The Ithaca Journal from Ithaca, New York • 4

4A OBITUARIES NEWS Wednesday, June 8, 2011 THE ITHACA JOURNAL Flags at half staff for fallen soldier Woman killed Saturday in Afghanistan Thursday. "On behalf of all New Yorkers, I express our sympathy to the family, friends and fellow soldiers of Spc. Devin Snyder," Cuo of the Cohocton soldier, the first female from the Twin Tiers to die in Afghanistan. County Legisla I Snyder Powell, 28, of Quitman, Texas; and Pfc. Robert Voakes 21, of L'Anse, Mich.

All four died of wounds suffered in the blast in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan, the report said. They were assigned to the 793rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Meanwhile, flags are flying at half staff at all state and Steuben County government buildings in honor By Roger Neumann rneumannegannett.com The Department of Defense on Tuesday confirmed the death of U.S. Army Spc. Devin Snyder, 20, of Cohocton and three other soldiers in the explosion of a roadside bomb Saturday in Afghanistan.

Previous reports were based on information provided by her family. The official report identified the other soldiers as Sgt. Christopher Bell, 21, of Golden, Sgt. Joshua An Army carry team on Monday moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Devin A.

Snyder during a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base, associated press mo said in a statement. "We join with them in mourning her death and honoring her dedication and service to our nation." Snyder is the first local service member killed in Afghanistan this year. Two local Marines died in 2010: Lance CpL Zachary Smith of Hornell, on Jan. 24; and Lance Cpl. Michael G.

Plank of Cameron Mills, on June 9. ture Chairman Joseph Hau-ryski issued a proclamation directing that the flags remain at half staff at Steuben offices until the close of business on Friday "as a sign of respect and in recognition of the sacrifice she has made for her country." Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered flags on state buildings to be lowered on she was due to come home on leave in July. Funeral arrangements are still incomplete at the Walter E. Baird Sons Funeral Home in Wayland.

Snyder, a 2008 graduate of Wayland-Cohocton High School, joined the Army in November 2009. She was sent to Afghanistan in March, and her family said Some N.Y. lawmakers support advertisements on school buses "Anything that compromises that color and infringes on that color takes away from the original purpose, which is uniqueness and visibility," said Peter Manella, executive director for New York Association For Pupil Transportation. Manella cited an often-used statistic that there are 50,000 illegal passes of school buses in New York each day. He estimated the number of illegal passes would rise if buses had ads or were wrapped in ads like some public-transportation buses are.

Even the state School Boards Association rejected the proposal, saying the potential revenue boost isn't worth it. "We have safety concerns with the bill and those need to supersede any monetary concern," said David Albert, the association's spokesman. "Our feeling is that the presence of an ad on the side of a bus is a dis- By Joseph Spector jspectorgannett.com ALBANY In an effort to help schools raise revenue, some lawmakers are pushing legislation to allow advertisements on school buses. The bill, which has bi-partisan support, would allow New York schools to join a growing list of states that are letting schools emblazon their buses with ads everything from promoting insurance agents to getting deals on bank loans. "It's not really a mandate.

It's giving the school districts an option that if they want to try to raise some additional revenue, they can," said Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, who is sponsoring the legislation. The idea is facing strong criticism in New York, even as six states Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Tennessee, New Jersey and Texas let ads on the buses. New Jersey signed the bill into law in January. Opponents say it would add to distracted driving and is bad for kids.

The yellow school bus has been around since 1939 and is aimed at being a recognizable vehicle to ensure students' safety. traction to drivers. Instead of focusing on children crossing the street or getting onto the bus, the driver may be looking at the ad, creating a dangerous situation." USA Today reported in March that schools were increasingly looking to ads from buses to boost lagging revenue. It pointed to the Jefferson County school district in Colorado, the state's largest, which in 2008 signed a four-year, $500,000 advertising contract with FirstBank of Colorado. Like other states, New York's bill would ban potentially offensive ads.

The New York bill would ban ads for tobacco or alcohol products, as well as any political campaigns. It would leave it to each school board to enter into any contract. Grisanti said schools would also have the right to exclude other types of ads, putting more authority in the hands of local leaders. The school would get to keep all of the ad revenue. Assemblyman Steven Engle-bright, D-Nassau County, is sponsoring the legislation in the Assembly.

