Justine A. Casey of Mattituck and Riverhead died Dec. 10 at Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport. She was 90. 

She was born Feb. 26, 1924, in Aquebogue to Justina (Ruskowski) and Frank Doroski. Ms. Casey worked for New York Telephone in Riverhead as a chief operator and was assistant manager for Riverhead Off-Track Betting.

Predeceased by her husband, Joseph in 2010, Ms. Casey is survived by her daughter, Justine Swotkewicz; her siblings, Walter and Conrad Doroski, Helen Strebel, and Irene Zlatniski, all of Aquebogue, Bertha Wilcenski and Hedwig Kozak, both of Riverhead, and Albina Sujecki of Calverton; three grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

The family will receive visitors Friday, Dec. 12, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at McLaughin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral service will be held Saturday, Dec. 13, at 9:30 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead. Interment will take place at the church cemetery.

Linda S. Carr of Aquebogue died Dec. 12, 2014. She was 64. 

She was born July 29, 1950, to Helen and Fredrick Follett. Ms. Carr worked for years in the wine and liquor industry and later as a home care aide for Riverhead Town.

Family members said Ms. Carr enjoyed traveling in the motor home and cruising; and loved family get togethers. She was past president of Ladies Auxiliary Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2476, a member of Ladies Auxiliary American Legion and a member of Ladies of the Moose.

Ms. Carr is survived by her husband, Robin Carr of Aquebogue; her brother, Fred Follett of Calverton; her stepbrother, Skip Bellus of Pennsylvania; her daughter, Laurie Sebbesse of Kings Park; her son, Erik Knutsen; her stepsons, Michael Carr of Leesburg, Va. and Ryan Carr of Aquebogue and 10 grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were handled by DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Homes. All services will be private.

Memorial donations to United Cerebral Palsy of Suffolk, USP Suffolk Development Office, 250 Marcus Boulevard, Hauppauge, NY 11778 would be appreciated.

Former longtime Riverhead and Mattituck resident Ann Melosh died Nov. 20 in Goodyear, Ariz. She was 92.

Ms. Melosh was born Feb. 14, 1922, in Brooklyn to Vingenza and Anthony Greco. She attended Fashion Institute of Design High School in Brooklyn. She married Arthur Melosh in 1970.

For 53 years, she owned Beiers Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant in Floral Park, where she received a “Confectioner of the Year” award.

Ms. Melosh was a member of the St. John’s University Ladies Auxiliary, the Italian-American Club, and was a former Columbiette with Cutchogue Knights of Columbus.

Family members said she enjoyed playing bocce, cards, baking and gardening.

Predeceased by her husband in 2004, Ms. Melosh is survived by her children, Phyllis Kovach, Philip Ferrara and Vivian Harris; seven grandchildren; and five grandchildren.

A service will take place Saturday, Dec. 20, at 11 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead, Father Larry Duncklee officiating.

Memorial donations may be made to Jake and Samantha Lazazzaro, samandjake.org.

Martha M. Mailander of Riverhead died Dec. 14 at Riverhead Care Center. She was 91.  

Ms. Mailander was born April 11, 1923, in Panama to Lorenza S. (Raven) and William C. Mailander. She worked as a riveter for Grumman in Bethpage.

She is survived by her brother, William of Riverhead; and her sister, Johanna M. Tavano of New York.

The family will receive visitors Tuesday, Dec. 16, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral service will be held  Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 9 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist R.C. Church in Riverhead, officiated by Father Larry Duncklee. Interment will take place at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale.

Former Riverhead resident Stephen J. Rowan died Dec. 11 in Westhampton Beach after a long illness. He was 46. 

He was born Jan. 6, 1968, in Southampton to Wenzel J. and Peggy (Swan) Rowan. Mr. Rowan grew up in Riverhead and graduated from Riverhead High School.

Family members said Mr. Rowan enjoyed music, basketball, and spending time with friends and family, especially his nieces, nephews and great-nephews. They said he was interested in producing music and loved visiting studios in New York City. Family members also said he loved clothes and fashion, and was proud of his sneaker collection, which contained over 50 pairs.

