Obituaries (March 19)

Catherine Kolba

Died October 21, 1959

Mrs. Catherine (Katie) Kolba, age 72, of RD5, Binghamton [Broome Co., NY], died at 1 a.m. at Wilson Memorial Hospital. She is survived by four sons, Joseph Kolba of New Hartford, N.Y., Nicholas Kolba of Bellville, N.J., George and William Kolba of Binghamton; five daughters, Mrs. Ann Johnson of Union, N.J., Mrs. Sally Basset, Mrs. Helen Robertson, Mrs. Dorothy Huber, all of Binghamton, and Mrs. Irene Smith of Elmira, N.Y.; fifteen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.  She was a member of St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Chruch and a member of its Ladies Club. The body was removed to the Chopyak Funeral Home, 326 Prospect St., where the funeral will be held Friday at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Church.  the Rev. M. Klembara will officiate.  Burial will be in St. Mary's Russian Orthodox Cemetery.  Father Klembara will hold prayer service (Parastas) this evening and Thursday evening at 8 at the funeral home.

Cora E. Hyatt

Died August 28, 1958

Mrs. Cora E. Hyatt, 83, formerly of 110 Roosevelt Avenue, Endicott [Broome Co., NY], died at 8 p.m. yesterday at the home of her son, J. Edgar Hyatt, 18 Burr Avenue.  Besides her son, she is survived by two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and several nieces, nephews and cousins.  She was a member of the Endicott First Methodist church, of its WSCS and Bethany Class, and was a 50-year member of the Endicott Clover Leaf Rebekah Lodge 136.  The body was removed to the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main Street, Endicott.

HYATT:  The funeral and committal services for Mrs. Cora E. Hyatt will be held Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Allen Memorial Home, 511-513 East Main St., Endicott.  The Rev. Harold E. Buckingham D.D., pastor of the First Methodist Church, Endicott, will officiate.  Burial will be in Riverhurst Cemetery.

Ethel Harkness Grace

1887-1970

Mrs. Ethel Harkness Grace, 82, of 335 65th St., North, St. Petersburg, Fla., widow of the late Max Farnham Harris, publisher of the Owego Times, died Monday in St. Petersburg. She is survived by 3 nieces, Mrs. Alvin Sawtelle, Montclair, N.J., Mrs. Carlyle Moore, Eugene, Ore., Mrs. Bruno Roehrl, Erie, Pa.  She was a member of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Pasedena Women's Club, St. Petersburg Garden Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, D.A.R.  She was a graduate of Wells College, Aurora, N.Y.  Funeral services will be held Thursday at 10a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. The Rev. Cannon Leroy D. Lawson, will officiate.  Arrangements are by the Kenfield Funeral Home, 200 Pasadena Ave. South, St. Petersburg, Fla.  [Buried Spring Forest Cemetery, Binghamton, NY]

Virge D. Livingston

1875-1971

LIVINGSTON:  Virge D. Livingston, 96, of Pratt Road, RD1 Harpursville [Broome Co., NY], died Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. at Binghamton General Hospital.  He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Lena Livingston, Harpursville; one son, Fern Livingston, Harpursville; one daughter, Mrs. Rena (Nieman) Hartranft, Binghamton; one sister, Mrs. Harry (Inez) Kark, Easton, Pa.; six grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; two nieces and one nephew.  Before his retirement he operated a dairy farm in Harpursville.  He and Mrs. Livingston had celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary in November of 1970.  The funeral and committal service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday from the Osterhoudt Funeral Home, Harpursville.  The Rev. Charles Heier will officiate.  Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery, Harpursville.

Mother and 3 Children Parish in Blaze

Sidney Enterprise, February 26, 1942

A mother and her three children were burned to death early Saturday morning in a fire which destroyed their large farm home located on the Masonville-Deposit road about ten miles from Sidney [Delaware Co., NY].  The fire was discovered by John McDougall, farm employee, who was awakened by smoke in his room.  He slept on the second floor, and rushed downstairs and awakened Mr. and Mrs. Gifford.  The victims were Mrs. William Gifford, 41, who perished when clutching her two-year-old baby, she sought to get through the flames to arouse her son and daughter in the opposite end of the blazing structure.  The baby, Marjorie was asleep in her crib in the room of Mr. and Mrs. Gifford in the north end of the house when the fire was discovered.  Vincent Gifford, 10 and Mary Elizabeth Gifford, 4, son and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gifford, asleep in the south end of the house when fire broke out, were believed to have perished as they staggered through the smoke and flame in a vain effort to get through the inferno to safety.  Mr. Gifford, 37, suffered severe cuts about his hands breaking out the window and getting his two sons, Clayton, 7 and Richard, 13, to safety. The boys suffered cuts about the feet and other minor injuries.  The fire is believed to have originated from an overheated stove in the kitchen.  Three stoves were located on the first floor of the 11-room house, with pipes leading through the partitions. The building and contents were completely destroyed.  No fire departments responded to the call for help.  A alarm was sent to Sidney, but so indefinite were the directions given as to the location of the blaze that Chief Spencer did not call out his firemen, knowing that their trip would be useless.  The bodies were taken to the undertaking rooms of Cecil Lee at Deposit after Dr. Gould, coroner, had indicated a verdict of accidental death due to fire, and later they were taken to the home of Mrs. Gifford's sister, Mrs. William Dailey at Deposit. The funeral services were held, with mass at St. Joseph's Catholic church at Deposit Tuesday morning at 10:00 and burial was in the Deposit cemetery [Delaware Co., NY].  Mrs. Gifford, besides the husband and two sons above mentioned, is survived by five brothers, Allie Meyers, Deposit, Clements Meyers, French Woods; Frank Meyers, Wyoming, Pa.; John Meyers, Ithaca; and Lawrence Meyers, Massachusetts, also by another sister, Miss Gertrude Meyers of Binghamton.