Dorothy married TAYLOR, William Hurk on 11 May 1928 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY. William (son of Grace) was born on 2 Sep 1905 in Aylmer, Ontario Canada; died on 7 Jul 1979 in Sanborn, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary of Kenneth Taylor

The gentle soul of Kenneth G. Taylor of Olcott, NY and Bradenton, Fl. passed away peacefully in Florida on February 7, 2019. He was born on March 24, 1929 in Niagara Falls, NY to the late William H. and the late Dorothy Meitz Taylor. Ken worked for Bell Aerospace for 35 Years and upon retirement Co-managed Dorwood Park Inc. with his wife and son. He served in the United States Air Force and was a long-time member of St. Peter Lutheran Church where he served as a councilman for several years. He was a proud member of the NRA, an exempt member of Sanborn Fire Co. and a past member of the Niagara Frontier Country Club. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, boating and later in life golfing. Ken is survived by his loving wife of 65 years Marlene Schultz Taylor; adoring daughter Cynthia Taylor of Virginia; his sisters, Joan (James) Wilkesmore, Karen (Duane) Ferchen and Nora (John) Sprengart, also several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by a son Robert Todd; brothers Robert and William H. Taylor and a "second son" Wayne Ferguson. Family and friends may call on Thursday (Feb 14) from 1 – 4 pm at the HARDISON FUNERAL HOMES INC. 3648 Ransomville Road, Ransomville, NY 14131. Celebration of his life will be held Friday (Feb 15) at 11:00 am at St. Peter's Lutheran Church at North Ridge,4169 Church Rd., Lockport, NY. Interment will follow in St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Cemetery. The family gratefully declines flowers. Memorial donations may be sent to American Lung Association Of New York State, 155 Washington Ave. Suite 210, Albany, NY 12210, St. Peter's Lutheran Church at North Ridge, 4169 Church Rd., Lockport, NY 14094 or Niagara Hospice, 4675 Sunset Dr., Lockport, NY 14094. Please visit www.hardisonfuneralhomes.com for online registry.

Kenneth married SCHULTZ, Marlene Jean [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Niagara Gazette - 7/19/1961