Mr. Rowan is survived by his father, Wenzel J. Rowan of Riverhead; his mother, Peggy Swan, of Tennessee; his sister, Deacon Teresa Rowan of Riverhead; and his brother, Zuriel Rowan of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

The family will receive visitors Wednesday, Dec. 17, from 10 to 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Southampton, and a funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Cremation will be private.

A funeral mass in memory of Norma Steiner will be held Monday, Dec. 22, at St. Jerome R.C. Church in Largo, Fla.

Ms. Steiner, formerly of Riverhead, died Oct. 1 at the age of 85.

Jeanette M. Crawley of Calverton died Dec. 16 at Peconic Bay Medical Center. She was 86. 

She was born May 14, 1928, in Westfield, N.J. to Harry and Ebba Nordstrom.

Ms. Crawley worked as an operator for New York Telephone and active in the Pioneers, a telecommunications volunteer network.

Family members said she loved knitting, the beach and playing “buck dice.”

Ms. Crawley is survived by her partner, William J. Brooks Jr.; and her two children.

Cremation was private. Arrangements were handled by McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead.

Harold Lester Cross of Riverhead, born March 2, 1923, was a World War II veteran who landed in Normandy and was married 71 years to his 1st Lieutenant nurse in the U.S. Army, Claire Vespucci Cross.

A wonderful, spiritual man, always in church as an elder deacon and for 65 years as a lay preacher, he preached this past year at Riverhead Church of Christ.

Harold was an inventor and engineer who worked at Grumman on the Apollo mission. He was a past governor of the Loyal Order of Moose and a member of the Riverhead American Legion chapter.
Harold is survived by his three daughters, Deborah Boschetti, Sara-Ellen Petricini, and Susie Amador; 10 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.

He was beloved by family, friends and anyone who knew him; and was known to all as a fair, just and loving man. All were welcomed into his home and took great comfort in his advice. A wonderful husband and loving father, his girls thought he was their hero. Harold has gone home to his Holy Father, whom he walked with every day.

Arrangements were entrusted to Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.

Former Riverhead resident Randolph Philips of Ellenwood, Ga., died Dec. 12. He was 82. 

He was born Sept. 28, 1932, in Virginia to Margaret (Lowe) and Roman Philips. Mr. Philips was worked as a firefighter with Brookhaven National Lab and retired from the U.S. Air Force after achieving the rank of technical sergeant.

Mr. Philips is survived by his wife, Carol, of Georgia; his daughters, Kim Allen and Dawn Philips, both of Riverhead and Bridget Philips, of Georgia; his sisters Zenobia Flynn of West Virginia and Geneva Harvey of Ohio; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

The family will receive visitors Friday, Dec. 19, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. Galilee Church of God in Christ in Riverhead will be open Saturday, Dec. 20, at 10 a.m. for viewing and a service will take place at 11 a.m., officiated by the Rev. Roy Pennon. Interment will take place Monday, Dec. 22, at 11 a.m. at Calverton National Cemetery.

Jesse Robinson Goodale II, lifelong resident of Riverhead died Dec. 20, 2014. He was 97.

Jesse Goodale II

He was born Aug. 13, 1917 in Aquebogue, son of Robinson J and Lavinia O Goodale.

Jesse graduated from Riverhead High School in 1934 and went on to serve in the National Guard. Soon after, he married Mary Lupton and raised five children in Aquebogue while continuing his fathers potato farming business with his only brother Harold. In 1948 he founded Riverhead Building Supply with his brother Harold and uncle Percy Ketcham.

Jesse was extremely involved in his community. Throughout his lifetime he was chairman of the Aquebogue Board of Education, president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce (where he received many tributes culminating in the Lifetime Service Award and president of Central Suffolk Hospital (now called Peconic Bay Medical Center). He was also the Suffolk County chairman of the Salvation Army and very active in his church, Old Steeple Community Church, where he was caretaker of itscemetery for 55 years.

During Jesse’s retirement he created the Riverhead Litter Control Volunteer program where he organized residents to “own” a street and keep it clean on their watch.

Jesse did make time for fun and established himself as an excellent bowler, golfer, tennis and ping pong player. He also had a love for seashells and made beautiful shell boards for friends, family and local businesses.

