All Obituaries

Jack E. Thornton, 72, of Brake Hill Rd., Homer, passed away on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 in the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center following a brief illness. A lifelong area resident, he was born May 27, 1947, a son of the late Kenneth A. and Vivian Soule Thornton.  Jack retired as deputy superintendent of the Cortlandville Town Water and Sewer Department in 2017, after 20 years of dedicated service. He continued on a part-time basis following his retirement with Town of Cortlandville...

Marjorie Joan Banks, 74, of Cortland, passed on Tuesday, February 18, 2020, after her 25-year journey with cancer ended while under the care of Hospice and her loving family.  Her strength, determination and faith were an inspiration to many. Marjorie was born March 3, 1945 in Taylor, a daughter of the late Henry and Maggie Fox Raymond. She was a 33 year resident of Nixon Ave., Homer, NY where she raised her family.  She worked as the personal housekeeper to the Gutchess Family...

Patricia C. Niederhofer, 89, of Stanford Dr., Homer, passed away on Friday, February 7, 2020 at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. Born October 10, 1930 in Syracuse, the daughter of the late Patrick and Lena Berger Cotter, Patricia had been a Homer resident for over 65 years. Pat was a longtime communicant of St. Margaret’s Church, Homer, where she was active in the Human Development Committee, the local food pantry, the Home Store, and as a religious education teacher. She also...

Judith A. Quick, 78, of South Salina St., Nedrow and formerly of Cortland, passed away on February 6, 2020 following a brief illness. Born May 12, 1941 in Cortland, she was the daughter of the late Willie S. and Eula Bilodeau Ferris. Judith was employed for many years in the environmental services department at Crouse Hospital, Syracuse. Judith was a loving mother and grandmother, with whom she enjoyed spending time with. She also enjoyed playing games on her computer and keeping up with...

John K. Ripley, 66, of N. West St., Homer, passed away following an extended illness on January 23, 2020. John was born December 26, 1953 a son of the late Franklin and Miriam Signor Ripley. He was honorably discharged from US Marine Corp, serving from 1976 – 1979. John was employed by the Homer Central School for 39 years. He was a NY Yankee and Cleveland Brown fan and loved attending car shows and was an avid car modeler, winning many awards for his talents over the...

Douglas J. Robbins, 78, of Maxfield Rd., Cortland, passed away unexpectedly, surrounded by his loving family and friends, on January 22, 2020. A lifelong area resident, Doug was born March 4, 1941, a son of the late Robert and Norma Reynolds Robbins. He was a graduate of Homer Central School and attended Morrisville College. Doug was raised on the family farm and continued farming until 1985. In addition to farming, he had a 39-year career as a bus driver for the Homer Central...

Richard A. Brooks, 88, of East Homer, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 20, 2020. A lifelong area resident, he was born December 30, 1931, a son of the late Bernal and Hazel Smith Brooks. Dick graduated Truxton Academy in 1949 and served his country from 1953 – 1955 in the US Army. He was a lifelong dairy farmer, retiring in 2013 as the owner of Bud Ranch on the East Homer-Baltimore Road. Active in many local organizations, he was a longtime member of the East Homer...

Derrick J. Purves, 43, of Cortland, NY passed away in the comfort of his home, due to a spinal cord injury he suffered 11 years ago, on January 19, 2020. Derrick was born August 12, 1976 in Potsdam, a son of Wallace E. ‘Wally’ and Mary Jane Murray Purves. He attended Norwood-Norfolk Central School and graduated from New Hampton School, New Hampton, NH. Derrick was also a graduate of SUNY Cortland. He had been employed as a recreation therapist at Loretto, Syracuse. Derrick...

Paul L. Miller, 90, formerly of McLean Rd., Cortland, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, January 5, 2020 at the Cortland Park Nursing Center. Paul was born April 2, 1929 in Tiffin, OH, a son of the late Nelson W. Miller and Olivia Gassner Miller. He was employed at Smith Corona for more than 40 years, retiring in 1992. Surviving are his five children, Martin Miller of Cortland; Theresa Miller (Brian Miles) of Cortland; Patricia (Dan) Lyon of Homer; Cynthia (Scott) Courtney of Fonda, NY...

Evelyn L. Hulbert, 86, a resident of the Elizabeth Brewster House, Homer, and formerly of Cortland, passed away while under the care of Hospice and her loving daughter on December 25, 2019. A lifelong area resident, she was born June 11, 1933, a daughter of the late Clarence S. and A. Beth Secord Homer. Evelyn was self-employed for many years as a house cleaner, retiring at the age of 82. Over the years, she developed many lasting relationships with the families she worked for. Her...