Obituaries

Local Obituaries for Ithaca, NY

Evelyn Duncan

Evelyn Duncan

Sep 15, 2026

Evelyn M. Duncan passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY, after a brief illness.

Born in 1924 in Cedar Run, Pennsylvania, she attended school in a one-room schoolhouse. Her family moved to Binghamton, NY, during the Great Depression, and she graduated from Binghamton Central High School, where she was friends with the writer Rod...

Deborah Ann Carlison

Deborah Ann Carlison

Sep 15, 2026

Deborah Carlison, age 78 of Ithaca, New York, passed away on September 15, 2026 surrounded by her family. Born on August 24, 1948, she was the beloved daughter of the late Samuel and Katherine Panato.

Deborah is survived by her loving husband of sixty-one years Michael Carlison; her son Michael (Kristen) Carlison Jr.; her daughter, Melissa (Kevin) Jacobs; her granddaughters Melinda...

Tove Hammer

Tove Hammer

Sep 12, 2026

Tove Helland Hammer was born in Tønsberg, Norway, on November 8, 1945, the daughter of Kjell Monrad Helland and Ingrid Bang Helland. She grew up at her ancestral home, Bangsbø, on the shoreline of the Oslo Fjord. She passed away peacefully in Ithaca, NY, after a 3-year battle with cancer and the residual side effects of her treatment on September...

Rudolph "Fluffy". Saccucci

Rudolph "Fluffy". Saccucci

Sep 12, 2026

Rudolph Fredrick Saccucci, affectionately known to nearly everyone as Fluffy, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026, at the age of 83.

Born on August 27, 1943, in Ithaca, New York, Fluffy was the son of Bianca and Rudolph Saccucci and the beloved little brother of Gilda Yaley, who is married to John Yaley. It was Gilda who gave him the...

Callista "Cookie" Fauls Paolangeli

Callista "Cookie" Fauls Paolangeli

Sep 6, 2026

“If it’s not an ass, it’s an elbow” might seem a rather odd way to start an obituary, especially for a woman whose deep and profound Catholic faith was one of the core tenets of her life. But Cookie Paolangeli would have laughed and approved, it being one of her favorite sayings when anyone told her about an ache, an...

Beverly Baker

Beverly Baker

Sep 5, 2026

Beverly Baker, a native Ithacan died on September 5, 2026 following the aftermath of a stroke.

Born in Ithaca on May 4, 1933 to Dr. Langford F. and G. Arlene (Feagles) Baker, Beverly was a 1950 graduate of Ithaca High School and received her BS in Radio/TV (now Communications) from Ithaca College in 1954.

Beverly spent some twenty years in broadcasting affiliated...

Kathleen  Gregg O'Rourke

Kathleen Gregg O'Rourke

Sep 3, 2026

Kathleen (Gregg) O’Rourke, of Pahokee, Florida, passed away peacefully on September 3, 2026, following a courageous, lengthy battle with Polycystic Kidney Disease and subsequent multi-organ failure.

Kathy was born on January 23, 1963, in Ithaca, New York, and attended school in both the Trumansburg and Ithaca School Districts. After dedicating many years to raising her family as a homemaker, she pursued...

Dorothy Jane Burke

Dorothy Jane Burke

Sep 2, 2026

Dorothy Jane Burke passed away on September 2nd, 2026 in Ithaca, NY. The daughter of the late Richard and Susan Read Parr in Ithaca on February 16th, 1936. As an Ithaca local she decided to raise her own children in her hometown. She was a homemaker to her husband, of 70 years, Carl Burke. Where they raised three children, and...

Guy Smith

Guy Smith

Aug 31, 2026

In Loving Memory of Guy Edward Smith

It is with the heaviest of hearts, yet with profound gratitude for a life beautifully lived, that we announce the passing of Guy Edward Smith, 75, on August 31, 2026. Guy was a man of genuine warmth, deep intellect, and boundless kindness who left an indelible mark on everyone he loved.

Born in Chicago Heights,...

John "Gutie" Gutenberger

John "Gutie" Gutenberger

Aug 29, 2026

What do you say about a man who was truly an incredible human being?

Everyone says that about the people they love. But in Gutie’s case, it wasn’t just family saying it. Anyone who encountered John “Gutie” Gutenberger knew almost immediately that they were in the presence of a kind, considerate, wise and generous soul. He had a way of making...

