All Obituaries

Duane ‘Dee’ Whiteman, of Preble passed away on January 12, 2021 in the Guthrie Cortland Medical Center following a brief illness at the age of 89. Born October 28, 1931, he was the son of the late Charles and Anna Sevier Whiteman. Dee moved to Preble at the age of 9 to live with his aunt and uncle, Herman and Eva Whiteman, following the death of his mother. Following his graduation from Homer Academy in 1950, he worked on the family farm before enlisting in the United States...

Elsie F. Baldwin, age 92, passed peacefully on Monday, January 4, 2021.  Elsie was the oldest child born to Harold and Edith Fagan in Sherburne, NY.  She graduated from Sherburne High School at age 16 and attended SUNY Fredonia, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Music Education.  She moved to Cortland, NY and began her career as Director of Christian Education at the Cortland Presbyterian Church.  She later became the general music education teacher of...

Elizabeth A. ‘Betty’ Moore, 79, of Route 281, Preble, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2020 in the Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, PA. Betty was born September 23, 1941 in Lynn, MA, a daughter of the late William and Araxy Emerzian Sharpe. She was a longtime and faithful communicant of St. Margaret's Church in Homer where she enjoyed singing in the Senior Choir. Surviving is her loving husband Dan F. Moore; three children, Robert (Willeke) Moore of Zeist,...

LouIlene Nutting, 79, formerly of Burgett Dr., Homer, passed away following a lengthy illness on December 16, 2020 at the Cortland Park Nursing Center, where she had been a resident since 2014. Lou was born March 4, 1941 in Syracuse, a daughter of the late Stanley and Virginia Mae Keil Simmons. She was employed for more than 10 years at the Mobil Express Mart in Homer and had previously worked at Tops Market and as a hairdresser. Surviving are her three children, Michael (Joanne) Nutting...

Charles M. Proctor, 83, formerly of Hinman Rd., Cortland, passed away on Saturday, December 12, 2020 in the Cortland Park Nursing Center. A lifelong area resident, Charlie was born January 15, 1937 a son of the late Malcolm and Mildred Elmore Proctor and was a 1956 graduate of Homer Central School, where he was President of FFA. Charlie was a lifelong farmer, working for the Weddle family as a teenager to purchasing his own farms on Blue Creek Road and Hinman Road. After he retired from...

Dr. Richard P. Merlin, 87, of 23 S. West St., Homer passed away unexpectedly on December 4, 2020 in Florida. He was born February 19, 1933 in New York, NY, a son of the late Paul H. and Elizabeth Weber Merlin.  Richard was a veteran of the United States Navy and Korean War, proudly serving from April 16, 1951 to March 18, 1955 aboard the USS Kankakee and USS Tripoli. He graduated Lincoln Chiropractic college in 1959 and was a resident of Homer since 1973. Dr. Merlin owned and...

Andrew R. ‘Andy’ Fuller died unexpectedly on December 2, 2020. Andrew was born on July 15, 1932 to Charlie Andrew Fuller and Stella Jane Mudge Fuller. He was named after his grandfathers; “Andrew” Adam Fuller and “Ray” Lewis Mudge. Andy was drafted in the US Army during the Korean War in 1954 to 1956. During this time, he served on two maneuvers (Blue Boat and Sadge Brush) and in the Army Reserves 814 Medical Depot US Reserves for 9 years. He was...

Albert D. Shaw, 84, formerly of Park Avenue, Homer, passed away on Friday, November 20, 2020 while under the care of Hospice and his family. Albert was born October 17, 1936 a son of the late Louis and Charlotte Sill Shaw and was a graduate of King Ferry High School. He was a proud veteran, faithfully serving his country in the US Army from 1960 – 1962. For more than 25 years he was a machine operator at Smith Corona and retired from the Homer Central School where he was a bus...

Peggy Baker Murphy, 72, of Homer, passed away at Cortland Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on November 16, 2020 after a brief illness. Peggy was born in Troy, N.Y. on the Fourth of July, cementing her lifelong patriotism. She spent her childhood and early adult life in Rhode Island and loved to return to the R.I. beaches whenever possible. She graduated from Jamestown Community College, earning an A.A. degree with high honors, in 1976. She earned her bachelor’s degree, with...

Larry E. Janack, 66, of James St., Homer, passed away on November 2, 2020 at the Syracuse VA Medical Center following a lengthy illness. Larry was born September 12, 1954 in Ogdensburg, NY, a son of the late Edison and Grace Lennox Janack. He was a 1972 graduate of Homer High School and obtained his B.A. from Roger Williams University and his M.A. in communication from City University. He faithfully served in the United States Army from 1972 – 1980 and from 1985-1988, with the 101st...