Paul Kashchy
Paul N. Kashchy of Rye sadly passed away December 30, after a valiant battle with a long illness. He was 50.
Born March 17, 1961 in Yonkers, to John and Mary Grace (Brenchak) Kashchy, he graduated from Ardsley High School where he excelled in football, baseball, and basketball.
He met his future wife, Amy Frey, at a restaurant in Manhattan in 1992. She was there to have dinner with a friend. While waiting, she sat at the bar, ordered a drink, and started reading a book. Mr. Kashchy was the bartender. “Stop reading that book in here — you’ll give this place a bad reputation,” he entreated her.
They were married in Las Vegas on March 13, 1993. “The officiator bore a suspicious resemblance to Elvis and wore a triple-knit suit,” recalled Mrs. Kashchy. Instead of brunch the next day, they and 20 of their friends and family members saw Cirque du Soleil.
The couple moved to Rye, where Mrs. Kashchy grew up, in 1993. “It didn’t take long before he knew more people than I did,” she said. “His friendly smile and engaging personality made it easy for him to make lots of friends.”
Mr. Kashchy was in food sales, the restaurant business, and catering for most of his career.
In her eulogy, Mrs. Kashchy said, “When Paul was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma in September 2009, it was a shock for all of us. No one expected a man with such a huge appetite for life to be struck down with such a disease. However, he took each medical appointment as an opportunity to meet new people. The nurses at NYU fought to have him as their patient every time he visited, there was always a practical joke going on and lots of noise emanating from his hospital room, and he made all the physical therapists at Burke laugh with his antics in the pool and gym.”
She continued, “He loved his children and was very proud of their accomplishments. His booming voice — yelling ‘Go Rye’, which I’m sure wasn’t easy for him as a diehard Ardsley grad, could be heard at Ilana’s softball games and Mackenzie’s soccer games. He attended many of Dakota’s ice skating competitions and was able to watch some of her crew meets. He coached Dakota and Mackenzie in Rye Youth Softball for six years. He was ecstatic a few weeks ago to hear that Dakota was accepted to the University of Vermont, her first college choice. And he showed everyone the masthead of People magazine when Ilana began her career there.”
In addition to his mother, Mr. Kashchy is survived by his wife Amy; his daughters Ilana, Dakota, and Mackenzie; siblings Marilyn (Arthur) Tomlinson, John P. (Francine) Kashchy, and Rosalyn (Peter) Tampone, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
The funeral service was held January 4 at Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home in Mamaroneck. Interment followed at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
Memorial donations may be made in Mr. Kashchy’s name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Westchester.
Nora Arbuckle
Nora M. Arbuckle, 89, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, passed away December 22 in Jacksonville, Florida. She was surrounded by her daughters, Lynn and Noreen, who along with the staff at Palm Garden Nursing Home, were her caregivers the past eight years.
She was born in Brooklyn April 10, 1922, to Cornelius and Mary (Healy) Moore. She married John J. Arbuckle in Brooklyn January 4, 1942.
Five years later they moved to Easthampton, Massachusetts, where they raised their six children. While there she was secretary to the president of The October Company in Easthampton for many years and then executive secretary to the head of the International Center at Springfield College.
In the mid-1980’s, she and her husband moved to Harrison, where she remained for the most part until moving to Florida in 2003. While living in Harrison, she owned and operated The Rye Nail and Skin Care Salon on Theodore Fremd Avenue in Rye.
Mrs. Arbuckle was a naturally talented artist and an accomplished seamstress and crocheter. Her last project was creating a custom afghan for each of her children, which are cherished.
She had an indomitable spirit and always found a sense of wonder in the world, with hazel eyes sparkling, the glass being half full in the most difficult of times, said her family.
She was predeceased by her husband, John J. Arbuckle Sr. in 1992, and an infant daughter, Kathleen in 1959.
She leaves behind her daughters, Lynn Bostic of Jacksonville, Noreen Prata of St. Augustine, Fla., and Debra Moore of Amarillo; her sons, John Jr. of Southampton, Mass., Kerry of Goffstown, N.H., and Dr. Robert of Stamford; as well as seven grandchildren and a number of great-grandchildren.
“Always the gentleman, our father has waited patiently for her to dance into eternity with him. She has been interned next to him in a beautiful garden area at Greenwood Union Cemetery,” said her family.
A memorial service will be held this spring.
Leonor da Mota
Leonor da Mota of Rye passed away January 10 at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The cause was cardiac failure. She was 75.
Born in Brazil, she was the daughter of Jose and Maria Furtado. She moved to Rye in 1972, following her husband, Jose Severino da Mota, who came here for work four years earlier. He passed away January 24, 2011.
She worked mostly as a housekeeper, and for several years with her husband at Resurrection Academy.
“My mom was a small, feisty woman and a homebody,” said her daughter Rita. “She loved plants and gardening and watching and feeding the birds in her backyard.” She was also an avid walker who regularly walked to Port Chester and back.
