Obituary of Marion De Hoyos

Marion de Hoyos of Monticello died peacefully at her daughter's home in Evanston, Illinois, on April 23, 2008, less than two months before her 97th birthday on June 15. Marion was born in Bridgeville, the fifth child of Phillip and Wilhelmina Kinney. Her parents were proprietors of the Hotel Kinney, located in the building that now houses the Old Homestead restaurant. Marion grew up playing in and around the Neversink River with her older siblings and other Bridgeville children. She described a childhood filled with days swimming, skating, sledding and skiing, the play only ending when the children were bone-tired and Wilhelmina, a celebrated cook for her family and her hotel guests, called them in for dinner. Families returned year after year to stay at the Hotel Kinney, and Marion had vivid memories of them and of the residents of Bridgeville. Marion attended a one-room school in Rock Hill andparochial and publicschools in Monticello. After high school, Marion joined New York Telephone as an operator and stayed with the company until 1953. She became a Chief Operator and supervised and trained operators throughout the region. Marion was very proud of her job, and she enjoyed both the work, especially mentoring new operators, and the independence work provided. In 1951, she married Luis de Hoyos. He was employed by, and later ran, Synfleur Scientific Laboratories, a Monticello business founded by his grandfather, Alois von Isakovics, an early developer of the perfume and essential oils business in the United States. Lu was active in local and New York State politics, serving as Mayor of Monticello and a delegate to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention, as well as one of the original trustees of Sullivan County Community College. Lu was a dedicated fisherman, collector and traveler, and Marion participated with him in all of these pastimes, enjoying having the stories to tell afterwards, but preferring to stay close to home and the company of family and good friends. Family was the central concern of Marion's life. She was a loving, constant and generous grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, daughter and friend. Marion was predeceased by Lu, who died in 1985, and by her siblings, Philomena Kinney Carlisle, Carl Kinney, Phillip Kinney and Elizabeth Kinney Reisch. She is survived by her daughter, Debora de Hoyos;her son-in-law, Walter Carlson;her granddaughters, Amanda, Greta and Linnea Carlson; her niece, Patti Gray of Monticello;and many grandnieces and grandnephews. Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 11 from 3:00 to 6:00pm at the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home, 401 Broadway in Monticello. Her funeral service will be held on Monday, May 12 at 11:00 am at St. Johns Episcopal Church, 15 St. John Street in Monticello. Burial will follow at the Rock Ridge Cemetery in Monticello Arrangements are under the direction of the VanInwegen-Kenny, Inc. Funeral Home of Wurtsboro. For additional information please visit www.kennyfuneralhome.com