Joseph Agunzo (1921-2019)
Joseph Philip Agunzo, 97, died at home on Sept. 1, 2019, surrounded by members of his family.
He was born Sept. 19, 1921, in Brooklyn, the son of Antonio and Angiola (Teranghesa) Agunzo. At age 17, he joined the Conservation Corp and fought forest fires to earn money to help his family during the Depression.
From 1942 to 1946, he served in the U.S. Marines. During his service, he became pen pals with a woman named Josephine. When he returned home, he traveled from Brooklyn to Beacon, where they met for the first time. He would later say he loved her from the moment they met. They were married in Beacon on Sept. 1, 1946.
Known to his friends and family as Pop, Joseph worked for IBM in East Fishkill for 35 years before retiring as a technician. He was a parishioner of St. Mary, Mother of the Church in Fishkill and the oldest member of the St. Rocco Society in Beacon. He enjoyed old cars, gardening, music, traveling, rolling dice, flipping stocks and hunting. He had a passion for taking care of his family and others.
Survivors include his son, Thomas Agunzo (Laurie); his grandsons, Thomas Agunzo (Jing) and Eric Agunzo (Janelle); his granddaughter Rachel Stephens; his great-grandchildren Savina, Santino, Alphonse and Louie Agunzo, and Ariel and Lea Supple; his great, great-granddaughter Kennedy Supple; and his brother-in-law, Dominick “Sonny” Piacente.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Sept. 4 at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, with entombment at Fishkill Rural Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation (hvhospice.org).
Terry Bittner (1921-2019)
Theresa Bittner, 97, of Salisbury, Connecticut, and formerly of Beacon, died Aug. 28, 2019, at Noble Horizons in Salisbury.
She was born Sept. 18, 1921, in New York City to Patrick and Agnes Magurno. On Sept. 1, 1946, at St. Mary’s Church in Poughkeepsie, she married Harold “Hal” Bittner, who died before her.
Terry attended St. Joachim School in Beacon and graduated from Wappingers High School. Before her marriage, she worked at Western Printing and Lithographing Co. and Schatz Federal Bearing. She was a homemaker for the rest of her life, and her favorite role was that of “grammy.”
She is survived by her daughters, Gail LaMantia (Frank), Pamela Scarpero (Bill) and Patricia Liguori (Gene); her granddaughters: Corey Holland (Ryan), Katharine Colucci (Tony) and Cassandra Liguori; her grandsons: Peter Scarpero (Olga), Michael Liguori (Beth) and Mark Liguori; and her great-grandchildren: Emerald, Annabelle and William Holland; Chloe and Brandon Colucci; Alexandra Scarpero; and Natalie Liguori.
Calling hours will be held on Friday, Sept. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the William G. Miller & Son Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Ave., in Poughkeepsie. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Church of St. Martin de Porres, 118 Cedar Valley Road, in Poughkeepsie, with interment following at St. Peter’s Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made out to Noble Horizons Christmas Fund, Attn.: Caroline Burchfield, 17 Cobble Road, Salisbury, CT 06068.
Irma DiCastro (1934-2019)
Irmgard B. DiCastro, 85, a longtime Beacon resident, died Sept. 3, 2019 at St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital in Newburgh.
Irma was born March 15, 1934, in Pirmasens, Germany, the daughter of Gustav and Ottillie (Henniger) Bixler. She later told many stories of her survival in World War II. She married Joseph DiCastro, who died in 1985.
Irma was a member of the Beacon Seniors and Gadabouts and a longtime member of Germania of Poughkeepsie. She loved animals and traveling.
She is survived by her sons, Drew DiCastro and Mark DiCastro (fiancé Dawn Hettrick); and a sister, Gertrude “Ruth” Jaquot, of France.
Family and friends will gather on Sunday, Sept. 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Monday, Sept. 9, from 9 to 10:15 a.m. at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, 2 Beekman St., in Beacon. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. at Poughkeepsie Rural Community Mausoleum, 342 South Ave., in Poughkeepsie.
Memorial donations may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or any animal society.
Loula Sialmas (1932-2019)
Rosaline Sialmas, 86, died Sept. 1, 2019, with family members by her side.
Known to her friends and family as Loula, she was born Oct. 16, 1932, in Granitsa, Greece, the daughter of Chrysanthe and John Gianopoulos. She came to the U.S. in 1951 with her brother, Mike, and settled in West Virginia.
On Feb. 20, 1955, she married George Sialmas, and the couple moved to New York, making a home in Dutchess Junction. She became a citizen in 1957.
According to her family, Loula had a wonderful sense of humor and a big heart. She loved to bake and would make hundreds of cookies each year for the Greek festivals in Poughkeepsie and later in Newburgh.
Besides her husband, she is survived by her daughters, Christina Mercado (Erick) and Georgia Patchen; her grandson, Michael; her sister, Eleni Anemelos (John); her sisters-in-law Soula Gianopoulos, Marianthi Soultanis and Stamatios Soultanis; and her brothers-in-law, Kostas Sialmas, Lukia Sialmas and Vasili Sialmas.
Funeral services were held on Sept. 6 at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Newburgh, with burial following at Fishkill Rural Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to St. Nicholas, P.O. Box 2004, Newburgh, NY 12550 or to the Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation (hvhospice.org).