George "Chuck" Reniff

George "Chuck" Reniff

Aug 21, 2026

George "Chuck" Reniff , 77 passed away August 21, 2026 after an extended illness. A celebration of George's life will be private at the discretion of the family.  

Locksley G.E. Edmondson

Locksley G.E. Edmondson

Aug 18, 2026

Locksley Edmondson, an influential Jamaican scholar of International Relations whose career spanned over five decades across several countries, died on August 18 in Ithaca NY. He was 92.

He leaves behind wife, Elizabeth, children Georgette (“Nona”) (Nate), Belinda, Magnus, Alisha; grandchildren Ali (Emma), Amanda, Ravi and Dorian; great granddaughter Eloise; sisters, Hermione, Patricia, Charmaine and Lisa; and brothers Winston (Louise), Michael,...

Armand Padula

Armand Padula

Aug 12, 2026

Armand Padula, 96, of Nokomis, Florida died August 12th, 2026. Formerly of Ithaca, NY of parents Norman and Mary Padula. He attended Ithaca Public Schools and served in the U.S. Maritime Service and the U.S. Navy Reserve. Early employment was a Deputy Sheriff and local industries, but he then decided to pursue academics. He worked as Entomology Experimentalist at Cornell...

Gerald Schrader

Gerald Schrader

Aug 11, 2026

Gerald Schrader, born on June 14th, 1944, in Sayre, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on August 11th, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. His passing marks the loss of a cherished father, sibling, and friend whose warmth and quiet strength left an indelible mark on all who knew him.

Gerald’s life began in the gentle hills of Sayre, PA, where he was raised...

Paul Kominos

Paul Kominos

Aug 9, 2026

Paul Kominos passed away unexpectedly following a brief illness. He was preceded in death by his father and his beloved sister.

Paul leaves behind his daughter, Jaime, and her husband, Alex; his cherished grandchildren, Oscar and Ramona; his son, Alex; his mother, Judith; and his siblings, Jimmy, Peter, and Jeanie. He also leaves behind an extended family of friends, fellow musicians,...

Karen L Beck

Karen L Beck

Aug 4, 2026

Karen Beck, a dedicated and respected member of the Ithaca community, passed away on August 4, 2026, in Ithaca, NY. Born in Chicago, Illinois on July 27, 1945, Karen led a life marked by integrity, kindness, and unwavering commitment to those she loved.

Karen’s journey began in Chicago, where she was born to Paul and Ethel Beck. She grew up surrounded...

Franklin D. Ratkoski

Franklin D. Ratkoski

Aug 3, 2026

Frank Ratkoski passed away on August 3rd. He was pre-deceased by his parents Ed & Alice Ratkoski and his brother Michael Ratkoski.

Frank brought warmth, humor, and connection everywhere he went. He never forgot a face, and loved making people laugh. He had a gift for making people feel welcome, whether through a phone call, a joke, or simply his excitement...

Michael James Brady

Michael James Brady

Aug 3, 2026

Michael J. Brady, 45 of Freeville NY, passed away unexpectedly at home August 3, 2026. He is survived by his sister, Aimee (William) McNeill, step siblings Joshua Thornton, Danielle (Zach) Turner, his long-time girlfriend Veronica Rutty and was a great step dad to her children, Dove, Kearsten (Benjamin) and Trystan Dewey. He was also a loving father to Bella Jones....

Mary Elizabeth Classen Thompson

Mary Elizabeth Classen Thompson

Aug 2, 2026

Mary Elizabeth Classen Thompson, beloved daughter of Dick and Jane Classen, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2026, surrounded by the love and support of her family, her most-cherished people. 

Born and raised in Ithaca, New York, Mary later moved to Texas with her brother Tom, where she lived in Corpus Christi and the Dallas area from 1977 until 2001. During...

Robert, "Rip," J. Haley

Robert, "Rip," J. Haley

Jul 28, 2026

Robert “Rip,” J. Haley, 97, of Ithaca, NY passed away July 28th, 2026 at Bridges Cornell. He was born on May 24th, 1929 in Uniontown, PA, the son of the late John and Hannah Haley. He was a 1947 graduate of South Union High School, in Uniontown, PA, where he excelled as a three-sport athlete and a 1951 alumnus of...