Patricia Ganzer (1948-2018)

Patricia A. Ganzer, 69, of Beacon, died July 16, 2018, at Fishkill Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing.

Born Oct. 10, 1948 in Newburgh, she was the daughter of Harold and Margaret Gilland. Pat worked at Rojan and K-Mart in Poughkeepsie before her retirement. She was a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Beacon. She enjoyed knitting, spinning yarn and was an avid reader.

She is survived by her son Eric Ganzer (Traci Pomarico) and their son, Cody, of Arlington, Texas; her brother, Gary Gilland (Marlene) of Beacon; and her sisters, Bernice Fury of Pine Bush and Marcia Lumia (John) of Wappingers Falls.

A funeral service was held on July 19 at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey in Beacon. Interment was private. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org).

Charles Hellmann Jr.

Charles Hellmann Jr. (1928-2018)

Charles Edward Hellmann Jr., 89, of Clearwater, Florida, and formerly of Beacon, died July 19, 2018.

Ed was born Sept. 6, 1928, in Beacon, the son of Charles and Agnes (Stanton) Hellman. He served as a corporal in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany.

He worked at IBM, East Fishkill as a manager until his retirement. He was a member of the American Legion and loved the company of his friends and ballroom dancing.

Ed is survived by his daughters: Nancy Delaurentis, of Oceanside, California; Laurie Hood of Accord; and Dawn Bartolini (Frank) of Largo, Florida; his sister, Nancy Condon of Beacon; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

His daughter planned to hold a Celebration of Life on Sept. 6, which would have been Ed’s 90th birthday.

Abdual Kinte

Abdual Kinte (1947-2018)

Abdual M. Kinte, 71, of Alcoa, Tennessee, and formerly of Beacon, died July 21, 2018.

He was born in Beacon on April 5, 1947, the son of Hubert and Lela Jones. He was a graduate of Beacon High School, where he played basketball and baseball and was later inducted into the Beacon High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Abdual was a journeyman lineman for Central Hudson before transferring to KUB in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was a deacon at Robinson Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Alcoa before becoming a member of Mother Love Baptist Church in Louisville, Tennessee.

He is survived by his wife, Carleen George Kinte; his children, Delisa Jones of Atlanta, Abdual Henderson of Sanford, North Carolina, Shantale Jones of Atlanta and Ryan Kinte of Louisville; his sisters, Jackie Jones Burger of Oak Park, Illinois; Elnora Wilkins of New York; his brother, Sylvester Jones, of Durham, North Carolina; several grandchildren, and his brothers-in-law, Jeffery George (Micki), David George (Melissa), Nate Warren (Sara), Lamar Warren (Donna), Chris Warren and Jule Warren (Jennifer) Warren.

A funeral service was held July 28 at Mother Love Baptist Church.

Diane Simmons

Diane M. Simmons, a lifelong resident of Beacon, died July 22, 2018.

Known as “Di” or “Lady Di,” Diane was the daughter of Johnson and Leatice Morgan. She attended Beacon High School, and Dutchess Community College, where she majored in business administration. She was lifelong member of the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where she was chairman of the Trustee Ministry.

After 30 years of management experience, Diane retired from IBM.  Over the course of her career she served as manager of Administrative Service Centers for the IBM World Trade Organization and corporate recruitment manager for its Office of Equal Opportunity Employment.

Diane served as president of the Empire State Federation of Women’s and Youth Clubs, Inc. and on the board of the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill. She was also board president of the Beacon Community Center, and an advisory board member of the Salvation Army. She was a life member of the Southern Dutchess NAACP and served as president of the Les Seours Amiables Civic Club.

A recipient of the JCPenney Golden Rule Award presented for outstanding civic individual accomplishment, Diane was an avid culinary enthusiast and dedicated mother to her three sons.

She is survived by her sons, Barry Simmons and Kimball Johnson, both of Beacon. She also is survived by five grandchildren: Joseph Simmons III, Jason Simmons (Denise), Christina Arroyo, Quinnasia Johnson and Jamal Johnson, and five great-grandchildren: Dasani Carmichael, Christina Simmons, Elisjsah Simmons, Bryson Davis and Azhane Moultrie.

Also surviving are a sister, Beverly Morgan of Beacon; and two brothers, Albert Morgan (Gloria) of Columbia, South Carolina, and Charles Morgan of Fishkill.

Diane will repose from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday, July 30, at the Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, 139 Main St., in Beacon. A home-going celebration of her life will begin at noon, with entombment to follow at Fishkill Rural Cemetery.

Behind The Story

Type: Obituary

Obituary: Reports the death of an individual, providing an account of the person’s life including their achievements, any controversies in which they were involved, and reminiscences by people who knew them.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.