Dr. Robert Lee Conschafter, a chiropractor for 60 years, died July 6 following a short illness, four days before his 93rd birthday.
He had continued seeing patients in his office on Harlem Road in Cheektowaga until he was 90.
Born in Buffalo, the younger of two boys, he was the son of Dr. Victor S. Conschafter and Mildred Weber Conschafter. His father, a chiropractor with a clinic on Humboldt Parkway, developed a visualizing device to help treat spinal problems.
He played drums in the marching band at Amherst High School, where he graduated in 1948, and was right tackle on the school’s undefeated football team his senior year.
At Bowling Green State University in Ohio, where he earned a degree in 1952, he played in the Army ROTC marching band and was corresponding secretary of his fraternity, Sigma Chi. He and a classmate, Joan Thompson, were married Dec. 27, 1952, in Cleveland.
Commissioned as an Army officer when he graduated, he served as an intelligence officer in I Corps Artillery with the 159th Field Artillery Battalion in the Korean War and attained the rank of first lieutenant.
Returning from service, he enrolled at his father’s alma mater, Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa. Both he and his older brother William became associates in their father’s clinic.
Dr. Conschafter was a former vice chairman of the board of New York State Chiropractic College, now Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls, and a member of the New York State Chiropractic Association, District 17, and the New York State Chiropractic Council, District 8.
He received an outstanding service award from the Regents of the State of New York Board of Chiropractic in 1997. He also was honored as Chiropractor of the Year in 1994 and was given the Pioneer Award in 2013 for his service to the profession.
A Clarence and Amherst resident since the early 1970s, he was a member of the Park Country Club for more than 50 years and captain of the usher team at Calvary Episcopal Church. He also a member of the Crystal Beach, Ont., Tennis & Yacht Club for many years and the Buffalo Yacht Club. He was a former member of the board of directors of the Kiwanis Club of Buffalo.
In addition to his wife, a retired Williamsville elementary school teacher, survivors include two sons, Jeffrey and Bradley; a daughter, Sally Porter; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Another son, Dr. David Conschafter, who had a chiropractic office in his father’s building, died in 2017. His brother William died in 1992.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. July 29 in Calvary Episcopal Church, 20 Milton St., Williamsville.
There’s been lots of smiles all season from Texas catcher Jonah Heim, left, who celebrates with right fielder and fellow All-Star Adolis Garcia after the Rangers closed a 10-inning victory last month against the New York Yankees. John Minchillo, associated press
(By Mike Harrington – The Buffalo News) The Pride of Amherst High has a tattoo of the Buffalo skyline on his arm and has carried it deep in the heart of Texas to a regular role in the major leagues.
But the 2023 season has turned into much more than that for Rangers catcher Jonah Heim.
Texas is the surprise leader of the American League West Division, by two games over the defending World Series champion Houston Astros, and Heim has been voted as a starter in his first All-Star Game on Tuesday in Seattle.
He’s the first player from a Western New York high school to make the game since Philadelphia’s Dave Hollins (Orchard Park) doubled in his lone at-bat of the 1993 game in Baltimore.
“It’s exciting, I don’t think it’s truly set in yet,” Heim told Texas reporters last week.
The lineups revealed Monday show that Heim will bat ninth and catch AL starter Gerrit Cole of the Yankees in the midsummer classic at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.
The 28-year-old trailed Baltimore star Adley Rutschman by more than 300,000 votes in the first phase of voting but finished second to be named a finalist. Votes then reset to zero and Heim won Phase Two, 52% to 48%.
“I was pleasantly surprised, because usually guys that are relatively new to the league don’t get that much recognition,” said longtime Bisons radio/TV analyst Duke McGuire, who saw Heim’s entire high school career at Amherst while working as an attendance officer at the school. “But this year was totally different. There’s young guys on his team and a lot got voted in. You think about it and I wasn’t shocked because he’s having that kind of year.”
It was a long flight from Washington, D.C., to Washington State on Sunday night for the game, and Heim has traveled a long road in his career to get there.
Heim was a former Western New York Player of the Year who spurned a collegiate career at Michigan State after the Orioles made him a fourth round pick in 2013, the year he graduated from Amherst. He spent seven years in the minors – five in Class A ball – and was traded to Tampa Bay and Oakland before finally breaking through with the Athletics thanks to solid performances at Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas.
Heim made his major league debut for the Oakland A’s during the pandemic season of 2020, batting .211 in 13 games, before he was traded to Texas in the offseason. He played in 82 games with the Rangers in 2021, batting .196 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs.
One of the highlights of Heim’s season was a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays in Sahlen Field, where he had watched many Bisons games as a child. With dozens of family and friends in the crowd, Heim got lots of applause that weekend and even delighted a big Friday night house with a base hit in the first major-league game by a Western New York native in Buffalo since 1915.
