Our Obituaries

Michael Carlton, 53, a lifelong resident of the area, passed away on March 29, 2007 at Yale-New Haven Hospital, after a long courageous battle with leukemia. Michael was born April 13, 1953 to Shirley Merkenschlager and the late Robert Carlton in Port Jervis.He graduated from Port Jervis High School and Orange County Community College with a degree in Occupational Therapy. He was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church and the American Legion.Michael was most recently employed as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant at Orange Ulster BOCES. He loved working with the children at BOCES and will be remembered as a kind, generous and compassionate teacher. The children felt the same way about him and showed their love by making a blanket to keep Michael warm and comfortable during his illness.He proudly served his country as a member of the Air Force National Guard for 20 years. Michael was stationed at Stewart Air Base in Newburgh, where he was assigned as a Maintenance Technician working on electronics on C-5 aircraft. He served his country during both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and he retired as an E-6 Technical Sergeant. While in the military he was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Air Force Outstanding Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, the Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.In addition to his employment at BOCES and his military service, Michael worked at KOLMAR Laboratories for approximately 25 years.Michael was an active, to say the least, supporter of all of the activities his children, nieces and nephews took part in, whether it was cheering on Autumn on the basketball court or Seth and Marissa at baseball, softball and soccer - you always knew he was there. He also gave back to the community by coaching soccer for both the Tri-State Soccer Association and the Delaware Valley Recreational Soccer League and coaching softball for the Port Jervis Little League.In addition to his many other accomplishments, Michael will best be remembered by his friends and family as the guy who could do anything. He was the proverbial jack-of-all-trades. He could and did fix just about anything. His beautiful home and property are a testament to his work and his passion for woodworking and landscaping. Whenever anyone had a project going on he was the first one to help. He was as generous with his knowledge as he was with his time, sharing his "how to" with anybody who wanted to learn.He is survived by his loving wife of 25 years, Mary Grace Lynch Carlton, his children, Autumn, Seth and Marissa and his golden retriever Fletcher, all at home; his mother, Shirley Carlton-Warnshuis and husband, Patrick of Port Jervis; brothers: Robert and wife, Marge of Daytona Beach, Fla., Gerald and wife, Blanche of Westbrookville, and Steven and wife, Connie of Kinston, N.C.; sister, Elaine Mills and husband, Randy of Port Jervis; father and mother-in-law, Brud and Elizabeth Lynch of Port Jervis; sisters-in-law: Susan Scully and husband, Jack of Eldred, Patricia Hess and husband, Brendan of Port Jervis, and Melissa McCann and her husband, Michael of Port Jervis; brother-in-law, William Lynch and wife, Sandy of Salinas, Calif.; beloved nieces and nephews; dear aunts, Marie Perkowski and Joan Donahue; and many, many friends. They will all miss his wonderfully dry sense of humor, his warm caring spirit, his booming laugh, his wit and intelligence, his friendship, his strong character and brave heart, but most of all they will miss him. They'll miss the man who was their beloved husband, father and son, the man who was their brother, their teacher, and their coach. They will especially miss the man who was their friend. May God welcome him with the open arms he deserves.Donations may be made in Michael's memory for the benefit of his children's education c/o Michael McCann, Esq., 25 Main St., Goshen, NY 10924.Friends may call Sunday, April 1, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at the Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, 154 East Main St., Port Jervis. Funeral services will be held Monday, April 2, at 10:15 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph's R.C. Church, Matamoras, Pa. The Rev. August Ricciardi and the Rev. Richard Carton will officiate. Internment will take place at St. Mary's Cemetery, Port Jervis.For information, directions, or to send a condolence note to the family, please visit Knight-Auchmoody.com.
Funeral arrangements by Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, 154 East Main Street, Port Jervis, New York.