Marie T. Perkowski,"Aunt Re", better known and loved as Aunt Re, of Port Jervis, died at home surrounded by her loving family on March 7, 2010. She was 79.
Born in Port Jervis, New York on April 25, 1930, she was the daughter of John Goodfellow and Mary Russell Goodfellow. She was predeceased by her husband, Alexander (Al) Perkowski.
Marie graduated from Orange County Community College and the College at Cortland. She held a number of clerical positions in New York City, eventually becoming an administrative assistant at Barnard College. She was one of the original employees in the secretarial pool at Orange County Community College, and she retired from employment as a secretary for the County of Orange, Goshen, NY.
Although Marie didn’t have any children of her own, she was surrounded by generations of her nieces and nephews, including the grand and great-grand varieties, all of whom she doted on like they were her own. She was the grand master of Easter egg hunts, hosted the weekend before Christmas party (so all the kids could get presents a week early), and was at the head of the caravan of cars going to the Polar Bear for ice cream in the summertime. We could always rely on her for babysitting duty or as a chauffer, whether it was to or from school, picking up or dropping off. There were always Pepsi’s in the refrigerator, hot chocolate after sleigh riding down her hill, and Hess’ subs or pizza when you were sick or to celebrate something you did. She was the one who would make poor Uncle Al drive around to 20 shops and search for hours for “that” toy, whatever the latest fad was that the kids just had to have. The Super Bowl party just won’t be the same without her calling to tell us who won the total points pool at the end of the game.
She is survived by two sisters, Joan Donahue of Port Jervis, and Elizabeth (Betty) Lynch and her husband, Harry (Brud) Lynch of Port Jervis, and Sister-in-law, Betty Lou Goodfellow of Durham, North Carolina. She is further survived by a step-son, Joseph Perkowski of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and a step-daughter, Ann Marie Perkowski of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nephew, William Lynch and wife Sandy of Prunedale, California; Nieces, Susan Scully and husband Jack of Eldred, Mary Grace Carlton of Port Jervis, Patty Hess and husband Brendan of Port Jervis, and Melissa McCann and husband Michael of Port Jervis; Nephew, Thomas Donahue of Dallas, Texas; Nephews, William Goodfellow and wife Chris of Durham, North Carolina, and John Goodfellow III and his wife Luanne of Durham, North Carolina; Nieces, Kathy Goodfellow of Durham, North Carolina, Sharon Riddle and husband Tim of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Jackie Grover of Franklinton, North Carolina; Niece, Carol Lamoreaux and husband Abby of Port Jervis; Sister-in-law Edna Gurdziel and children of Nutley, New Jersey; her special assistant in charge of household affairs, Mary Ellen Predmore, and many beloved grand-nieces and nephews and great grand-nieces and nephews. Marie will be waiting for us with equally distributed bags of candy and chocolate chip cookies for all.
She was predeceased by two brothers, William Goodfellow and John Goodfellow, Jr,; by Sister-in-law, Lillian (Sis) Goodfellow; and by Nephew, Michael Carlton.
Marie was a member of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Port Jervis, and the Port Jervis Country Club.
Friends may call at Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, 154 East Main Street, Port Jervis, on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9 p.m.
Prayers will be offered at Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home on Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 10:15 a.m. followed by a mass of Christian burial at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, with the Rev. George Hafferman, celebrant. Interment will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetary, Port Jervis.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Port Jervis Deerpark Humane Society, 202 Route 209, Port Jervis, New York, 12771.
Arrangements by Knight-Auchmoody Funeral Home, Inc., 154 East Main Street, Port Jervis, New York.
For directions, information or to send a condolence note, please visit
knight-auchmoody.com