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Obituary

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Joan T. McCool-Kelly. Photo courtesy Bryant Funeral home

Joanie was born in Brooklyn to Joan B. (Geoghan) and Hugh B. McCool on Feb. 5, 1958. In 1965, she moved with her parents and sister Susan to Port Jefferson, the place that Joanie treasured most. 

She was a graduate of Infant Jesus School, Seton Hall and then Mercy High School and Niagara University. Joanie’s bachelor’s degree in transportation, travel and tourism landed her a management position at Amtrak. It was there that she met and married Chuck Szynkiewicz and moved to Princeton, New Jersey. While there, Joanie began a new career as a mortgage lender. 

Life eventually brought Joanie and Chuck back to Port Jefferson, where life was good. Joanie was a member of the initial team that got the Jefferson’s Ferry Lifecare Community off the ground. Joanie and Chuck, along with their beloved yellow Lab, Jack, enjoyed life in Port Jefferson and had many friends. This abruptly ended when Chuck passed away suddenly on the morning of Dec. 5, 2005. Joanie’s tremendous courage sustained her through this loss, as well as several serious health issues.

In December 2006, she met Pat Kelly, whom she married on Sept. 9, 2011, at St. Charles Chapel. Joanie and Pat enjoyed life on Long Island, spending time in Port Jefferson and taking in beautiful sunsets at the harbor. Every year, usually around June, they went on a cruise to Bermuda. 

Joanie was completely devoted to her parents and took great pride in her niece and nephew, Annie and Timmy. She will be remembered for her extreme generosity and kind heart, her courage and loyalty and her sense of humor, mischief and fun. Joanie’s passing will leave a painful void in the lives of her family and countless friends. 

She is survived by her husband Pat Kelly; her mom Joan McCool; her sister Susan Facciola; her niece Annie Facciola; and nephew Timmy Facciola. One of Joanie’s favorite charities was the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, where donations in her memory would be greatly appreciated (www.t2t.org).

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Domenico 'Dom' Parillo. Photo courtesy Bryant Funeral home

Domenico “Dom” Parillo, age 57, of Port Jefferson, passed away on Jan. 3. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dom loved life to its absolute limits. Dom loved traveling to Atlantic City and Las Vegas where the atmosphere was as full of life as he was. Dom also cherished spending time with family, making memories and making people laugh with his quick wit and hilarious comments.

Moving to Port Jefferson in 1993, Dom immediately made his presence known by committing himself to the betterment of Port Jefferson. Either by assisting tenants or lending a hand to community sponsors, his goal was simple, to improve Port Jefferson for everyone. After 30 years of making a positive impact, it was easy to see why “everyone knows Dom.” He is survived by his sons Ralph Joseph and Dominick Anthony; ex-spouse Maria McCauley; father Raffaele; brother Pietro and his wife Lori; niece Victoria; nephew Peter; and longtime girlfriend Debra Pennell.

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Willie White (left). Photos courtesy Patrick Duryea

Prepared by Patrick Duryea

Ward Melville and the Three Village community lost a legend on Jan. 7. The beloved Willie White, known affectionately as “Mr. Patriot,” passed away after a battle with cancer at age 80. Nicknames of that stature aren’t given out to many in the world of athletics. Only the athletes and workers in the uppermost echelon of dedication and passion earn those titles. 

Born Aug. 13, 1943, Willie encapsulated the spirit of Ward Melville and was the heart of Ward Melville athletics, working for over 40 years as a custodian at Ward Melville. He continued to be a staple in the community in his retired life. That’s what earned him his name — Willie White was Mr. Patriot.

Willie White (left). Photos courtesy Patrick Duryea

You’d be hard pressed to find any single person in the Three Village community who knew him who wasn’t overjoyed to speak about him. The faces of everyone I spoke with lit up with joy as they reminisced about Willie. Current gym teacher at Ward Melville, Bill Valenzano, said, “He was Mr. Patriot, he was the best person I ever met here.” That’s the highest praise coming from a respected longtime gym teacher. Fellow gym teacher and Ward Melville alumnus, Ronald Muscarella, said, “He took pride in what he did, in the school, in the church and in the community — he was a special man.” 

