Julia E. Damkoehler

1927 - 2020

Damkoehler, Julia E. PISECO Julia E. Damkoehler, 92, formerly of Coeymans and Piseco, N.Y., died on March 22, 2020, at FoltsBrook Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Herkimer. Miss Damkoehler, known to her friends and family as Judy, was born on June 5, 1927, in Montclair, N.J., daughter of the late Richard and Helen (Murphy) Damkoehler. She graduated from Montclair High School and Wellesley College. Judy taught school at the Albany Academy for Girls for 29 years. She was a lifelong summer resident of Piseco and resided there permanently since her retirement in 1987. Her grandfather, Starr J. Murphy, was one of the founders of The Piseco Company that founded the Irondequoit Club (now Inn) in Piseco in 1892. She moved to FoltsBrook Center in Herkimer in 2019. Judy was very active in the Piseco community and known to many throughout the Adirondacks. She worked at the Irondequoit Club in Piseco during summers while in college. After retiring to Piseco, she was an enthusiastic participant in community organizations and events, including the Piseco Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, the Piseco Historical Society and the Piseco Book Club. She also served as the historian for the Town of Arietta for many years and was a strong supporter of the Adirondack Museum. She was a director of The Piseco Company for decades, and for much of that time served as the company secretary, a volunteer position. An avid outdoorswoman, Judy enjoyed hiking and canoeing throughout the southern Adirondacks. She was a skilled nature photographer, using her pictures, appropriate for each month, in calendars she shared at Christmas. She could spot wildflowers as easily from the car as from hiking, and would stop to photograph them closely. Judy had a wide circle of friends from her college days, from teaching at Albany Academy, her association with the Irondequoit Inn, and neighbors in the Piseco area. Judy kept in close contact people through daily telephone calls, letters, pictures and birthday cards. Survivors include a nephew, Richard F. Damkoehler III (Debby) of Wagoner, Okla.; great-niece, Melissa; and great-nephew, Patrick. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brother, Richard F. Damkoehler Jr.; her beloved aunts, Dorothy and Margaret; and two special long-time friends, Mr. Sam Prentiss and Miss Thoreau Raymond. She stayed in touch with several generations of cousins with roots from her days growing up in Montclair, many that still visit Piseco from across the country. Judy was a Quaker and a member of the Albany Friends Meeting. A Quaker memorial service will be held in Piseco in late July. Donations in memory of Judy may be made to the Piseco Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary (checks written to "PVFD Aux") and mailed to the PVFD Auxiliary, c/o Marie Buanno (Treasurer), 143 Haskell Road, Piseco, NY, 12139. Arrangements are entrusted to Autenrith Funeral Home, Newport. Online tributes may be shared at www.autenrithfuneral.com.