Predeceased by his wife of 68 years, Mary; Jesse is survived by his brother, Harold of Riverhead; and five children, Diane (Roman) Sadowy, Carol (William) Cambi, Jesse R. (Donna) Goodale III, Russell L. (Cathy) Goodale and Edgar F. (Nancy) Goodale all of Riverhead. Fourteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren also survive him.

The family will receive visitor Sunday, Dec. 21, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral Service will be held Monday, Dec. 22, at 10 a.m. at Old Steeple Community Church in Aquebogue.

Memorial donations in Jesse’s name can be sent to Old Steeple Community Church in Aquebogue or Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead.

This is a paid notice.

Linda J. Boken of Greenport died Dec. 18, 2014, at Stony Brook University Medical Center. She was 65

She was born July 14, 1949, in Greenport to Eleanor (née Santacroce) and Antone F. Skwara, Jr. and was a graduate of Southold High School and State University of New York at Plattsburg.

For thirty years, Linda worked for the U.S. Postal Service and was postmaster in East Marion.

Linda was a communicant of St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport and a member of the East Marion Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary.

She is survived by her sons: S. Marc Boken of Ashland, Va. and Scot M. Boken of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; her mother, Eleanor Skwara of Greenport; her sister, Nancie Albertson of Southold; her brother Antone F. Skwara, III of Boerne, Texas; and her granddaughter, Jocelyn Grace Boken of Ashland, Va. She was predeceased by her father Antone F. Skwara, Jr., June 14, 2005.

The family received visitors Dec. 21 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated Dec. 22 at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. The Rite of Committal was private.

Memorial donations to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Long Island Chapter, 1324 Motor Parkway, Suite 102, Hauppauge, NY 11749 would be appreciated.

Former Aquebogue and Riverhead resident Russell “Rusty” Louis Silva Jr. died Nov. 21. He was 63.

Family members said Mr. Silva was a man of integrity whose hard work and dedication knew no limits. Before moving on with his career and moving to Florida, he was manager of Riverhead National Shoe Store.

Mr. Silva spent many summers racing his stock car at Riverhead Raceway.

He is survived by his wife Benna; his daughters Kimberly, Kelly and Victoria; three
grandchildren and his sister, Lynn Smith of Riverhead. He is predeceased by
his parents Russell and Dorothy Silva of Aquebogue.

Services were held at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Plantation Fla.
Memorial donations may be made in Mr. Silva’s name to Broward County Humane Society in Broward, Fla., humanebroward.com.

Former Riverhead resident Nick Charkow Jr. of Zephyr Hills Fla. died Dec. 14. He was 87.

A memorial service will be announced at a later date and time.

A complete obituary will follow.

Former lifelong Riverhead and Middle Island resident Doris J. Cox died Dec. 15. She was 84.

She was born July 26, 1930, to Charles and Florence Smith. Ms. Cox worked as a school bus driver until her retirement in 1991. For the past seven years, she worked as a greeter for Walmart in Riverhead.

Family members said until recently she enjoyed coffee outings with friends, bicycle riding, reading and Foxwood excursions.

Predeceased by her husband Harry in 1979; her son Stanley in 2009; and her grandson in 2012, she is survived by her son Steven of Texas; daughters Cathy Cox, also of Texas, Cindy Relyea of Middle Island and Carole Lawler of North Carolina; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A private family service was handled by Maloney Funeral Homes. Burial took place Dec. 19 at Calverton National Cemetery.

Longtime Riverhead resident Edna H. Vail passed away on December 15, 2014 at the age of 98.

Edde, as she liked to be called, moved from Brooklyn to Riverhead 82 years ago when she first married.

She was a well-known musician and music teacher who travelled to all North Fork towns to give piano, accordion and guitar lessons to hundreds of students. She also was a church organist for over 30 years.

In 1957 when Otto Ninow opened Ninow’s Music Store on Railroad Avenue in Riverhead he asked Edna to teach for him, and she shortly began giving music lessons. Her son, Ralph said “She loved to teach and said she hoped to die teaching, and always told each student to ‘practice and try your best.’” In June of 1967 she and Ralph purchased the business from Mr. Ninow. The business became a fixture in Riverhead.

