MaryAnn Slinskey (1941-2019)
MaryAnn Rose Slinskey, 77, of Milton and formerly of Beacon, died March 3, 2019, in Colchester, surrounded by members of her family.
She was born Sept. 21, 1941, in Beacon, the daughter of Joseph and Harriet Catalano. Her greatest joys in life were spending time with her partner, her children and grandchildren. She loved to cook and loved the outdoors and the Yankees. She retired from management at IBM East Fishkill.
She is survived by her partner of more than 30 years, Chris Ciccone of Milton, her sons Samuel Slinskey III (Anne) of Pleasant Valley, Andrew Slinskey of Beacon and Lee Ann Slinskey of Beacon, as well as three grandchildren.
She also is survived by her brothers, Joseph Catalano Jr. and Richard Yeaple Sr., and sisters, Linda Gleason and Joanne Shebanie.
A Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on March 30 at St. Joachim Church, 51 Leonard St., in Beacon. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society (cancer.org), the Audubon Society (audubon.org) or the Wounded Warriors Project (woundedwarriorproject.org).
John York (1919-2019)
John Jones York, 99, a resident of Fishkill since 1953 and a longtime volunteer in Beacon, died Feb. 9, 2019, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.
Born on May 20, 1919, in Greenport, Long Island, John was the son of Frederick and Estella (Jones) York. In 1928, his family relocated to Wayne County, where in 1937 he graduated from Red Creek High School. After working several jobs, John had saved enough money to purchase a farm for his father.
In 1942, he enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marines and attended the U.S. Maritime School in Boston. He served as a chief radio officer during World War II aboard several vessels in both the European and Pacific Theatres and was engaged in several missions including two runs considered to be the most dangerous convoys during the war to Archangel and Murmansk, Russia. In 1988, he along with other participating mariners from those runs were honored by the Russian government for their bravery and support during the war. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 1945. Decades later he wrote four stories about his military service experiences that were published in a book titled Patriots and Heroes: True Stories of the Merchant Marine in World War II.
In 1949, he graduated from Oswego State Teachers College and shortly after began teaching at the Berea Foundation School at Berea College in Kentucky. While living in Berea, he served as chief of the city’s fire department. John attended Penn State University, working on a master’s in education during his summer breaks.
He began working for IBM’s Manufacture Training Program in 1953, which led to his family relocation to Fishkill. John had a long and successful career at I.B.M., where he designed and spearheaded the company’s educational and training programs and ended his career as assistant director of salary administration and personnel. He retired in 1981.
John’s retirement afforded him the opportunity to become a more active volunteer, including for the Tioronda Garden Club, Madam Brett Homestead, Camp Foster, Dutchess County Ballet Company, Hudson Valley Youth Symphony Association, and many other organizations. John was a charter member of the Gene DeLong Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Merchant Marines Veterans and a longtime member of the United Methodist Church in Fishkill.
He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Callie Marie (Ferguson) York, and two daughters: Marie Harbison (Kenneth), of Annandale, Virginia, and Margaret Sauter (Lawrence), of Clayton, North Carolina. He also is survived by his grandchildren, Kelly Harbison, John Harbison and Kimberly Seigh (Aaron), and his great-grandchildren, Ethan Seigh and Gavin Seigh.
A memorial service was held on March 24 at the Fishkill United Methodist Church. Memorial donations may be made to the church’s memorial fund (fishkill.org/umc).