Willie was immensely important to Ward Melville, consistently a supervisor at sporting events and a fair contributor to every program. Head baseball coach, Lou Petrucci, said Willie “dedicated his life to Ward Melville.” For that, Ward Melville couldn’t have been luckier. There wasn’t a man that anyone would rather have been the heart of Ward Melville and there wasn’t anyone more deserving of his Mr. Patriot title. In return for his hard work, Willie is the namesake for the first multipurpose turf field in Ward Melville’s athletic backyard where our league champion soccer teams play. Willie and John Foley are the only ones to have athletic arena’s dedicated to them at Ward Melville. Three Village school district athletic director, Kevin Finnerty, highlighted Willie’s aura of joy but also said, “He’s a legend here, he was a fixture,” adding “a person like Willie is what makes our athletic program great.” 

Willie wasn’t from the Three Village area. He was from South Carolina, but throughout his life he became Three Village. He eased his way into the hearts of everyone he met and became what those in Three Village aspire to be and we take pride in following his example. Willie took pride in everything he did — in his role as a caretaker to the elderly, to his involvement with the Bethel AME Church in Setauket. Like clockwork everyone I spoke with remarked Willie will be missed and he will continue to be loved dearly. His good friend, Carlton “Hub” Edwards, said, “There wasn’t a favor Willie wouldn’t do for you.” Willie was a leader and a legend, and it is important that his memory be honored in that fashion — with a smile, a helping hand and a favor to anyone who may ask.

Church services will be held Friday,  Jan. 19, at the Bethel AME Church at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Bethel AME Church in Willie’s memory would be welcome: 33 Christian Ave., Setauket, NY 11733.

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Doris Koster
Doris Koster. Photo courtesy Koster Family

Prepared by the Koster Family

Doris Koster, 95, of St. Augustine, Florida, formerly of the Three Village area, died on Nov. 21 in her home. She was born on July 11, 1928, in Bay Shore to Jesse and Margaret Tillett. 

In 1946, Doris graduated from Sayville High School and soon after married Alfons Koster in 1947. Aside from raising their seven children, Doris was quite creative. She often wrote short stories about her life and subjects that interested her. Her watercolors and beautiful handmade quilts were cherished gifts for friends and family. 

Doris researched her ancestry years before genealogy became popular and was able to trace her father’s family in North Carolina back to the 1600s. In the 1970s, she volunteered at a women’s crisis center in Port Jefferson. In her eventual home in St. Augustine, Doris was an active volunteer at her local library. Doris and her husband loved to travel. In their early years they traveled throughout Europe and after retirement they toured the United States in their RV. 

Doris is survived by her daughters Peggy and Terry; son Peter; granddaughter Jessica; and grandson Kyle. Doris was preceded in death by her son Cary in 1978; husband Alfons in 1999; son Robert in 1999; son David in 2018; and daughter Babette Koster in 2021.

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Prepared by Sucato Family

Vincent Francis Sucato, son of Natale Joseph Sucato and Rose Marie Manfredo Sucato, died on Dec. 30 at the age of 84. 

Vincent attended local schools in Poughkeepsie and received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, summa cum laude, at the State University of New York at Albany. He triple-majored in history, Latin and English and was certified to teach all three at the high school level. 

Vincent was a Latin scholar and received a Fulbright scholarship to study in Italy. He devoted his career to teaching, primarily Latin and AP English, across Suffolk County, including for many years at Ward Melville, where the students acknowledged their deep appreciation of his teaching by dedicating their yearbook to him on three occasions.

Those who knew “Vinnie” enjoyed his irreverent sense of humor and appreciated his generosity and concern for others. In the 1990s he volunteered with the Long Island Association for AIDS Care and for several years spent quality time with patients on the AIDS wards at Stony Brook University Hospital.

In his retirement years, he shared his home in East Setauket with longtime friend Harry Conroy, who survives him. He was predeceased by his brother Natale Jr. and his sister Rose Marie. He is also survived by his brother and sister-in-law David and Dorothy Sucato as well as his nieces Gina and Carolyn and their children.

 At Vincent’s request, there were no services.

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Katleen "Kathy" Matthews. Photo courtesy the Matthews Family

Prepared by the Matthew’s Family

Kathleen Oitzinger Matthews died on Dec. 3 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born in Washington, Iowa, on Jan. 28, 1941, she was the daughter of Dr. William and Helen (Johnson) Dwyer. 

Having grown up the child of a Navy serviceman, she moved frequently. A graduate of St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, Kathy continued her education receiving a doctorate in psychology from Adelphi University. 

Her life was filled with service to others. She was a clinical psychologist for 35 years. Her genuine empathy, intelligence and keen perception helped people both in and out of her office. 

Kathy was a Poquott resident for 25 years. She was a Village of Poquott trustee for eight years and chair of the Poquott Environmental Action Committee when it finalized the opening of the Stephen D. Matthews Nature Preserve in 2006. Kathy was an active member of the Poquott Civic Association, the Three Village Democratic Club and the Three Village Community Trust. In 2008 she was chosen to be The Village Times Herald’s Person of the Year in civics. 