Unfortunately on Jan 1, 2006, Edna had one of several strokes. Her son continued to operate the store. In June 2013 he decided with his helpers that because of the continuing decline of the area that they could no longer continued a family-oriented business on Railroad Avenue, and relocated the business to 30 West Main Street in Riverhead.

Edna had one son, Forrest W. Vail who died in 1970. Forrest’s wife, Mieko died in 2010. They gave her three grandsons, Bill, John, and Daniel all of Riverhead, and a granddaughter, Mindy Sullivan who lives in Tennesee. Edna was the oldest of four; her two sisters and brother predeceased her.

There will be no funeral service. Ralph said, “She has outlived all her family and friends, and attributes her longevity to the love she shared with everyone.”

The family would like donations be made to the Flanders-Northampton Volunteer Ambulance or Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead.

This is a paid notice.

Irene B. Kubiak of Aquebogue died Dec. 24 at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. She was 91. 

The family will receive visitors Saturday, Dec. 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue, where a funeral service will take place. Interment will take place Wednesday, Dec. 31, at 11 a.m. at Calverton National Cemetery.

A complete obituary will follow.

Maria Taldone of Riverhead died at her home Dec. 25. She was 96.

She was born Aug. 27, 1918, in Brooklyn to Frank and Catherine Buonadonna. Family members said she was a homemaker who loved her family and knitting.

Predeceased by her husband Felice in 1995 and her children Lawrence, Thomas and Anthony, Ms. Taldone is survived by her children Joseph of Florida, Felice of Florida, Frank of Schenectady, Maria C. of Georgia, Catherine of Shoreham, and Vincent of Riverhead; her sister, Elisa Dicapua of Florida; 10 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

The family will receive visitors Sunday, Dec. 28, from 2 to 6 p.m. at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. Interment will take place Monday, Dec. 29, at 11 a.m. at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale.

Memorial donations may be made to Children’s Aid Society, Attn: Devlopment, in memory of Mary Taldone, 105, East 22nd St, New York, NY 10010.

Alex Bobrick of Glenwood Village in Riverhead, died Dec. 27. He was 96. Born in New York City Sept. 8, 1918, to Demian and Eva (née Zackarik) Bobrick, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 until his honorable discharge in 1945. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart medal.

Mr. Bobrick had been a leadman for Lockheed at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Originally of Jamaica, Queens, he was a long-time resident of Levittown before moving to Riverhead.

Predeceased by his wife, Mary on Sept. 22, 2013; Mr. Bobrick leaves a son Thomas of Seaford and three grandsons. He was predeceased by a son James Bobrick.

Graveside services, with U.S. Navy Honors, will take place Friday, Jan. 2, at 11:30 a.m. at All Saints Slovak Cemetery in Hollisterville, Pa. There will be no public visiting hours.

Funeral arrangements were handled by DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck.

Long time Huntington resident Agnes T. Ingino of Orange City, Fla. passed away peacefully Nov. 8, 2014. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Michael; and brothers Gabe and Frederick Mazzaferro. Surviving are her children, Michael, William, Barbara, Joseph; her sister Josephine Conklin; her brothers George, James, and Frank Mazzaferro; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, Jan.10, at 11:30 a.m. at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. Internment will take place the same day at  3:30 p.m. at Melville Cemetery in Melville.

This is a paid notice. 

Longtime Riverhead resident Raymond Futerko died Dec. 23 at Stonybrook University Hospital. He was 66. 

He was born April 27, 1948 in Austria to Mary (Kusch) and Michael Futerko and graduated from Riverhead High School. Mr. Futerko married Maria Sideratos July 25, 1970.

Mr. Futerko served as a  U.S Army sergeant in Vietnam in 1968. He worked for 24 years as a Southampton Town Highway assistant foreman in Hampton Bays.

Family members said he enjoyed hunting, fishing, crossword puzzles, and NASCAR.

Predeceased by his parents, Mr. Futerko is survived by Maria; his daughter, Sarah; his son, Matthew; his sister, Irene; and his brother, Bogden.

The family will receive visitors Sunday, Jan. 11, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral service will take place Monday, Jan. 12, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Calverton National Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758512, Topeka, KS, 66675-8512.