Pat Balash (1925-2018)
Palmera “Pat” Balash, 92, of Wappingers Falls, died Jan. 8, 2018, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie. She worked as a waitress at a number of local restaurants, including the Yankee Clipper and Charkalis in Beacon.
Pat was born Nov. 10, 1925, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Dominick and Palmera (Costa) Souza. She married Charles Balash on Dec. 20, 1978. After his death, she met her partner, John Silvestri.
Pat was an avid bowler and enjoyed visiting casinos. She always lit up a room.
Her survivors include her children, Charles Balash of Rhinebeck, Pam Barnett (Bruce) of Wappingers Falls and Suzanne Nolan of Wappingers Falls; a brother, Dominick Souza of Massachusetts; six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was offered Jan. 13 at St. Mary’s Church in Wappingers Falls, with burial in the church cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital (stjude.org).
Brenda Dotterer (1943-2018)
Brenda Lou Dotterer, 74, a lifelong area resident, died at home on Jan. 3, 2018.
Born Feb. 11, 1943, she was the daughter of Thomas and Marjorie (Hickman) Duro. On July 22, 1962, she married George O. Dotterer Jr. in Beacon. He died Oct. 13, 2003.
Brenda will be remembered for her caring spirit. Throughout the years, she cared for many children as a foster parent. As a volunteer, she managed the Nifty-Thrifty Thrift Shop in Fishkill and for many years worked as a nurse’s aide at Morningside Manor in Fishkill.
She is survived by her son, George Dotterer III (Christiane) of Sterling, Virginia; her son, Thomas Dotterer (Donna) of Craryville; her daughter, Suzanne Speziale (John) of Fishkill; her son, Dave Dotterer (Linda) of Parkton, Maryland; her grandchildren, Stephanie Dotterer, Eric Dotterer, Clara Dotterer, Samantha Williams (Matt), Dylan Dotterer, Anthony Speziale, Julianne Speziale, Amanda Dotterer, Emily Dotterer, Andrew Dotterer, Asya Morey and Amber MacArthur; seven great-grandchildren; her sister, Dawn Barrack (William) of Florida. She is also survived by Natasha Antona, whom she considered a granddaughter.
A funeral service was held Jan. 8 at McHoul Funeral Home in Fishkill, followed by interment at Fishkill Rural Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Hudson Valley Hospice (hvhospice.org) or the Animal Rescue Foundation (arfbeacon.org).
Charlotte Marmo (1929-2018)
Charlotte S. Marmo, 88, of Beacon, died Jan. 6, 2018, at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie.
Charlotte was born March 23, 1929, to David and Hattie (Sternberg) Stein. She was employed at Fishkill OBGYN for many years as a receptionist.
She is survived by her daughters Lisa Frost (Ron) of Beacon and Beth Hedges of Connecticut; her grandchildren Ronnie Frost (Kristy), Derrick Frost (fiancé Allison Wiand) and Kimberly Quinlan (Tom); and her great-grandchildren, Caden, Taylor, Danny and Reiley. Charlotte is also survived by twin brother Arthur Stein (Matt Cervenka) of Virginia and her brother Theodore Stein of Maryland.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Libby’s Funeral Home, 55 Teller Ave., in Beacon. Memorial donations may be made to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (myasthenia.org).
Joe Pantojas (1983-2018)
Joseph “Joe” Pantojas, 34, a longtime resident of Beacon, died Jan. 14, 2018.
Joe was born July 22, 1983 in New York City, the son of Reinaldo Pantoja and Linda Soto. On June 29, 2008, he married Katrina Valmer. He was a HVAC technician in the area for several years before leaving to take care of his sons at home, a responsibility in which he took great pride. Joe was also an avid Giants and Yankees fan.
Besides his wife, Joe is survived by his sons, Julian, 7, and Evan, 4; his mother, Evelyn Cruz of Beacon; his brothers, Reinaldo Pantojas (Vanessa) and Alfred Pantojas (Lauren) of Tennessee and Freddy Pantojas (Arline) and Julio Pantojas (Heledy) of Beacon; his stepbrother, Pedro Pacheco of Beacon; and his nieces, Majlis and Adryanna and twin girls on the way.
Family and friends will be received on Jan. 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, 2 Beekman St., in Beacon. A funeral service will be held at 7 p.m. at the funeral home. To honor Joe’s love of the Giants and Yankees, the family encourages everyone to wear sports gear. Memorial donations may be made to Autism Speaks (autismspeaks.org).
Otto Spaudling
Otto Spaulding, 87, died Jan. 8, 2018, surrounded by his family.
Otto served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1955 before working for Sikorsky Aircraft and IBM for more than 35 years. He loved to fly planes, ride motorcycles, discuss quantum physics, engineering and politics and read every book Isaac Asimov ever wrote. One of his favorites was The Collapsing Universe.
He is survived by his wife, Myra; his four children: Wayne Spaulding (Mary-Ellen), Colleen Spaulding, Eric Spaulding and Neal Spaulding (Sallie); his stepson, Charlie (Heather); his grandchildren: Cassia, Sean, Tommy, Gideon, Danielle, Charles, Brandon, Corey; and a great-grandson, Hayden. He also is survived by a sister, Jean, and a brother, Cal.
A funeral service was held Jan. 12 at Libby Funeral Home in Beacon. Memorial donations may be made to your favorite charity or Hudson Valley Hospice (hvhospice.org).