It has yet to move out of the education committees in the Senate or Assembly. COMMENT Talk about this story at ithacajournal.com Deaths Willard Ticknor Daetsch, age 86, of Ithaca, June 7, Bangs Funeral Home Alessandro Diliberto, age 71 of Newfield, June 5, Bangs Funeral Home Arnold "Sonny" Emmons, age 75, of Ithaca, June 7, Bangs Funeral Home Walter R. Lynn, age 82, of Ithaca, June 6, Bangs Funeral Home Thomas Andrew Skibitsky, June 5, Lansing Funeral Home The list of area deaths that appears above is providecl free of charge. The obituaries, in memoriams and cards of thanks elsewhere on this page are paid announcements. Obituaiv Department 800-640-1722 Fax: 607-798-0261 cnyobitsgannett.com HOURS Weekday Sunday Holidays Diliberato, Alessandro Newfield: Alessandro Diliberato, 71, of 278 Burdge Hill Newfield, died Sunday, June 5, 2011, at the Beechtree Care Center.

Born May 19, 1940 in Chieti, Italy. Son of the late Arturo and Eveline Diliberato. For many years, Alessandro and his brother-in-law, Saino Zazzara, owned and operated the Ithaca Bakery. After retirement, Alessandro worked at Wegmans for 10 years. He was a former member of the Sons of Italy.

The family would like to express thanks for the great care he received at the Beechtree Care Center for the past 8 months. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Victoria Zazzara Diliberato; daughter, Eveline Boronkay; sons, Giovanni and Anthony Diliberato; grandchildren, Ashley (John) Anchampaugh, Anthony, Alexandra, Tyler and Kenneth Diliberato; a great-granddaughter, Aleah Auchampaugh; sister, Emilia; brothers, Mario and Joseph of Italy; and several nieces and nephews. Prayer services will be held Thursday, June 9, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. at the Bangs Funeral Home with Rev. Leo Reinhardt officiating.

Burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call Wednesday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations in Alessandro's memory may be made to Hospicare of Tompkins County. Skibitsky, Thomas Andrew Thomas Andrew Skibitsky of Lansing, NY peacefully passed away on June 5, 2011 surrounded by his family.

He was born to Andrew and the late Aldona Skibitsky on August 25, 1942 in Brooklyn, NY and was raised in Montgomery, NY. He met his beloved wife, Lynda (Lehmann) in 1964 and married in 1966. After serving in the US Air Force, he continued his education and then traveled the country as a Sonar Engineer with General Electric. His travels brought him "home" to Ithaca in 1972 where he changed careers and was a Production Supervisor for NCR and Paxar until his retirement in 2007. He was a member of All Saints Parish, the Alfa Romeo Club and the Elks Club.

Tom was passionate about living life to the fullest. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, boating, and spending time with friends and family. In addition to his wife Lynda, and his father, Andrew, Tom is survived by three daughters and their spouses, Carolyn and Dennis Shaw of Lansing, NY; Patricia and Gregory Oleyourryk of Pittsford, NY; and Karen and Frank Jacobson of East Amherst, NY. He is also survived by his two brothers, Raymond Skibitsky and Gregory Skibitsky; one sister, Alyson Magurno and nine grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Family will be present to receive friends at the Lansing Funeral Home, 32 Auburn Lansing, NY, on Thursday, June 9, 2011 from 6-8 PM.

A private funeral service will be held on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, P.O. Box 631, Buffalo, NY 14240. TTC Lason said the company also feels strongly about supporting the arts. "You look at all the theaters, there's our ad in all the playbooks.

Even high school plays, we support it," she said. "We feel that's part of being a good community citizen." The company has been a good citizen since its inception in 1836 as the Tompkins County. Bank. When called upon, it loaned the state government $25,000 in support of fighting the Civil War, and forgave Ithaca College's debts during the Great Depression, when the college struggled to continue running, according to bank archives. More recently, it supported the creation of the Ithaca Commons and Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, in addition to funding the repair of the clock towers on The Commons in exchange for signage.

