of Kenmore, New York entered into rest on December 15, 2025 at age 68. Beloved husband of 38 years to Mary Ellen (Twist) Creighton. Cherished father of Andrew (Colleen), Peter (fiancé Ariana Savich), Maureen, Katharine Hampel (Tyrus). “Papa C.” to Eleanor, Jack, Ava and Quincy Paul. Brother of Mary Creighton Pardo (James) of Atlanta, GA and Dr. Barbara Creighton (Thomas Dale) of Fairbanks, AK. Also survived by loving nieces and nephews. Family and friends may call on Friday December 19, 2025 from 4-8pm at DENGLER, ROBERTS, PERNA FUNERAL HOME, 3070 Delaware Ave. Kenmore, NY 14217. A Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 10am at St. Michael’s Church, 651 Washington St., Buffalo, NY 14203. Please assemble at church. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made by check to the Special Smiles Foundation. This organization was established by Paul and Mary Ellen Creighton to honor Paul’s legacy of providing preventative dental education and access to care for the underserved and developmentally and intellectually disabled individuals in Western New York. Fond memories and condolences may be shared at www.denglerrobertspernakenmore.com
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved President, CEO and pillar of our community, Dr. Creighton.
Dr. Creighton dedicated his life to serving our community with compassion, generosity, and unwavering commitment.
He was a visionary — creative, forward-thinking, and always looking at what could be. He saw possibilities long before anyone else did and believed in them wholeheartedly. His passion for building, improving, and strengthening everything around him pushed us all to be better and shaped the very foundation of our organization.
As most have experienced, his generosity was unparalleled; his first instinct was always to show up for others, often quietly and without any desire for recognition or expecting anything in return. Serving others wasn’t something he chose to do — it was simply who he was.
Families knew him as someone who truly cared, who listened, and who showed up at any time. His legacy lives on in the many children whose lives were made brighter because of his dedication.
We are profoundly grateful for the difference he made in our community. We will honor his life by continuing the work he cared so deeply about, knowing his impact will be felt through generations of children and their families.
Gary F. Filsinger was born in Buffalo, New York, on March 29, 1936. He graduated from Amherst Central High School in Snyder, New York, and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. There, he studied Chinese language and English literature, and was part of the English honors program. He later attended the University of Buffalo in their teaching program but left to pursue a career in acting in New York City.
Mr. Filsinger was involved in many off-off Broadway productions as both an actor and director. At the former Cafe Cino, he was involved in the original production of “Dames at Sea” with Bernadette Peters. He was also involved in children’s theater with Kay Rockefeller. Filsinger worked as an actor and served as an artistic director at the Theater at Monmouth in Maine in the late 1960s, and as artistic director of the Undercroft Players (an Actors Equity showcase theater) for 12 years in the early 2000s at Trinity Lutheran Church in New York. He later sang in opera productions at Trinity with composer and director David Clenny.
Mr. Filsinger was also employed in the communications departments at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the Reformed Church in America, and the Episcopal Church. He was a member of Actors Equity and Trinity Lutheran Church.
His great uncle William Zacharias was a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic in the 1950s, and his grandfather Martin B. Heisler ran for Congress for the Erie County area in 1930.
Mr. Filsinger is survived by his loving cousins Carol Heisler Lett and family of Williamsville, New York, and Grand Island, and other Heisler cousins in Buffalo and Rochester, and Texas, by Sandra Filsinger Hassinger and family of Florida and Buffalo, and by the family of his deceased cousin Dr. Gordon Kauderer of Williamsville; by his longtime partner and former spouse, David Clenny, of New York City; and by his sister, Cheryl Filsinger Held, and brother-in-law George Held, of Bronxville, New York, and Sag Harbor, New York. His parents, Frederick Harold Filsinger and Erna Heisler Filsinger, predeceased him. Mr. Filsinger’s earliest ancestors in America were Mennonites in Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.
Annette Marie (nee Valvo) Healy 81, a loving mother, devoted friend, and dedicated educator, passed away on Monday, November 24, 2025, at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Indiana. Born on July 12, 1944, in Buffalo, New York, Annette was the daughter of Jennie G. (née Leone) and Anthony F. Valvo. She graduated from Amherst Central High School in 1962 and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Fredonia State University of New York. She later achieved a Master’s degree in English from the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, reflecting her lifelong love of learning and the arts. In 1969, Annette married Daniel Healy at St. Joseph University Parish in Buffalo. They shared 56 years of marriage, a testament to their enduring love and dedication to one another. Annette is lovingly remembered by her husband, Daniel; their three children, Jennifer Healy Johnson (Jamie), Rachel Healy (Todd Rosenthal), and Brendan Healy; and grandchildren, Sophia Johnson and Samuel Johnson. She is also survived by members of the extended Healy family, Patrick J. Healy (Carol), John F. Healy (Theresa), and Margaret Redmond (Daniel), along with several nieces and nephews. Lifelong friendships enriched her life, including bonds of over 70 years with Linda Toomey (Mike) and Pam Henrich (John). She was preceded in death by her parents and her godmother, Rose M. Aquilina (née Leone). Her Sicilian heritage includes the Leone, Cerasa, Chiavetta, Gennuso, and LaDuca families. The family will receive relatives and friends on Tuesday, December 2nd, at the GRECO FUNERAL HOME, 2909 Elmwood Ave. (near Sheridan Dr). A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 3rd, at St. Joseph University Parish, 3269 Main St., Buffalo. Share condolences at www.grecofuneral.com.
