Ed Drake (1937-2017)
Edmund Joseph “Ed” Drake, 79, of Garrison, died May 18, 2017.
Born in the Bronx on Oct. 30, 1937, he was the son of Edmund James and Sally (Yohe) Drake. He attended Stepinac High School in White Plains and graduated from Hunter/Lehman College in 1971 and Pace University School of Law in 1988.
He served in the U.S. Army and taught English at Westchester Community College, Mercy College and LaGuardia Community College as well as instructed candidates for New York City taxi driver licenses. He also was an avid baseball fan and loved music.
Survivors include his wife, Suzanne Willis; his daughter Suzanne E. Ruggles (Andrew) of Aberdeen, Maryland; his son Mark L. Drake of Deltona, Florida; grandsons Brian Libby of Aberdeen and Nicholas Drake of Crossville, Tennessee; great-granddaughter McKenzie Libby; and his former spouse, Barbara Herschell Drake of Little Ferry, New Jersey. Funeral services were private.
Joe Etta (1937-2017)
Joseph “Joe” Charles Etta, 80, a lifelong resident of Cold Spring, died June 5, 2017.
Born March 28, 1937, to Gaetano “Thomas” and Elizabeth (Bush) Etta, Joe was a life member of the Cold Spring Fire Company No. 1, recently celebrating 58 years of service. He served as chief from 1970 to 1972. Joe was proud to witness his grandchildren follow in his footsteps, with their participation in the Junior Firefighter Academy, from its inaugural year to present day.
Always actively involved in the community, Joe was a charter member and served for many years on the Cold Spring Historic District Review Board, and took great pride in protecting the architectural, historic and scenic qualities of the village he loved so much. A master carpenter and building contractor, chances are if you live in or around Cold Spring, Joe built or expertly renovated your home. Joe also supervised construction of the sets and stage fronts built in Garrison and Cold Spring for the film Hello Dolly. Later in life, Joe discovered beekeeping, and enjoyed the entire process of raising bees and harvesting the honey. He had a quick wit, very vocal opinions, a sense of humor and encyclopedic knowledge of all things Cold Spring.
Joe is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons, Thomas Etta (Mary Lynn) of Cold Spring and Timothy Etta (Dawn) of Cold Spring. He is also survived by six grandchildren: Danielle Sobocinski (Steve) and Michael, Lauren, Nicole, Morgan and William Etta; and two sisters, Jane Travis and Ann Lisikatos (George).
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered on June 9 at Our Lady of Loretto Church, with burial at Cold Spring Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Cold Spring Fire Company No. 1, 154 Main St., Cold Spring, NY, 10516, or to the Junior Firefighter Academy, c/o the fire company (write “Junior Firefighter Academy” in the memo space).
Michael McCullagh (1935-2017)
Michael G. McCullagh, 81, of Nelsonville, died June 1, 2017, at home.
Michael was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 26, 1935, the son of Michael and Anne (Slane) McCullagh.
After he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy, Michael graduated from Kingsborough Community College in New York City. He worked for 45 years as a construction analyst for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Throughout his career, he supervised the construction of building projects such as multi-story apartment complexes, senior citizen housing and nursing homes. His work can be seen throughout New York state, the New York metropolitan area and the Hudson Valley.
Michael marched religiously in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City for most of his life, playing the flute in the County Tyrone Marching Band for many of those years. He had a great love for the beauty of nature, working outdoors and caring for plants and trees.
He is survived by his wife, Mary (Doherty) McCullagh; his children Patricia McCullagh of Arlington, Vermont, and Michael McCullagh (Moriah) of Colchester, Vermont; and his grandchildren Maeve, Kaitlyn and Keira McCullagh. He also is survived by his sisters Maureen McGuire and her family and Susan Shohet (Jack), as well as his brother-in-law Frank McGuire and sisters-in-law Barbara Doherty and Josephine Doherty.
Visitation will be held on June 19 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott St., Cold Spring, with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow on June 20 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Loretto, 24 Fair St., Cold Spring. Interment will follow in Cold Spring Cemetery.
Memorial donations can be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
