Obituaries

Floyd Joseph "Joe" Vickery, 84, much beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend, passed away peacefully December 31, 2014, at the Oswego Hospital following a short illness.

His residence was 48 Skyline Dr., Oswego. One of eight children, Joe was born on April 16, 1930 at home in Scriba, NY. He was the son of Marguerite Pilon Vickery and Floyd A. Vickery and was a life long resident of the area. He graduated in 1948 from Oswego High School where he was a member of the boxing and baseball teams. After High School, Joe worked as a Meat cutter at Meiner's Meat Market. In 1951, he married his wife Gwen and they celebrated their 63 wedding on May 19, 2014.

Joe was a Korean War Veteran serving in Germany for two years. Upon his honorable discharge he continued his employment with Meiners Market. In 1962 he took a position with Alroll, Inc., later becoming Alcan Aluminum Co., where he held a number of job titles during his 24 years of service. He took early retirement in 1986, holding the position of production Control Supervisor at that time.

He was a life Member of the Oswego Elks Lodge #271 and was often found cooking at their annual July 4th BBQ's. Bowling and golfing were activities he enjoyed and he participated in many leagues. In younger years Joe played softball in Oswego. As a family, he and Gwen and their son and daughter were members of the Oswego Figure Skating Club and participated in the Club's yearly ice shows.

In 1993, Joe won the N.Y. State Elk's Bowling Tournament All-Events and defended his title at the National Tournament in Mobile, Alabama. For Twenty years he organized the Oswego/Canada Alcan International bowling tournament working with his Canadian Counterparts. He was for many years, secretary of two bowling leagues at his winter resort in Mesa, Arizona, and was honored to be accepted into the Oswego bowling Hall of Fame.

Enjoying all kinds of music, he and Gwen frequently attended live concerts, plays and musicals. They travelled for outings with St. Joseph's Golden Ages and Scriba Senior Citizens group.

After his wife's retirement in 1989, together they spent a numerous number of winters in Florida. Later in 1994, they travelled West to Arizona where they bought a winter home. Joe loved the mountains where he hiked often and spent time on the lakes and in the desert. He kept busy at the resort with its many weekly activities, always volunteering in on way or the other.

In 2000, to celebrate their upcoming 50th wedding anniversary in 2001, they took a 53 day, 9,000 mile road trip across the U.S. and Canada visiting all the National Parks and historic sites, many for a second time having driven across the Country over forty times.

Joe was never one to be idle and sit around. He was thrilled to begin a project be it for his family or a friend who sought his advice. And he had many friends and he wore many hats in the construction field. It was a "hobby" he loved. Still, there was always time for family and friens. He showed his love for you by what he could do for you.

For over ten years Harborfest counted on Joe Vickery for supervising its park setups and tear downs and other critical duties.

Joe was a Christian by faith and was a member of the Newman Center Catholic Community in Oswego working with its poverty committee and cooking at their Salvation Army monthly breakfasts.

Survivors include his wife Gwen, daughter Kathy (Patrick) Vickery-O'Leary of Oswego; son Michael (Fiancé Donna Snyder) Vickery of LeMoyne, Pa; grandchildren include Dee Dee (David) Plummer, of Mooresville, N.C.; Casey (Jason) Towne, of Oswego; Patrick (Rui) Conaway, of Yamagata, Japan; Veronica (Troy) Meek, and Kristina Vickery, both of LeMoyne, Pa; Great-grandchildren include Jordan and Nicholas Plummer, Aiden and Brandy Towne, Tyler Conaway and Ethan Meek; also two sisters, Teresa Dunsmoor of Oswego and Mary Margaret Inch of Fulton; a brother, Francis "Chick" (Linda) Vickery; a sister-in-law, Shirley (Buck) Griggs of Anaheim, CA; several nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents he was predeceased in death by his sisters Rose Marshall, Dorothy Burdick, Ruth Wallace and a brother Donald "Pete" Vickery.

The family wishes to express its gratitude to the 2nd floor Rehab staff at Seneca Hill Manor and to the doctors and nurses at Oswego Hospital who cared for Joe over the past four months.

Visitation will be held 2-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at the Nelson Funeral Home, 11 West Albany St. Oswego.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at the Newman Center Chapel of the Holy Spirit on April 16, 2015 at 9:30 a.m.

Joe's ashes will be placed in his vault at All-Saints Mausoleum, St. Peter's Cemetery at the convenience of the family.

Remembrance gifts may be made in Joe's name to the Newman Center's Poverty Committee c/o Michael Huynh, Director of Campus Ministry, 36 New St. Oswego, NY.