Susan T. Jarosz, 83, of Liverpool, NY passed away on Monday, September 9th, grateful for her long life and the enrichment brought to it by her loving parents, husband, son, grandchildren and special friends.
Born June 13, 1941, in Albany, NY, daughter of the late Charles Henry and Ruth (Tilton) Thierolf, Susan Elizabeth grew up in New Hartford, NY. As an only child, much of her early entertainment stemmed from pretend friends’ reading and signing out books from her play bedroom library. Once in school, she learned to love music, especially piano, and, of all instruments, the French horn, and remained pretty loyal to both through college. Each focus became a strong predictor of Susan’s life interests.
Upon graduation from New Hartford High School in 1959, she attended the University of Rochester that did wonders to broaden Susan’s world through its educational offerings, its practice teaching stint at West Irondequoit High School and her active involvement in the Women’s Student government, the University Marching Band, and Gamma Phi Sorority. Receipt of the school’s Golden R Award and membership in D’Lions were the final coup before her AB degree in English in 1963. Additional study came from a summer course in 18th century literature in Edinburgh, Scotland and from a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Brown University in 1965 where she met her future husband, Theodore Francis Jarosz. They married in Utica on August 12, 1967.
Susan was then prepared to realize her childhood, make-believe classroom as she began a near-thirty-year career teaching secondary school English in Greece, NY; Snyder, NY; and Liverpool, NY, an “assignment” she truly enjoyed and reluctantly left, especially after receiving the honor of one of Liverpool High School teachers of the year. While at Liverpool, she also was elected to the international education honorary Phi Delta Kappa. As a retiree, she worked with Literacy Volunteers and was an active member of the English-Speaking Union’s Syracuse Branch where she served as secretary and, for ten years, as co-chair of its Shakespeare Committee which organized the Branch’s annual Shakespeare Competition for area high school students.
Susan’s life was truly enhanced by her husband’s love of travel. Being there suddenly enlarged the teacher’s usual book experiences. And the places for Susan were amazing; she traveled widely in Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America.
Susan is very much a product of her church, Tabernacle Baptist Church of Utica. Her father drove her regularly to Sunday school and the two of them were baptized together when she was twelve. In that same church she and Ted were married and their only child Benjamin was dedicated. The three of them became members of Liverpool’s The United Church of Christ. Ben attended their Sunday school classes and went to their nursery school. Susan served on the boards of this school and that of the neighboring public grade school.
Grateful for her marriage of 57 years, Ted and she continued Susan’s and her parents’ love of the dachshund and an almost yearly trip to Cape Cod and were blessed that their son Benjamin Charles, his wife Kristine Hinesley, and our incredibly wonderful grandchildren, Rebecca Elizabeth and Benjamin Chase, from Houston, shared our enthusiasm.
Friends are invited to a viewing on Friday, September 13, 2024 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at Maurer Funeral Home, Inc. 300 Second Street, Liverpool, NY 13088, followed by a brief service at 6:00 pm.
Interment will take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at 10:30 am in Crown Hill Memorial Park, Clinton, NY.
John Allen Schriver, a pioneering and pathbreaking physician, hobby enthusiast, beloved father, grandfather, and sibling, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on 30 October 2025 at the age of 88. The cause was complications from Parkinson’s Disease.
John Schriver was born on 11 August 1937, in Buffalo, New York, to James and Mary Schriver. The eldest of six children, he naturally embraced the responsibilities of an older sibling, a role he carried with him throughout his life. Though his family lived with modest means, his childhood was filled with the warmth of a loving and supportive home, close-knit neighborhood friendships, and a deep love of baseball.
John’s youth was also marked by moments of adventure. He played catcher for a local baseball team that advanced to a national tournament in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At sixteen, he and a friend embarked on an unforgettable escapade—quietly slipping out in the middle of the night to drive his friend’s family car across the country to California and back. Years later, he would bring his own children to the very spot where he first laid eyes on the Pacific Ocean, sharing with them the wonder of that moment.
John graduated from Amherst Central High School in Buffalo, New York, in 1955, where he became the first recipient of the school’s Most Distinguished Alumni Award. He went on to attend Bethany College in Wheeling, West Virginia, earning a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and graduating cum laude in 1959. Bethany later honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Award as well.
