Index Deaths of local interest in Chenango, Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties are: • *George B. Elliott, 82, Cortland. • *Barbara Mowitt Kunsela, 88, Edmonds, Wash. • *Dora I. Maloof, 85, Oneonta. • Marion Ruparshek, 90, Cooperstown. • *Lillian Simons, 76, Columbus. *Full obituary in today’s Daily Star.

She was born July 11, 1919, in Oneonta, the daughter of William F. and Evangeline (Moses) Naatz.

She married Fred Maloof Sr. on Jan. 31, 1970. Mr. Maloof predeceased her March 22, 1998.

Dora graduated from Oneonta High School in 1938.

She was a civilian employee for the military in California where she assisted in the painting of military vehicles during World War II. Dora also worked at the Bendix plant in Sidney during the war. She worked at Sears and Bresee’s for a period of time as well. Dora also worked at SUNY Oneonta until her retirement.

She was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in West Oneonta.

She is survived by her daughter, Michelle E. Green of Oneonta, as well as her son, William P. Naragon and his wife, Claudia, of Oneonta; a sister, Shirley J. Collis of Palmdale, Calif.; a sister-in-law, Audrey Naatz of Oneonta; her grandchildren, William G. Naragon and his wife, Stacy, of Norwich, Conn., and Renee M. Wong and her husband, John, of Easton, Pa.; her great-grandchildren, Isabella A. Naragon, Sophia R. Naragon and Ares Jordan Wong; an aunt, Ethel Naatz of Queensbury; several cousins, nieces and nephews; as well as a special friend, Marge Vaughan.

Dora was predeceased by her brother, William F. Naatz Jr.

Dora was a hard worker her entire life. She was a generous and loving woman who often gave money and items to charities for children, animals and families less fortunate than her own.

She loved gardening, the outdoors and took great pride in her home and family. After retirement, she and her husband enjoyed camping with a group of friends. She provided care for her mother until her own health began to fail.

Dora will be sorely missed by all that knew and loved her. Be At Peace.

Funeral and committal services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, 2005, in the Bookhout Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oneonta, with the Rev. William Lang, pastor of the First Baptist Church, officiating.

Burial will take place at a later date in St. Cecilia’s Cemetery, Warrensburg.

Convenience calling hours will be held Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005, in the Bookhout Funeral Home from 3 to 7 p.m.

Anyone who wishes may send contributions in Dora’s memory to the SPCA, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Arrangements are by the Bookhout Funeral Home of Oneonta.

Mr. Elliott was born in Leeds, England, on March 21, 1922, to Lily (Barker) and Thomas Elliott. He moved to the United States at an early age and grew up in Fairport. He graduated from Fairport High School in 1940 and from Cornell University in 1947.

He enlisted in the United States Army on Oct. 20, 1942, and was separated from the service in July 1946. Mr. Elliott was a veteran of the China-Burma-India campaign. He remained in the Army Reserves as a captain for more than 10 years.

Mr. Elliott lived in Fairport, Honeoye Falls, Sherburne, Dryden, Stamford and Homer.

He was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hospital in Stamford and a trustee of the village of Stamford.

While living in Homer, he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Cortland and the Literacy Volunteers of Cortland County. He was a volunteer for R.S.V.P. since 1985.

Mr. Elliott retired in 1982 after working for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for more than 40 years.

He was predeceased by his wife, Jayne Quinn Elliott, in 1994.

He is the father of four children, Linda Marie Hunt of Honeoye Falls, Craig T. Elliott of Superior, Colo., George W. Elliott of Cortland and James W. Elliott of Lynchburg, Va. He also has a foster daughter, Mildred Van Housen of Stamford.

Graveside services with military honors will be held in St. Malachy’s Cemetery, Sherburne, in the spring at a time and date to be announced.

There will be no calling hours.

Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Joseph’s Indian School, Chamberlain, SD 57326.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 10 S. Main St., Sherburne.

She was born in Utica on Feb. 28, 1928, a daughter of Donald and Lilly Mills Aiken, and received her education in Utica and Sherburne schools.

On Feb. 7, 1948, Lillian was united in marriage to Ralph B. Simons in Norwich. Mrs. Simons had worked for knitting mills in Utica, Champion Products in Norwich, the Sherburne-Earlville Central School and W.T. Grants Store in Norwich.

She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother who enjoyed sewing for her family. She was also a talented artist whose paintings were displayed in several local art shows.

Lillian was a member of the Smyrna United Methodist Church; a charter member of the Smyrna Fire Department Auxiliary; a 4-H leader and a member of the Home Bureau in Smyrna.

Surviving are her husband of 56 years, Ralph; two daughters and sons-in-law, Donna and John Coates of Mexico and Katherine and Jack Winton of Columbus; four sons and three daughters-in-law, Steven and Sherry Simons, Michael and Karen Simons and Jared Simons, all of Columbus, and Ralph Jr. and Jennifer Simons of South Edmeston; three sisters and brothers-in-law, Adela and Robert Long of Stittville, Evelyn and William Deering of Sidney and Barbara and Vern Van Winkler of Afton; two brothers, Frederick Aiken of Utica and Robert Aiken of Marcy; 16 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by a sister, Helen Frank, and two brothers, Charles and Donald Aiken.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, 2005, from the Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 10 South Main St., Sherburne.

Burial will be held in the spring in West Hill Cemetery, Sherburne.

Friends are invited to call at the funeral home from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the Smyrna United Methodist Church, PO Box 556, Sherburne, NY 13460 or to the Smyrna Fire Department, Smyrna, NY 13464.

Funeral arrangements are pending under the direction of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.

She is remembered by family and friends as a woman of strength, generosity and courage. Her gentle and quiet spirit was both adventuresome and full of humor.

She was devoted to her children, friends and her deceased husband, William R. Kunsela, former president of SUNY at Delhi and SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome.

Her daughters, Karen Lindberg of Edmonds, Wash., Lynn Abarno of Stamford and Barbara Titus of Toms River, N.J., describe their mother as the "ultimate" optimist, a believer in equality and a passionate practitioner of the philosophy "attitude is everything."

Barbara was born in Massena on Aug. 20, 1916. Most of her formative years were spent in Brooklyn. She graduated from St. Lawrence University in 1937 and taught high school English in Middleville until the outbreak of World War II. She was married Dec. 31, 1941.

Her passion for books and education eventually led her to pursue a master’s degree in library science from SUNY at Albany, and Barbara was employed as a librarian at Delaware Academy and Central School in Delhi for many years.

She and her husband retired to Palm Aire in Sarasota, Fla., in 1982. Barbara continued to pursue her interest in libraries by volunteering at the Palm Aire Community Library.

Her husband died in 1996, and in 2003, Barbara relocated to live near her oldest daughter in Edmonds, Wash. At Edmonds Landing, a retirement community, she continued to live by one of her favorite philosophies, "Bloom where you are planted," sharing her love and positive spirit with all of those whose paths she crossed.

She is survived by her three daughters and sons-in-law, six grandchildren, Sean Foster, Eric Fernstrom, Jessica Foster, Nicole Abarno, Karl Fernstrom and Jeanine Abarno, and a great-granddaughter, Alexa Marie Abarno-Lazarus.

The internment services will take place at Woodland Cemetery, Delhi, at 1 p.m. April 30, 2005.

Contributions may be made in memory of Barbara M. Kunsela to Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County, 2731 Wetmore Ave., Suite 500, Everett, WA 98201 or to the Delhi College Golf Course, College Foundation, 2 Main St., Delhi, NY 13753.