Alger A. Furnia, 88, a resident of Pawling since 1949, passed away Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at the New York State Veterans Home, Montrose, NY.
Born in Ellenberg, NY on April 8, 1926, he was the son of Frederick and Mina (LaBarre) Furnia, and brother to 10 brothers and sisters. He and his brothers and sisters grew up in Ellenberg Depot, NY.
Alger was a World War II Army veteran, serving from 1944-46. After the war, he married Eva LeClair on June 30, 1948 in Chateaugay, NY; Eva predeceased him on February 5, 2013.
Alger was the foreman in the carpenter shop at Greenhaven Correctional Facility in Greenhaven, NY for many years. He also worked for 18 years at Hunt Country Furniture in Wingdale, NY, and was a master carpenter and cabinet maker. Alger enjoyed playing cards with his friends, and was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. In Pawling’s 1976 Bi-Centennial parade, Al was Christopher Columbus on the Pawling Knight’s of Columbus float. Al was a former member of the Pawling Lion’s Club, the Edward R. Murrow Park Association, and the Hasler-Kamp Post American Legion, an honorary member of the Pawling Fire Department, and a life-time member of the Pawling Fish & Game Club.
He is survived by his two sons, Dale and his wife Antoinette of Pawling and Gary and his companion Marsha of Myrtle Beach, SC; his daughter Nancy Furnia and her husband, Christopher Morone, of Albany; his brother Leonard Furnia of Plattsburgh, NY; seven grandchildren, Christine, Brian, and Traci Furnia, Nicole Benson, Shane and Yvette Furnia, and Matthew Oppenheim; 9 great-grandchildren; and many, many nieces, nephews, and friends.
In addition to his wife, Eva, he is predeceased by five brothers, Vernon, Homer, Ronald, Francis, and Lester, and four sisters, Rita Boissey, Dora Duvall, Beulah Furnia, and Shirley Ann Furnia.
Visitation is Sunday, March 15th from 2-4 and 7-9 PM at the Horn & Thomes, Inc. Funeral Home, 83 East Main Street, Pawling. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday at St. John’s Church, Pawling at 11 AM. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery in the Spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Alger’s memory to the Alzheimer Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue 7th Floor, NY, NY 10001.
For directions, or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.hornandthomesfuneralhome.com.
