Haines Family Association, Inc.

 

 

Debbie P. Haines

ST. JOHNSVILLE, NY - Debbie P. Haines, 63, of Klock Rd passed away unexpectedly on July 14, 2012 at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center with her loving husband at her side holding her hand.

She was born on February 6, 1949, at Coney Island Hospital, Brooklyn,: daughter of the late Kenneth and Veronica (Finnegan) DeWitt. On June 29, 1991 she was united in marriage with George R. Haines in the town of Brunswick. On June 25, 2011 Debbie and George renewed their sacred vows at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in St. Johnsville with the Rev. David A. Johnson officiating.

Debbie graduated from Connetquet High School on Long Island and furthered her education through the years with a number of Home Health Care Service Certificates. She was employed in Home Health Care for years in a variety of positions and settings. She was Vice President of Haines Dairy Transport for 10 years and after suffering from a stroke she retired from the NYS DDSO after 9 years of employment. She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, The St. Johnsville Senior Saints and the Lasselsville Senior Citizens. She also loved being a member of the Stonecroft Ministries Bible Study.

Her husband George and her two boys: William (Billy) Kirchner and Eric C. Olsen were her deepest loves and joys. She loved the farm on Klock Rd. and considered it her earthly piece of heaven. From city girl to riding horses, feeding baby calves and taking walks through the open fields with her dog Bucky, she quickly became a country girl. She enjoyed traveling, taking numerous trips with George and the Senior Saints and meeting new people. She hugged her family, friends and even strangers and felt comfortable talking to absolutely everyone. The words “I Love You” flowed from her lips over and over again each and every day. She was small in stature but 10 times taller in personality and love.

She is survived by her husband George R. Haines; her sons: William (Billy) Kirchner (41) and Erik C. Olsen (31); her siblings: Ken and Mary DeWitt of Schenectady, Candy Miller of Long Island, Timothy and Lee DeWitt of Long Island, Florence and Kevin Chilton of Long Island, June and Fred Kix of Long Island, Mona and “Spud” Ward of Florida and many beloved nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. She is also survived by her beloved pets: Bucky, her black lab and Smokey, her cat.

The family received relatives and friends at the Enea Family Funeral Home in St. Johnsville on Saturday July 21, 2012. A brief religious service was held with the Rev. David A. Johnson officiating. Procession followed to St. Johnsville Cemetery where she was laid to rest.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Debbie’s name be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

 

Katherine Distin Krajick 1921-2012

KINGSTON, NY - Katherine Distin Krajick, a nurse for over 50 years, mother of a large family and one of the first women to serve as an officer in the regular U.S. armed forces, died in Kingston, N.Y. on April 27, 2012 after a short illness. She was 90. Katherine Sarah Distin was born May 22, 1921, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. She was the eldest child of Leslie Henry Distin of the Catskill mountaintop town of Hunter, N.Y., and Margaret McIntyre, of Cattan, County Leitrim, Ireland. Her father worked as a motorman on Manhattan's No. 1 subway line, but the family soon moved back to Hunter, where he worked in a coal and lumber yard, and her mother did domestic work.

Katherine graduated from Hunter-Tannersville High School in 1939, and in 1943 earned a registered nurse degree from Our Lady of Victory School of Nursing at the Benedictine Hospital in Kingston. In 1943, at the height of World War II, Congress passed an act allowing women to serve in the regular military, and Distin volunteered for the Army. Commissioned a second lieutenant at 23, she was assigned to the 72nd Field Hospital, which moved around the war theater of rural northeastern India and western Burma. There, she treated casualties of plane crashes, tropical diseases and jungle warfare with nearby Japanese forces. Following the peace, she helped staff an Army hospital in Calcutta, and later a hospital for severely wounded soldiers in Atlantic City, N.J. After her discharge in 1946, she worked at New York City's Columbia-Presbyterian, Marine and French hospitals, and as a private-duty nurse on the mountaintop.

In 1950, she married Army Maj. Rudolph A. Krajick, a veteran of the Pacific island invasions, and, later, the Korean War. After her husband retired from the military in 1955, the couple resettled in Kingston, and she raised four children full time. These included a son born in 1952, and a set of healthy triplets, born in 1958. In 1971, Krajick returned to Benedictine Hospital, eventually serving as head nurse of the intensive-care unit, and of the pediatric ward. In 1995, she retired, at the age of 74. She later volunteered as a reader for public elementary-school classes, and as a mentor for local foster children. As a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, she helped lead Kingston's Memorial Day and St. Patrick's Day parades for many years. In 1996, the Kingston Veterans' Association named her Veteran of the Year.

Rudolph Krajick died in 1991. Katherine is survived by her brother, Dr. Leslie Distin Jr. of Johnson City, N.Y.; her sister, Mary Benenati, of Wantagh, N.Y.; her eldest son, Kevin R. Krajick of New York City; the triplets, Dr. K. Michael Krajick, of Cohoes, N.Y.; Kent G. Krajick of Unionville, Conn., and Karin M. Hubbs of Kingston; and six grandchildren.

The family received visitors on May 1, 2012, at the Joseph V. Leahy Funeral Home, 27 Smith Ave., Kingston. A Funeral Mass was held on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at St. Catherine Labouré Catholic Church on Tuytenbridge Road, Lake Katrine, NY. Burial followed in the cemetery of St. Francis de Sales Church in Platte Clove, near Hunter.

(Katherine Distin Krajick was the great-great granddaughter of Ephraim Lord and Ruth Haines (1807-1872), of East Jewett (buried in the Lord family cemetery, out back of her grandparents’ house). Ruth’s father was Samuel Haines II, one of the brothers who came from Carmel to settle on the mountaintop.)

  

Harry J. Poladian

Born in Hempstead, he was the son of Jesse and Alice Poladian. They moved to Tannersville when Harry was a young boy. Harry graduated from Hunter-Tannersville High School and Farmingdale College. As a young man he built and operated Poladian Lanes Bowling Alley. After operating the bowling alley he sold the business and returned to his first love, construction. Harry was employed by I&OA Slutzky and Laborers Local 17 for many years. Harry was a loyal member of the Masonic Lodge in Hunter and Windham where he received his 50-year pin in October 2011. Harry was an active member and enjoyed attending services at the Kaaterskill United Methodist Church.  

Harry is survived by his wife Shirley Haines and three children, Harry Jr. (wife Lara), MarySue, and Andrew (fiancee Charlotte Meigs). He was the beloved Poppey to Felicia, Jessica, Sarah and Saleema.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Tannersville Rescue Squad or the American Heart Association.   
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Aston-Basagic Funeral Home. Visiting hours were held Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. The funeral service was at the Kaaterskill Methodist Church on Thursday at 11 a.m. with burial service following at the Evergreen Cemetery.