Entered into heaven after a short-term illness. Devoted father of Joseph “Joey” Michael Szafranski Jr.. Beloved son of Joseph E. and Susan (nee Kibler) Szafranski. Brother of Megan (Paul) Gillikin. Also survived by a supportive family including aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Joseph attended Amherst High School and Canisius College. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Health Sciences. He was employed by CBP as an Entry Specialist. Joseph loved the Bills, Sabres and Yankees. He enjoyed music of all kinds and loved to cook. He had the ability to see beauty in the simple things in life. Joseph had a generous heart and a kind spirit. His smile lit up a room. He had an amazing group of friends he considered brothers but the light of his life was his son, Joey. Joey made his dad so proud through his scholastic success and athletic achievements. The memories they made are eternal. Joseph would be happy if everyone was always kind to each other and remembered it is a wonderful world. All are invited to celebrate the life of Joseph Michael Szafranski at a Mass of Christian burial on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 30 Lamarck Dr. (at Main St.) Amherst, N.Y. 14226. Online condolences may be shared at www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com.
Thomas Francis Valleau, 88, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2025, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House surrounded by loved ones. Tom lived a full life that was guided by his commitment to public service, his love for family and friends, and an adventurous spirit.
Born in 1936 in Elizabeth, N.J., Tom was one of four children of Helen (Beard) and T. Frank Valleau and spent most of his childhood in Buffalo, N.Y. Seeking adventure after high school graduation, he moved to Aspen, Colo., where he became a ski bum, tended bar at the famous Hotel Jerome, and earned a degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.
After graduating from college, and in true Tom fashion, he embarked on a year-long globe-trotting adventure with his friend, Rex. Their travels began aboard a Japanese freighter to Yokohama, followed by a steamship to Peninsular Malaysia and a cargo ship across the Bay of Bengal to Calcutta, India. From there, they journeyed over 3,200 miles by motorcycle, passing through Kathmandu on their way to Beirut, Lebanon. Tom’s letters home from this trip are remarkable to read and the perspective he gained seemed to shape the way he lived the rest of his life, instilling in him dogged determination to keep moving forward and embrace life’s twists and turns.
Upon returning to the United States, Tom moved to Philadelphia, Pa. and in 1966 married the love of his life, Patricia Thompson. Tom and Patty, along with their two daughters, eventually settled in Portland, where they lived in the close-knit Rosemont neighborhood for nearly 50 years.
Tom began his career as head of Portland’s Urban Renewal Authority and later served in several municipal roles during a transformative period for the city. He played a pivotal role in modernizing Portland’s airport and seaport operations, bringing the city its first cruise ship, expanding airport terminals, and helping to develop the Portland Fish Pier and Fish Exchange. After 28 years of service to the City of Portland, Tom continued his career as head of the North Atlantic Ports Association. Throughout his 50-year career, he attributed his successes to working with smart people whose advice he valued deeply, many of whom became lifelong friends.
Tom’s commitment to public service extended beyond his career, volunteering on many civic boards. One of his most meaningful board roles was with the Portland Housing Authority, where he was especially proud to have spearheaded a scholarship program for residents of public housing in Portland to pursue higher education. Tom’s family is honored to share the PHA scholarship that has been formally re-named the Thomas Valleau Scholarship Program.
Tom’s inquisitive nature led him to develop many hobbies. Each summer, he and Patty sailed for weeks to the far reaches of Down East, Maine. He navigated with precision in an era before GPS, using his meticulous logbooks and what he referred to as “dead reckoning.” These voyages produced friendships that lasted through the decades. When advancing age made sailing impractical, Tom turned his focus to golf. He joined a dedicated group of early-morning golfers at Riverside Golf Course. His lofty goal was that his golf score be lower than his age, but this only happened once when he proudly shot a 78 at the age of 80. He always pushed his own clubs, even in his late 80s. His favorite golf partners were his grandsons Ben, Sam, and Charlie.
Tom was a lifelong student of poker and chess, an avid reader and library patron, a daily exerciser, a talented writer who colorfully chronicled his life journeys, and a proudly frugal Mainer who could engineer a fix for just about anything. Tom had a life-long affection for cats, a trait he passed on to his only granddaughter, Blake. A self-taught craftsman, his favorite creation was an elegant wooden rowboat that he christened, the Mary Patricia, in loving tribute to his wife, Patty. Tom took every opportunity to travel and never lost his sense of wanderlust. He and Patty traveled extensively, with their favorite destination being a simple cottage on Sanibel Island that they returned to year after year.
Tom was a steady, grounding presence to his daughters and to Patty, standing firmly by her side for 58 years until her recent passing on March 4.
He is survived by devoted daughters Laura (and Tim) Healey of Nottingham, N.H., and Megan (and Jeff) Austin of Brunswick; his four beloved grandchildren, Ben Healey, Sam Healey, Blakely Austin, and Charlie Austin; his fellow grandparent, Linda Austin of Yarmouth; his sister, Helen “Peachy” Thielke of New York, his brother, David Valleau of Florida; several nieces and nephews; his sister-in-law, Judy Oltmanns of Ohio; and innumerable friends he gathered and held close over the years.
He was predeceased by his sister, Beth Schultz.
Tom often expressed gratitude for the life he lived and wanted readers of his obituary to know he left this world as “a grateful man.” His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the beautiful city he helped shape.
The family invites you to a time of visitation on Saturday May 24 from 1 to 2 p.m, followed immediately by a Celebration of Life and a reception at Jones, Rich & Barnes Funeral Home, 199 Woodford St., Portland.
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.
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Tiger Tracks 