Alumni Notes
1968
Beverly (McDermott ) Mennerich was recently elected to a 2-year term on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.
1971
Mari-Olga (Alonso) Kelley wrote: “It is with complete sadness that I convey the sudden passing of our dear dormie, travel companion, partner in crime, and fellow ‘mermaid,’ Marianne Gauch Lamborne,” said Mari. “She was a beloved teacher, a devout mother, wife and friend, a dedicated and respected Daughters of the American Revolution leader and an adoring grandmother.”
Marianne Gauch Lamborne passed away in Averill Park on Oct 7, 2023 and is buried in Troy, N.Y. Always in our hearts…
1972
Dr. Mary Ellen (Scannell) Doherty
Twin sisters, Dr. Mary Ellen Doherty and Dr. Elizabeth Scannell-Desch, published their third book, Women's Journeys to Posttraumatic Growth: A Guide for the Helping Professions and Women Who Have Experienced Trauma. It is the culmination of four of their published research studies. The publisher is Routledge/ Francis and Taylor (London). A future book signing at Mount Saint Mary College is planned for the spring.
1973
Mike Dolan retired from Stewart Airport in 2007 after 34 years as Supervisor of Maintenance. He said, “No more snow removal, hooray!” He is enjoying retirement.
1975
Nancy (Rust) Sutherland
Nancy Sutherland is serving the Florida State Society Daughters of the American Revolution as the State Chair of the Flag of the United States 2023-25. She recently volunteered at the Snowball Express at Disney World, sewing patches on vests in partnership with the Florida Patriot Guard Riders. Each child receives a vest, with over 900 vests distributed. DAR chapters donated more than 10,000 patches.
1977
Joseph Spano retired in 2020 after 40 years with IBM.
1979
Donna (Connell) Kleister retired from clinical nursing in 2017. Following retirement, she completed the Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course, as well as the Educator and Coordinator certification courses for teaching this course. She has been involved in congregational health ministry as a professional volunteer. Along with husband Richard, she recently relocated to Oviedo, Fla. in December 2022.
1981
Kathy (Gessman) Devine
Kathy says that life has been busy. She retired in 2018 and now takes care of her granddaughter, Addison (17 months). She has a second granddaughter, Maeve (11 months). Along with her husband Patrick, she recently spent this summer traveling, first to Northern California Gold Country, then Ecuador, the Galapagos, and the Amazon, two weeks in Palm Springs and San Diego, and finished up in Banff on top of a glacier! She can’t wait for the next reunion!
1982
Mount Saint Mary Academy 50th reunion — Front row, from left: Betsy Moglia Riess, Carol Kenger Diemer, Kat Kaminsky Russo. Middle row, from left: Jean McCann Meineker, Lynne Ejercito, Anita Hull Totonelly, Rhondi Barton. Back row, from left: Rita Coughlin Moglia, Barbara Coughlin Papula, Cathy Vinall Tompkins, Linda Dobias Dombroski.
Linda (Dobias) Dombroski celebrated her 50th high school reunion from Mount Saint Mary Academy along with fellow classmates on September 23, 2023. It was a beautiful day shared with many.
Then in December, Linda attended the Mount’s Annual Gala Reception honoring the Dominican Sisters of Hope.
Lynne Ejercito ’77, Sr. Ceclia Murray, and Linda Dombroski ’82 attended the Mount’s Annual Gala Reception this past December honoring the Dominican Sisters of Hope.
Jean Marie (Olson) Fortunato and her husband Steve are expecting their second granddaughter in June. Jenna and Gary are welcoming their second daughter to join Sophia Heyman.
Maryellen (Muldoon) Stamos became a grandma (Yia Yia) in February 2022. She is loving her new title. She is working as a Health Coach/Nurse online with clients with chronic conditions to help them transition to a whole food plant-based way of eating. She is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
1985
Katherine (McCormick) Heeren continues to work in the Valley Health System in Ridgewood, N.J., where she has been since 1985. In 2013, she decided to pursue a Master’s in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner track. She became certified in 2021, then began a new chapter as a Nurse Practitioner in the Department of Endocrine Surgery. She has been married to her husband John for 34 years. They have three grown daughters, two dogs, and two bunnies.
Beth Keutzer has been a Hospice Executive Director in Branford, Conn. and says it is the most meaningful work she’s done in her entire career. Beth has three children, Ben 33, Emily 30, and Isaac 24, and will soon gain a son-in-law, Dave!
1987
Lucii (Levesque) Porter feels like it was yesterday that she graduated and was embarking on her career as a nurse – yet it also seems like a whole lifetime ago. She is currently working as a cardiac cath nurse at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut. She resides with her husband in Thomaston, Conn. with their sweet dog, Allie. They enjoy camping, traveling, and taking rides throughout the state of Connecticut. Currently, they are working on visiting every town in the state.
1988
Kathy (Bunce) Lashinsky is a Volunteer Manager - RSVP, at Neighbor to Neighbor in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The agency helps seniors and people with disabilities get to appointments, delivers food boxes, and helps relieve isolation through connect calls.
1990
Kellieann (Dell) Moroney has been married to John for 26 years. She is in her 34th year teaching and looking forward to retirement next February! They have two daughters: Emma is 21 and is a graduate of Penn State University. She is currently at Penn State completing her 2-year master's program in school counseling. Caitlin is 19 and a sophomore at Penn State University. She is studying Elementary Education.
