All Obituaries

On January 9 2022, Gwendolyn Merkur passed away peacefully at the age of 86 after a brief illness. Gwendolyn was born in Puryear Tennessee on April 15, 1935 and moved to Cortland when she was in elementary school along with her mother Gertie (Gore) Randall, father Merrill P Randall, brothers Archie and Carl, along with her sister Dorothy. They all preceded her.  Living in Cortland the rest of her life, raising a family with her husband of 63 years (Bruce A Merkur 2/26/2018). Her...

David W. Wesser, 74, of Taylor, NY, passed away on Saturday January 8, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. He was born May 19, 1947 in Binghamton, NY; a son of the late William Wesser and Charlotte Burley Warner. David was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving in the US Army from 1965 – 1968. He retired from Cooper Tools after 20 years of employment. He had also worked at the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department in Everett, WA, Ditch Witch and the Raymond Corp. in Greene,...

Jean M. Austin, 55, of Marathon, passed away on Saturday January 8, 2022 while under the care of Hospice and her loving family. Jean was born October 30, 1966 in Auburn, to Carl Terwilliger and Joan Todd. She had been a family advocate for the Hillside Agency for several years and had previously worked at National Grid. Surviving is her mother, Joan Price of Cortland; her children, Kristie (Jairo) Brown of Marathon; Craig Brown of Maryland; Ashley (Josh) Abbott of Marathon; Alyssa (Matt)...

Raymond D. Smith, Sr., 83, of 13 Leon Ave., Cortland, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, January 7, 2022. Ray was a lifelong area resident. He served and was honorably discharged from the NY National Guard. He enjoyed all types of racing, especially NASCAR and spending time with his family. Surviving are his children, Geri Smith, Nikki Williams, Penney Schott, Donna (Ben) Moya and Kelly Edwards; his siblings, Leon Smith, Linda Wakula and Coretta Smith; twenty grandchildren, thirty-seven...

Bradley J. LeFever, 65, of Homer, passed away on January 6, 2022 following a brief illness. A lifelong area resident, he was born August 2, 1956 as son of the late Max R. and Shirley Stoker LeFever. Brad was passionate about fire service.  In the past, he served as a volunteer member of the Homer Fire Department and was employed for a number of years by the City of Cortland Fire Department. Surviving are his son, Aaron (Amber) LeFever of Homer; a sister, Karen (Loren...

Marie A. ‘Maudie’ Lewis, of Route 215, Cortland, passed away on January 5, 2022 while under the care of Hospice and her loving family. A lifelong area resident, Maudie was raised in Summerhill and was a graduate of Groton High School. She retired in 2007 as a 911 dispatcher after a 30-year career with the Cortland County Sheriff’s Department. The colleagues and friends Marie made through the years at the Sheriff’s department are now lifelong friends....

Meredith L. Downes Curtis, 45, of Syracuse, passed away on January 3, 2022 at Upstate Medical Center due to an accident. Meredith was born October 13, 1976, to Leonard Downes and Rosemary Goodale. She was a graduate of Cortland Jr. Sr. High School, Paul Smith’s College and SUNY ESF. She was employed at Bristol-Meyers Squibb as a Senior Specialist/Associate Scientist in QC Microbiological Control. Meredith enjoyed spending time with her son, Wyatt.  She loved animals,...

Michael D. Homer, 64, of Daisy Hollow Rd., Dryden passed away on December 26, 2021 due to complications of COVID-19. He was born May 18, 1957 a son of the late H. Dever and Helena Burchfield Homer. Mike was employed for many years with Suit-Kote, mainly as a truck driver, retiring in July. He was a former member of the Odessa Fire Department and installed as a member of the Dryden department, where he served as an ambulance driver. Mike was an active and faithful member of the Patriot...

James W. MacGregor, 71, of East River Road, Cortland, passed away from complication of COVID-19 on December 24, 2021. He was born March 20, 1950 in Watertown, a son of the late James and Agnes Castagnier MacGregor. In 1968, Jim enlisted in the United States Marine Corp, proudly serving during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1978 with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He received numerous awards and citations during his service including the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal,...

Roy D. Compton, 84, of Atwood Rd., Moravia, died on Monday, December 13, 2021 following a period of declining health. Born April 29, 1937 in Candor, he was the son of the late Burton and Pearl Caple Compton. Roy was a proud veteran of the US Army, serving during the Korean War from 1954 – 1959. He continued his service to local veterans as a driver for the Cayuga County Veterans Association, transporting local veterans to countless appointments at the local and Syracuse VA Medical...