Visitation:  SUNDAY, January 20, 2019:  2-4 & 7-9 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

Service:  MONDAY, January 21, 2019:  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 am at Christ the King Church

SCOLESE - Francis E.
January 15, 2019. Beloved husband of
58 years to Gloria S. (Palisano) Scolese;
loving father of Mary Leonardi (Glenn),
Amy Weiss (John), Paul Scolese
(Kathryn Doherty); dear grandfather
of Daniel (fiancee Jamie), Matthew,
Mark, Elle, Patrick, Katie, Connor, Mary,
Annie, P.J., and Margaret; brother of Rose
Marie Beltrami and the late Anthony
and Christopher Scolese; brother-in-law of
Joanne (Carmen) Seminara, Samuel
(Charlotte) Palisano; also survived by many
nieces and nephews. Family and friends
may call on Sunday from 2-4 and 7-9
PM at THE DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME,
INC., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be
celebrated on Monday at 9:30 AM at
Christ the King Church, 30 Lamarck Dr.,
Amherst, NY. Please assemble at church.
Online condolences may be shared at
www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com

Visitation:  SUNDAY, January 27, 2019:  4-7 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

Service:  MONDAY, January 28, 2019:  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 am at Christ the King Church, Snyder.

MOONEY - James J.
January 9, 2019; beloved husband of the
late Beverly (nee Lauer) Mooney; loving
father of Michael (Jean), Thomas (Jill)
and Patrick (Debbie) Mooney; loving
grandfather of seven grandchildren;
brother of Alice (David) Lindahl and the
late Vernon (Jean) and Virgil (Caroline)
Mooney; also survived by nieces and
nephews. Family and friends may
call Sunday, January 27, 2019, from
4-7 PM at the DIETRICH FUNERAL
HOME, INC., 2480 Kensington Ave.,
Amherst. Mass of Christian Burial will
be celebrated on Monday, January 28,
2019, at 9:30 AM at Christ the King
Church, 30 Lamarck Dr., Snyder. Please
assemble at church. Flowers gratefully
declined. Memorials may be made to
the Amherst Public Library or Buffalo
State College. Share condolences at
www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com

Aug. 1, 1930 — Jan. 9, 2019

James J. Mooney taught industrial arts at Buffalo State College for more than a quarter century, from the mid-1960s until the early 1990s.

But he was well known in many places, from Christ the King Church in Snyder to the Amherst cafes where he met friends for coffee every morning and evening after his wife died.

His enjoyment of people was surpassed only by his love for his family, who remember him as a beloved father and grandfather who led the family in outdoor activities and basement projects.

Mr. Mooney, 88, professor emeritus at Buffalo State, died Jan. 9, 2019, in Elderwood at Williamsville after a period of failing health.

He was born on Aug. 1, 1930, in Millbank, S.D., the second son of Cornelius Mooney and Christine (Pillatzki) Mooney. Cornelius Mooney was a farmer and later worked nights in a grocery store distribution center. They raised their family, which included Mr. Mooney's siblings — Vernon, Virgil and Alice — in Delano, Miss.

Mr. Mooney graduated from local schools and went on to Ellendale Normal School in Ellendale, N.D., where he played college football and earned a bachelor’s degree, the first in his family to do so.

He served in the U.S. Army from October 1952 until October 1954, during the Korean conflict.

Mr. Mooney was stationed at Fort Knox. With aid from the GI Bill, he earned a master’s degree in education from Colorado State University. While teaching at Mankato State University in Minnesota, Mr. Mooney met Beverly Lauer.

They married on Dec. 26, 1960, in Waterville, Minn., and had three sons.

Mr. Mooney earned a doctorate in education at the University of Maryland.

An industrial arts teaching position at Buffalo State brought the family to Snyder, where the Mooneys raised their sons on Mount Vernon Avenue.

Mr. Mooney held various leadership positions in his field, which later became known as industrial technology.

"Typically, he worked with the students who were preparing to be teachers," said his son Michael. Besides teaching, he observed and evaluated student teachers in their placements, his son said.

He retired from Buffalo State in the early 1990s.

He was the past president of the Buffalo Ski Club and the Central Amherst Little League and a loyal volunteer in his parish, Christ the King.

He always had a project in progress, his family said. He built a full-sized canoe in his basement with his sons and a barn at his cabin south of Buffalo.

Mr. Mooney enjoyed camping, travel, skiing, golf, fixing things and good conversation, his family said.

He doted on his sons and grandchildren, reading stories in funny voices.

