U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current
Dorothy Quaranta
Dorothy Quaranta of Calverton and West Palm Beach, Fla., died at her Calverton residence on Dec. 12, 2001, of lung cancer. She was 80.
She was born on June 18, 1921, to Albert Anthony Roberti and Mary Chieffo in Brooklyn. She was devoted to her large family, according to daughter Anne Marie Quaranta of Calverton, and enjoyed card playing and bowling. She also volunteered to do voter registration in Palm Beach County, Fla., for 20 years.
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by seven brothers and sisters: Anthony Roberti of New Hyde Park, N.Y.; Christine Smith of Flagstaff, Ariz.; Robert Roberti of California; Louise Romeo of Naples, Fla., Edward Roberti of New Jersey; Marion Belemonte of Hauppauge, and Albert Roberti of Wyoming.
A memorial prayer service was held on Dec. 18 at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead, Msgr. John Sullivan officiating. Cremation was private. Interment will be held at Washington Memorial Park, Coram, on Dec. 22.
Memorial donations may be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978.
John William Radjeski
John William Radjeski, 55, of Kokomo, Ind., died Dec. 6, 2001. He was born in Greenport to John and Genevieve Radjeski on May 8, 1946, and graduated from Riverhead High School. He moved to Indiana to attend graduate school at Indiana University in Bloomington and had been a resident of Kokomo for 16 years. He was the owner and operator of Sylvan Learning Center there. Mr. Radjeski also served in the Marine Corps.
He is survived by his two daughters, Jennifer, of Bloomington, Ind., and Sarah Gustashaw of Alexandria, Va.; and sisters Dolores Smith of Riverhead and Derinda, of Tucson, Ariz. He was predeceased by his parents and by a sister, Alice Lombardi of Riverhead.
A memorial service was held on Dec. 9 in Kokomo.
William D. Dunkirk
William D. Dunkirk of South Jamesport died at home on Dec. 13, 2001. He was 76.
He was born on June 29, 1925, to William Dunkirk and Jean Grant in Southampton. In the 1950s he started the Dunkirk Truck Service in Riverhead, from which he never really retired, according to his wife, Ann.
Mr. Dunkirk was predeceased by a son, Roger Tuthill, and is survived by his wife; seven children, Robert Dunkirk and Donald Tuthill of Riverhead; William Dunkirk of East Moriches; Steven Tuthill of Manorville; Linda McRae of North Carolina; Linda Donahue of Riverhead and Sharon Mitrani of Southold; 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The family received friends at Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home in Riverhead on Dec. 14. A graveside service was held on Dec. 15 at the Southold Presbyterian Cemetery, the Rev. Robert Palen officiating.
Primo Dodici
Primo Dodici of Wading River died suddenly on Dec. 12, 2001 at the age of 87.
He was born in New York City to Guiusseppi and Maria Dodici and had been a blacksmith for the New York City Department of Sanitation.
Mr. Dodici retired in 1979 and for the last 15 years lived with his nephews John Dodici and Jim Costanzo in Wading River. They said he was an avid golfer and bowler, and had fished "just about every spot on East End, particularly Montauk."
He is survived by his sister, Norma Dodici of Riverhead; five nephews; and two nieces. Funeral services were held on Dec. 14 at Alexander-Tuthill Funeral Home in Wading River. Officiating was the Rev. William Viola, rector of St. Anselm's Episcopal Church in Shoreham. Interment followed at Wading River Cemetery.
'Doc' Menendez, ex-councilman, is dead at age 86
Dr. Francis E. Menendez, a former Riverhead Town Councilman, died June 27, 2002 at Nesconset Nursing Center. He was 86.
Dr. Menendez, known to family and friends as "Doc" or "Franny," was a Riverhead native, born Sept. 4, 1915, to Desiderio and Alice (Wells) Menendez. He graduated from Riverhead High School and Colgate College and went on to Ohio State University for his DDS.
In 1938, he married his childhood sweetheart, Dorothy Tatum, and during World War II he served as a naval dentist on the U.S.S. Texas and on the New Brunswick, Maine, Naval Base. He was discharged in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant.