Heim played 127 games last year, batting .227 with 16 homers and 48 RBIs, but the weight of the long season came through as he batted just .147 over August and September. He has been a full-marks All-Star this year, batting .282 with 12 homers and already blasting past his career high with 59 RBIs.
The 6-foot-4 Heim leads all MLB catchers in batting, home runs, RBIs and doubles (20), and is second in hits (82), slugging (.474) and OPS (.812). He’s fourth overall in the AL with a .408 average with runners in scoring position.
You want consistency? Heim batted .303 in March/April, .265 in May, .272 in June and is at .320 in July.
“Learning from experience was the biggest thing for me,” Heim said last week in a reference to his slump at the end of last season. “To know what a full 162 (-game season) takes on your body and mental stability, I’ve learned from that.”
The Rangers have a franchise-record five starters in the game, with Heim joined by infielders Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung and outfielder Adolis Garcia. They got off to a 40-20 start and although they have tailed off recently, they still lead MLB in runs and remain solidly in a playoff spot under new manager Bruce Bochy.
“I think the numbers speak for themselves,” Bochy said of Heim heading into the second phase of voting. “That’s pretty strong evidence that this man should be considered to start the All-Star Game. He’s leading a staff and doing a very good job. I think you look at the defensive metrics and where he’s hitting in the order (No. 6), with the damage he’s done … That’s not being biased, it’s just looking at the numbers.”
Behind the plate, the numbers are also impressive. Heim’s catching strike rate of 50.4% is fifth among MLB catchers, according to MLB Statcast. The team ERA of 3.78 with Heim catching is more than a run better than the 21 games when he has not been behind the plate, and he has thrown out 31% of runners trying to steal. That’s third in the AL with at least 10 outs made.
“An old catcher, so you know he appreciates what Heim can do behind the plate,” McGuire said of Bochy, who led the San Francisco Giants to World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. “Jonah is just so soft with his hands and just massages balls into the strike zone. That’s why I hope they don’t go to ABS (Automatic Balls and Strikes) because it will lose a good piece of his value right there in framing pitches.”
From his earliest days in the minor leagues, organizations always valued Heim’s defensive ability. He had a big body and a big arm and it was just a matter of his bat catching up.
“He was a lot of at-bats behind because a lot of those guys play year round in other parts of the country,” McGuire said. “He was a switch-hitter and people knew he was a real athlete. Played pretty decent basketball too. As a catcher, his receiving is off the charts and he’s got a cannon for an arm.
“I usually follow his at-bats every day, and slid a little bit but now he’s back up over .280 again. He’s been so consistent all year long and he’s driving in a ton of runs.”
The Rangers have 12 tough games to open the second half, with threegame series against Cleveland, Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston. But after losing 94 and 102 games, respectively, the last two seasons, they’re quickly back in the hunt for the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2016.
“It all started in spring training when ‘Boch’ came in and gave that speech about all of us playing as one,” Heim said last week. “I think we all took it to heart and now we’ve shown we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
Died peacefully on Saturday, July 1, 2023 after a brief period of declining health. She was 98 years old. Beloved wife of the late Richard C. Lyons, Jr. Loving mother of Karen Lyons (Steve) Goodman, Mary (late Mark) Stein, Melissa Lyons Eyeington, Richard N. (Sheila) Lyons, Jennifer Lyons Greco and the late Catherine A. Lyons. Cherished grandmother of 14 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Devoted sister of Patricia Fornes, and the late Alice Anderson. Friends may call Friday, July 7, 2023 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM at PERNA, DENGLER, ROBERTS FUNERAL HOME, 1671 Maple Rd, Williamsville, New York 14221. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered Saturday, July 8, 2023, 9:00 AM at St. Benedict RC Church, 1317 Eggert Rd., Eggertsville, New York. Peggy, the second of three sisters, was born on May 27, 1925 to Herbert S. and Catherine Nielsen in Buffalo and was a lifelong Snyder resident. She was a graduate of the Amherst High School Class of 1943, where she was on the synchronized swim team. She attended Denison University. During WWII, she returned to Snyder and worked as a dental assistant. She married Richard C. Lyons, Jr. and together they raised six children. They were active members of St. Benedict Church, where Peggy was a Eucharistic minister, a member of the Rosary Altar Society, and a member of both the Ladies Golf and Bowling Leagues. She and her husband co-chaired many events over the years, such as the Canisius College Regents Ball and Canisius High School Gambit. Childhood summers at her family home in Angola instilled in her a lifelong love of water and swimming.
