Obituaries
Dunkirk Obituaries
Local obituaries for Dunkirk, New York
Fautina V. Solares
September 7, 2026
Fautina V. Solares, 96, peacefully passed away on September 7, 2026. Born to Ramon and Julia (Soto) Vargas on August 7, 1930 in Rincon, Puerto Rico.
In 1951, she married Efrain Solares-Rivera, and wanting a better life, they settled in Dunkirk. Fautina, a homemaker, raised her four children, Frank Solares of North Carolina, Pedro Solares of Dunkirk, Mary Solares-Rosario of Fredonia,...
Eugenie M. Briggs
September 6, 2026
Eugenie M. Briggs, age 88, of Fredonia passed away Sunday, September 6, 2026, at Buffalo General Hospital after an extended illness. She was the daughter of Clay and Alice Buenzli.
Janie graduated from Olympia High School, Olympia, WA class of 1956. After high school she worked as a civilian employee for the Department of the Army at Ft. Lewis, WA. It...
Debra L. Heintzman
August 25, 2026
Debra Lynn (Cheatham) Heintzman, 71, of Sinclairville, passed away Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at St. Vincent's Hospital in Erie, PA, after a long illness with her friend by her side. Born in Moundsville, WV, to her parents Joseph and Mildred (Hall) Cheatham.
Debbie attended John Marshall High School in Glenn Dale, WV. She began taking piano lessons at a young age...
Dennis P. Swingle
August 24, 2026
Dennis P. Swingle, 75, of Dunkirk, passed away Monday, August 24, 2026 at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Amherst, NY. Born in Dunkirk on July 16, 1951, he was the son of the late Donald R. Swingle Sr. and Angeline (Paternosh) Swingle.
A lifelong resident of Dunkirk, Dennis attended Dunkirk High School. He had a lifelong passion for cars and took...
Humberto Moran
August 24, 2026
Humberto Morán was born on February 25, 1943, in San Lorenzo, El Salvador, to Tránsito López Hernández and Carmen Morán Aguilar.
Humberto was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Elba Morán, as well as his parents, Tránsito López Hernández and Carmen Morán Aguilar.
He is lovingly remembered by his family, including his three sons, Wilberto Morán and his wife, Debbie Morán;...
Ruperto Rosario Cruz
August 21, 2026
Ruperto Rosario Cruz, 88, of Dunkirk, passed away Friday evening, August 21, 2026 at the Chautauqua Nursing and Rehab Center in Dunkirk.
He was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico, on July 12, 1938, and came to the United States at a young age, where he would go on to build a life centered around hard work, faith, family and friendship. He...
Toni Lynn Salim
August 18, 2026
Toni Lynn Salim passed away peacefully at her home she adored surrounded by loved ones on August 18,2026.
Toni was born in Natchitoches, LA on December 17, 1970. This is where she attended St. Mary’s and loved cheerleading and being a flyer.
She attended college at East Tennessee University where she received her RN degree.
Toni in her lifetime moved to Texas, Tennessee...
Mary Edwards
August 13, 2026
Mary Edwards, 77, of Dunkirk, formerly of Silver Creek, passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side on Thursday, August 13, 2026. Born in Silver Creek on September 8, 1948, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Vivian (Beamish) Edwards.
Mary was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother whose kindness, strength, and generosity touched the...
Manuel Padua, Jr.
August 7, 2026
Manuel Padua Jr., or “Manny,” as he was known by many, was born on January 1, 1954, in Brooklyn, NY. He was the beloved husband of Ramona Padua and a devoted father to Manuel Padua III, Alexandra Avila, Melanie Martinez, Floripe Padua, Edwin Lacen, and Alex Lacen. He was preceded in death by his parents, Manuel Padua and Rosa Burgos.
Manuel...
Patricia A. Pencek
August 6, 2026
Patricia “Pat” Pencek (Miller) left us way too early on August 6th, 2026. Pat was born on July 12, 1956. Pat was a loving wife, mom, grandma, and friend. She grew up in the Town of Dunkirk with eight siblings and graduated from Dunkirk High School. Pat worked at Northern Chautauqua Catholic School and REM Tronics, with her most important...