As a young mother, she volunteered in the schools and started a summer art program in Port Washington. Kathy’s love for her family was evident in the many traditions she created, like needlepoint Christmas stockings, letter pancakes and sugar cookies. 

She was predeceased by her husband of 20 years, Stephen, in 2005 and is survived by her six children.

A graveside memorial at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Port Jefferson is planned for June. Memorial contributions may be made to the Three Village Community Trust, P.O. Box 2596, Setauket, NY 11733.

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Stock photo

On Dec. 15 Gerald “Jerry” Fine of Setauket passed away due to complications from a cardiac procedure. He is the father of Ken, Rob and Doug, and grandfather of Quinn, Zach, Leah and Ethan. He is the father-in-law of Dionne and Amanda.

Jerry grew up in the Bronx, earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia College, his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed his orthodontics training at NYU. He practiced orthodontics for over 40 years in the Stony Brook area. He was an Army officer during the early stages of his dental career and was honorably discharged as a captain, later serving in the reserves during the Vietnam War.

Family was very important to Jerry. He was devoted to his wife Barbara and loved his children and grandchildren. He was an American patriot who loved his country. He was committed to Judaism and a man of great faith who worshipped God and was a founding and lifelong member of Temple Isaiah. He was charitable, contributing his expertise to help cleft palate patients, and he regularly donated blood. He enjoyed playing tennis, traveling, reading and photography. He was courageous, easygoing, kind, intelligent and funny, and he will be loved and missed forever.

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Robert Ober. Photo courtesy of Dave Ober

Prepared by Dave Ober

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My sister and I owe our existence to the fateful day in 1960 when Robert “Bob” Ober — while sneaking his friend back into the University of Buffalo infirmary — mistakenly entered our mother’s room during her recovery from chicken pox.

Following a mischievous adolescence in which he stole an airplane, launched a rocket from inside his college dorm and ran all-night underground poker games, Bob tried his hand at professional golf until he “matured” to embark on a career as an airline pilot for Pan American and Delta airlines.

Bob, 83, was first and foremost a dedicated husband for six decades, sharing a lifelong love affair with Lynda that included high daily doses of laughter. A committed father and grandfather, Bob embraced his family with every fiber of his energetic and colorful existence. He had an insatiable curiosity, an enormous heart and unending generosity, spending most of his time focusing on the problems of the world and the well-being of others. Bob died on Dec. 6 of an aortic dissection.

Following his retirement from aviation, Bob’s second calling was teaching at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Stony Brook University. At OLLI, Bob enthralled his students for a dozen years by using his tireless curiosity to sprout spirited debate and brought compelling, high-profile guests to classes in current events and “law and politics.” His classes were always oversubscribed as local learners were eager to hear from the many experts he recruited to educate others and respond to his penetrating and provocative questions.

Bob grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, in the shadow of the U.S. Open tennis tournament where he honed his skills watching the greats and even had the good fortune to hit with some of the top pros of the day, like Pancho Gonzalez and Lew Hoad. When he wasn’t working to perfect a golf swing he spent his entire life honing, Bob found ways to defy authority and push the envelope.

Since his putting stroke prevented him from reaching the level of proficiency required for the PGA Tour, his “contingency plan” of taking flying lessons led to an illustrious 36-year career ferrying passengers to all corners of the globe. He was recruited by Pan Am in 1966, flew Nixon to China on a White House press charter in 1972 and shuttled his children between colleges while flying the Delta shuttle between LaGuardia, Boston and Washington, D.C.

Well-read and well-traveled, Bob could recall even the most obscure statistics and apply them while sharing his ideas to solve the world’s problems. He was not only eager to learn, he was also interested in the opinions of those that differed from his own.

Reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60, he regularly appeared on TV as a go-to expert on aviation incidents, where he shared his thoughts on the causes and prevention of disasters.

During an esteemed career of transporting hundreds of thousands of passengers safely to their destinations without scratching an airplane, Bob remained committed to his wife and their children. He wrote daily letters to his daughter Jennifer at camp and played in numerous national tennis tournaments with his son Dave. When Bob was 75, the father-son duo ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Bob never slowed down in his productive and enriching life, forging meaningful and lasting relationships with his grandchildren, attending their various activities. He was lovingly remembered by his son, daughter, grandchildren, daughter-in-law Heather and son-in-law Steve at a memorial service at Shalom Memorial Chapels in Smithtown. He was interred at Riverside Cemetery in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.

