Obituaries

Fred E. Benoski

HIGHLAND LAKES, N.J. - Fred E. Benoski, 57, died Sept. 17, 2008, in the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough after a long illness.

He was born Nov.22, 1950, in York, son of the late Henry Benoski and Virginia (Welch) Benoski. He was a 1969 graduate of York High School.

He leaves his wife, Linda D. (VanNorde) Benoski; his mother, Virginia W. Benoski of York; a son, Peter J. Benoski of Highland Lakes, N.J.; two daughters, Corinne A. Benoski of Ogunquit and Alyssia R. Benoski of Highland Lakes, N.J.; a brother, Richard W. Benoski and his wife, Deborah, of Acton; a sister, Jill A. Benoski and her husband, Troy S. Gerry, of Eliot; a granddaughter, Brielle C. Benoski of Ogunquit; a niece, Rebecca L. Benoski of Acton, and a nephew, Tyler R. Burak of Eliot.

A graveside service was held in the First Parish Cemetery with Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home directing arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Center for Wildlife, P.O. Box 620, Cape Neddick, ME 03902.

Tadeusz F. Bilous

YORK - Tadeusz F. Bilous, 92, of 79 York Street, died Sept. 25, 2008, in Portsmouth Hospital of complications from surgery.

He leaves his wife, Priscilla (Haley) Bilous, nieces and nephews.

He was born Dec. 21, 1915, in Kolymia, Ukraine, and attended Teacher's College and Military College in Poland.

He was an officer on the front line when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. When Hitler had the upper hand, he and his fellow soldiers fled on foot to Romania and France where they rejoined the Polish army under French Command. When Hitler invaded France he tried to reach the Polish consulate in Madrid only to be captured by Dictator Franco's men and sent to prison and a concentration camp for over three years with his fellow officers, sleeping on gravel floors and existing on one bowl of soup daily. Finally he was released as the tide was turning against Hitler and he went to Scotland until the war ended. From there he went to London and opened his own painting business for several years before coming to America.

He attended Pratt Institute of Technology and became an electronic engineer, working for various companies before he retired. He and his wife, Priscilla, an artist, moved to York in 2002 from Babylon, N.Y. Their only son, Andrew, died in 1986.

His passions were skiing and playing bridge and he was an avid bridge player up until his death.

A memorial service for Mr. Bilous was held Oct. 4 in the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to AHRC, 2900 Veterans' Memorial Highway, Bohemia, NY 11716.

William Welles Lyman

William Welles Lyman

YORK - William W. Lyman, a retired architect, died at his home on Sept. 14, 2008. He was 92.

He had lived in Portsmouth, N.H., for 16 years prior to moving to York in 1998. Born in London, Conn., he was the son of W. Welles Lyman and Gladys Latimer Lyman of Norwich, Conn. Mr. Lyman was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, the University of Michigan and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, where he taught and assisted Walter Gropius in the Masters Class from 1947 to 1953. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

A fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Mr. Lyman worked for several architectural firms in Boston, New York and the Detroit, Michigan, area for 20 years before retiring in 1981. He was president of the firm of Jickling, Lyman, & Powell in Birmingham, Mich., and also served as president of the Michigan Society of Architects. During this time, the firm was honored with designing the Gerald Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, along with many other libraries in the state.

In retirement, Mr. Lyman lectured on early American furniture and was active in historic preservation while serving as chairman of the Board of Governors of the Warner House in Portsmouth, N.H. He was a very vocal advocate for improving public schools.

Mr. Lyman leaves his wife of 38 years, Joan (Dalrymple); six children by a previous marriage to Margaret Whittemore Kelleher: Cheryl Mack of Indianapolis, Ind., Steven Lyman of Trenton, Mich., Philip Lyman of Ashland, Ore., Susan Lyman of Provincetown, Mass., Donna Lyman of Troy, Mich., and Patricia Overlade of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; his stepdaughters, Kitsy Abbott, Lynn Hanson and Cynthia Hanson, as well as many loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and one sister, Jean Lanxner of Silver Spring, Md.

Memorial dates will be planned for the future. Donations can be gifted to Seacoast Hospice, 10 Hampton Road, Exeter, NH 03833 or to the Warner House, PO Box 895, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

Shirley M. Mahoney

YORK - Shirley M. Mahoney, 82, formerly of Arlington, Mass., and York Beach, died Oct. 6, 2008, in Seal Rock Health Care in Saco.