Two golfers, taking shelter
under a tree at Hyde
Park Golf Course from a
severe electrical storm that
developed suddenly Tuesday
afternoon, were killed
when they were struck by
a bolt of lightning.
Dead are:
Donald G. Bird, 34, of 515
70th St.
Robert H. Taylor, 30, of 479
Town Line Road, Sanborn.
The two, b,oth representatives
of the Nationwide Life
Insurance Co., were playing
in the seventh fairway of the
golf course when the storm
hit shortly after 2 p.m.
Police said the pair, who
played f r e q u e n t l y at the
course, took shelter from rain
under a tree on the* south side
of the fairway about 50 yards
from the seventh green, and
near the west branch of Gill
Creek.
3 Youths Escape —
It was reported that three
youths had been standing under
the same tree shortly before
the bolt hit. The names
of the three were not obtained.
Albert LePosa of 1041 101st
St., said he was leaving the
seventh green when he heard
lightning sizzle through the
air, followed by a giant thunderclap.
He said he wasn't aware
that two men had been struck
down until the three youths
came running to tell of the
tragedy.
Mr. LePosa and Dr. Duane
Johnson, 419 Walnut.Ave., a
physician for the N i a g a ra
Falls Police Department who
also was playing golf, rushed
to the scene and gave mouthto-
mouth resuscitation.
Bird Still Alive
Mr. LePosa said Mr. Bird
was still alive but fading fast,
when he arrived. Mr. Taylor
appeared dead; he said. Thomas
Rotella, a city fireman who
was playing in the fifth fairway,
also gave first aid after
rushing to the nearby home
of Mrs. Armand Castellani,
2595 Parkview Drive, to call
an ambulance.
The two golfers were pronouViced
dead on arrival at
Mt. St. Marys Hospital.
Steve Rokicki of 2233 Welch
Ave. said he was playing the
second hole when the storm
suddenly erupted from the
west.
"I took off for the club
house as fast as I could," said
Mr. Rokicki as he recalled
that the course was blistered
by a barrage of lightning
bolts. He said the rain came
down in sheets.
Frank Magliarditi of 2565
Parkview Drive said he went
to the scene when he saw
the ambulance arrive. Mr.
Magliarditi removed the golfers'
clubs to a nearby garage
pending the arrival of police.
Both in Ditch
Both men were found lying
near a ditch under the tree.
Their golf clubs were beside
them.
They were taken to the
hospital by the Niagara Ambulance
Service.
Ken Yount, professional at
the public course, said he was
not aware of the mishap until
a Parkview D r i v e resident
called to find out the identity
of the golfers.
"Lightning is nothing to fool
around with. Golfers have told
me of having close calls from
lightning d u r i n g the eight
years I have been hejee, but
this is the first time anybody
has been killed by it," said
Mr. Yount.
He said bolts of lightning
sprayed the c o u r s e "pretty
regularly."
The tree under which the
golfers stood showed little
sign of having tangled with a
holt of lightning. There were
a few pieces of bark scattered
below and a scorch mark on
one side of the tree.
Thomas J. DiFranco, director
of parks and recreation,
expressed r e g r e t over the
tragedy."It was one of those un-
fortunate things," said Mr. Di
Franco.
he said that to hisknowl-
edge no golfer had ever been
killed by lightning on the
course before, although two
golfers were badly shaken up
from an electrical charge
some three years ago.
Mr. DiFranco said taking
shelter under a tree during an
electrical storm is a dangerous
practice.
Bird was identified shortly
after he was struck down
from a wallet he carried. Police
did not learn Taylor's
identity until 5 p.m. They said
his wallet was in his street
clothes in the trunk of his
automobile.
Coroner F. Eugene Ingram
issued a certificate of acci-
dental death.
}\c said death was caused
by severe shock.
Investigating were Detective
Lt. William Murtaugh
and D e t e c t i v e s Gorman
Edwin Hanks.
Service! Set Friday
FunerBl services for tho two
men will be held Friday.
Mr. Bird is a native of this
city and saw service with the
U.S. Army in Germany from
1946 to 1P48. He was local
manager of the Nationwide Insurance
Co. and previously
was with the Prudential Insurance
Co. for nine years.
He was a member of the
Niagara Falls Junior Chamber
of Commerce and the Life
Underwriters Association.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Mary Lou Bird; three young
daughters, Laurfc J., Lynn A.
and Sandra L. Bird; his mother,
Mrs. Alice M. Bird, this
city; two brothers, Richard J,
Bird, this city, and Edward
Bird, Maywood, Calif.; and
two sisters, Mrs. Mary L.
Learn and Mrs. Joan Kralick,
this city.
Services will be held at the
Otto Redanz Funeral Home
at 8:30 a.m. Friday and at the
Prince of Peace Church at
9 a.m. with burial in Gate of
Heaven Cemetery.
Taylor From Falls
Mr. Taylor was born In Ni
agara Falls and attended Wil
son Central School and Bry-
ant Stratton Business Institute
in Buffalo. He was a veteran
of the Korean War,
serving from 1952 to 1954; was
a member of St. Andrews Lutheran
Church, Pekin, and
was treasurer of the Sanborn
Fire Company.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Cherie Taylor; two sons, Joel
Robert, 2, and Jon Scott, 1;
his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Hurk Taylor, Sanborn; two
brothers, Kenneth and Hurk
Taylor Jr., and three sisters,
Mrs. Joan Wilkesmore, Karen
and Nora Taylor, all of Sanborn.
Services will be held at the
Pike and Jones Funeral Home,
Sanborn, Friday at 2 p.m. and
at St. Andrew's Lutheran
Church, Pekin, at 2:30 p.m.
with Rev. Carl Goette officiating.
Interment will be in Aca-
cia Park Cemetery, North
Tonawanda.
The family said donations
to St. Andrew's Lutheran
Church in Pekin would be acceptable
as tributes.

Robert married STUBBS, Cherie L in Sep 1951 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY. Cherie (daughter of STUBBS, Hubert D and MYERS, Venona H) was born on 16 Sep 1930 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY; died on 23 Jan 2018 in Lockport, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Niagara Gazette

NIAGARA FALLS — Niagara Falls - Wm. Hurk Taylor, age 77, of Cabot, AR, was called to his heavenly home on January 21, 2011 in Little Rock, AR. Born June 30, 1933 in Niagara Falls, NY to the late Hurk and Dorothy (Meitz) Taylor. He has donated his body to the University of Arkansas - Medical Sciences.

He graduated from Wilson Central High School in 1950 and went on to college at River Forest, Chicago, Illinois. He taught school at St. Andrew's Lutheran School, Pekin, NY (grades 1 - 8) and in the Niagara Falls School District. He was a boy scout leader, loved reading, history and birding.