1997
Michael McCarville recently moved from Newburgh to the beach, where he is a counselor at Myrtle Beach Treatment Specialists.
1998
Gessieann Martinez-Nelson worked for 25 years in critical care nursing in Staten Island. She received her master’s in Nursing Education in 2020. Currently, she has a new role in staff development. During summer 2023, she was a mentor for the SURE program at the Mount, working alongside her son Jaden Nelson and student Alyssa Milburn – both current nursing majors at the Mount. The Research was on Cultural Competency in Healthcare.
2000
Ian Davis
After nearly 10 years with Raytheon, he joined the DC-based defense firm CACI this January. In this new role, he serves as Director of Communications for the company's National Security and Innovative Solutions business sector. He’s lived in Boston for nearly 15 years and would love to connect with other alumni who are in the area.
Joseph Polvere is in his 23rd year of teaching. He teaches middle school Social Studies in Demarest, N.J. In addition, he teaches courses in various semesters for Mercy University, Montclair State University, Bergen Community College, and Brookdale Community College.
2005
Thomm Quackenbush published a book about the phenomenon of Gef the Talking Mongoose in the 1930s, titled The Curious Case of the Talking Mongoose. He has also published an Author's Expanded Edition of his first novel We Shadows.
2009
Jennifer (Eurich) Dillon defended her dissertation at Rutgers, earning a PhD. Dr. Dillon is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Division of Population Health, Quality, and Implementation Science at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She is the second PhD-prepared nurse selected for this fellowship to conduct transdisciplinary primary care research focusing on the pediatric population.
Stephen Kassiotis
Since graduating from the Mount with a bachelor’s in psychology, he has gone on to get a master’s in mental health counseling and become a licensed mental health counselor in New York State. In addition to being an LMHC, he is also a New York City police officer, working as a member of the NYPD trauma team. Stephen counsels cops that have been involved in shootings. “I owe so much to my amazing Mount professors!” he said.
2010
Melinda (Burke) Canary
Friends Shawn Tocidlowski ‘10, Liz Smith ‘10, Erin Symons ‘10, John Como ‘10, Allison Como (Hauser) ‘10 & ‘12, Kaitlyn Maglione ‘10, Chris Repetti ‘10, Joe Canary ‘12 & ‘13, and Melinda Canary (Burke) ‘10 & ‘12, who all met at the Mount, celebrated their 35th birthdays together this past summer in Cancun, Mexico.
2014
Rachel (Sangalli) DiBartolo was part of the team at NBC that won a Sports Emmy for work on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. She was an Associate Producer for Olympic Profiles and Features, and the games broadcast won "Outstanding Live Special."
2017
Bernadette Claravall, Senior Class President '17, continued her education at Adelphi University, earning her master's in social work. She is now a psychiatric social worker for New York State. As a former Mount cheerleader, she continues her passion as dance teacher and cheerleading coach. "I'm eternally grateful for the friends and family I've made and will forever cherish my four years at the Mount."
2021
Anthony Hazzard is loving his position as a writer and video personality for the Clark Howard Podcast in Atlanta, Ga., spreading the gospel about saving more and spending less. Helping to make a difference in the lives of people from all walks of life is the best part of the job.
2022
Katrina Rich is pursuing a Master’s of Social Work at Ramapo College, graduating in May. She had a fabulous experience at her internship with Big Brothers Big Sisters during her time at the Mount, and the graduate internships have continued to be amazing. From a school social worker, to academic advisor, she’s loved it all. Also, her dad opened a new local sports bar and grill, Ginny's, which has been such a fun adventure!
BIRTHS
Melinda Canary (Burke) ‘10 & ‘12 and Joe Canary ‘12 & ‘13 welcomed their first child, baby Joey, on September 29, 2023 at 10:41 a.m. Joey was born weighing 7lb 10oz and was 20 inches long.
Amanda (Nichols) Smakal ’04 welcomed her third child, a son, Ryder Cole, on March 30, 2023!
MARRIAGES
Nancy (Stipak Carey) Begnoche ‘77, on October 7, 2023, married Joseph P. Begnoche. It was a wonderful day filled with love from friends and family. “God blessed us with a double rainbow at our reception over our tent. My family grew from five to 30,” she said. She had one granddaughter, but now, she has 16. “Love our big family!”
Alexis (Coronato) Chakery ‘13 and Alec Chakery ‘12 were married at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie on September 15, 2023.
Nicholas Hasbun ‘20 and Jennifer (Eyler) Hasbun ‘20 were married on September 29, 2023.
IN MEMORIAM
Marianne Gauch Lamborne ’71 passed away in Averill Park on October 7, 2023 and is buried in Troy, N.Y.
Cathleen Howard ’73 passed away on January 11, 2024 at home. She was buried at in St. Mary's Cemetery in Kingston, N.Y.
Susan Peck ’75 died October 17, 2023.
Richard Karl Keutzer, father of Beth Keutzer ‘85, passed peacefully on December 20, 2021 under Hospice Care. Beth’s mother, Carleen, is still a vibrant, beautiful 84-year-old woman.