In addition to her daughter, Rita Moreira of Rye, Mrs. da Mota is survived by her three grandchildren, the eldest of whom is in Marine Boot Camp.
A mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Resurrection Church January 16.
Donations in her memory may be made to the American Heart Association.
Robert Eagan
Robert Kevin Eagan of Harrison passed away January 19 after a long battle with cancer. He was 76.
He was born March 25, 1935 in Newton, Massachusetts, to Agnes and William Eagan. He graduated from Newton High School and the College of the Holy Cross, with a B.A. in Economics.
Upon graduation, he served as a gunnery officer in the US Sixth Fleet in the Atlantic aboard the destroyer USS McCaffery, rising to the rank of Lieutenant.
In 1961, he embarked on a 30-year career in advertising at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS), where he rose to Senior Vice President, heading up DFS International and the Florida Citrus account.
Mr. Eagan began a second career in 1991, founding RK Eagan Enterprises, an event planning company. He and his team planned and coordinated many occasions from weddings to large charity events.
He was a longtime member of Manursing Island Club, where he served on the Board of Governors.
In addition to his wife of 39 years, Sissy (Bertrand) Eagan, he is survived by his three sons, Robert Jr. (Patricia), John (Megan), and Edward; and his brother Richard. Mr. Eagan was comforted in his final days by the arrival of his first grandchild, Catherine Rose, who was born January 16.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held January 24 at the Church of the Resurrection.
Donations in his memory may be made to St. Vincent’s Hospital of Harrison, N.Y.
William Cheney
William Cheney William Gerard Cheney passed away peacefully January 6, at the age of 92.
He was born in Newton Falls, New York, and graduated from Clarkson Memorial College of Technology with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. Two years after starting his career with Westinghouse Electric Corp. in New York City, he enlisted in the Navy, where he served for three years. After receiving training in radar at both Princeton and MIT, he served in Charleston, Key West, and Pearl Harbor, and ultimately as Communications Officer aboard the USS Massachusetts.
After leaving the Navy, he continued his career with Westinghouse in their Power Systems Division, supervising the installation of the S2W naval reactor on the nation’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, and the installation of reactors at the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Peekskill. He retired from Westinghouse in 1982.
Mr. Cheney, who was called “Bud”, married Margaret Barry, whom he met in New York City, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1944. The couple lived in New Rochelle before moving to Rye in 1948, then Greenwich, and back to Rye in 2005.
His ongoing commitment to his community was expressed in his many volunteer contributions. Most notably, he served as Campaign Chairman and President of the Rye United Fund for several years. He was a founder of the Milton Point Association, served on the Board of Trustees of Rye Country Day School, and was President of the West Lyon Farm Association in Greenwich. For over 15 years he served on the board of Kids in Crisis, where he was honored for his extraordinary service.
He was an active member of Apawamis Club and American Yacht Clubs, where he served on the Board of Trustees, as Treasurer, and for the past two years was the longest standing member.
Mr. Cheney was an avid reader, golfer, crossword puzzler, collector, and family man. His happiest times were on the golf course, and participating in family activities. His handsome smile and quick wit will be missed by all who knew him.
In addition to his wife Margaret, Mr. Cheney is survived by his daughters: Betsy Parker of Riverside, Conn., Katherine Creighton of Oakland, Calif., and Virginia Cheney of Cos Cob; his sister, Mary Alice Campbell of Owosso, Mich.; his grandchildren Marney Parker of San Francisco, and William Creighton of Oakland; and eight nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister, Frances Lloyd, and brothers Tom and Lawrence Cheney.
A funeral service was held January 14 at Resurrection Church, of which Mr. Cheney was a longtime member and supporter.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Kids in Crisis, 1 Salem Street, Cos Cob, CT 06807, or kidsincrisis.org.
Ellen McEnery
Ellen O’Sullivan Beara McEnery passed peacefully at home January 14, surrounded by her family. She was 89.
Born in Limerick, Ireland April 1, 1922, she was from a Celtic clan from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork who had their own march and their own castle. She retained her delightful accent and sense of humor to the end, said her family.
A Rye resident for over 30 years, Mrs. McEnery’s greatest pleasure was traveling across the country and to England, Australia, and Ireland to visit her children. “She loved us and we loved her,” they said.
She married Michael McEnery in Limerick, where all seven of their children were born. He was a substantial landowner and an educator from west Limerick who was raised at Lisamota Castle. He too was from a Celtic family, which dates back to 1299. . Mrs. McEnery passed away on the 50th anniversary of her husband’s death. Her remains will be buried next to his in Ireland.
In addition to her children, Mrs. McEnery is survived by 19 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
A memorial mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Friday, January 20 at 11 a.m. at Church of the Resurrection.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Rye PBA, P.O. Box 246, Rye, NY 10580.