Survivors include his wife, Judith (Cunard) Taylor; three children, Christine Glasgow, Buffalo, David (Lori) Taylor of Fort Collins, CO, Kathleen (Daniel) Slingbaum) of Cabot, AR; grandchildren, Marci (Michael) DeMartinis of North Tonawanda, Mindi Mietlicki of North Tonawanda, Nathaniel Taylor, of Little Rock, AR, Mariah Taylor of Loveland, CO; two great-grandsons, William and Nicholas DeMartinis of North Tonawanda; a brother, Kenneth (Marlene) Taylor of Olcott; three sisters, Joan (James) Wilkesmore of Youngstown, NY, Karen (Duane) Ferchen of Cheyenne, WY, Nora (John) Sprengart of Parrish, FL. Predeceased by a brother, Robert; and a son, Robert; also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, a great-aunt; and dear friends, George and Ida Mae Waters of Wilson, NY.

Family/Spouse: CUNARD, Judith. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obituary of Joan D. Wilkesmore
Joan Dorothy (Taylor) Wilkesmore, age 85, was called to her heavenly home on May 13, 2022, under the care of Hospice, at Schoellkopf Nursing Facility in Niagara Falls. Born on August 28, 1936, in Niagara Falls, Joan was the daughter of the late Hurk and Dorothy (Meitz) Taylor. She was a 1955 graduate of North Tonawanda High School.Employed with the Niagara County Cooperative Extension, Joan taught sewing and cooking classes for several years, and she retired as a senior clerk from the Niagara County Health Department – Nursing Division.Joan married her husband, James E. Wilkesmore, on April 7, 1956 and shared sixty-six beautiful years with him. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Joan loved to cook and bake, and had a passion for sewing and quilting, and she passed her love for quilting on to her granddaughters. Spending time playing board games and card games with her grandchildren was very special to her. A lifelong, devoted member of St. John Lutheran Church in Youngstown, Joan taught Sunday School and was a member of the Altar Guild for many years.Joan and her husband, James, enjoyed traveling during their retirement years, taking several cruises with friends. She also enjoyed quality time with family and friends while spending winters at their home in Bradenton, Florida.In addition to her loving husband, James, Joan is survived by her sons, Timothy (Lynn) Wilkesmore and Daniel (Denise) Wilkesmore; grandchildren, Shannon (Curt Crews) Wilkesmore, Heather (Peter Schreiber) Wilkesmore, Taylor (Nicholas) Bruno, Alycia Aldrich and Zachary Wilkesmore; and great-grandchild, Liam Schreiber. Also surviving are her sisters, Karen (Duane) Ferchen and Nora (John) Sprengart, sisters in law, Marlene Taylor and Judy Taylor, many cousins, nieces and nephews, and special friends, Judy Pera and Sue Milgrim. In addition to her parents, Joan was predeceased by her brothers, Robert (late Cherie) Taylor, William Hurk Taylor and Kenneth Taylor. Friends may call at HARDISON FUNERAL HOME, 3648 Ransomville Rd., Ransomville on Thursday, May 19th , from 3 to 7 pm. Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 20th at 11:00 AM at St. John Lutheran Church, 420 Lockport St, Youngstown, NY. Flowers are gratefully declined. Memorial contributions may be made to St. John Lutheran Church or the Youngstown Volunteer Fire Company, PO Box 387, Youngstown, NY 14174.

Joan married WILKESMORE, James E on 7 Apr 1956. James (son of WILKESMORE, Fred and GRATZ, Herta) was born on 27 Feb 1929 in Syracuse, Onondaga County, NY; died on 5 Apr 2023 in Lockport, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Karen Ferchen passed away at home on August 5, 2023 in Cheyenne. She was with her husband, Duane, and son, Matt.

 
Karen and Duane had been married 58 years, having first fallen in love in their nearby hometowns in western New York. Family lore has it that Karen and Duane were dating each other’s best friends and one evening on a double date Duane reached under the table and grabbed Karen’s hand. While Karen and Duane’s relationship would thrive for nearly six decades after their marriage in 1965, those other friendships were a bit less long-lived.