Mr. Mooney's wife, Beverly, died in 2005 after 45 years of marriage. After a short time, his son said, because "he wasn't cooking very well," Mr. Mooney developed a daily routine. He met a group of male friends for coffee and breakfast in the morning in the McDonald's on Kensington Avenue near Harlem Road, and met a different group around dinnertime in the Tim Hortons in the Walker Center on Main Street.

He did this for almost a decade before moving into assisted living in 2015, his son said.

Besides his son Michael, Mr. Mooney is survived by his sons Thomas and Patrick; seven grandchildren; a sister, Alice Lindahl; and several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be said at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28, in Christ the King Church, 30 Lamarck Drive, Snyder.

Visitation:  SATURDAY, January 26, 2019: 10 am  - 12 Noon at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

Service:  SATURDAY, January 26, 2018:  A Memorial Service will be held at 12 Noon at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

BALZER - Raymond W.
January 7, 2019. Beloved husband of
Judith (nee Lawler) Balzer; loving father
of Jennifer (Richard) Freeda and Alison
(Patrick) Mackey; dear grandfather
of Anna, Gabi, Jameson, Benjamin
and Nathaniel; brother of Robin (Roy)
Henseler and the late Richard Balzer;
brother-in-law of Nancy Balzer; also
survived by many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends may call Saturday,
January 26, 2019 from 10-12 Noon
at the DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME,
2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst, where
a Memorial Service will be held at 12
Noon. Ray was the owner of Ray’s
Wickerware on Elmwood Ave. Flowers
gratefully declined. Memorials may be
made to the Lipsey Veterinary Clinic at
the SPCA. Share online condolences at
www.thedietrichfuneralhome.com.

Visitation:  No prior visitation

Service:  TUESDAY, January 22, 2019:  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 am at Christ the King Church, Snyder.

BRACE-PAROT - Susan M.
(nee Balester)
January 14, 2019; cherished companion
and loving friend of Gregory K. Brace;
loving mother of Gregory K. Brace, Jr.;
daughter of Anthony and Judy Balester;
sister of Anthony (Patricia), Christine
(Steven), James (Diane Block); also
survived by many nieces and nephews.
No prior visitation. A Mass of Christian
Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday
at 9:30 AM at Christ the King Church,
30 Lamarck Dr., Amherst, NY 14226.
Please assemble at church. Flowers
gratefully declined. Memorials may be
made to Hospice Buffalo. Arrangements
by DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME, INC.
Online condolences may be shared at
www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com

Visitation:  SUNDAY, January 13, 2019:  3-6 pm and MONDAY, January 14, 2019:  2-4 & 6-8 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

Service:  TUESDAY, January 15, 2019:  A Funeral Service will be held at 10 am at Parkside Lutheran Church, Buffalo.  Please assembe at Church.

SCHRADER - Barbara L. (nee Bugbee)
January 9, 2019. Beloved wife of the late Robert G. Schrader; loving mother of Carl,
Thomas and William Klein; step-mother of Julie (Patrick) Niemira and Richard (Lisa) Schrader;
loving grandmother and great-grandmother of many grandchildren; sister of Martha
 (the late David) Host and Burton Bugbee; also survived by many nieces and nephews.
Family and friends may call Sunday from 3-6 PM and Monday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the
Dietrich funeral home, inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst. A Funeral Service will be held
on Tuesday at 10 AM at Parkside Lutheran Church, 2 Wallace Ave., at Depew and Lincoln
Ave., Buffalo, NY 14214. Please assemble at church.
 Online condolences may be shared at www.thedietrichfuenralhome.com

Visitation:  THURSDAY, January 10, 2019:  4-7 pm and FRIDAY, January 11, 2019:  2-4 & 6-8 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst.

Service:  SATURDAY, January 12, 2019:  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 am at St. Gregory the Great Chruch, Williamsville.

PAWENSKA - Chester J. “Chet”
January 8, 2019. Beloved husband of
64 years to the late Helen A. (Barrett)
Pawenska; loving father of Maureen
(Michael) Gallagher, Karen (Jack)
Rogowski, and Laure (Alan) Bowman;
grandfather of Matthew (Kristin),
Andrew and Madeline Rogowski,
Alena, Nate and Audrey Bowman, and
Kristin (Dale Heeks) Gallagher, Sean
(Rochelle), Sarah, Joseph, Angela, and
Brendan Gallagher, and Julie (Scott)
Miller; great-grandfather of eight;
brother of Stanley (Rita) Pawenski;
also survived by several nieces
and nephews. Family and friends
may call on Thursday from 4-7PM,
and Friday, 2-4 and 6-8PM at THE
DIETRICH FUNERAL HOME, INC., 2480
Kensington Ave., Amherst. A Mass of
Christian Burial will be celebrated on
Saturday at 10:30AM, at St. Gregory
The Great Church, 200 St. Gregory
Court, Williamsville, please assemble
at church. Flowers gratefully declined.
Memorials may be made to, Canisius
High School or Canisius College
(Pawenska Family Scholarship Fund).
Online condolences may be shared at
www.thedietrichfuneralhome.com

July 18, 1929 – Jan. 8, 2019

Chester "Chet" Pawenska loved people.