Harold E. Flory
August 5, 2026
Harold E. Flory, 88, of Dunkirk, passed away on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. Born in Dunkirk on April 24, 1938, he was the son of the late William and Elsie (Washington) Flory.
Harold graduated from Dunkirk High School, where he enjoyed playing basketball and football. He went on to work for over 25 years in the shipping department at Allegheny Ludlum...
Jonpaul Long
August 2, 2026
Jonpaul Long, 47, of Arkwright, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, August 2, 2026. He was the loving husband of Monica (Nalepa) Long and son of Laureen J. (Antolini) Kingsley and Edward W. Long III.
Jonpaul attended Fredonia High School and built his life around hard work, family, and friendship. He began his career as a cook at the Carriage...
Roxanne M. Tenamore
July 31, 2026
Roxanne M. Tenamore, 71, passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 31, 2026.
Born on December 27, 1954, Roxanne lived a life centered on faith, family, compassion, and generosity. She dedicated many years of her career as a cook at Chautauqua Opportunities, where she took great pride in preparing meals and caring for others through her work.
Roxanne found happiness in...
Kevin R. Schmidt
July 25, 2026
Heaven just got a little rowdier, and a lot more joyful. The family of Kevin Robert Schmidt, of Fredonia is saddened to announce he walked "The Stairway to Heaven" on July 25, 2026 at the age of 61. After a long courageous struggle of ups and downs from his diving accident back in 1983, and his recent cancer battle.
Growing up,...
Caroline S. Tofil
July 18, 2026
Caroline S. (Buczek) Tofil, 92, of Dunkirk, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 18, 2026 at the Chautauqua Nursing and Rehab Center in Dunkirk. Born in Franklin, PA on July 23, 1933, she was the wife of the late Lorence Tofil, and daughter of the late Leo and Katherine (Sustak) Buczek.
Caroline graduated from Dunkirk High School in 1952. While her...
David J. Karpinske
July 8, 2026
David “Poonze” Karpinske, 85, of Dunkirk passed away peacefully after a brief illness on Wednesday, July 8 2026, surrounded by family at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo. Born in Dunkirk on April 2, 1941, he was the son of Edmund and Jennie (Tryczenski) Karpinske.
After graduating from Dunkirk High School, David proudly served in the United States Army before starting his career...
JoAnn Skinner
2026
JoAnn (LaBarbera) Skinner, 80, of Cassadaga, passed away Monday morning, June 29, 2026 at UPMC Chautauqua in Jamestown, NY. She was born in Jamestown, NY on May 20, 1946, wife of Richard M. Skinner and daughter of the late John and Caroline (Malta) LaBarbera.
JoAnn was a graduate of Dunkirk High School and dedicated many years to serving as a Teacher's...
April G. Hill
June 16, 2026
April G. (DiLorenzo) Hill, 76, passed away on June 16, 2026 after a brief illness. She was the daughter of the late Anthony and Evelyn DiLorenzo.
April was a graduate of Dunkirk High School, class of 1968. She waitressed at Demetri’s On The Lake and other dining establishments in the local area.
She was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She enjoyed...
Leo A. Bain, Jr.
June 7, 2026
Leo A. Bain Jr. 90, of Fredonia, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday June 7, 2026. Born in Dunkirk on October 5, 1935, he was the husband of Sandra (Kolasa) Bain and son of the late Leo A. Bain, Sr. and Helen (Walas) Bain.
A 1954 graduate of Cardinal Mindszenty, Leo carried the values and lessons learned there throughout his...
Dominic W. Abraham
June 6, 2026
Dominic W. Abraham, 58, of Ripley, NY, passed away at home Saturday morning, June 6, 2026. Born in Buffalo on March 14, 1968, he was the husband of Jennifer Sullivan and son of Theresa (Ervolina) McNully and William M. Abraham Sr.
Dominic devoted many years of his career to Wells in Dunkirk, where his commitment and strong work ethic were evident...
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McGraw – Kowal Funeral Home remembers and is a collection of obituaries for Dunkirk. With services throughout Dunkirk, New York that are updated regularly. Find local Dunkirk. New York obituaries and join us in celebrating memories and honoring their lives and legacies.