Obituaries published the week of December 27, 2001

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In Memoriam

Ira R. Barnhardt III

Ira R. Barnhardt III, 27, of 109 Sullivan St., Mt. Morris, died suddenly Dec. 20, 2001. He was born the son of Ira and Deborah (Hill) Barnhardt Jr. on April 17, 1974 in Dansville. He was a veteran of the Navy. He was employed for over two years at Rose's Enterprises in Greigsville as a truck driver. He is survived by his wife Tara, son Ira Barnhardt IV, North Chili; parents, Ira and Deborah Barnhardt Jr. of Leicester; maternal grandparents, Earl (Donna) Hill of Mt. Morris-Florida and Edith Hill of Honeoye Falls; one brother Christopher Barnhardt of Mt. Morris; many aunts, uncles and cousins. Friends called Sunday at the JOHN W. MARTIN FUNERAL HOME, 37 Chapel St., Mt. Morris where funeral services were held Monday with Pastor Edward Phillips officiating. Interment, Mt. Morris Cemetery.

Evelyn H. Bickford

Evelyn H. Bickford, 81, died Dec. 18, 2001 at LeRoy Village Green Nursing Home after a short illness. Evelyn was born May 14, 1920 in Rochester to Roy and Helen McEwen. She was a past president of the Caledonia Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary and a member of the St. Columba Church. She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Sharon Bickford, Robert and Sally Bickford, both of Caledonia; seven grandchildren; and 17 great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Friends called Thursday at the Alhart Funeral Home, 3068 W. Main St. in Caledonia. Her Funeral Mass was held Friday at St. Columba Church. Interment, St. Columba Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Caledonia Fire Department or Caledonia Ambulance, P.O. Box 1, Caledonia NY 14423.

James P. Skelly

James P. Skelly, 78, of Orchard Park, a long-time Red Cross volunteer and retired accountant, died Dec. 5, 2001 in Erie County Medical Center after a short illness. He was born in Rochester and attended the University of Rochester and Canisius College and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. In 1952 he went to work at the Ford Stamping Plant in Woodlawn, where he worked as an accountant until 1980, when he retired. In 1981, Skelly became a Red Cross volunteer at Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Lackawanna. For his subsequent 19 years of volunteer service, he received numerous awards. He was also a 13-gallon Red Cross blood donor. He belonged to several organizations, including the Third Degree of the Knights of St. John, where he served as commander, and the Monsignor Toomey-Nash Council of the Knights of Columbus. He is survived by a son, Michael of Orchard Park; two daughters, Christine Gaiser of West Seneca and Laura Croce of Orchard Park; a brother, Charles of Clifton Park; two sisters, Kathryn Jeffrey of Rochester and Betty Coyne of Avon; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered at St. John Vianney Church in Orchard Park. Burial, Hillcrest Cemetery, Hamburg.