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Alice Esther Caneen
BEMIDJI, MN - Alice Esther Caneen, formerly of Portville and Olean, passed away Wednesday (Feb. 2, 2011) at the Gold Pine Home in Bemidji, MN.
In spite of a long-term physical handicap, Alice's spirit remained strong to the end.
Born Jan. 9, 1920, in Gold, PA, she was the daughter of the late Merle and Mildred (Gardner) Scoville. Alice's mother passed away at the age of 22, two weeks after Alice's birth. Since her widowed father, Merle, was a young farmhand and already had two of Alice's older siblings, he asked her grandparents, Willare (Allen) and Carrie Gardner to raise her as their own.
On Nov. 23, 1939, Alice married Leon Marden Caneen in Portville, NY. They were married 62 years until his death in February 2002. Alice and Leon first live in Olean, NY. As World War II approached, they moved their family to the Buffalo, NY area, having resided in Kenmore, Tonawanda and Williamsville.
Alice was a stay-at-home mother and homemaker. She believed that being a mother was a privilege and an honor and took great pride in her motherly labors of love, In retrospect, Alice once commented that she had tried to be the "mother" her own mother might have been, had she not died at 22.
When her children were raised and on their own, she worked full-time as a realty facilitator at the Brothers Nursing Home in Williamsville and later became a real estate agent for Century 21 in Williamsville. In 1982, Alice and Leon retired in Stafford Springs, CT. After a few years of retirement, Alice joined her husband as a lease car driver for McCullough Auto Leasing Co. They lived in Evergreen Nursing Home in Entfield, CT.
Upon her husband's death, Alice moved to Bemidji, where she lived with her son Robert and his family for four years. She then moved to Gold Pine Assisted Living Home. She enjoyed reading biographies, playing cards, cooking family dinners in her own home, farm animals, camping and especially weekend family road trips.
She is survived by a daughter, Sylvia Dianne (Harvey) Taub of Cicero, NY; three sons, Joseph Allen (Cindy) Caneen of Stafford Springs, CT, Timothy Scott (Jane) Caneen of Deep River, CT, and Robert Leon (Mary) Caneen of Bemidji; 10 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, Alice was predeceased by her parents, siblings, maternal and fraternal grandparents.
The family will receive friends Saturday (April 16, 2011) at the Johnson Chapel in Chestnut Hill Cemetery in Portville, NY, from 1 to 2 p.m., at which time a funeral service will be held. Pastor Rusty Horning will officiate.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Guenther Funeral Home, Inc. 51 S. Main St., Portville, NY.
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