STANLEY SALAMON

Stanley Henry Salamon (Stan) of Rotterdam, passed peacefully to eternal life surrounded by his family at home on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, following a courageous battle with cancer. He was 84. Stan was born March 23, 1926, in Schenectady, to the late Peter and Sadie (Dawidowicz) Salamon. He attended Schenectady area schools, and while in his senior year at Mont Pleasant High School, enlisted in the U.S. Navy under the deferred enlistment program. In 1944 Stanley received his high school diploma while in uniform. While serving in the Navy, Stan attended Radio/Aviation School and upon graduation was transferred to Cuddahy Field in Corpus Christie, Texas, where he served as a communication instructor in charge of the field training unit. Stan was released from the Navy and discharged in 1946. On June 5, 1954, Stan was united in marriage to Alice Lawrence in Schenectady, New York. Stan was employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for 30 years before retiring in 1982. While employed by the FAA, Stan installed equipment to maintain the airways in 15 eastern states. In 1972 he was transferred to the Albany Field Office, and later that year transferred to the Albany Sector Office where he was in charge of evaluating and troubleshooting the navigational aids from the manufacturer for the entire Northeast. His job required that Stan attend FAA Navigation Academy in Oklahoma City to stay current with new navigation equipment for the entire Northeast Sector. In 1954, while at St. Columba's Church in Schenectady, Stan was a member of the first Bishop's Appeal Committee. Stan moved to Rotterdam in 1963 and became a member of St. Gabriel's Catholic Church. There he was a past president and member of the men's club as well as an usher and vice president of the ushers group. He served on the bereavement committee and the religious education committee. Stan was an avid NY Giants and NY Rangers fan and was active in amateur sports with the basketball and softball teams at St. Adalbert's RC, the softball team at PNA, and basketball with the championship Mont Pleasant YMCA Buddy League Team of 1944. Stan enjoyed gourmet cooking, and vacationing with his family at Sacandaga Lake, the timeshare in Williamsburg,VA, and with his children and grandchildren at the beach in the Outer Banks. Stan took pride in being coach, manager and vice president of the Rotterdam Little League. One of his greatest joys was being coach of his grandson Joshua's Pine Bush Little League team. Stan will be remembered most for his love of family, quick contagious smile, brilliantly executed practical jokes, and the levity he brought to all who had occasion to meet him. Stan is survived by his wife, Alice; his son, Brian and wife, Karen (Ondrick); his son, Jeffrey and wife, Nancy (Testo); and Stan's brother-in-law, Larry Lawrence in New York; five grandchildren, Joshua Salamon, Elizabeth (Salamon) Hogan and husband, Sean, Emily and Zackary Salamon, and Alexander Ondrick. Stan is also survived by nieces, nephews, and many friends. In addition to his parents, Stan was preceded in death by three brothers, John of Amsterdam NY, Edward of Mt. Laurel NJ, and Thadeus of Cerritos, CA and four sisters, Caroline Bush, Jean Picket, Irene Malewicz and Agnes Siaskiewicz, all from the Schenectady area. A Memorial Mass for Stan will be held on Friday, 10 a.m., at St. Gabriel's Catholic Church, 3040 Hamburg Street, Rotterdam, New York. Entombment will follow at Saratoga National Cemetery, Schuylerville, NY. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to The Community Hospice of Schenectady. The Salamon Family would like to thank the following for their help and support: Betsy, Sue, Debbie, Sue, and Dr. Schumacher at the Dialysis Center on the McClellan Campus at Ellis Hospital; the warm and caring staff of The Community Hospice of Schenectady; and three very terrific doctors who so kindly cared for Stan: Dr. Cindy Chan, Dr. Page Salinger, and Dr. Kenneth Coleman.