All the while, it has maintained its status as the bank with the largest number of accounts in the county and consistent profitability as a company. "The latest statistic I saw had the longest running streak of profitably second only to Walmart," Lason said. "But if Walmart had a bad year, we'd be first." The history of the bank is a picture of expansion, mergers and acquisitions. The Tompkins County Bank merged with the Ithaca Trust Company in 1935, with more than $10 million in combined assets. The merger resulted in the new Trust Company taking up its headquarters in its present location on State Street.

The next year, the new company established a branch bank by purchasing the First National Bank of Trumansburg. In 1961 the drive-in office opened, and in 1966 the West End location opened. Around that time the Tompkins County Trust Company became the first local bank to computerize its financial activities. In 1982 the bank opened three Bank Access Centers, later renamed ATMs. The bank now owns 29 of them across central New York.

The company continued to experience growth, as shareholders formed a holding company in 1995. In 2007, the holding company named Tompkins Financial Corporation, now publicly traded, became the parent company of the Tompkins Trust Company, The Bank of Castile, Mahopac National Bank, and Tompkins Insurance Agencies. Most recently, in 2011 the Trust Company, after purchasing Financial Services, created a new wealth management firm Tompkins Financial Advisors. Throughout all its expansion, the bank has continued to hire new employees, but Lason said that has been balanced by a surprising amount of staff members who have recently celebrated 50 or 60 years with the company. Far more have been with the company for 25 to 30 years, she said.

"We've had some excellent people over the years," Lason said. "The people in the back room who do the work, the nice tellers you see when you walk in the bank, and the very intelligent leaders we've had." The bank has always worked hard to deliver the latest in financial technology. Although Hartz said the bank's mission hasn't changed much, the way customers interact with the bank has. The core of what we do is remarkably similar to what banking was 175 years ago," he said. "Financing homes, businesses, safekeeping money.

What's changed is the complexity of it. People don't have to bring their checks to the bank, and you can apply for a mortgage on our website." But a banking relationship is built on more than just technology, he pointed out. "You also have access to decision makers," he said. "Your relationship with your financial adviser is an important one. You want to be working with someone you trust, because things have become much more complicated today." Hartz gives much credit to the senior management team at both the bank and the Tompkins Financial Corporation, in addition to the board of directors, for the success of the company today.

"There's a lot of breadth and depth in the senior management team; there's a collection of talent and experience," he said. Hartz said the knowledge of the institution's roots here are good encouragement for its growth in the future. "It's really cool, neat to think it's been around for 175 years, but what does it mean for me tomorrow?" he asked. "It's just a good foundation for the company." Continued from Page 1A "We have customers who see the value to a community bank. In addition, our people live and work here, and we are involved in the community." A focus on conservative banking and avoiding the potential pitfalls of sub-prime mortgages has also kept the bank successful and profitable even as others failed in the recent financial crisis.

"From my point of view, we stuck with what we do well. We didn't invest in properties we didn't know, our mortgages were for our friends and neighbors; we gave loans to people we played golf with and went to church with," said Sue La-son, the bank's marketing communications officer. That's still the case for all the branches of the trust company, from Cortland to Trumansburg and beyond, even as the bank has expanded into wealth management and purchased other community banks. Individual branches retain much of their own decision-making, Lason said, but follow the general credo of the company. "The Tompkins Trust Company is still all about the Finger Lakes," she said.

"When we spread out, it's not really massive, and all branches have some autonomy. You're talking to a decision maker when you enter a branch." Hartz said the bank's commitment to the community can be seen in the many local non-profits with at least one TTC employee on their boards. In addition, Trust Company employees have for years raised money in annual fundraising drives for the United Way and Relay for Life, and recently started a Community Shred Day, which offers free document shredding services to all. That commitment is a sentiment echoed by Jean McPheeters, President of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce. "I serve on a large number of not for profit boards, and there's always someone from the Trust Company there," she said.

"They really encourage their staffs to get involved in that way, by serving on boards, helping the Little League, being in the PTA." yK Cancer 'V''Y Resource I I Center Of IIKifl IKH Did you The Cancer Resource Center began as the Ithaca Breast Cancer Alliance (IBCA)? In 2007, IBCA changed It name and expanded Its mission in order to serve women and men with all types of cancer. In our community. For our community. (607) 277-0960 612 West State Street, Ithaca, NY www.crcfl.net.