Spenello-Carlton of Richmondville, NY; his parents, Bruce and Patricia Carlton of Ballston Spa, and Mary Murphy Cooper of Malta; his sister, Roberta Carlton Hefferman (Nathaniel) of Lexington, MA; his brothers, Ryan Murphy (Jill) of Schuylerville and Brendan Murphy (Danielle) of Berne; his nieces and nephews, Liam Andrew Hefferman and Owen Carlton Hefferman, Hunter James Murphy and Brooke Mary Murphy; and his sweetheart, Michelle Simonik of Florida.

A memorial service will be held 10:00am Friday, August 10, 2018 at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High St, Ballston Spa. Relatives and friends are invited to call from 4pm to 7pm on Thursday, August 9, 2018 at the funeral home.

Burial will be at Malta Ridge Cemetery at a later date.

Contributions in Dan’s memory may be made to a college fund for his daughter. Send checks to: NYS 529 College Savings Plan, PO Box 55440, Boston, MA 02205. The memo section of the check must include: 363478737-01 Giavanna E Spenello-Carlton

Lucille P. (Ott) Murray died August 1, 2018 at home surrounded by her loving family after a long illness. She was born on March 16, 1929, in Flatbush, Brooklyn New York. As a youngster she was full of energy and loved to dance. She would babysit for her nephews who called her “Aunt TNT”. Unusual for women at the time, she graduated from a NYC PH High School in 1947.

She was a life long avid reader of books including adventure stories and she wanted to travel the world. She was a proud veteran, enlisting in the United States Navy in 1951 as a WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). She worked in communications as a Teleman. Her first duty station was in Charleston, S.C. at a major message center, operating various teletypes, radios, and other communication machines (when 8-bells rang you knew it was an emergency message). One notable event was her participation in a medical emergency radioing shore doctor’s instructions to a ship at sea. She scored high and was one of the first group of women selected for overseas duty. She served in Italy in the NATO message center.

She met Frank (Red) Murray in the Navy and they married in Naples, Italy. She and Red were able to travel all over Europe. In 1954 she left the Navy to raise seven children. While raising her children she worked at the Red Murray Enterprises Insurance agency as a bookkeeper. She had many friends and was an avid golfer for many years. Lucille and Red loved to travel especially to Charleston, S.C.

Lucille was the daughter of the late Marie and George Ott. She was predeceased by her siblings; Madeleine (Joe) Pineau; Muriel (John) Negri; Florence, she preferred to go by Pat, (John) Collins; Joan Castiglioni. Lucille is survived by her brother-in-law Leo Castigloni.

She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 64 years, Chief Francis (Red) Murray, USN (Ret). She is survived by her son Kevin (Barbara), daughters Kathleen, Marlene (Joseph), Alison, Susanne (Efrain), Loretta (late Kevin), and her son Stuart (Julie); grandchildren Ryan (Rachael), Kelly (Brian), Phillip (Ashli), Meredith, Emily, Duncan, Nicholas, Vincent and Tessa and her great grandson Joseph. Her greatest joy in life came from spending time with her family.

Unsung Heroes: The family would like to thank all the caring staff at all of her various medical groups including Dr. Daoui and every single one of the caregivers at The DCI-Rubin Dialysis Center in Saratoga NY. Also, thank you to all the Hospice members who helped us thru these final days. She would not have gotten this far without all of those wonderful, caring people. We wish to offer a very special Thank You to Mom & Dad’s “Press Secretary” Marlene, and Joe, who worked for many years on their behalf.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, August 5 from 2pm to 5pm at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High St, Ballston Spa, NY. Funeral will be held Monday, August 6, at 9:30 am at St. Mary’s Church, 167 Milton Ave, Ballston Spa, NY, where Red and Lucille were communicants. Interment will be held at Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Christina Gregson Santos, 35, passed away on July 25, 2018, after a long struggle with addiction.

Born in Saratoga Springs, New York on January 23, 1983, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Gregson and Paul Wigley. Christina enjoyed fishing and boating.

She was predeceased by her parents Elizabeth and Paul. Christina is survived by her husband Luis “Tito”; children Kourtney Gregson, Skylah Whitney and Chance Whitney; siblings Joseph Jones, Betty “Sis” Cook, Alfred Jones, David Gregson and Charles Lajeunesse; and many nieces and nephews.

A private family service will be held. Memorial contributions in memory of Christina may be made to St. Peter’s Addiction Recovery Center, 3 Mercycare Lane, Guilderland, NY 12084.

Raymond E. Galusha “Poppa Ray” 55, passed away on Sunday, July 22, 2018 at his home, surrounded by his family. Born in Schenectady, NY on February 28, 1963, he was the son of Delbert and Margaret Galusha. He attended Galway Central School.

Ray was the building and maintenance supervisor at Hillcrest Village Apartments for 21 years and later was a landscaper for Malta Asphalt Lawn and Landscape. He was a volunteer fireman for 30 years serving at the West Charlton Fire Dept, Rector’s Fire Dept., and most recently the Galway Volunteer Fire Co.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. Ray enjoyed custom woodworking and was a vendor at many craft fairs with his wife. He was an avid racer at the Albany Saratoga Speedway and was the 2008 6 Cylinder Mini Stock Champion.

He was predeceased by his parents Delbert and Margaret. Ray is survived by his wife Jeanette; children Christine Friello (Steve) of North Broadalbin and Matt Galusha (Crissy) of Galway; grandchildren Austin Meisner and Avery Wagoner; brother Alan Mesecher, sisters Shirley Bodnar, Charlotte Blanchard and Carolyn Mechanic; and many nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday, July 26 from, 4pm to 7pm at Armer Funeral Home, Inc., 39 East High Street, Ballston Spa. Funeral services will be held at 10am Saturday, July 28 at Galway Vol. Fire Dept., 1985 West St., Galway. Burial will follow in Galway Cemetery.

Memorial contributions in memory of Ray may be made to the Galway Volunteer Fire Co.