Barbara Karaffa (1928-2021)
Barbara Marie Karaffa, 92, formerly of Pennsylvania and Stone Ridge, died on May 9 in New Paltz, surrounded by family members.
She was born in Beacon on July 14, 1928, the daughter of Franklin Pierce and Lillian (Lawson) Cism. She graduated from Beacon High School and attended Krissler Business Institute in Poughkeepsie. On May 3, 1953, in Beacon, she married Joseph Karaffa, who died before her.
Barbara worked for IBM before she and her husband established the So-Hi Campground in Stone Ridge, which they operated for 32 years. The couple spent the winters in Fort Pierce, Florida.
She is survived by her children, Kathleen Gordon, Stephen Karaffa (Cathy), Robert Karaffa (Kristie), Susan Richard (William) and Paul Karaffa (Tracy); 10 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and a sister, Patricia Scofield.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held on May 14 at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Rosendale, with internment at Hurley Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or to the Hudson Valley Hospice Foundation (hvhospice.org).
Joe Monroe (1951-2021)
Joe G. Monroe, 69, a former Beacon resident, died May 9 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.
Joe was born Aug. 23, 1951, in Cold Spring, the son of James and Alta (Fehlman) Monroe. He attended Beacon schools and worked as a laborer for Local 60 in Hawthorne for several years before joining Local 1000 in Poughkeepsie, from which he retired.
He is survived by his children: Jodi Monroe, Joseph Monroe (Shanna) and Vincent Monroe; his grandchildren, Anthony Monroe and Angelina Monroe; and a sister, Marlene Ganzer. Five of his siblings died before him.
Funeral services will be private.