During his time at Bethany, John was an active member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and remained dedicated to his academic goals, especially his aspiration to enter medical school. In his sophomore year, he met Sarah “Sally” Carman Kelly. The two dated throughout college and were married in 1960. Their marriage, which lasted fourteen years, was blessed with three children: daughters Leslie and Lynn, and son Randy.
After completing his undergraduate studies, John attended the State University of New York School of Medicine in Buffalo on a Navy scholarship where he was one of six graduates elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He earned his M.D. in 1963 and went on to complete his internship at St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens, New York. Shortly thereafter, he embarked on a brief but impactful career as a flight surgeon in the United States Navy, a period that would yield some of his most cherished memories and lifelong friendships.
Following a training assignment in Pensacola, Florida, he was stationed with VP-28, a P-3 squadron based in Barbers Point, Hawaii. During his time with the squadron, he supported two deployments: one to Adak, Alaska, and another to Sangley Point in the Philippines. While in the Philippines, VP-28 flew “Market Time” missions off the coast of Vietnam during the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
After rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander (LCDR), John resigned his commission in 1968 to pursue a career in private medical practice.
During his time in the Navy, John made a couple of stopovers in the state of Oregon and he became captivated with its natural beauty and lifestyle. He and Sally decided to start his post Navy career there and they relocated to Beaverton, Oregon. It was at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon that he completed his Residency in Internal Medicine and where he was appointed Chief Resident. After three years, he moved his family to Salem, Oregon and joined a private family medical practice.
After John and Sally divorced, he made a decision that would set the trajectory for the rest of his professional life—one that would ultimately influence the broader field of medicine. Although originally board-certified in internal medicine, John chose to pursue advanced specialty training in emergency and critical care medicine at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine, home to one of the first academic departments of Critical Care Medicine in the United States. He went on to become one of the first physicians in the nation to earn board certification in both Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. This marked the beginning of a career in which he would help shape and define the emerging field of emergency medicine itself.
John was hired to become the Founding Member and first Chief of Emergency Medicine and Critical Care at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon in 1976. Having already played a role in Los Angeles at USC in creating the modern emergency response system involving the 9-1-1 call and the ambulance response, he continued to innovate in Portland. He established the Emergency Medicine Residency, the Oregon Poison Control and Drug Information Center, the School of Paramedic Training, the Pacific Northwest Emergency Medical Communications Center and fellowships in research, ultrasound, and pre-hospital care. Early in this appointment, Dr. Schriver established the third independent academic Section of Emergency Medicine in the country. The Emergency Medicine Library, Oregon Heath Sciences University was dedicated to and named after Dr. John A. Schriver.
While in Portland he married Alana Jay “AJ” O’Conner. They remained married for fourteen years and were blessed to adopt John’s fourth child Angela in 1985.
John then had the opportunity to take the lessons learned from Oregon and apply them to Yale University School of Medicine when he was appointed the Founding Member and first Chief of Emergency Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1991. He is therefore unique in the history of emergency medicine in the United States having established two academic departments of emergency medicine.
John had subsequent service as Chief of Emergency Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY (2004-2010), at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Suite, George Washington University Hospital, Washington DC (2010-2015) and at the Saudi Military Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2011) where he established the country’s first Hospitalist Service. Along the way he mentored and trained many of the country’s top emergency medicine and critical care physicians. John had a distinguished and nationally recognized career in medicine.
Known to his fraternity brothers as “Foggy John” because his mind was forever buried in a medical or history book, John carried a lifelong love of reading. He was an original and an engaging, witty raconteur who delighted in sharing stories of the many humorous moments in his life. His passion for his hobbies ran deep, especially his interest and fascination with World War II, a period he came to know with the expertise of a true aficionado. Over the years, he amassed a personal library of more than 6,000 volumes and collected a remarkable array of memorabilia from the era.
John was also an avid baseball fan, the Cardinals were his team, though he often chose to watch Yankees games instead—finding even greater joy in seeing the Yankees lose than in watching his beloved Cardinals win. It gave him countless opportunities to shake his head and repeat one of his favorite declarations: “The Yankees just don’t play fundamental baseball.”
He was an impactful and imaginative father and grandfather. His children and grandchildren remember not only his life and career advice such as never make a big decision after the sun has gone down, recognize a good job and keep it, and always carry a twenty-dollar bill in your wallet, but also remember his fun side. They recall him “struggling” to keep the car from veering into the local ice cream shop (a battle he conveniently “lost” every time), playing the “close your eyes game” while driving past the Pixieland amusement park, making pony-neighing noises at birthdays as if one were hiding in the back, and inventing countless humorous road-trip games and songs. John had a genuine, wholehearted enthusiasm for every sporting event, concert, and performance his family participated in.
John is preceded in death by his parents, and siblings Betty and Albert. He is survived by his siblings Joberta, Linda, and Margo, his children Leslie, Lynn, Randy and Angela, his sons-in-law Ernst, Greg and Jessy, his daughter-in-law Jordan, seven grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service for John is planned for Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Sleepy Hollow Presbyterian Church in San Anselmo, California.
Tiger Tracks 