Lounsbury, Dennis

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Obituary

WESTERLO — De n n i s Lounsbury was a Vietnam veteran and highway worker, who will be remembered for his sense of humor and his generosity. “He wouldn’t turn anybody away that needed a hand,” said his daughter, Leslie Lounsbury. “He was like a second father to a lot of my best friends.” Mr. Lounsbury died on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at Albany Medical Center. He was 65. “He was a very independent person,” Ms. Lounsbury went on. “He never wanted to ask for help; near the end, he had to, and it was very hard for him. But he worried about others before he’d worry about himself.” He was born in Albany on Sept. 23, 1946, son of the late Theodore and Lena Beulah (Fisher) Lounsbury, and raised in Dormansville, one of 17 children — 11 boys and six girls. After enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, Mr. Lounsbury served two tours in Vietnam, receiving two Purple Hearts, and several other commendations. He was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant. “Joining the Marine Corps was one of the most important things he felt he ever did,” Ms. Lounsbury said. “I guess, when he was younger, that’s all he’d really talk about.” His son, Jody Lounsbury, went on to become a Marine as well. Dennis Lounsbury later worked for CSX, and also installed commercial Gunite swimming pools. He went on to work for the town of Westerlo’s highway department, and then as a corrections officer at Camp Cass for 20 years before retiring. Mr. Lounsbury was a member of Disabled American Veterans, and of the Dormansville United Methodist Church, where he helped with many church suppers. Mr. Lounsbury always loved shopping, especially at the Wal- Mart in Cobleskill. “He loved to drive,” his daughter said. “He’d always show me different ways home, back roads and this and that. I’d always be like, ‘Where we going, Dad?’ And he’d say, ‘Oh, you’ll see,’ always taking me on some little adventure,” said Ms. Lounsbury. “I gave him his first grandchild before he left,” she went on. “I think that gave him a lot of joy. Till the day he died, he always offered to watch him, even though he could barely walk. He loved him with all his heart.”

Mr. Lounsbury is survived by his son, Jody Lounsbury; his daughter, Leslie Lounsbury; his grandson, Seth Lounsbury, who will be 2 years old on June 29; and his former wife, Joanne Lounsbury, who stuck by his side through his illness, despite their divorce, his daughter said. He is also survived by his brothers: Patrick Lounsbury and his wife, Helen Marie; John Lounsbury and his wife, Diane; and Terrance Lee and his wife, Eva; and his sisters: Janice Lounsbury; Bettejean Mueller and her husband, William; and Sandra Jane Ross; along with many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Mr. Lounsbury’s parents died before him, along with seven brothers: Theodore Seward Lounsbury; Harold Fisher Lounsbury; Clifton Lloyd Lounsbury; Clyde Lounsbury; Roger Wesely Lounsbury; Thomas Paul Lounsbury; and William Craig Lounsbury; and three sisters: Harriet Mae Peck; Marjorie Gloria White; and Janet Berkhoffer. Calling hours will be at noon on Saturday, May 19, at A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home, 4898 Route 81, Greenville, followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m., with Pastor Paul R. Meador officiating. Burial of his ashes, with military honors, will follow in Onesquethaw Cemetery in Clarksville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Westerlo Volunteer Fire Company, Post Office Box 87, or the Westerlo Rescue Squad, Post Office Box 12, both in Westerlo, NY 12193. Condolences may be left at ajcunninghamfh.com. — Zach Simeone

Altamont Enterprise – Thursday, May 17, 2012

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