"He never met a stranger," said his daughter Karen Rogowski. "He never walked away from meeting somebody without knowing their name and how to spell it, where they came from and where they went to school."

He actively supported his alma maters, Canisius High School and Canisius College.

But most of all, he cherished his wife, three daughters, 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. "Family was everything to him," said Rogowski.

Mr. Pawenska, of Amherst, an Allstate Insurance agent for 47 years, died Jan. 8, 2019, in the rehab facility of Brothers of Mercy in Clarence. He was 89.

He was the first child of Polish immigrants John and Caroline (Janusik) Pawenska, and the brother of Stanley. The family lived on Lathrop Street when Mr. Pawenska a child, then moved into a modest wood-frame house on Sattler Avenue that had no basement. Mr. Pawenska and his father, who was a bricklayer for a railroad, dug a basement that eventually held a workbench, summer kitchen, washing machine and shelves for home-canned foods, said Karen Rogowski.

Mr. Pawenska graduated from Canisius High School in 1947 and earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Canisius College in 1952.

When he was a student at Canisius College, he met Helen Barrett, a student nurse in the Sisters Hospital School of Nursing, on a blind date on New Year's Eve. One of Mr. Pawenska's friends, who had a date but no car, asked Mr. Pawenska if he could drive both couples if the friend could find him a date. The arrangement worked out and the couple married on April 14, 1952, in St. James Catholic Church.

After graduating from Canisius, Mr. Pawenska worked in quality control at International Milling in Buffalo.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in April of 1953, serving at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Keesler Air Force Base in  Mississippi and achieving the rank of 2nd lieutenant. He then served in the Air Force Reserves until the early 1960s.

In 1954, he began working for Allstate Insurance at a stand-up sales booth in the Sears Roebuck store at the Thruway Plaza in Cheektowaga. He also made house calls. He later worked in an Allstate office at 3800 Union Road in Cheektowaga, then opened his own office on George Urban Boulevard in Depew.

He received the Allstate Honor Ring for high achievement and many other awards during his career. He retired in 2001.

After retirement, "He lived for his grandchildren," said Rogowski. "Our kids were always involved with sports and activities, and my parents were always there for every event."

Mr. Pawenska was known for being dapper, said his daughter. "He always wore a suit and tie to work, a sport coat to church, and he still had a full head of hair, so he always carried a comb in his pocket."

He was a member of the Alumni Board of Directors at Canisius College and past president of its Alumni Association. He was inducted into its DiGamma Honor Society  and received the LaSalle Medal, the highest honor bestowed on an alumnus for service to the college. He was a member of its Leadership Society, the Rev. James M. Demske ’47 SJ Society and the Blue and Gold Athletic Booster Club. He chaired reunions and fundraising campaigns and was a committee member and past chair of the annual Little Three Golf Tournament.

In 1999, the Pawenskas began to spend time in Naples, Fla., where Mr. Pawenska joined the planning committee for Canisius events. On their 50th and 60th wedding anniversaries, the Pawenskas renewed their wedding vows. Mrs. Pawenska died on June 9, 2016.

An avid golfer, Mr. Pawenska was an active 40-year member of the Park Country Club of Buffalo and a former member of its Board of Governors. He was also active in the Naples Heritage Golf and Country Club in Florida, and had two holes-in-one over the years, one in each of his clubs.

Since 1966, he was an active parishioner of St. Gregory the Great Church in Amherst and a member of its men's golf league. He belonged to the Knights of Columbus Father Justin Council.

He was active in the Buffalo Bills Quarterback Club and Bills Backers Club of Naples and a member of the Polish Arts Club of Buffalo.

Mr. Pawenska is survived by his daughters Maureen Gallagher, Karen Rogowski and Laure Bowman; 13 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren; his brother, Stanley Pawenski, and several nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 200 St. Gregory Court, Amherst. Memorials may be made to Canisius High School or the Pawenska Family Scholarship Fund at Canisius College.