He loved Riverhead, according to daughter Gale Parker of Hampton Bays, and was devoted to serving his community. He served on the Riverhead school board for eight years and in the late '70s was elected to the Riverhead Town Council, where he was instrumental in starting a nutrition program for the elderly and EMS services for the town. He also was active in the Riverhead Rotary Club and the First Congregational Church of Riverhead. "He lived a life of Christian stewardship," said his daughter. "He was an extraordinary man who really loved people. At his funeral people came up to me and told me about things my father did for them that I didn't know anything about."
Dr. Menendez was forced to retire from his Roanoke Avenue dental practice at age 59 after a heart attack, but became involved in a number of activities. He enjoyed flying, boating, fishing, building and operating radio-controlled model planes and playing poker.
He is survived by three children in addition to Ms. Parker: Bonnie DeFranco of Foster, R.I.; Sue Whited of Lakewood, Calif.; and Dr. Desi Menendez of Hauppauge. Four grandchildren also survive.
Dr. Menandez was predeceased by his first wife, Dorothy, in 1988, and by his second wife, Esther, in 1995.
A memorial service was held June 30 at First Congregational Church of Riverhead, the Rev. Walfred Scofield officiating. His ashes were buried with his wife Dorothy at Calverton National Cemetery with full military honors on July 1. Arrangements were under the direction of Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home of Riverhead.
Memorial donations may be made to the Rotary Club of Riverhead or First Congregational Church.
Frank T. Milbourne
Frank T. Milbourne of Riverhead died June 17, 2002 at Riverhead Nursing Home. He was 76.
Mr. Milbourne was born in Mappsville, Va., on Nov. 5, 1925. He resided in Riverhead for many years, according to a statement from Seay Memorial Chapel, which handled arrangements. He belonged to Church of the Harvest in Riverhead and was active in many of the church auxiliaries until he became too ill to participate.
Funeral services were held June 19 at Seay Memorial Chapel with Pastor Mike Troiano officiating. Interment was at Calverton National Cemetery.
Herbert Owen Cassidy
Lifelong East End resident Herbert Owen Cassidy of Aquebogue died at home on Aug. 14, 2002 at age 71.
Mr. Cassidy was born in Greenport on June 8, 1931, to J. Herbert and Catherine (Murray) Cassidy. He attended school in Greenport and Southold, graduating from Southold High School in 1949. He attended Niagara University, then served in the Army during the Korean War. When he returned to Southold, he married Lorraine "Dayne" Alec of Riverhead in 1956 and they made their home in Aquebogue for over 45 years.
Mr. Cassidy was born to a farming family and worked in agriculture all his life. He spent most of his professional life as a produce buyer. He was an active member of the Jamesport Fire Department for 43 years and was very interested in sports, spending over eight years coaching CYO basketball for St. Isidore's School beginning in 1969. He coached both Pop Warner and the Police Athletic Football Leagues in the early 1970s. His volunteer work for St. Isidore's spanned 14 years. In 1996 he became a member of the Riverhead Town Conservation Advisory Council and remained active there until his death.
According to a family statement, he had a quick wit and a great sense of humor, "but will be most remembered for his devotion to his family, particularly his grandchildren."
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four sons, James, of Fairfield, Conn., Timothy, of Aquebogue, Edward, of Mattituck, and Matthew, of West Hartford, Conn.; a daughter, Dayne Ann Fyvie of Millbury, Mass.; two sisters, Joan Corie of Northport and Ellen Cassidy of Michigan; and 12 grandchildren. His brother Thomas predeceased him in 1997.
A funeral mass was held at St. Isidore's R.C. Church in Riverhead on Aug. 19, and interment followed at St. John the Evangelist Cemetery in Riverhead. Arrangements were by Reginald H. Tuthill Funeral Home, Riverhead.
Memorial gifts may be sent to East End Hospice, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, or the Jamesport Fire Department, Jamesport, NY 11947.
