Selected Families and Individuals

Notes


Florence M. CANTWELL

Obituary (from Watertown Daily Times of Wednesday, 3 April 1985):  GOUVERNEUR---Mrs. Florence M. Burgess, 77, of 27 Howard St., wife of George D. Burgess, died at 11:20 p.m. Tuesday in Edward John Noble Hospital where she had been admitted
March 28.

    The funeral will be at 3 p.m. Thursday in St. James Church with Rev. Gerald A. Service, pastor, officiating.  Burial will be in St. James Cemetery.

    Arrangements are with Burr-Green Funeral Home.  There will be no calling hours.  Memorial donations may be made to St. James Church or the American Cancer Society.

    She is survived by her husband, former Kinney Drugs, Inc. president and board chairman; three sons, Paul M. and John M. Burgess, Gouverneur and Peter B. Burgess, East Syracuse; two daughters, Mrs. Harold (Joan) Easterly, Pittsford, and
Mrs. Robert (Ruth) Wensley, Webster; 14 grandchildren; a great-grandchild and two sisters, Ruth Rice, Watertown and Ella Bertrand, Canastota.

    She was born in Clayton, Sept. 17, 1907, daughter of Patrick and Florence McCarn Cantwell, and was graduated from St. Mary's School in Clayton and from Canton ATC.

    After employment as a dietician in Kingston and Philadelphia, Pa., she was married to George D. Burgess, June 8, 1930.

    She was a member of St. James Church and the Altar and Rosary Society.


Alexander William BURGESS Dr.

Obituary (from newspaper of Friday, 7 Dec. 1978):  MEXICO---Dr. Alexander William Burgess, 81, Deerfield Beach, Fla., former Mexico dentist, died Thursday following a long illness.

    Funeral arrangements are with the Harter-Olmstead Funeral Home.

    He is survived by his wife, Mabel Barnard Burgess; a son, Dr. John William Burgess, Mexico, and two grandsons.

    Dr. Alexander was born June 2, 1898 on Grindstone Island, son of the late Gregory and Nina Marshall Burgess.  When he was 14, the family moved to Clayton, where he was graduated from high school.  He attended St. Lawrence University,
Canton, and was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., earning a doctor of dental surgery degree in 1923.

    He practices dentristry in Mexico for many years, retiring in 1964.

    He was a World War I veteran and a member of the American Legion and of Grace Episcopal Church.


Donald C. BURGESS

Obituary:  Donald C. Burgess, 63, of 663 Riverside Drive, died at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Syracuse Veteran's Hospital where he had been a patient a year and five months.  He had been hospitalized from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, 1973, at the House of the
Good Samaritan, Watertown, after suffering a stroke.  He was then transferred to the Syracuse Hospital.

    The funeral will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Cummings Funeral Home, Clayton, with Rev. Robert Mowatt, Clayton Baptist Church, officiating.  Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, Clayton.

    Friends may call at the funeral home from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday.

    He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Marjorie B. Burgess, a brother, Dr. A. W. Burgess, Mexico, N.Y., and a nephew, Dr. John W. Burgess, Mexico.  Two brothers, Kenneth and Gregory, predeceased him.

    Born at Clayton Aug. 12, 1912, a son of Gregory and Nina M. Marshall Burgess, he attended Clayton schools and was married to Marjorie C. Burtch, of Alexandria Bay, June 30, 1934, at St. Mary's Church rectory with Rev. George E. Racette,
then pastor, officiating.

    A veteran of World War II, he served from June 5, 1942, to Oct. 11, 1945, with duty in the European, North African, and Middle Eastern campaigns.  He served with battery D, 634 AAA Battalion with the rank of technician, fourth grade.

    In his early life he was employed by the Hubbard Hotel and Riverside Hotel, Clayton.  He later served 19 years as steward of the Clayton American Legion.  Mr. Burgess was last employed as custodian at the Thousand Islands Central School.

    He was a member of the Clayton Baptist Church, Clayton Masonic Lodge, Clayton American Legion, and Lions Clubs and the Watertown Lodge of Elks, 496.


Marjorie C. BURTCH

Obituary (from newspaper of Friday, 24 July 1992):  CLAYTON---Marjorie B. Burgess, 80, of 60 Riverview Apartments, retired telephone operator, died Thursday afternoon at the Edward John Noble Hospital, Alexandria Bay, where she had been a
patient since July 2.

    A memorial Mass will be said at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's Church with the Rev. Daniel L. Chapin officiating.  The body will be cremated.  Burial will be in New St. Mary's Cemetery.

    There will be no calling hours.  Arrangements are with the Cummings Funeral Home.

    Contributions may be made to St. Mary's Church or the Clayton Volunteer Ambulance Fund.

    Surviving are a brother, Donald Burtch, Huntington Beach, Calif., and nieces and nephews.

    Two brothers, William H. Burtch and Lt. Gregory Burtch, and two sisters, Agnes B. Miller and Eleanor Burtch, died.

    She was born May 19, 1912, at Alexandria Bay, a daughter of William E. and Grace Hartman Burtch.  She was a graduate of Alexandria Bay High School.

    She married Donald C. Burgess June 30, 1934, in the rectory of St. Mary's Church with the Rev. George E. Racette officiating.

    Mrs. Burgess was a telephone operator for the New York Telephone Co. in Clayton and Carthage for 30 years, retiring in 1960.  She then operated Marjorie's Beauty Salon in Clayton from 1960 to 1980.

    Mr. Burgess was steward of the Clayton American Legion for 19 years and later served as custodian at Thousand Islands Central School.  He died Feb. 23, 1975, at the age of 63.

    Mrs. Burgess was a communicant of St. Mary's Church and a member of the St. Anne's Society.  She was also a member of the New York Telephone Pioneers and the American Legion Post 821 and Veterans of Foreign Wars auxiliaries.


Seaman C. MCAVOY

Obituary (from newspaper of 21 Aug. 1995):  CLAYTON---Seaman C. McAvoy, 78, of Route 12E, Clayton-Cape Vincent Road, retired farmer, died early Sunday at Edward John Noble Hospital-Samaritan, Alexandria Bay, where he had been a patient since
June 30.

    The funeral is tentatively set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at T.R. Jetty Funeral Home with the Rev. Norman Towns, interim pastor of the First Baptist Church of the Thousand Islands, officiating.  Burial will be in St. Lawrence Cemetery, Cape
Vincent.

    Calling hours will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

    Surviving are his wife, Helen; a son, Steven, Route 12E; a daughter, Cynthia Courson, Branchport; five grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; three brothers, Byron Jr., Hammond, Donald, Clayton, and Glenn, Morristown; two sisters, Mrs.
Phillip (Ruth) Ivy, Clayton, and Mrs. John (Ida) Delaney, Samaritan-Keep Home, Watertown, and nieces and nephews.

    A brother, Royden, died previously.

    Born July 23, 1917, in Clayton Center, a son of Byron and Bertha Seaman McAvoy, he attended Clayton schools and married Helen Gifford on April 17, 1937, in Christ Episcopal Church with the Rev. Henry W. Bell officiating.

    The couple operated farms on the Crystal Springs and Clayton-Cape Vincent Roads for 34 years, retiring in 1976.

    Previously, Mr. McAvoy worked at New York Air Brake building tanks during World War II and, for a time, worked at Frink Sno-Plow.

    He was grand master of Masonic Lodge 276 in 1951.