 
Karen and Duane first lived in the Twin Cities in Minnesota and eventually moved to Conrad and then Missoula, Montana. In Conrad, Karen gave birth to three children, Matt and the twins Debbie and Nora. Born prematurely, Nora died at birth and Debbie was developmentally delayed. But the whole family pitched in with Debbie’s care and Karen became devoted to special needs education not just for Debbie but eventually for children in every community in which she lived. Second maybe only to Debbie, Karen was also widely and affectionately known as a world-class hugger.

 
Karen, Duane, Matt and Debbie moved to Cheyenne in 1983. Shortly after, in 1985, Karen joined STRIDE learning center, a preschool devoted to children with special needs. At STRIDE, Karen did a little bit of everything, from writing grants to making sure the pantry was well stocked. She loved her time with the children, their families, and her devoted co-workers. Karen was especially fond of helping organize the annual STRIDE Ride charitable event, Harleys and all.

 
Throughout her partnership with Duane, Karen also wore the hat of pastor’s wife. Karen was always supportive of Duane and his pastoral ministry, including attendance at many a Scandinavian Lutheran-style potluck with their various casseroles. But she was also an active leader in many charitable and community activities supported by the church congregations she and Duane served. In Cheyenne, Karen was devoted to the congregations and their missions at Ascension Lutheran Church and Highlands Presbyterian Church, where she always had her favorite spot in her favorite pew. When her lungs were still healthy, no one sang hymns with more gusto than Karen. And after Duane retired and had taken an interim position in Billings, Montana, Karen took many an overnight Greyhound bus trip up to support and be with him.

 
Before she herself retired, Karen had already become quite a world traveler. It began with some family trips to Scotland and England, then tours with Duane to Germany and the Baltics, including to St. Petersburg, Russia. When her son Matt decided to pursue educational and career opportunities abroad, including in China, Karen was deeply supportive.  Karen and Duane visited Matt in China in 2001 and then Karen came again to travel with Matt to China and Japan in 2016. Karen loved to tell the story of how on a kayak trip on her first visit to China she somehow managed to sink the kayak. The next day, already missing a shoe from the kayak incident, Karen went in flip-flops with Matt for an overly ambitious cave expedition.

 
Even after her friends had to back out of their plans to join Karen in China to teach English for a month and Matt had to attend a conference, she stayed on her own and had a wonderful experience with the students. And of course she squeezed in as many hugs as she could, with the students quickly adapting to her infectious kindness. Also while on her own teaching in China, Karen befriended an American couple on holiday; it turned out it was the US military attaché to China and his wife who were getting a breather after tense negotiations over a mid-air collision of US and Chinese jets. The couple told Karen they would look out for Matt in Beijing and even invited him for Christmas dinner that year. As a result of these travels, and of Matt’s prodigious gift buying, Karen also became a bit of a fashion plate with her many colorful outfits, bags and purses from around the world. She proudly wore those on every occasion she could and was happy to tell the story of each and every item.

 
After retiring from STRIDE, Karen devoted herself to volunteering at Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne. There, she enjoyed cooking for patients and speaking with them about their life stories. She also led bereavement groups and spoke for hours on the phone with family members about their loved ones. Building on her own experiences grieving for her daughters Nora, and later Debbie, but also on seemingly endless sense of both empathy and sympathy, volunteering at Hospice was a near perfect fit for Karen and everyone she met there.

 
Even when she herself became ill with a lung disease known as MAC (Mycobacterium avium complex) and deeply regretted no longer being able to volunteer at Davis, Karen was as devoted as ever to speaking with or writing cards to her family and friends. Even amidst her own health struggles, she would spend much of her day writing handwritten notes of support or sympathy on carefully chosen stationary. Karen’s love and friendship to so many throughout the years was also returned in ways small and large, including by her devoted nephew and niece Dave and Lori Taylor and the many friends and family members who supported and cared for her when she needed it the most. Karen loved to look at the watercolor paintings that her daughter-in-law, Wen, sent regularly to cheer Karen’s day. And throughout her life, nothing brought Karen more joy than the hours-long, laughter-filled talks with her sister Nora. No matter who it was, though, the thing Karen always looked forward to the most was a big old hug.

 
Karen will be remembered as someone who loved unconditionally and gave more to this world than she took. She will be deeply missed.

 
 
 
 
 

Karen married FERCHEN, Duane Valerius [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Nora married SPRENGART, John F [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Debi. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Margaret. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: GLASGOW. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: SLINGBAUM, Daniel. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: JEFFERY, Lori Sue. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Lynn. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Denise. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

twin to Nora

Notes:

twin to Debbie - died at birth