Doris Filkins
Doris Filkins (1926-2021)
Doris Helen Filkins, 94, a longtime Fishkill resident and Beacon schoolteacher, died Nov. 6 at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie.
She was born Dec. 30, 1926, in Beacon, the daughter of Edward and Viola (Smith) Johnson. On Aug. 28, 1954, at First Presbyterian Church of Beacon, she married Donald Filkins, who died in 2015, after 61 years of marriage. Doris was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church, where she was a leader in the Session and a fixture in the choir.
Doris graduated with a master’s degree in special education from Hartwick College and was a teacher for more than 30 years at South Avenue Elementary. She pioneered in special education and was a proud recipient of an outstanding teacher award. Doris was an avid reader and birdwatcher, and she loved hearing the latest news about her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
She is survived by her daughters, Margaret Rifenburg, Anne Degli-Angeli, Miriam Tully and Janet Reynolds. She is also survived by a sister, Patty Weissman, 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren, with one more on the way.
A funeral service was held on Nov. 9 at First Presbyterian Church, followed by interment at Fishkill Rural Cemetery.
Gloria LaColla
Gloria LaColla (1929-2021)
Gloria Anne LaColla, 92, of Beacon, died on Nov. 5.
Gloria was born in Beacon on Jan. 25, 1929, the daughter of James and Matilda (Barbano) LaColla. She worked as a communications specialist at IBM for 35 years until her retirement in 1987.
She is survived by a sister, Joan Winchell of Cornwall-on-Hudson, and her nephews, James, Robert and Christopher LaColla, and Mark, Christian, David and Jonas Winchell.
Services were private. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of choice.
Janice Larkin (1939-2021)
Janice A. Larkin, 82, died Nov. 10 at Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at River Valley in Poughkeepsie.
She was born Feb. 5, 1939, the the daughter of John and Evelyn (Gifford) Angele. On Jan. 17, 1959, she married Joseph Larkin, who died on Jan. 3. Janice retired from Envirotest as a lab technician.
She is survived by her daughter, Kelly Jones (Kenneth); her grandchildren, John Simmons, Meaghan Parsons (Josh) and Tanya Soto (Isael); and her great-grandchildren, Jasmin Soto, Ciara Soto, Kassady Simmons, Jonah Simmons, Leland Wilson, Kaylee Parsons, Austin Parsons and Christopher Parsons. Her children Lee Ann Larkin, Sharee Bowen and Matthew Larkin died before her, along with a grandson, Steven Wilson.
A private service will be held at the family plot in St. Joachim Cemetery in Beacon.
Susan Staller (1955-2021)
Susan Staller, 66, of Hyde Park, a former teacher in the Beacon City School District, died at her home on Nov. 9.
Born Feb. 8, 1955, in Philadelphia, she was the daughter of Bernard and Edith (Horwitz) Staller. In 1991, she married Paul Weinberger.
Along with her husband, she is survived by her son, Keeyan Pashanamaei (Devon); her granddaughter, Shireen Rose Pashanamaei; and her siblings, Nancy Brown, Luci Altman and Leonard Staller.
A graveside service was held Nov. 12 at Beth Kehillah Cemetery in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey.
