Mary Elizabeth (Dalton) Knapp, 80, Fulton

FULTON -- Mary Elizabeth (Dalton) Knapp, 80, of Fulton and formerly of Chase Mills, passed away peacefully on Dec. 14, 2023, at home.

She was born in Ogdensburg on Feb. 9, 1943, to the late Howard and Anna (Dishaw) Dalton.

She is survived by daughters Theresa Knapp (Matthew) of Medfield, MA, and Patricia (Thomas) Crishock of Fairfax, VA; grandchildren Jacob Enos, Kathryn Enos, Elizabeth Crishock, Margaret Crishock; and brother Paul (Mary) Dalton of Lisbon, his children and grandchildren.

Mary was a 1960 graduate of Madrid Waddington Central Schools and a 1961 graduate of Ogdensburg Business School. Her first job was at Claxton-Hepburn Hospital where she worked until she married and moved to Phoenix (NY). Once her children were grown, she returned to the medical field as a unit clerk at A.L. Lee Memorial Hospital where she worked for many years before retiring in 2007.

Mary was a private person with a subtle sense of humor, and if you were in her inner circle, she would share stories about her family and growing up on a farm in the North Country. Her brother recalls that, in her youth, she liked to roller skate with friends, read, go apple and berry picking, and work in the garden; she continued many of these things throughout her lifetime.

While raising her children, she was active in the Phoenix Central Schools and with the Girl Scouts. While working and during retirement in Fulton, she enjoyed traveling, attending local and regional events, and weekly mass - most recently at Holy Trinity. She also served as an election poll worker at Towpath Towers, and as a volunteer pen pal with Leadership Oswego County.

Mary enjoyed country and classical music, watching PBS, chicken dinners, daisies, and sunflowers; she had a wicked sweet tooth and was very proud of her Irish heritage.

Her family is stunned by her sudden departure but remembers her fondly as the master of the Irish Goodbye.

Calling hours will be held on Fri., Jan. 12, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Sugar Funeral Home in Fulton. There will be a private gathering for Towpath Towers residents on Jan. 13 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Community Room.

A Mass of Christian Burial and Celebration of Life will be held in the spring at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waddington, followed by a private burial at Brookside Cemetery.

Flowers may be sent to the Sugar Funeral Home. Donations can also be made to the Golden Agers of Holy Trinity Parish (Travel Fund), Attn: Mary Sugar, 309 Buffalo St., Fulton, NY 13069.