Bob is survived by his wife Lynda, children David and Jennifer, daughter-in-law Heather, son-in-law Steve, grandchildren Sabrina, Brandon, Carly, Joshua and Jacob and his sister Jayne.

Donations in Bob’s name can be made to the American Heart Association at heart.org/donate.

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Photo courtesy Brian Drewes and Kristen Milligan

Prepared by Brian Drewes and Kristen Milligan

On a crisp November evening, we said a bittersweet farewell to Frederick William Drewes, our cherished father, grandfather, educator, traveler, partner and friend, who at 87 concluded a chapter of life full of warmth, laughter and profound humanity.

Born to Louise Kopp and Frederick Henry Drewes in Brooklyn, on Aug. 29, 1936, Fred was a student of life who sought to share his curiosity and creativity.

Fred’s tenure at Suffolk County Community College was marked by 32 years of dedication, where his classrooms became gardens of learning. His love for biology and environmental science was infectious, and his lessons stretched far beyond textbooks, sowing seeds of wonder and respect for the natural world.

This is not to say he was an easy professor — far from it. His expectations for his students were high, and some may say he was difficult. We can remember many occurrences through childhood where a stranger would say, “Oh, I know your father. He was my teacher in college — he was tough, but he’s a great guy.” We knew exactly what they meant.

As a father to Brian and Kristen, he was also a committed grandfather who softened in the presence of grandchildren Josephine, Lila, Andrew and Paden. His longtime companion, Patricia Curran, alongside her family and daughter-in-law Meizi and son-in-law Allen, were welcomed into the tapestry of our extended family.

Fred’s early years found challenges typical of recent immigrants, but these hardships taught him the resilience of the human spirit. These lessons became the foundation of a life dedicated to service, teaching and continued learning. Through his often jovial nature, many people around him felt the warmth of his welcome.

Fred was an avid traveler who embraced the beauty of diverse landscapes and human interactions. His journeys took him to countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, including a seven-month backpacking adventure through North Africa and the Middle and Far East. He embarked on a six-month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 1998 and completed a yearlong bike journey to 44 countries in 2000 for the establishment of the Heritage Park in Mount Sinai. He even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, always seeking to explore new places and connect with people.

His commitment to education and travel was paralleled by his love for his community, where he poured his heart into civic engagement, from the Mount Sinai Advisory Committee to the Master Gardener Training program, ski clubs and more. Fred’s humor became a signature of joy, especially treasured during the holidays when he would regale children and adults alike with his spirited rendition of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.”

The creation and nurturing of the Heritage Park stand as a testament to Fred’s vision for communal spaces filled with beauty and laughter. Each daffodil planted, each flag raised and each smiley face that bloomed in the park spoke of his playful nature and his dedication to bringing people together.

Fred’s restoration of his historic Shore Road, Mount Sinai home was more than a project; it was a manifestation of his love for storytelling and history. Through his efforts, the legacy of naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy and the tales of Long Island’s past were lovingly preserved, as Fred believed that stories were the best way to bring history alive and keep the community connected.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, we invite friends, family and those whose lives were touched by Fred’s boundless energy and heart to join us at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai for a Celebration of Life. It will be an occasion filled with anecdotes, laughter and shared joy, much like the life Fred so beautifully led.

In lieu of flowers, to mirror Fred’s dedication to the Earth and spirit of generosity, consider extending his legacy through contributions to open space and wildlife preservation causes. Let us honor Fred not with tears, but with acts of kindness, hearty laughs and an open heart, for that is how he lived each day.

He has left us a world more connected and far richer in spirit, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

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Photo courtesy Ellen Brett

Ginny Svoboda, 84, of Homosassa, Florida, passed away Oct. 7. 

She was born Feb. 12, 1939, in Mineola and moved to Florida 31 years ago from Sound Beach. Ginny was an active volunteer member of the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. She was a homemaker and a talented artist.

Ginny is survived by her husband Bob; her children, Debbie (Louis), Dawn (Gary), Robert Jr., Mark (Tina), James (Julie), John (Karen) and Ellen (Danny); 15 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren and 10 nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her sister Carol Paige and brothers Bruce and Louis.

The funeral Mass was celebrated on Thursday, Oct. 12, at St. Benedict R.C. in Crystal River, Florida. Interment followed at Fero Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Beverly Hills, Florida. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to The Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, 4150 S. Suncoast Blvd., Homosassa, FL 34446 and/or St. Benedict R.C. Church at 455 S. Suncoast Blvd., Crystal River, FL 34429.

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