She was born, Aug. 26, 1926, in Somerville, Mass., daughter of Harry A. and Hilda M. (Cooper) Ryan. She was an auxiliary member of the Boardman-Ellis VFW Post 6977.

Her husband of 42 years, John J. Mahoney Sr., died in 1993.

She leaves two sons, John J. Mahoney Jr. of Taunton, Mass., and Patrick Mahoney of York; three daughters, Beverly Winkler of Wasilla, Alaska, Shirley Borges of Bowdoinham, and Mary Hallene of Wells; two sisters, Dorothy Coughlin of Woburn, Mass., and Beverly Doucette of Clearwater, Fla.; 13 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

A daughter, Nancy Hicks; two brothers, Harry Ryan and Norman "Sonny" Ryan, and a sister, Jeanette Brown, predeceased her. 

Calling hours and a funeral home service for Mrs. Mahoney were held in the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home with burial in the First Parish Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the York Ambulance Assoc., P.O. Box 238, York, ME 03909.

Sheila A. Stone

OGUNQUIT - Sheila A. Stone's courageous battle with cancer ended on Sept. 22, 2008, when she died peacefully at home. She was 74.

Throughout her illness she displayed incredible strength, grace and unfailing good cheer.

She leaves her life partner of 39 years, Bunny Hart of Ogunquit; twin daughters, Deborah Stone of Kennebunk and Donna Stone Arpels of San Rafael, Calif.; a son, Christopher Stone of Punta Gorda, Fla.; two granddaughters, Heather Taylor of Denver, Colo., and Sarah Schuler of Boston, Mass., and extended family members, son-in-law Dr. John Arpels; grandsons-in-law James Taylor and Jared Schuler; former husband and friend Alfred B. Stone of Palm Desert, Calif., and goddaughter Becky McKenna of Machias. 

Her many devoted friends from Maine to Florida know who they are and should know how much each meant to Sheila.

Sheila graduated from Dominican Academy, and attended Hunter College, both in her native New York City. She moved to Ogunquit in 1972, and spent over 25 years in managerial positions in the hospitality industry here and in Kennebunkport. Prior to that she worked in the Travel and the Medical fields. She loved traveling, cooking and all the arts, and was an accomplished needlepoint artist herself.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on Sept. 27 in St. Mary's Church, Wells, with Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home directing arrangements. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Caring Unlimited, 200 Elm St., Biddeford, ME 04005 or Doctors Without Borders, 333 7th Ave., NY, NY 10001. 

Josephine K. Urquhart

YORK HARBOR - Josephine Keck Urquhart, 95, died Sept. 28, 2008, at Sentry Hill.

She was born in Somerville, Mass., on Feb. 2, 1913, to Joseph B. and Anna (Drozdzik) Keck. She married Charles Arthur Ridgway in 1938, married Harold Horton Jr. in 1932 and remarried in 1957, and married Henry Urquhart in 1984.

Josephine graduated from West Bridgewater High School and went on to graduate from the Boston School of Dental Nursing in 1935, Boston School Mechanical Dentistry in 1936, Boston School of Business Administration 1939 and Suffolk Business School 1967.  She worked for F.W. Parris Silver Co. of Boston from 1929 to 1934 and was secretary to the Dean of Northeastern University 1934 to 1938. She was president of Josephine K. Horton Real Estate in Bayshore, Long Island, N.Y., and fundraiser for Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Charles Hospital. She is listed in Who's Who of American Women 1977-78.

She is survived by her two daughters, Ann E. (Ridgway) Landsman of Vista, Calif., and Carol E. (Ridgway) Plumb and son-in-law, Kenneth Plumb, of York Beach. She has four grandchildren, Doreen Dean of Woburn, Mass., Jennifer Hunter of Pepperell, Mass., Jessica Baker of Falmouth, Mass., and Deborah Lamoureux of Vista, Calif., and six great-grandchildren. Survivors also include her sister, Emily Nelson of Westborough, Mass., and brothers Robert Keck of Fairfield, Calif., and William Keck of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., and many nieces and nephews.

Calling hours were held and prayers read on Oct. 3 in the Lucas & Eaton Funeral Home. Should friends and family desire, donations may be made to Seacoast Hospice or St. Christopher's Church, 1 Lilac Lane, York Harbor, ME 03911. Visit http://www.lucaseatonfuneralhome.com/.