PLYMOUTH – Loretta Roney, 70, of County Road 21, Plymouth, passed away early Thursday morning, July 12, 2007, in the Chenango Memorial Hospital, from complications following a long battle with diabetes.
Born in Watkins Glen on January 29, 1937, Loretta was the daughter of Alexander and Jessie (Brown) Magari. She attended school in Watkins Glen while growing up there, and was married to Willard Roney in Mt. Upton on March 25, 1959. The Roneys lived for a brief time in both Oxford and Norwich before purchasing their home in Plymouth, where they lived for 41 years. Loretta was utterly devoted to her husband and her children, choosing to be a stay-at-home wife and mother and care for them. She liked to do word-search puzzles and was fond of frogs, mushrooms, and flowers. In her later years, she had taken up Tri-Chem liquid embroidery and ceramics. For over 25 of their years together, Loretta and Willard worked for the Chenango County “Meals on Wheels,” with Willard driving and Loretta doing the deliveries. When Willard could no longer drive, they worked in the kitchen preparing the meals for delivery.
Loretta is survived by her children: Deanna Roney of Plymouth, James Roney of Smyrna, Marie Roney, and Paul Roney, both of Plymouth; by her grandchildren: James Robert, Justin Eugene, Candace Elizabeth, Brandi Mae, and Richelle Kathleen Roney; and by her sisters, Angelina Moon of North Carolina and Lorena Lamb of Elmira. Loretta was predeceased by her husband, Willard Roney, on April 5, 2003; by her sisters: Mary Santose, Grace Hodge, and Pauline and Kathleen Magari; and by her brothers, Alex and Benedict Magari.
Funeral Services for Loretta will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 18, from the R. J. Fahy Funeral Home. The Rev. Richard Gould, Pastor of the Temple Baptist Church, will officiate. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery. Friends are invited to call at the R. J. Fahy Funeral Home on Tuesday from 7-9 p.m.