Peggy never met an ocean, lake, river, or pool she didn’t eagerly dive into. Everyone was welcome at the Lyons family pool for weekly Sunday gatherings. She was a 50+ year member of the Park Country Club, where she was an avid golfer and swimmer. She was also a competitive card player in her long-standing Bridge Club. Another highlight of Peggy’s life was her service to others. For more than 20 years, until the age of 93, she worked every Tuesday at the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen in Buffalo. She loved everyone she worked with and served there. She worked with special needs children at The Children’s League in Springville, NY. She was also a dedicated volunteer at the Amherst chapter of Meals on Wheels. Peggy was known for her sunny disposition and being a friend to all. She will be dearly missed. Flowers gratefully declined. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Benedict School, for the Kara Stein Scholarship Fund, 3980 Main Street, Eggertsville, NY 14226.
Webster: 9/16/1954-6/29/2023. Predeceased by parents, William and Ruth Kloesz; in-laws, Steve and Margaret Bobak; brother-in-law, Brett Bobak. Survived by girlfriend of 51 years and wife of 43 years, Debra; children, Coral (Glen) and Cole (girlfriend Chelsea); siblings, Gary (Elise), Wendy (Jimmy), and Lori, (MJ). A special thanks to his sister Wendy, who was by his side for his last moments.
Scott enjoyed his many roles, including being a technician at Kodak. He was quite sad to witness the management driving the company into the ground. He made many long-lasting friends from work. They played horse shoes every Monday night for years.
Scott and Debra made quite a pair, enjoying many activities. Coral, Daddys Girl, arrived 13 years after marriage. Cole came 6 years later to complete the family. He treasured the time spent being a dad. Scott was extremely proud of his badass children.
His siblings are fun and always provided Scott with love and support. There were many family gatherings, a favorite being Christmas Eve at Gary’s. Scott shared a special bond with all of Debra’s siblings, with her mother calling him her “7th child”.
Scott loved all of his dogs. The first girl was a wedding present and picked up on the way home from their honeymoon. 3 more dogs to follow, all loved as part of the family.
Scott suffered from cancer for several years. From the moment he was diagnosed with his cancer, he refused to let the disease control him or defeat his spirits. He was grateful for his oncology team, Dr. Hezel, Chelsea McCaig, and Hannah Lundgren. Donations can be made to the Wilmont Cancer Center.
There will be a celebration of life for Scott at a later date.
CHESTERTOWN – Barbara passed away suddenly on October 20, 2022.
Barb was born in Buffalo, NY to William and Dorothy (Danforth) Fullerton. She is survived by her husband of 61 years, William (Jack) Sweeney; her sister, Joyce Tucker (Sam); her six children: Bill (Teresa), Lori, John (Tracy), Sue (Patrick), Brian (Kelly), and Michael (Tracy); 13 grandchildren: Stephanie (Eric), Eric, Leanne, Sam, Zach, Michaela, Erin, Colleen, Maddie, Anna, Nick, Grace, and KT; and two great-grandchildren: Scout and Violet as well as many nieces and nephews.
Barb met Jack at Bucknell University in 1959. It was love at first sight for Barb and she pursued Jack relentlessly. She finally won him over and they were married June 10, 1961. They started their life together in Hackensack, NJ where they brought home their first two kids, Bill and Lori. They moved to Denville, NJ and welcomed their next three children, John, Sue, and Brian. Another move to Bridgewater, NJ where they welcomed their sixth child Michael. It is here that they raised their family and stayed until their retirement.
After six children, Barb went back to school to finish her Degree in Chemistry from Douglass College of Rutgers University. Upon completing her degree, Barb worked for Johnson and Johnson Management Information Systems in Raritan, NJ until her retirement.
Barb and Jack traveled the world together visiting many states and many countries, some of them on bikes and many on skis. A lot of those trips included the L’s – Karen and Dick Lombardi as well as all the children and some grandchildren.
They moved to their vacation home in the Adirondacks NY in 2004. In her retirement, she and Jack started playing golf and joined a league at Cronin’s Golf Resort in Warrensburg, NY. She also continued to ski at their local slope, Gore Mountain, with three generations of Sweeneys tearing up the slope. Her golf and ski friends named themselves the “Gore”gorous Golfers and The Dropouts (former members of the Wednesday Ladies Ski Escape). These ladies became her partners in crime and she loved them dearly. On the day of her death, she had an 11:15 a.m. tee time and had just purchased her Gore season pass.
Barb LOVED her children and grandchildren and nothing brought her more joy than to have family gatherings. Any friends who came along became instant family and she welcomed all into her home. Her family and friends are heartbroken by the sudden loss of a wife, a mom, a grandma, a GiGi, and an amazing friend.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations can be made to be to the Loon Lake Park District Association, PO Box 301, Chestertown, NY 12817. Arrangements are entrusted to Barton-McDermott Funeral Home, Inc. 9 Pine St. Chestertown, NY 12817
Tiger Tracks 