MOREAU - Theodore T. Kusnierz, “Ted”, 86, of Gansevoort Road, passed away peacefully on October 29, 2018 at his home. Ted was born on July 10, 1932 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was the son of Thomas J. and Adele C. (Gajowy) Kusnierz.
Ted was raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts and educated in the Holyoke City School system. While in high school he was a well-known star athlete. He captained the soccer, hockey and baseball teams. In 1950, Holyoke High won the State Baseball Championship and Ted was named All Western Massachusetts Baseball All-Star. He also played three years in the AAABA in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. While in high school, he was elected President of his sophomore, junior and senior classes.
Upon graduation from high school, he attended Monson Academy and received an Associate’s Degree from Holyoke Community College. While a student there, he was elected President of his freshman and sophomore classes. He was also selected to be the United Nations Representative at Harvard College and Yearbook Editor. At commencement he received awards for Excellence and Citi-zenship.
Ted’s education continued at American International College (AIC) in Springfield, Massachusetts while he worked full-time as a boy’s Counselor at the Hampden County Training School in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from AIC.
In 1957, he married Anne Marie Donnelly and shortly thereafter the couple moved to South Bend, Indiana upon receiving a grant to study at the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate School. After receiving his Master’s in Sociology (Corrections Administration) from Notre Dame in 1960, he and Anne moved to New York where he began his career as a Parole Officer. While in this position, he held as-signments at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, New York Vocational Institution and Great Meadow Cor-rectional Facility. Upon transfer to the Albany Area Parole Office, he worked in Warren, Washington and Saratoga counties, as well as the city of Albany.
In July 1965, he was appointed to the position of Probation Examiner with the NYS Department of Corrections, working in the lower Hudson Valley. In 1972, he was promoted to Regional Supervisor with the Executive Department, Division of Probation. He then planned, organized and implemented the first State Probation Department in Fulton, Montgomery and Warren Counties.
In 1984, he was appointed the Deputy Director for Field Operations for the NYS Division of Pro-bation and Correctional Alternatives. He remained in this position until his retirement in 1989. Throughout his career he served on many select committees in the field of corrections. He was a member of the National Council of Probation and Parole, NYS Probation Administrators and at one time or another belonged to the Lake George Rotary Club, Glens Falls Knights of Columbus and the Glens Falls BPOE.
Upon his retirement, he and his son Todd expanded and refined the operations at Candy Cane Farm, LLC which includes cut your own and ready cut Christmas trees, as well as ready to plant trees for landscaping and Registered Black Angus cattle. Ted looked forward to every September when he would host the annual “Party at the Pond” for all of his friends and family.
Survivors, besides his wife Anne, include his brother Donald J. Kusnierz and his wife Johanna, his children Theodore T. “Todd” Kusnierz, Jr. and his wife Mary Ellen of Moreau, Katherine A. Kurtz and her husband Kenneth of Katonah, Sarah J. Linehan of Moreau, Rebecca M. Kreppein and her husband Keith of Moreau, Adele M. Kurtz and her husband Thomas of Moreau and Rachel A. Zimmerman and her husband Ronald of Moreau. Survivors also include eighteen grandchildren. Theodore Kusnierz III, Jacqueline Kusnierz, Kenneth Kurtz III, Katrina Kurtz, Karlene Kurtz, Patrick Linehan, James Linehan, Thomas Linehan, Kassondra Kreppein, Gabrielle Kreppein, Annika Kreppein, Savannah Kreppein, Nolan Kurtz, Sydney Kurtz, Addison Kurtz, William Zimmerman, Raven Zimmerman and Aysha Zimmerman.
As a final act of public service, Ted donated his body to the Anatomical Gift Program at Albany Medical School. Friends may call from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 9th at M.B. Kilmer Fu-neral Home, 136 Main Street, South Glens Falls. A funeral Mass will be conducted at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 10th at St. Michael’s Church, 80 Saratoga Avenue, South Glens Falls with Rev. Guy A. Childs, pastor and Rev. Paul P. Cox officiating. Burial will be at the convenience of the family.